Picture 1 of 1
Picture 1 of 1
Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music - Hardcover - GOOD
US $7.72
Condition:
Out of Stock / 2 sold
Shipping:
Located in: Montgomery, Illinois, United States
Delivery:
Estimated between Mon, Jun 17 and Sat, Jun 22 to 43230
Returns:
Payments:
Special financing available. See terms and apply now- for PayPal Credit, opens in a new window or tab
Earn up to 5x points when you use your eBay Mastercard®. Learn moreabout earning points with eBay Mastercard
Shop with confidence
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:256405648225
Item specifics
- Condition
- Brand
- Unbranded
- MPN
- Does not apply
- ISBN
- 9780571211654
- Book Title
- Perfecting Sound Forever : an Aural History of Recorded Music
- Item Length
- 9.2 in
- Publisher
- Faber & Faber, Incorporated
- Publication Year
- 2009
- Format
- Hardcover
- Language
- English
- Illustrator
- Yes
- Item Height
- 1.5 in
- Genre
- Music, Business & Economics
- Topic
- History & Criticism, Recording & Reproduction, Printed Music / Woodwinds, Industries / Entertainment
- Item Width
- 6.3 in
- Item Weight
- 22.9 Oz
- Number of Pages
- 432 Pages
About this product
Product Information
In 1915, Thomas Edison proclaimed that he could record a live performance and reproduce it perfectly, shocking audiences who found themselves unable to tell whether what they were hearing was an Edison Diamond Disc or a flesh-and-blood musician. Today, the equation is reversed. Whereas Edison proposed that a real performance could be rebuilt with absolute perfection, Pro Tools and digital samplers now allow musicians and engineers to create the illusion of performances that never were. In between lies a century of sonic exploration into the balance between the real and the represented. Tracing the contours of this history, Greg Milner takes us through the major breakthroughs and glorious failures in the art and science of recording. An American soldier monitoring Nazi radio transmissions stumbles onto the open yet revolutionary secret of magnetic tape. Japanese and Dutch researchers build a first-generation digital audio format and watch as their "compact disc" is marketed by the music industry as the second coming of Edison yet derided as heretical by analog loyalists. Themusic world becomes addicted to volume in the nineties and fights a self-defeating "loudness war" to get its fix. From Les Paul to Phil Spector to King Tubby, from vinyl to pirated CDs to iPods, Milner's Perfecting Sound Forever pulls apart musical history to answer a crucial question: Should a recording document reality as faithfully as possible, or should it improve upon or somehow transcend the music it records? The answers he uncovers will change the very way we think about music.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Faber & Faber, Incorporated
ISBN-10
0571211658
ISBN-13
9780571211654
eBay Product ID (ePID)
70342630
Product Key Features
Book Title
Perfecting Sound Forever : an Aural History of Recorded Music
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
History & Criticism, Recording & Reproduction, Printed Music / Woodwinds, Industries / Entertainment
Publication Year
2009
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
Music, Business & Economics
Number of Pages
432 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
9.2 in
Item Height
1.5 in
Item Width
6.3 in
Item Weight
22.9 Oz
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
Ml3838.M645 2009
Reviews
" Perfecting Sound Forever is an exhaustively researched, extraordinarily inquisitive book that dissects the central question within all music criticism: When we say that something sounds good, what are we really saying? And perhaps more important, what are we really hearing?" -- CHUCK KLOSTERMAN, author of DOWNTOWN OWL "Milner tells the story of recorded music with novelistic verve, ferocious attention to detail, and a soulful ambivalence about our quest for sonic perfection. He shows how great recordings come about not through advances in technology but through a love of the art, and that same love is the motor of his prose." -- ALEX ROSS, author of THE REST IS NOISE "Milner's history begins with the Big Bang and never quiets down, unpacking recordings by everyone from Bing Crosby to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a voice that's equal parts lay scientist and used-record-store guru. It's ear candy of the highest order." -- WILL HERMES, coeditor of SPIN: 20 YEARS OF ALTERNATIVE MUSIC "A brilliant history of sonic dreams, full of provocative questions for any music lover: When you fall in love with a sound, what are you hearing? Does a recording capture a moment or create one? Milner makes these questions more fascinating--and more unsettling--than ever." -- ROB SHEFFIELD, author of LOVE IS A MIX TAPE "[Milner] delves so deeply into the hows and whys of recorded sound that you may never listen to Lady Gaga the same way again. ... a gifted storyteller with an ear for absurdity ... Milner never loses his grasp on the humanity behind the music; what fascinates him more than decibels and 'dead rooms' is mankind's innate desire to document and preserve itself. You might not think a book about reverb could thrill. Milner's does." -- Mikael Wood, Time Out: New York "Exhaustive, technically precise and fascinating." -- Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times "Broad in scope and steeped in detail... Milner provides insightful commentary and possesses a solid grasp of pacing and a light touch with the technical aspects. ... Milner especially excels at revealing the human side of each story." -- Kirkus "A personal yet informative interpretation of recorded music that will appeal to students and professionals in the music industry as well as general music-loving readers." -- Bradford Lee Eden, Library Journal "Recording gadgets evolve with dizzying speed, but debates over their effects on music never change, according to this fascinating study of technology and aesthetics. ... Milner combines a lucid exposition of acoustics and technology with a critic's keen discernment of the pop-music soundscape. The result is a real ear-opener that will captivate fans and techies alike." -- Publishers Weekly "Superbly researched. ... Milner's is by no means a nerd's-eye view: this is fundamentally a human story. ... The fact that the Red Hot Chili Peppers get a pasting is just one pleasure to be drawn from a book that is less about the music we like than what we may have sacrificed in pursuing it." -- Metro.co.uk "Greg Milner's Perfecting Sound Forever unravels the why and how with all the juicy technological details in place. ... As deep as Perfecting Sound Forever takes us into sound, it never devalues the allure of the chimera that is the perfect recording. Milner is plenty aware of his sphinxlike subject." -- John Dugan, Time Out: Chicago, " Perfecting Sound Forever is an exhaustively researched, extraordinarily inquisitive book that dissects the central question within all music criticism: When we say that something sounds good, what are we really saying? And perhaps more important, what are we really hearing?" -CHUCK KLOSTERMAN, author of DOWNTOWN OWL "Milner tells the story of recorded music with novelistic verve, ferocious attention to detail, and a soulful ambivalence about our quest for sonic perfection. He shows how great recordings come about not through advances in technology but through a love of the art, and that same love is the motor of his prose." -ALEX ROSS, author of THE REST IS NOISE "Milner's history begins with the Big Bang and never quiets down, unpacking recordings by everyone from Bing Crosby to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a voice that's equal parts lay scientist and used-record-store guru. It's ear candy of the highest order." -WILL HERMES, coeditor of SPIN: 20 YEARS OF ALTERNATIVE MUSIC "A brilliant history of sonic dreams, full of provocative questions for any music lover: When you fall in love with a sound, what are you hearing? Does a recording capture a moment or create one? Milner makes these questions more fascinating-and more unsettling-than ever." -ROB SHEFFIELD, author of LOVE IS A MIX TAPE "[Milner] delves so deeply into the hows and whys of recorded sound that you may never listen to Lady Gaga the same way again. … a gifted storyteller with an ear for absurdity … Milner never loses his grasp on the humanity behind the music; what fascinates him more than decibels and 'dead rooms' is mankind's innate desire to document and preserve itself. You might not think a book about reverb could thrill. Milner's does."-Mikael Wood, Time Out: New York "Exhaustive, technically precise and fascinating."-Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times "Broad in scope and steeped in detail… Milner provides insightful commentary and possesses a solid grasp of pacing and a light touch with the technical aspects. … Milner especially excels at revealing the human side of each story."- Kirkus "A personal yet informative interpretation of recorded music that will appeal to students and professionals in the music industry as well as general music-loving readers."-Bradford Lee Eden, Library Journal "Recording gadgets evolve with dizzying speed, but debates over their effects on music never change, according to this fascinating study of technology and aesthetics. … Milner combines a lucid exposition of acoustics and technology with a critic's keen discernment of the pop-music soundscape. The result is a real ear-opener that will captivate fans and techies alike."- Publishers Weekly "Superbly researched. … Milner's is by no means a nerd's-eye view: this is fundamentally a human story. … The fact that the Red Hot Chili Peppers get a pasting is just one pleasure to be drawn from a book that is less about the music we like than what we may have sacrificed in pursuing it."-Metro.co.uk "Greg Milner's Perfecting Sound Forever unravels the why and how with all the juicy technological details in place. … As deep as Perfecting Sound Forever takes us into sound, it never devalues the allure of the chimera that is the perfect recording. Milner is plenty aware of his sphinxlike subject."-John Dugan, Time Out: Chicago, A brilliant history of sonic dreams, full of provocative questions for any music lover: When you fall in love with a sound, what are you hearing? Does a recording capture a moment or create one? Milner makes these questions more fascinating--and more unsettling--than ever., Recording gadgets evolve with dizzying speed, but debates over their effects on music never change, according to this fascinating study of technology and aesthetics. ... Milner combines a lucid exposition of acoustics and technology with a critic's keen discernment of the pop-music soundscape. The result is a real ear-opener that will captivate fans and techies alike., [Milner] delves so deeply into the hows and whys of recorded sound that you may never listen to Lady Gaga the same way again. ... a gifted storyteller with an ear for absurdity ... Milner never loses his grasp on the humanity behind the music; what fascinates him more than decibels and 'dead rooms' is mankind's innate desire to document and preserve itself. You might not think a book about reverb could thrill. Milner's does., Milner tells the story of recorded music with novelistic verve, ferocious attention to detail, and a soulful ambivalence about our quest for sonic perfection. He shows how great recordings come about not through advances in technology but through a love of the art, and that same love is the motor of his prose., Perfecting Sound Forever is an exhaustively researched, extraordinarily inquisitive book that dissects the central question within all music criticism: When we say that something sounds good, what are we really saying? And perhaps more important, what are we really hearing?, Broad in scope and steeped in detail... Milner provides insightful commentary and possesses a solid grasp of pacing and a light touch with the technical aspects. ... Milner especially excels at revealing the human side of each story., Milner's history begins with the Big Bang and never quiets down, unpacking recordings by everyone from Bing Crosby to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a voice that's equal parts lay scientist and used-record-store guru. It's ear candy of the highest order., A personal yet informative interpretation of recorded music that will appeal to students and professionals in the music industry as well as general music-loving readers., "Perfecting Sound Foreveris an exhaustively researched, extraordinarily inquisitive book that dissects the central question within all music criticism: When we say that something sounds good, what are we really saying? And perhaps more important, what are we really hearing?" -CHUCK KLOSTERMAN, author ofDOWNTOWN OWL"Milner tells the story of recorded music with novelistic verve, ferocious attention to detail, and a soulful ambivalence about our quest for sonic perfection. He shows how great recordings come about not through advances in technology but through a love of the art, and that same love is the motor of his prose." -ALEX ROSS, author ofTHE REST IS NOISE"Milner's history begins with the Big Bang and never quiets down, unpacking recordings by everyone from Bing Crosby to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in a voice that's equal parts lay scientist and used-record-store guru. It's ear candy of the highest order." -WILL HERMES, coeditor ofSPIN: 20 YEARS OF ALTERNATIVE MUSIC"A brilliant history of sonic dreams, full of provocative questions for any music lover: When you fall in love with a sound, what are you hearing? Does a recording capture a moment or create one? Milner makes these questions more fascinating-and more unsettling-than ever." -ROB SHEFFIELD, author ofLOVE IS A MIX TAPE, Greg Milner's Perfecting Sound Forever unravels the why and how with all the juicy technological details in place. ... As deep as Perfecting Sound Forever takes us into sound, it never devalues the allure of the chimera that is the perfect recording. Milner is plenty aware of his sphinxlike subject., Superbly researched. ... Milner's is by no means a nerd's-eye view: this is fundamentally a human story. ... The fact that the Red Hot Chili Peppers get a pasting is just one pleasure to be drawn from a book that is less about the music we like than what we may have sacrificed in pursuing it.
Copyright Date
2009
Target Audience
Trade
Lccn
2008-055444
Dewey Decimal
781.4909
Dewey Edition
22
Item description from the seller
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
eBay item number:256405648225
Shipping and handling
Item location:
Montgomery, Illinois, United States
Ships to:
Canada, Mexico, United States
Excludes:
Africa, Asia, Barbados, Bermuda, Central America and Caribbean, Europe, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Libya, Martinique, Middle East, New Caledonia, Oceania, Reunion, Russian Federation, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, South America, Southeast Asia, Ukraine, Venezuela
| Shipping and handling | To | Service | Delivery*See Delivery notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free shipping | United States | Economy Shipping (USPS Media MailTM) | Estimated between Mon, Jun 17 and Sat, Jun 22 to 43230 |
| US $4.95 | United States | Standard Shipping (DGM SmartMail Expedited) | Estimated between Fri, Jun 21 and Wed, Jun 26 to 43230 |
| US $10.95 | United States | Expedited Shipping (FedEx 2Day®) | Estimated between Fri, Jun 14 and Sat, Jun 15 to 43230 |
| Handling time |
|---|
| Will usually ship within 1 business day of receiving cleared payment. |
| Taxes |
|---|
| Taxes may be applicable at checkout. Learn moreLearn more about paying tax on eBay purchases. |
Return policy
| After receiving the item, contact seller within | Refund will be given as | Return shipping |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Money Back | Seller pays for return shipping |
Refer to eBay Return policyopens in a new tab or window for more details. You are covered by the eBay Money Back Guaranteeopens in a new tab or window if you receive an item that is not as described in the listing.
Payment details
Payment methods
Popular categories from this store
Seller feedback (5,976,977)
a***a (171)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past month
Verified purchase
This is an outstanding seller to deal with. Fair prices that are more than reasonable in this economy. The product is in better condition than described, a true value for my money. Packaged and shipped well shows seller has concern for the products he sells to arrive in excellent condition. The seller is friendly and communicates timely with his customers. I highly recommend this seller and would do business again anytime. Thank you.
5***u (3403)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past month
Verified purchase
🏆 SUPER STAR 🤩 AMAZING PHOTOS 🎯 ACCURATE DESCRIPTION ✏️ GENUINE PRODUCTS 💎 HIGH QUALITY 🍯 SUPER PRICES 💰 EASY TO WORK WITH 🍰 ECONOMY HANDLING ⏱️ FAST SHIPPING 🚀 BUBBLE PACKAGE 📦 ARRIVED WITHIN DAYS 🌎 EXCEPTIONAL COMMUNICATION 🎙️ OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE 🛎️ GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR 🍿 TOTAL ASSET TO THE EBAY-ECO SYSTEM 🥇 SAVED SELLER 🎱 PROMT REPLY FOR RETURNS 🎯 WOULD BUY FROM AGAIN 🧲 UNDER PROMISES OVER DELIVERS ⛳️ MADE ME VERY HAPPY 🌈 LEFT POSITIVE FEEDBACK 🌼 THANK YOU! 😇 A+++
z***z (602)- Feedback left by buyer.
Past 6 months
Verified purchase
🏆 SUPER STAR 🤩 AMAZING PHOTOS 🎯 ACCURATE DESCRIPTION ✏️ GENUINE PRODUCTS 💎 HIGH QUALITY 🍯 SUPER PRICES 💰 EASY TO WORK WITH 🍰 ECONOMY HANDLING ⏱️ FAST SHIPPING 🚀 BUBBLE PACKAGE 📦 ARRIVED WITHIN DAYS 🌎 EXCEPTIONAL COMMUNICATION 🎙️ OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE 🛎️ GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR 🍿 TOTAL ASSET TO THE EBAY-ECO SYSTEM 🥇 SAVED SELLER 🎱 PROMT REPLY FOR RETURNS 🎯 WOULD BUY FROM AGAIN 🧲 UNDER PROMISES OVER DELIVERS ⛳️ MADE ME VERY HAPPY 🌈 LEFT POSITIVE FEEDBACK 🌼 THANK YOU! 😇 A+++
Product ratings and reviews
More to explore :
- History Music Hardcover Antiquarian & Collectible Books,
- History Hardcover Nonfiction Books,
- History Hardcover Antiquarian & Collectible Books,
- American History Hardcover Nonfiction Books,
- History Nonfiction Books Hardcover Books,
- History Hardcover Nonfiction Books in Scots,
- World History Hardcover Nonfiction Books,
- History Hardcover Air Force Nonfiction Books,
- Natural History Hardcover Nonfiction Books,
- History Hardcover Sets Antiquarian & Collectible Books