Producer and engineer Al Schmitt, who died in 2021 aged 91, was an engineer’s engineer whose span of recording artists he worked with ranged from The Andrews Sister and Bing Crosby to Jackson Browne and Steely Dan (Aja). In this book, Schmitt takes us into the studio and shares his process of selecting a microphone and shows us how to get the best sounds. Considerations such as song style, instrumentation, and the recording space itself are taken into account when making mic choices and determining the best placement for each. Schmitt demonstrates how to achieve the best sounds for a number of instruments, including drums, bass, piano, guitars (both acoustic and electric), organs, and horns, across many genres of music.

Schmitt brings a unique and invaluable perspective to not only making mic choices and their placement, but also the importance of interacting with musicians–taking their vision and preferences into account to create the most comfortable and effective recording experience for all involved.

Al Schmitt was a universally respected and much loved engineer and producer, every serious student of recording should be aware and learn from his take on things, especially things so crucially important as microphones and vocals.