The New Stereo Soundbook

By Ron Streicher and F. Alton Everest

Audio Engineering Associates 800/798-9127; www.stereosoundbook.com

Nearly a decade in the making, this new second edition of the 1991 The New Stereo Soundbook builds on the original and provides a thorough, yet eminently readable examination of nearly every aspect of stereo audio creation.

Fourteen chapters explore the topic in detail, from the early stereophonics demonstrations of the 1880s and the work of pioneers such as Blumlein and Fletcher in the 1930s up through modern multichannel surround systems. The book also presents a solid foundation for the understanding of the human auditory process, looking at the physiological, perceptual and psychoacoustic aspects of the stereo "illusion". Other chapters detail topics such as binaural recording, two-channel and multichannel stereo microphone techniques, coincident versus spaced pair approaches, pseudostereo and a section on optimizing the listening space. As an added bonus, the book includes a complete reprint of the Blumlein's 1931 patent on stereo techniques, which even today provides fascinating reading.


Authors Streicher and Everest have done an exemplary job of presenting this
material, with dozens of illustrations and graphics that present this sometimes-difficult material in a clear, understandable manner. At $54.50, The New Stereo Soundbook is an important work that's a must-read for anyone serious about stereo.

-George Petersen

This review was written by George Petersen, editor of MIX Magazine. It appeared on Page 175 of the August, 1999 issue.