The Best Books on Music Production: From Mixing to Mastering

There’s an infinite library of music production videos on YouTube. But sometimes, it’s nice to go old-school and hold something physical so you can fold pages, scribble notes, and return anytime.

Below is a curated list of the best music production books I’ve come across in my 20 years as a student of this art. Each one offers something valuable for producers at different stages of their music production journey.

1. Best Music Production Book for Mixing: Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior

The best book for understanding mixing.

If you can finish songs but struggle to make them sound professional, this book is a game-changer. Mike Senior does a brilliant job explaining key concepts like:

• Balancing levels

• EQ and compression

• Reverb and delay

• Stereo imaging

• Mix workflow and monitoring

  
  

It’s practical, beginner-friendly, and loaded with real-world techniques. Highly recommended for home studio producers.

This is the first book on mixing that really wove everything together simply and made mixing make sense for me.

2. Most Advanced Music Production Book: Mastering Audio by Bob Katz

The most technical book on music production.

This is the technical bible for mastering. It’s dense, deep, and incredibly detailed—perfect for intermediate to advanced producers. Topics include:

• Sample rates and bit depth

• ADC/DAC conversion

• The Nyquist Theorem

• Monitoring systems and acoustic treatment

• Psychoacoustics

Expect to take notes. It’s not light reading—but if you’re serious about mastering, this is essential. A huge takeaway for me was the importance of monitoring at a consistent volume to really learn your acoustic space inside-out.

3. Most Experimental Production Book: Mixing With Your Mind by Michael Stavrou

Thinking about music production differently.

Looking to break the rules a little? Mixing With Your Mind offers unconventional, creative approaches to production. It’s a quirky read packed with:

• Unusual mic concepts and techniques

• Complete compression methodology

• Philosophy behind mixing decisions

This one's for producers who have been round the block and want to explore out of the box ideas.

This book was a series of lightbulb moments when I first read it recently. I managed to get through it in just a few sittings as it is a real page-turner.

Honorable Mentions (Runners-Up)

How Music Works by David Byrne

More of a coffee table book. Not technical but incredibly interesting. This book looks at music from a broader cultural and environmental perspective. Ideal for inspiration and big-picture thinking.

Sound and Recording by Francis Rumsey & Tim McCormick

A dense, university-level textbook that dives deep into audio theory, acoustics, and sound recording. More academic, but full of valuable foundational knowledge.

All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald S. Passman

A must-read if you want to understand royalties, copyright, licensing, publishing, and collection societies. It contains everything and more about the music industry.

Melody in Songwriting by Jack Perricone

One of the few books in this list focused on music composition rather than production. Great for understanding how chords and melodies interact—and how to write emotionally compelling music. I loved the section on stable and unstable chords and how they want to resolve.

Behind the Glass by Howard Massey

An absolute classic music production book. A collection of interviews with legendary producers and engineers. It’s packed with insider knowledge, studio stories, and tried-and-tested production wisdom.

If you want a quicker way of learning music production then talk to Adam about personalised music production lessons or courses.