The comprehensive, college-level audio engineering and music production textbook — written from 20 years of running a professional recording studio and teaching hundreds of students who went on to build careers in the industry. From the physics of sound to the business of music, from your first Pro Tools session to your first Billboard placement — everything you need, in one book.
Most audio engineering textbooks are written by academics who study studios. In The Studio was written by an engineer who built one, ran it for 20 years, and trained the next generation of producers inside it. Every concept is taught the way it's actually practiced — with real session examples, real client scenarios, and the practical shortcuts professionals use daily.
The curriculum started as the lesson plan for OC Recording's audio school, where students didn't just learn theory — they recorded, mixed, and mastered real projects in a working studio. Many of those students went on to careers in the industry. This book is the distillation of everything they learned.
Every chapter connects theory to practice. You learn what a compressor does AND which settings to use on a kick drum in a hip hop mix. The physics of sound leads directly to microphone placement decisions. Nothing is abstract for its own sake.
The book teaches the industry-standard DAW used in professional studios worldwide. Session setup, recording, editing, comping, playlists, routing, bus processing, automation, bounce — the complete Pro Tools workflow as it's actually used in commercial sessions.
Most textbooks stop at mastering. This one covers contracts, copyright, work-for-hire, publishing, royalties, sync licensing, setting rates, and building a client base — written by someone who is both a working engineer AND a California-licensed attorney.
Chapter 22 covers AI in audio production — stem separation, AI mastering, generative music, ethical considerations, and how to use AI tools as an engineer rather than fear them. No other textbook published before 2026 covers this with real practitioner insight.
Every chapter ends with review questions. The book includes 20 chapter answer keys and a 113-question comprehensive final exam covering every topic. Ready to integrate into any audio engineering curriculum without additional prep work.
190-term glossary, 8 appendix sections (Pro Tools shortcuts, streaming loudness targets, video frame rates, recommended plugins, audio formats, video codecs, 5.1 surround layout, mastering signal chain). A reference library inside a textbook.
The complete learning path follows a professional progression: understand sound → capture it → edit it → process it → mix it → master it → sell it.
Industry roles and the studio ecosystem. Sound physics: frequency, amplitude, waveforms, decibels, the Fletcher-Munson curves. Music theory fundamentals: scales, chords, rhythm, time signatures. Analog vs. digital audio: sample rate, bit depth, Nyquist theorem, aliasing. The recording studio: layout, signal flow, monitoring.
Acoustics and room treatment: absorption, diffusion, standing waves, bass traps. Microphones: dynamic, condenser, ribbon, phantom power, polar patterns, frequency response. Advanced mic techniques: stereo pairs, mid-side, Blumlein, ORTF, spaced pair. Signal chain and gain structure: preamps, A/D conversion, routing. Digital audio fundamentals: interfaces, plugin formats, computer specs.
Pro Tools setup and session management: I/O, busses, aux tracks, routing. Recording and editing: comping, playlists, fades, crossfades, elastic audio. MIDI and virtual instruments: sequencing, quantization, velocity, CC data. Synthesis and sound design: subtractive, FM, wavetable, additive, filters, ADSR envelopes, oscillators, modulation.
Dynamics processing: compression, limiting, expansion, gating, de-essing, side-chain, parallel compression. Equalization: parametric, graphic, shelving, HPF/LPF, surgical vs. tonal, frequency chart. Time-based effects: reverb (hall, plate, room, spring), delay (slap, ping-pong, tempo-sync), modulation. Mixing: gain staging, panning, bus processing, automation, stereo image, reference tracks. Mastering: loudness standards, LUFS, dynamic range, mastering chain, streaming targets.
Post-production for film and video: SMPTE timecode, ADR, Foley, dialogue editing, stems, 5.1 surround, Dolby Atmos and immersive audio, video codecs, frame rates. AI and the future of audio: stem separation (Demucs), AI mastering (LANDR), generative music, MixAgent and session-level AI, ethical considerations, what AI can't replace.
190-term glossary covering every technical term. 8-section appendix: Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts (60+ for Mac/Windows), streaming loudness targets (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Tidal, Amazon), standard video frame rates, recommended plugins by category (30+ plugins, 2026 edition), audio file formats, video codecs, 5.1 surround speaker layout, mastering signal chain. 113-question comprehensive final exam. 20 chapter answer keys.
ALSO INCLUDED
Preface & Author Introduction • Glossary (190 terms) • Appendix A: Pro Tools Keyboard Shortcuts (60+ shortcuts, Mac & Windows) • Appendix B: Streaming Loudness Targets (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Tidal, Amazon, Broadcast) • Appendix C: Standard Video Frame Rates • Appendix D: Recommended Plugins by Category (30+ plugins, 2026 edition) • Appendix E: Audio File Formats • Appendix F: Video Codecs • Appendix G: 5.1 Surround Speaker Layout • Appendix H: Mastering Signal Chain • 113-Question Comprehensive Final Exam • 20 Chapter Answer Keys • Outro
The curriculum in this book trained hundreds of students at OC Recording's audio school. Here are some of them.
Electronic music producer with millions of streams on Spotify. Built his production foundation at OC Recording before breaking out in the bass music scene.
Graduate who went on to develop their craft into a professional production career after training in the OC Recording studio program.
Arrived knowing nothing about audio engineering. Graduated as an OC Recording certified engineer and Waves Audio certified producer. Wrote, performed, produced, recorded, mixed, and directed her debut single and music video.
Started recording at OC Recording at age 9. Went on to compete on NBC's The Voice Season 14, selected by both Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson from 44,000 applicants.
Asaf founded The OC Recording Company in 2005 and has spent more than two decades as a working audio engineer, music producer, recording artist, and educator. Originally from Chicago, he attended Denison University (B.A. in Computer Science, 2004), built his first recording studio in his dorm room, and moved to California to turn his passion into a career.
His credits span every corner of the industry: placements on Netflix, ESPN, MTV, and Disney; records with Grammy-winning and platinum-selling artists; three #1 hit records mixed for Common Kings (songs written by Meghan Trainor); a Billboard-charting Christian Rock track for Whosoever South; ADR recording for the SYFY series The Magicians with Summer Bishil; and sessions with artists including Ray Goren (NBC's Songland), Audrina Patridge, Habib Qaderi, Aryana Sayeed, and Fatell.
Named 2016 Producer of the Year by Now Hip Hop Magazine and a former Grammy voting member, Asaf holds a U.S. patent for microphone technology and has produced 11 solo singles, music videos, and a documentary appearance (Visiting by Vertex Media).
In 2017, while continuing to run OC Recording, Asaf enrolled part-time at Taft University School of Law. He passed the Baby Bar, the California Bar Exam, and the MPRE on his first attempt, graduating Magna Cum Laude. He was the commencement speaker at his graduation and currently sits on Taft's Advisory Board. He is a member of the California State Bar (#343622).
He developed the curriculum that became In The Studio while teaching hundreds of students at OC Recording's audio school — many of whom went on to careers in music, film, and audio production. He is also the creator of MixAgent, an AI-powered mixing automation system for Pro Tools. He continues to produce music from his studio in Wildomar, California.
In The Studio is designed for seamless integration into audio engineering, music production, and music technology curricula. The book includes review questions for every chapter, a comprehensive 113-question final exam, and complete answer keys — everything an instructor needs to teach a full semester course without additional preparation.
The curriculum has been taught in a working studio environment and refined over years of real classroom use. Bulk licensing and institutional pricing available upon request.
Educator InquiryWhether you're a student, a home producer, or an educator building a program — In The Studio is the comprehensive foundation you need.