"Steve Savage's book is a compelling argument for the recordist as musician. Firmly grounded in his own professional practice and illustrated with concrete examples, Bytes Backbeats shows how technology has created new modes of working together and reshaped the basic concepts through which we think musically. Positioning the recordist at the heart of music and music at the heart of digital culture, Savage has whipped up an intellectual as well as a musical feast."
—Nicholas Cook, University of Cambridge
— Nicholas Cook
Winner: American Library Association (ALA) Choice Outstanding Academic Title
— ALA Choice Outstanding Academic Title
"...important for those in the growing fields of music-industry, recording, and commercial-music studies...an imprtant contribution to the literature.Essential." - T.R. Harrison, Jacksonville University, Choice
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"...important for those in the growing fields of music-industry, recording, and commercial-music studies...an imprtant contribution to the literature. Essential."
—T.R. Harrison, Jacksonville University, Choice
— T.R. Harrison, Choice
"Savage sheds new light on concerns that have been around since the beginning of recorded music. His extraordinary insights into improvisation in recorded music adds new dimensions to composition, performance, listening and more."
—William D. Moylan, University of Massachusetts Lowell
— William D. Moylan
"Steve Savage’s work... offers a compelling reminder of the need to think critically about the relationship today between people, music, and technology; though unbalanced in places, his is an optimistic account that places human agency and collaboration at its heart."
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Music and Letters— Roddy Hawkins, Music and Letters
"Bytes Backbeats is a rare find: a book on music technology that demonstrates both an intimate knowledge of modern sound recording practices and a profound understanding of the digital revolution in music. Steve Savage, an experienced recordist and a keen scholar, must be one of the few people who can explain how to remove 'lipsmacks' from an audio track in one sentence and in the next draw upon the landmark writings of Roland Barthes or Walter Benjamin to illuminate the ramifications of such seemingly mundane practices. That he does so in clear, elegant prose makes this book all the rarer. Bytes Backbeats is an excellent book, and should be in the hands of musicians, engineers, producers, and students--anyone who cares deeply about the intersections of music, technology, and culture."
—Mark Katz, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
— Mark Katz