Soundtrack Pro – Professional Sound Design
Review by Michael Sacci
Author: Mary Plummer

This book is very much in line with the other Apple Pro Training Series books. It is a project-based tutorial, and includes all the media on the included DVD for use with the book.
I was very excited to see an audio book that did not focus solely on making music beds with loops. This is audio training for the video editor. As well as mixing songs, it walks you through the processes needed for fixing dialog and approaching sound design to enhance your video.
The lessons average about an hour to complete and have a review of the main features and the keyboard shortcuts learned in each lesson.
The one thing that I really like about this book is, not only are you learning how to use the program, but it helps you understand why things need to be done from an audio standpoint. Everyone knows when he or she hears bad audio with their dialog, but a lot of people don’t know or think about adding sounds to better convey the mood of their video. This book will help you “see” audio in a better light.
Be forewarned, the sound design projects are a bit hokey.

Michael Sacci is a member of the Nashville Apple Pro Video Group.