One of my greatest pleasures in the studio is watching people's recording awareness expand, especially when there's none there to begin with. Hell, that's how I started, so it's fun to relive in other people. To savvy Tape Op readers, this book may not appear to offer much on the surface, with its whimsical, intentionally over- simplified picture captions ("Figure 4.10 - Guitarist using a multi-effects unit"), but to dismiss it too readily is to miss out on its charm and hidden nuggets of wisdom. Most Tape Op readers-practicing engineers, no matter how intermediate-are past the level of awareness at which this book's two recording chapters (appropriately named "Hardware Recording" and "Software Recording") are aimed. But consider this: as a bone to toss at any hyperactive band sitting bored on your control room couch while one of their members struggles with take after take, this book might make the perfect edition to your studio's coffee table. Dean comprehensively covers all aspects of starting a band and keeping it together and making a run at a respectably consistent work ethic. His refreshingly upbeat, go-get-'em, fuck-the-man, DIY spirit should strike a chord with the Tape Op crowd nonetheless. Hell, you might even learn something non- recording-wise to use with your own band. There's more to life than XLR cables and mic patterns, you know. ($24 street; www.muskalipman.com)