Sound for Film and Television

You might not know his name, but you know his initials (THX). Tom Holman's experiments have changed filmmaking for the better. Written by the 1996 winner of the Cinema Audio Society's Career Achievement Award, Sound for Film and Television covers the broad field of sound accompanying pictures, from the fundamentals through recording, editing, and mixing for films, documentaries, and television shows. The book provides a solid grounding in all aspects of the sound process. Basic principles are presented with illustrations on how they affect the day-to-day activities on a film or television set, in the editing room, and in the mix room. The accompanying audio CD demonstrates the key concepts discussed in the book.


Sound for Film and Television bridges the gap between production oriented books which lack the detail and theory presented here, and design engineering oriented books that offer too little content for working professionals. Emphasis is on the principles involved rather than specific equipment, with illustrations from actual production and post-production activities. The book provides an overall introduction to the fascinating field of recording, editing, mixing, and exhibiting film and television audio. It strikes a balance between aesthetic and technical content, combining theory and practice, to approach sound as both an art and a science, as no other text has before.

Tomlinson Holman is best known for his development of new products and processes in the fields of audio and video (with his patents licensed to more than 45 companies) including the THX Sound System, Home THX, THX Digital Mastering, and the Apt/Holman Preamplifier. He is also a professor at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television. Holman has started a new company, TMH Corporation, to continue supplying the industry with technical developments, such as MicroTheater, a desk-top based sound monitoring system designed so that filmmakers can make decisions in an editorial environment that previously required a full mixing theater. In addition to the Career Achievement Award of the Cinema Audio Society, Holman has received fellowships from the Audio Engineering Society, the British Kinematograph Sound and Television Society, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. He also received the Samuel L. Warner Medal for progress in film sound and the Eastman Kodak Gold Medal for the use of film in education from SMPTE.


The only text to present sound design as both an art and a science.
Accompanying audio CD contains examples demonstrating key concepts.
Written by one of Hollywood's leading sound designers.