This collection of essays is presented by an assortment of gifted and successful engineers, performers and producers on the deep--and oft-discussed--subject of how technology has impacted the manner in which we create and listen to music in this modern world. The panel includes luminaries such as Kenny Aronoff, drummer for everyone from John Cougar to Chickenfoot; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer; Kevin Becka, technical editor of Mix magazine; and Will Ackerman, founder of Windham Hill Records.

The contributors bring a wealth of knowledge to the subject, and in unexpurgated pieces, they share their opinions and outlooks. Their words are amusing and eye-opening and sometimes shocking and will certainly make you start thinking about that iPod you're holding or the way you can click on a button on a keyboard and hear music.

Do those devices and that availability make music better today than it was 30 years ago? That's for you to decide, and these pages deliver some valuable input toward forming your own ideas.

In the end, what really matters is the message--not the medium. Home studios are so affordable that virtually any person with the vaguest inkling about music can now record his or her own music. There are multiple sites where you can stream music for free, and you can now hear music on your phone, MP3 player, television, and a host of other devices. But is what you're hearing better than what it was back in the day? Is the music itself better? Not the way you hear it or create it but the actual song--is it as great as a Beatles song was? Or The Who? The Beach Boys? That's what you really need to keep in mind in reading this book.