Bristol_Jonesey
I'd start with the Mike Senior one, then Roey Izhaki's book.
Leave the Bob Katz until last

Excellent. Thanks again.

Another good one is Waram's Studio Recording Handbook.  It was the texbook back in the 80's. 
 
Lots of terminology involved, but in the software world, a name is just a name.  Learn the functional stuff first (compression, which is a hard concept to wrap one's head around even tho it is pretty simple).  Don't worry too much about brand names.  Like the console emulations, there is precious little difference between the settings (for Neve, SSL and Trident).  But if you like the engineering aspect of it, it is lots of fun to find the back history of hardware and why it became popular.  And because it was popular that "sound" got used on all the hit records and cemented the reputation.  Software tries to emulate some of the classic hardware sound.  But that is a whole 'nother arguement.
 
Your best bet is to take the time to buy and read Mike's book and get a subscription to Sound on Sound (they have Christmas sells).  Unlike Waram's book, you won't get as much basics and math, but a more modern take of the engineering business.  SOS will keep you up on the latest soft/hardware, some opinions about it, and how that is being used in the modern music world. 
 
@

ATAnother good one is Waram's Studio Recording Handbook.  It was the texbook back in the 80's.

 
Wow; that one's a bit pricey. Maybe I'll wait on that one; can't find it at my local library.

ATLike the console emulations, there is precious little difference between the settings (for Neve, SSL and Trident).

 
Yeah, I wondered about that. Sometimes I listen to the "before" and "after" on a tweak in a tutorial video and hear no discernible difference. I was thinking it was either my hearing not being acute enough or the noise level in this room. Perhaps it's a bit of all three.
 

ATYour best bet is to take the time to buy and read Mike's book and get a subscription to Sound on Sound (they have Christmas sells).  Unlike Waram's book, you won't get as much basics and math, but a more modern take of the engineering business.

Yup, I was thinking that would be the plan: get Mike's book. The SOS articles are a good idea, too. I've read a few already. The subscription would get me... what? PDF versions of articles? More up-to-the-moment article releases? I'll have to look into that on their site.
 
Thanks for all the information.

The SoS articles are a great bang for the buck. Older articles may be read without a subscription, and there are enough of them to keep you occupied for months. I read Mr. Senior's book and was not impressed (although I like his articles and the SoS podcast). I guess because the title promised that some "secrets" would be revealed, but there were none.
 
YouTube is a treasure-trove of information, if you have the patience to sift through all the crap, e.g. teenage "producers" showing off their subwoofers. Start with Pensado's Place, which is perhaps not exactly at a beginner's level but certainly easy-to-intermediate. There's also the Recording Revolution YouTube channel, which is more basic and geared squarely at the beginner.
 
If you walk, exercise or ride the bus/train every day, listen to some podcasts. Check out The Home Recording Show, which ranges from simple introductory concepts to more advanced techniques. They've produced over 200 episodes over the past 5 years, each a little under an hour in length, so there's plenty of content there to keep you entertained for many hours. This is my favorite companion for my daily walking regimen.
 
That's just one of many audio-related podcasts out there. Sonic Talk is another one I enjoy, although despite being conducted by audio professionals, the audio quality is very bad. That's because they all hook up via Skype. It's like hanging out with a bunch of serious audio heavyweights on a conference call while they shoot the breeze. The conversations are only loosely structured and often take off in unexpected directions, which is why I enjoy it.

bitflipperThe SoS articles are a great bang for the buck. Older articles may be read without a subscription, and there are enough of them to keep you occupied for months... Pensado's Place... Recording Revolution... The Home Recording Show ... Sonic Talk

Thanks. I've got them bookmarked and I'll check them out.
 

bitflipperI read Mr. Senior's book and was not impressed (although I like his articles and the SoS podcast). I guess because the title promised that some "secrets" would be revealed, but there were none.

Hmmm.... That's too bad. This book was actually on my to-get list, but if it's not going to tell me much (if anything) more than Audio Engineering 101, I don't see much point.
 
I did stumble upon a book by Craig Anderton, though (The Guitarist's Guide to Sonar) that looks pretty informative. I glanced through the few pages Amazon allows and it seems to cover a lot of stuff. And if Mr. Anderton's "Sonar X1 Advanced Workshop" and "--The Next Level" videos are anything to go by, that'll be a good one to grab.

I'm surprised that Dave (Bit) has dismissed the Mike Senior book so casually.
 
Sure, there aren't any secrets, what he writes is pretty much industry standard stuff (are there really any secrets anymore?)
 
But in my opinion, the book is well worth it just for the chapter on monitoring and his in depth analysis of all things reverb.
 
I learnt a lot from it, but like many, I still have an awful lot to learn.

Bristol_JoneseyI'm surprised that Dave (Bit) has dismissed the Mike Senior book so casually.
 
Sure, there aren't any secrets, what he writes is pretty much industry standard stuff (are there really any secrets anymore?)
 
But in my opinion, the book is well worth it just for the chapter on monitoring and his in depth analysis of all things reverb.
 
I learnt a lot from it, but like many, I still have an awful lot to learn.

Okay, perhaps this isn't so cut-n-dried. Thanks for jumping in on this point, Jonesey.

I didn't hate the book! It's well-written, and an easy read. I just felt that using "secrets" in the title was hyperbole. Sure, there ain't no real secrets in the internet age. But the title suggests the inclusion of advanced techniques and information that aren't common knowledge, and there were none. 
 
Now that I think about it, that may not have been the author's title at all and was likely imposed by some anonymous editor at the publishing company.

bitflipper
Now that I think about it, that may not have been the author's title at all and was likely imposed by some anonymous editor at the publishing company.

Good point, bitflipper, but a misleading title is still a misleading title and I, like you, was more interested in buying it because of the 'secrets' rather than the well-written coverage of what's already available in other books, videos, etc. Judged on those latter merits alone, it might be better than average or even the best of the lot. Who knows? And Mr. Senior's intentions were likely 100% honourable.
But, it was still a mistake to mislead the buying public with that title, IMHO. Basically, it amounts to marketing hype and I'm not a fan. I pay attention to word of mouth if it's available and I'm still grateful to you for pointing this out.
 

you might not think they're secrets, but judging by the questions asked on this (and other) forums some people do! :-)