The Art of Mixing (mix Pro Audio Series) by Gibson

This colorful book uses extensive visual representations to explain how to create every style of music mix. It's an in-depth exploration into the aesthetics of what makes a great mix in a simple, visual manner. Gibson has mapped out everything that can be done to create various effects in all standard mixes, including details on most styles, from bluegrass to big band, … more »new age to heavy metal, classical to hip-hop, jazz to rap, and alternative rock to techno.

In explaining the aesthetic side of what makes a great mix, he introduces a framework that will help you understand everything that an engineer does. Once you know what can be done, you have the power to be truly creative all on your own.