Emiliano (Emi) Paternostro is the author of The Pro Tools 2023 Post-Audio Cookbook; we got the chance to sit down and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.
Q: What is the name of your book?
Emi: The Pro Tools 2023 Post-Audio Cookbook
Q: What are your specialist tech areas?
Emi: Audio Engineering
Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?
Emi: Packt reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in writing a book on using Pro Tools. It took me a solid two years of using Pro Tools every day before I got comfortable with it, so I thought this could be a great resource for the audio community who are hoping to get that leg up and get efficient with their audio workflows.
Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?
Emi: I took a look at other books out there and see what approach they took. I thought about what would be best for me as a Pro Tools user, and something that would be easy to reference as a Cookbook. It took about a month of developing before I started writing.
Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?
Emi: There are so many parts to the software that is just second nature to me after using it for decades. Breaking ideas down into easily demonstrable steps was tricky. I ended up having to break things down to their most foundational concepts to get the ideas out.
Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?
Emi: Pro Tools has a long history and can be divisive as software. I hope that the developers continue to listen to the users and implement the features that we want.
Q: Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?
Emi: This book breaks down all the steps needed for audio workflows from start to finish. It’s a holistic approach to using the software, and not simply individual parts of the tools.
Q: What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away with from the book?
Emi: I want readers to understand that there’s a lot that goes into any audio production outside of the software. Proper planning will make for a better project in the end.
Q. What advice would you give to readers jumping into this technology? Do you have any top tips?
Emi: Start small! Get the foundations of using the tools first down, then work on the more advanced tools.
Q. Do you have a blog that readers can follow?
Emi: I don’t blog, but I have written some resources for audio on my site: https://proximitysound.com/resources/
Q: Can you share any blogs, websites, and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning? What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away with from the book?
Emi: There are some amazing sites about audio engineering and Pro Tools: https://www.soundonsound.com | https://www.asoundeffect.com | https://www.production-expert.com
Q. How would you describe your author’s journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?
Emi: Packt has a great system in place for first-time authors. They were accommodating to my needs and helped me every step of the way.
Q. Do you belong to any tech community groups?
Emi: Yes! You can find me on AirWiggles.
Q. What are your favorite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?
Emi: The sites listed above are where I also get most of my news.
Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?
Emi: I took the outline that was developed and worked from there. I had a dual-screen setup, had the software on-screen, and went through what I thought would work as a demonstration, then wrote down the steps. I made sure the recipes were clear and concise before adding images/screenshots.
Q. What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?
Emi: Shut off all distractions. No social media, discord, or email, just turn every notification off and focus on the work.
Q. Would you like to share your social handles? If so, please share.
Emi: Twitter
You can find Emi’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here
