Library : Sound Design: Reference + Research

Digital Resources

Selected Sound Ebooks

A/V A to Z: An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Media, Entertainment and Other Audiovisual Terms by Richard W. Kroon
ISBN: 9780786444052

Publication Date: 2010

Defining more than 10,000 words and phrases from everyday slang to technical terms and concepts, this dictionary of the audiovisual language embraces more than 50 subject areas within film, television, and home entertainment.
Sound and Music for the Theatre by Deena Kaye, James LeBrecht
ISBN: 9781315776477

Publication Date: 2015

Covering every phase of a theatrical production, this fourth edition of Sound and Music for the Theatre traces the process of sound design from initial concept through implementation in actual performances.
Theory for Theatre Studies: Sound by Susan Bennett
ISBN: 9781474246484

Publication Date: 2019

Sound provides a lively and engaging overview of relevant critical theory for students and researchers in theatre and performance studies. Addressing sound across history and through progressive developments in relevant technologies, the volume opens up the study of theatrical production and live performance to understand conceptual and pragmatic concerns about the sonic.
Dramaturgy of Sound in the Avant-Garde and Postdramatic Theatre by Mladen Ovadija
ISBN: 077354173X

Publication Date: 2013

In this surprising, resourceful study, Mladen Ovadija makes a case for the centrality of sound as an integral element of contemporary theatre. He argues that sound in theatre inevitably "betrays" the dramatic text, and that sound is performance. Until recently, theatrical sound has largely been regarded as supplemental to the dramatic plot. Now, however, sound is the subject of renewed interest in theatrical discourse.

Sound Databases + Web Resources

Oxford History Of Western Music: explore the full-text of an canonical work in music history

Music Online: The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: explore an online encyclopedia about world music, accompanied by recorded music

Listen to recordings from all of our online streaming audio resources.

Physical Materials in the Library

Searching the Library Collections

Materials in the library are organized by subject. Browsing the shelves of the library in-person can help you discover new work, materials, inspiration, and connections. Listed below are general call number ranges for sound and theatre at UNCSA Library:

ML162-197 - Music history and criticism > By Period
ML198-360.6 - Music history and criticism > By Region/Country
ML3544-3776 - Music history and criticism > Folk, National, and Ethnic Music
ML3805-3817 - Physics and Acoustics
PN 2085-2091 - Theatre > Stage and Accessories
TA365-367 - Acoustics in engineering; Acoustical engineering
TK7800-8360 - Electronics

Additional non-circulating physical resources can be found under the "Production Design" sign in our second floor reference collection.

You can search our digital and in-library collections simultaneously by title, author, subject, or keyword via a catalog search. Click Advanced Search for additional search criteria (like material type, language, year, etc.).

Selected Print Books

Sound Systems: Design and Optimization by Bob McCarthy
Call Number: Ref. TK7881.4 .M42 2010 - Production - Lighting & Sound & Tech, Browsery (2nd Floor)

ISBN: 9780240521565

Publication Date: 2009

Illustrated with color diagrams and screenshots throughout, this guide gives techniques to ensure perfect sound reinforcement and fulfill design needs. Outlining how sound is spread over a listening area, looking at the physics of speaker interaction, methods of alignment including mic placement, equalization, speaker placement and acoustic treatment, and case studies.
Digital Sound and Music by Jennifer Burg; Jason Romney; Eric Schwartz
Call Number: TK7881.4 .B795 2016 - Stacks (3rd Floor)

ISBN: 1590282744

Publication Date: 2016

Explores the science and mathematics of digital sound in a way that connects it to theatre, movies, and music production.
Show Networks and Control Systems (Formerly Control Systems for Live Entertainment) by John Huntington
Call Number: TK7881.9 .H86 2012 - Stacks (3rd Floor)

ISBN: 9780615655901

Publication Date: 2012

With a combined focus on computers, networks, control systems, art and practice, this book offers an in-depth examination of the control and networking technology used in lighting, lasers, sound, stage machinery, animatronics, special effects, and pyrotechnics for concerts, theme parks, theatre, themed-retail, cruise ships, museums, interactive performing arts, and special events.