Engineers and music

Engineers working in the field of audio, especially if they deal directly with musicians, may find themselves at a serious disadvantage because of a lack of musical knowledge. The acquisition of such knowledge, on the other hand, can increase their professional prestige, improve the quality of their work, and open new horizons for personal enjoyment. The author of this paper, a musician of varied experience as well as an engineer, shows that a very useful background in music is not hard to obtain. This article specifies in concrete terms the information which should be acquired for basic musical understanding, and gives suggestions as to how this information may be obtained.