Audio Technology

$1,950.00

Confused, intimidated or overwhelmed by audio language and equipment? If you answered yes to any of these questions, look no further. We demystify the audio world.

Learners learn introductory principles, vocabulary, software, equipment and function involved in audio technology. How audio technology (software and equipment) interfaces with your production ideas. This is not a production course. Rather than techniques, learners receive the basic understanding of the framework/architecture and functionality of the technology and the ability to communicate confidently within the industry. Language enables comprehension which supports audio ideas and expression.

 

Prerequisites

Beginner to intermediate DAW skills, microphone, DAW (digital audio workstation), computer, an audio interface (external sound card), audio monitoring (headphones or speakers), able to monitor in stereo, Zoom, must have skill set to access and navigate Zoom.

SKU: ISM-2L18HQ5JAG354 Categories: ,

Description

Session 1 – Scope of Harmonics

  • What is sound and what are harmonics?
  • How are they captured both in the analog and digital domains?
  • Sampling rate aliasing and ensuring your PC is optimized for the desired sample rate for playback and recording.
  • Clipping – what is it and how does it sound?
  • Monitors, headphones, and protecting your hearing.

 

Session 2 – Bits & Harmonics

  • Bit depth, quantization and dithering.
  • Lossey and lossless files
  • Bit rate: (CBR vs. VBR)
  • Artifacts- what are they and how do they sound?
  • When to save as a compressed file such as MP3 or AAC

 

Session 3 – Microphones

  • Microphone preamps
  • Dynamic vs. condenser vs. ribbon microphones
  • Phantom power
  • Pickup patterns
  • Applying it all to stereo

 

Session 4 – Stereo continued

  • X/Y vs.MS
  • Binaural and quazi-binaural
  • Applications for these microphone arrangements
  • Cables and connections, hi-z, vs. unbalanced vs. balanced

 

Session 5 – Interfaces and Mixers

  • What is an audio interface?
  • Optimizing the audio interface in Windows
  • The purpose of a mixer, what it can do with sources and how it can work with an audio interface

 

Session 6 – Mixers continued

  • The channel strip (preamp/insert/eq/bussing and sends)
  • Show applications based on equipment and the learner objectives. For example, mixing a project requires a different approach than live sound

 

Session 7 – Adding Effects

  • Equalization (graphic vs. parametric)
  • Different band types such as shelf, roll-off, band pass, and band notch

 

Session 8 – Effects continued

  • Compression
  • Side chaining, (if it matters to the learner or group of learners)
  • multi-band compression
  • Expanders
  • Gates
  • Combining these effects to shape the tone and dynamics of an instrument or voice

 

Session 9 – Spatial and Pitch Effects

  • Reverb
  • Delay
  • Chorus
  • Pitch shifting
  • Pitch correction

 

Session 10 – Misc Sound Shaping

  • Saturation
  • Distortion
  • Exciters
  • Transient shaping

 

Session 11 – Mixing

  • Each instrument has a useful frequency range
  • Signals fighting for dominance in any given range leads to a cluttered mix
  • Find the good and do a sweep to seek and destroy the bad

 

Session 12 – Mixing continued

  • Use pink noise to get a balanced mix before using more plugins
  • Use compression to tame dynamics if necessary
  • Use gates or expanders to minimize unwanted sounds
  • Experiment with panning to give everything its space

 

Session 13 – Mixing continued with a Touch of Mastering

  • Add other sound shaping or spatial effects where necessary
  • If several tracks require the same kind of equalization or things don’t seem to blend well, use an EQ and saturation on the master track as glue
  • Create a new project containing a professionally mastered track in their chosen style, making sure to reduce its volume if necessary so EQ, compression, etc. are the only factors being considered, not overall volume
  • Apply a limiter to bring the volume close to 0, or to peak at 0 making sure that hard clipping isn’t introduced; unless it’s what the learner intends, at which point…cringe