Provides hands-on experience in digital audio engineering. Explores how to engineer recording sessions by working in an actual recording studio with live musicians. Also covers basic techniques in setting up recording sessions, preparing computer files, microphone usage and placement, digitizing principals, audio acquisition options, midi integration and session management.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
- Mics & techniques
- Pre-amps, EQ's & Compression
- Electronic Music and the digital environment
- Digital recording software
- Pre-production
- Tracking
- The sessions
- Identify various types of microphones and demonstrate the appropriate application and placement of each.
- Identify and describe different grades of pre-amps, equalizers, and compression software and devices.
- Use appropriate pre-amps, equalizers, and compression software and devices, given a specific recording applications.
- List and identify the use of each component of a state-of-the-art recording environment.
- Create a comprehensive recording session using professional level software such as ProTools.*
- Identify the pre-production needs for a simple recording session.*
- Create appropriate tracks and equipment patching that anticipate post-production concerns, given a simple recording session scenario.
Assessment and Requirements
When appropriate, objectives will be assessed using small projects consisting of actual musicians in a recording session.
Theoretical knowledge will be assessed using short quizzes.
The final assessment of the course will be a major project consisting of recording a simple pop group in an actual recording studio. The student will be responsible for all aspects of the recording session including equipment set up and care, computer software set up, the recording session itself, and clean up.
Strong computer skills and a fundamental understanding of music theory is recommended.
Credit for Prior College-Level Learning
The exam will be a course final exam or a revised final exam from a recent semester as administered by the presiding faculty member.
The student will be given scenarios that represent course objectives covered during the semester and be asked to demonstrate the correct methods of addressing the tasks and problems in the scenario using the equipment, computer and software in the studio.
Determined by department