| PART I |
| Lesson 1 | |
THE
ESSENCE OF ENGINEERING. This course is for home recording musicians and for professional
careers. We begin by showing you the basic set-up of a recording system, how it is laid out and how each piece is inter-connected. The lives of a successful engineer and music producer are examined. Your success depends on your ability to learn from the experience of the pros. The roles and dutes for each participant at
at a recording session are clearly defined. |
| Lesson 2 |  |
WHAT
IS SOUND? To make great recordings,
you must understand a little bit about the nature of sound itself. You
can't record sound successfully if you don't know exactly what it is.
A simple
appreciation of basic audio theory will enable you to understand such terms as frequency, soundwave, decibel, compression, equalization etc. |
| Lesson 3 | |
LET'S
MAKE AN ALBUM TOGETHER. Your instructor guides you step by step
through the recording of a complete album of songs. An actual project
is thoroughly analyzed to give you an understanding of the entire
process from start to finish. This is a delightfully informative section where each
stage is explained in fine detail and a multitude of secret
tricks are divulged. Your recordings will have that professional
sound - just like those that come out of a major recording studio.
This lesson is so life-like, you'll really feel like you are actually recording
and producing a live band. |
| Lesson 4 | |
THE
RECORDING SESSION...PART 2. Continuing the analysis of a complete
recording project, this is the stage where the vocals and instruments are added
to previously recorded tracks. You'll learn how the producer gets the best out of the recording artist and how to correct any musical mistakes. The use of compressors and equalizers and microphones are inroduced here. |
| Lesson 5 | |
THE
FINAL MIX. This is the third stage of our album project and where most home recording producers come up short. The delicate art of mixing is explained and you'll master the skills
of blending sound to create fabulous mixes. The correct procedures for
recording masters is also discussed so that your mixes will be in
the correct format for sending to CD duplication factories. |
| PART II |
| Lesson 6 | |
DIGITAL
HOME RECORDING. Find out exactly what you need to put together a complete home studio. This recently updated lesson covers computer based digital programs
such as Pro Tools, Cakewalk, Reason, Cubase, Performer and many others. You'll
learn which plug-ins you'll need and how to work them - they are what adds that professional sparkle
to your tracks. There are thousands of programs out there -
you'll find out exactly which ones are best for your particular type
of music. Hard-disk digital
workstations and digital mixers are also evaluated. |
| Lesson 7 | |
INDEPENDENT
RECORD PRODUCTION. For those of you who want to form your own record label and produce and distribute
your own CD, mp3, or vinyl record, this lesson is an absolute must. At AIA we have had our own independent label since 1974. There
are many frustrations and pitfalls in record making that can
easily be avoided once you have digested this lesson. Promotion
and distribution is discussed along with the inner structure
of the music industry. And the mysterious mastering stage is completely explained.
Getting your music safely onto the internet is covered. |
| Lesson 8 | |
THE
MICROPHONE JUNGLE. Now we begin to examine the various pieces
of equipment that are found in the recording studio. There are
hundreds of different types of microphone available. Which one
is right for you? Each has a distinctive sound and is used for
a particular purpose. You will learn how they work and the applications
for which each microphone is best suited. |
| Lesson 9 | |
MICROPHONE
TECHNIQUE. It's not as simple as you think. Once you have learned which mic to use for a particular
job, you must know how and where to place it in relation to
the sound that is to be captured. This is very important
information. You will be encouraged to experiment and discover
ways with which to produce your own unique sounds. |
| Lesson 10 | |
MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT MIKING. This lesson is filled with photographs
and practical suggestions for miking vocals and dozens of
different musical instruments. The preferred choices of many
veteran engineers are listed along with some of their personal
tricks which have been used on countless hit records. You
will learn how to select and position the right mic for each
particular job. |
| PART III |
| Lesson 11 | |
HOW
TO RECORD DRUMS. A complete lesson is devoted to the art
of recording drums. Even if you use a drum machine, this lesson will teach you a lot about getting great drum sounds. They are possibly the most sensitive of
all instruments to record due to the necessity of a multitude
of mics and processors. All the tricks in the book are needed
to harness their sound. |
| Lesson 12 | |
HOW
TO BUILD YOUR OWN STUDIO. Either in your own home or in a business
environment, different styles and approaches for the layout
of your studio are examined. Building sound absorption walls, vocal booths,
choosing the right equipment, inter-connection, and soundproofing
are all examined. Plus a ton of valuable informatin that most studio builders overlook when putting together their first room. |
| Lesson 13 | |
ECHO
AND REVERBERATION. We now enter the magical kingdom of Signal Processing
where sound is shaped through the use of software plug-ins such as reverberation units,
digital delays and many other forms of echo production. You will learn that certain instruments and vocals are better suited
to particular types of echo units, and also how to set the echo effectively for each instrument and voice. |
| Lesson 14 | |
COMPRESSOR AND LIMITERS. How they work and how to set them correctly. These devices make your recordings sound truly professional if you know how to use them. We live in the age of total signal processing. Some other special effects units and related devices such as noise gates, expanders, chorusing units,
flangers and harmonizers are fully examined. You are able to listen and compare
the sound of each effect with your Action-Audio CDs in this
exciting stage of the recording process. |
| Lesson 15 | |
EQUALIZERS.
The bass and treble controls on your home stereo are the simplest
form of equalizer, but in the studio, there are many more variations.
You will learn exactly which frequencies are important for every type of voice and musical instrument. They are probably the most important tool
in the whole studio.You will get acquainted with the various
types, learning what each can and cannot do to a sound. Your ears will receive a crash-course in critical listening. |
| PART IV |
| Lesson 16 | |
THE
MIXER. The nucleus of your studio control room is the computer screen (or physical mixing desk). You will confidently
control all the individual tracks on your multi-track recordingl. The mixing stage can make or break your recordings. Student engineers will learn the order in which each track is dealt with.
There are many parts and functions in the mix windows of any computer software program. We examine the layout and features of a typical
mixing console and analyze each module, top to bottom, knob by knob. You will follow
along on your full size AIA HANDS-ON CONSOLE TRAINING POSTER. |
| Lesson 17 | |
TAPE-RECORDERS. Believe it or not, all the top studios in
the world still use tape-recorders. And many of our students also use one in their home studio to help them get that warm analog sound. Lots of our graduates
have progressed to become chief engineers in world class studios. We
hope you will too so we keep this lesson in your course. |
| Lesson 18 | |
CALIBRATION.
This means how to keep the recording machines fine-tuned to
ensure top flight performance every time. You become a little
bit of a mechanic by learning how to make these adjustments
in easy step-by-step instructions. It's a bit like learning
how to drive a car! |
| Lesson 19 | |
DIGITAL
RECORDING SOFTWARE. An in-depth look at the more popular computer
software programs that are dedicated to music production. Also
how external mixing boards and control surfaces make the operations more user-friendly.
Digital Plug-ins are evaluated along with software libraries
from where the producer can access every instrument and sound
imaginable to include in their recordings. |
| Lesson 20 | |
LIVE SOUND ENGINEERING. No front-of-house engineer can successfully mix live sound unless
he or she understands the principles of loudspeakers and monitoring. Here we investigate the acoustics of speaker
enclosures, monitor amplifiers, cross-over systems and the analysis and correction
of room sound. More often than not, live sound engineers also have to record the performances as they happen, and there's no chance for a re-take! |
| PART V |
| Lesson 21 | |
EDITING.
If you know how to successfully edit your music, you will end up with 100% perfect mixes every time. Nowadays, every single blemish can be removed. Even out-of -tune vocals can be brought in tune! Digital and analog editing techniques are fully explored in this lesson. (They
are quite different from one another.) You also learn how
to re-arrange portions of a song into a different, more appealing, and probably more commercaial sequence. You will become an ace
editor and be able to make clever edits that are impossible for the human ear to detect. |
| Lesson 22 | |
DIGITAL
RECORDING. The successful recording engineer has to stay
abreast of the newest technological changes and understand the new terms that are being used. This special section deals with the very latest developments
in digital audio. You learn about
the basic principles of digital recording
technology, and compare the advantages of digital over the traditional
analog recording system. |
| Lesson 23 | |
MIDI.
This exciting revolution changed the recording world, especially for movie soundtrack composers and keyboard players. The interconnection of musical instruments, drum machines, and
samplers are thoroughly investigated. Students are exposed to
the many facets of MIDI interface as it applies to modern recording.
|
| Lesson 24 | |
MUSIC AND SONGWRITING AND PUBLISHING.
Your AIA instructor is also an accomplished songwriter with a serious track record of commercial success. Every engineer should understand at least
the basic concepts of musical composition. The fundamentals
of music theory are illustrated in our unique system so that
you can relate to the jargon and terminology used by the musicians and producers
at a session. You'll even learn how to read music. |
| Lesson 25 | |
GETTING
A JOB IN THE INDUSTRY. Whether you plan to open your own studio or seek employment
in an established facility, this valuable lesson will assist
you in reaching your goal. It will prepare you for the real
world of audio engineering and place you one step ahead of your
competitors. You will learn of the dozens of audio-related jobs there are available and also the amount of money each can put in your pocket. |
|
These
lessons are accompanied by Sonic-Route Action Audio CDs.
|
