Microphone Placement, Patchbays and Making Tea.

Sound Engineering

MP261 MP263

Audio Recording & Studio Assistant Course

This course takes place entirely in a recording studio environment and is mainly practical. It also includes basic electronics applied to a recording studio and music equipment, the nature of sound, acoustics applied to recording, and microphones placement.

Throughout the course, students will gain a good understanding of how a large recording studio operates, the equipment required, and the different professional roles exisiting in this environment.

Graduates from this course can work in recording studios, live venues, turn freelance and offer their services to bands and solo artists, or take a production role and use their skills to develop other artists.

What you will learn

Cables, wiring, routing and patchbays
Electricity and audio: hums, groundloops, impedance mismatch etc.
Analogue mixers, signal flow
Microphones: operating principles
Microphones: placement and stereo techniques
Recording vocals, drums, guitars and other instruments
Electronics, amplifiers, signal processors (eq, noise gates, compressors)
Studio etiquette, producing a session
Recording a band
Overdubbing
Editing
Cretaing a rough mix
Archiving and session recall practices

Full-time or part-time?

MP261	The course lasts 18 weeks, with a frequency of one lecture per week of six hours for the first 14 weeks and the last four weeks dedicated to the final assignment.
MP263	This course features the same elements as the MP261, with the difference that it is a full-time course with a minimum 18 hours per week of sessions. This course suits best those who don't have access to a computer and require the use of the school's facilities to practice.

Course requirements

There are no specific restrictions for this course. Previous experience as a musician or with music technology is a bonus, but is not strictly required. The only criteria is a professional attitude, a propension to logical thinking and troubleshooting, and a real interest for recording. Acceptance to this class is subject to a preliminary interview to verify that candidates match this criteria.

Having access to a computer equipped with a music production software package can be useful for editing the recordings you will make. Students enrolled in the full-time course can use the school's facilities.

Course details

course code	MP261 (part-time) MP263 (full-time)
length	18 weeks
schedule	MP261: 1 day per week 12.00 to 18.00 MP263: 3 days per week 12.00 to 18.00
maximum class size	6 students
entry requirements	preliminary interview, MP101 certificate or entrance exam
course fee	MP261: £2,520 + registration fee MP263: £4,140 + registration fee
registration fee	£250