Diploma in Audio Engineering - Course Details

COURSE AIM
This is our premier course that has proven to be very successful in preparing our students for the world of commercial sound engineering. To date over 85% of our Diploma graduates have begun their careers in the professional audio engineering industry.

The average week at Alchemea requires attendance of approximately 45 hours including 15 hours of lectures and a guaranteed average minimum of 30 hours of individual practical studio work. The course is very intensive and requires a lot of commitment and hard work.

The industry recognises that our graduates have not only the "real world" practical skills but also the right attitude to make a successful employee. We are in our 13th year and during this time we have built up strong links with the top music and post pro studios. We help to match our top students with jobs and 85% of graduates are working in the industry within 6 months of leaving.


PRACTICAL TIME
Each student is guaranteed over one thousand hours of individual practical time. This is time to re-enforce knowledge gained, complete practical assignments and undertake own projects. Our studios and workstations, which are equipped to professional standards, are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No other college guaranteesstudents the same level of individual hands on practical activity and around the clock studio access.

Approximately 80% of the overall diploma mark is based on students practical achievements. We set students real world tasks in a real world studio environment.


COURSEWORK
- Speech and music edit using Pro Tools
- 3 x Practice Mixing Projects (Dry & Wet)
- Sampling and Synthesis Project
- 4 x Assisting Report
- 2 x Cubase SL Midi / Audio Exercise
- 2 x Logic Pro 7 Midi / Audio Exercise
- 2 x Live Recordings
- 2 x Multitrack Recordings
- Pro Tools Remix
- Sound to Film Project inc surround mix
- One hour radio show production


EXAMS
We continously examine students throughout the diploma course. At the end of the 36 weeks we test students on everything they have learned from day 1. Below is a list of the exams you will be expected to take during the diploma course.:

- Basic mixing desk signal flow practical competence test
- Computer file management competence test
- Soundcraft DC2000 practical competence test
- Sampler (hardware and software) competence test
- Fault finding / Trouble shooting practical exam
- Pro-Tools 101 on line basic competence test
- Half-term practical exam involving the use of: SSL G series desk, SSL4000 computer automation, patchbays, Logic Audio & Outboard effects.
- Advanced mixing desk practical competence test
- Digital Clocks, Video and Timecode "Sync Nightmare" practical competence test
- Music composition and arrangement exam
- Final practical exam involving the use of: recording techniques, desk automation, Pro-Tools TDM, synchronisation to 2" Tape Machine, outboard

6 x written theory tests (1 every 6 weeks)


THEORY LECTURES
At Alchemea we don't see a dividing line between theorey and practical. We feel it is essential that to become a competent audio engineer students need to have a solid theoretical foundation. Class sizes are kept to ten or smaller to ensure maximum individual attention from the tutors. There is a theory lecture each weekday lasting 2.5 to 3 hours including a break of 20 minutes. We think you will be hard pushed to find an other college with such an impressive student / teacher ratio.


CURRICULUM
BASIC CONCEPTS
- What is Sound? (Pitch and Volume, Graphs, Fourier, Fundamentals and Harmonics, Phase)
- dBs (Signal to Noise Ratio, Dynamic Range, use of VU or Peak metering)
- Frequency Response (in equipment or human beings)
- Acoustics (Sound Proofing, Acoustic Design, Monitoring)
- Electronics (Electricity, Components, Circuits, Ohms Law, Impedance, Amplifiers, Basic Maintenance, Soldering Techniques)
- Magnetism (Electromagnetism, Induction, Tape Machines, Bias)
- Signal Flow (Patchbays, Balanced & Unbalanced Interconnections, Mixing Consoles Layout and Design, Block & Circuit Diagrams)
- The Studio (Control Room, Live Room, Operating Levels)
- Multi-Track Recording (Concept, Analogue and Digital Recorders, Overdubbing, Session Procedures)


MIXING CONSOLES
- Basic Principles (Passive & Active Mixers, Split & Inline Designs, Buses)
- Tracking (Groups & Monitors, Auxilliaries for Headphone Mixes)
- Subgrouping & Bouncing
- Mixdown (Auxilliaries as Effects Buses, Automation, Insert Sends and Returns)
- The SSL G Series & Automation v4 Software (Features and Operation, SuperCue)
- The Euphonix CS3000 (Assignable Concept, Multiple Ins & Outs per channel, TT007 Machine Control and Synchroniser, ES108A Automatable Dynamics, the Cube for multiple stem mixing, HyperSurround, Snapshots)
- The Yamaha O2R (Digital Console, working in an all Digital environment, Assignable Concept, Automation, using the TC Electronic Unit-Y multi-effects processor add-on)


MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
- Understanding Computers (PCs, Macs, CPU, Motherboard, RAM, ROM, Hard Disks, Formatting, USB & FireWire Devices, Loading Programs, Multi Tasking)
- Optimising Computers for Audio use
- Sound Cards and MIDI Interfaces
- MIDI Concepts (Channels, Polyphony, Multi Timbral Modules, MIDI Messages, Structure of Messages)
- The Sound Module
- Sequencers & Other Software (Pro-Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase SX, Reason, Ableton Live, Reaktor, AutoTune, Adobe Audition, Software Synthesizers and Samplers)
- File Management (Navigating File Structures, Saving Data, Partitioning Drives, External Media Management)
- Pro-Tools LE vs TDM, using Logic with a TDM system
- Editing
- Understanding CDs and DVDs (Data CDs, Audio CDs, Red Book, Orange Book, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R, DVD-R, DVD RAM)
- Remixing Techniques



MICROPHONES
- Principles of Operation (Dynamic, Condenser, Valve etc.)
- Polar & Frequency Responses (Pressure, Velocity, Charts)
- Powering (Phantom, Valve, other)
- Techniques and Operation (Placement, Choice of Mic, Stereo and Surround Techniques)



SYNTHESIS AND SAMPLING
- Subtractive Synthesis (Oscillators, Filters, Envelopes, LFOs, FX)
- Sampling (Recording and Shaping your own Samples, Editing, MIDI mapping of samples)
- FM Synthesis (Principles, Operators)
- Introduction to Additive Synthesis, WaveTable Synthesis, Granular Synthesis, etc.
- Software Synths and Samplers (Virtual Analog, Virtual Modular)
- Making your own synth using Reaktor
- Techniques (making your own sounds, which synthesis type should I use?)


MIXING TECHNIQUES
- EQ (Types including Filters, Bandwidth, Q, Slope, Phase, Masking, Tonal Balance)
- Dynamics (Compressors, Gates, Controls, Pumping, Limiting, Multi-Band, Uses of Side-Chains)
- Reverberation (Analogue Techniques, Digital, Controls, Convolution)
- Effects (Types, Principles, Controls)
- Analysing Commercial CDs


MASTERING
- Techniques (EQ, Compression, Song Play Order, Crossfades)
- File Conversion (Sampler Rate Conversion, Dither, Stereo Interleaving)
- Vinyl and CD specifics


STEREO SOUND
- Human Perception, Localisation (IAD, ITD, HRTF, Haas Effect, Phantom Images)
- 2 Speaker Stereo
- Width Enhancement (Extending the MS decode facilities, Shuffling)
- Binaural, Periphonic Sound, 3D Sound Simulation


SURROUND SOUND
- Formats (Quadraphonic, LCRS, Pro-Logic, 5.1, 7.1)
- Understanding Matrix or Discrete
- Recording and Mixing in Surround


DIGITAL AUDIO
- Basic Concepts (Sample Rate, Nyquist theorem, Bit Depth, Anti-Aliasing Filters, Interpolation)
- PCM vs SACD
- Dither (Noise Shaping)
- Master Clocks and Jitter (Common Clock Principle, Word Clock, Video Sync, Genlock, External Synchronisation)
- Data Reduction (mp3, AAC, AC3, Real Audio, Quicktime...)
- File Conversion (Sample rate conversion, over sampling)
- Error Correction


TIMECODE SYNCHRONISATION AND MACHINE CONTROL
- Basic Concepts (Frame Rates, SMPTE / EBU / Drop Frame, Message Structure, Bi-Phase Modulation)
- Timecode Types (LTC, MTC, VITC, BITC)
- Extracting Word Clock from Timecode
- MMC


TAPE MACHINES
- Tape alignment (Test Tapes, Flux level, Overbias, Demagnetising Heads)
- Studer and Otari machines
- Analogue Noise Reduction (dbx, Dolby A / B / SR)


MUSIC THEORY, COMPOSITION, ARRANGEMENT
- Ear training (Intervals, Tonality, Harmonies)
- Scales (Major, Minor, Modes, Extensions)
- Chords (Triads, Sevenths, Ninths, Elevenths, suspended Fourths, Arpeggios)
- Composition (How to use Scales & Chords, Improvisation, Creativity, Tips & Cheats, Transposition, "Music by numbers")
- Analysis of Music
- Arrangement
- Making MIDI "Real", Using Samples
- Rhythm & Percussion (Kit mapping, keyboard playing technique)


POST-PRODUCTION For TV & FILM
- Sound to Picture (Concept, Many Jobs)
- Sound Design (Manipulation of Audio, Synthesis, Analysing the "Sound Design" aspects in Commercial Productions)
- ADR (Using Digidesign DV Toolkit & VocAlign)
- Foley
- Mixing for Film / TV (Surround Sound considerations)
- Authoring your finished movie to a DVD Video.
- File Interchange (EDL Lists, OMFI, AAF)


THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC
- Who Does What? (The role of Producers, Engineers, Assistants, Session Musicians, Studio Managers, A&R People, Record Company Executives...)
- Assisting (Session Procedure, Making Tea and Coffee (!), Recall Sheets, Track Sheets, DAT machine Operation including IDs)
- Music Business & Law (Managers, Points, Contracts, Royalties)


LIVE SOUND

Introduction
- Live is a very possible career option
- Easier to work your way through the hierarchy
- Immediate freelancing difficult, best to get a house job first
- If not possible all kinds of crewing options exist
- Much more physical work than studio
- Very Rock ‘n’ Roll

PA Systems
- Signal flow in a system
- Getting signal to the FOH desk (multicores and stage boxes)
- Plugging things into the desk
- Getting signal out of the desk
- Graphic EQ’s and feedback
- Crossovers

Monitors
- Monitors from FOH
- Ringing monitors
- Separate monitor desk/engineer

Toys
- Microphones
- Effects
- Processors
- Leads and connectors

The Gig
- Preparing for soundcheck
- Being friendly!
- Soundcheck
- The gig itself

Other issues
- Looking after gear
- Etiquette – looking after other people’s gear
- Guarding against theft
- Dealing with venue owners and their tight purse strings
- Tour engineer v house engineer (conflicting interests)
- Corporate gigs
- Finding work


PRO TOOLS
The Pro Tools 101 is included in the Alchemea Diploma course. This Digidesign supported course covers everything you need to know about the basic operation of Pro Tools. It is also possible to integrate the Pro Tools Certified Operator course (201 and 210M ) into the diploma. As a standalone 6 day course this would cost £1500 however this price is discounted to £980 for Diploma students. Diploma students will also receive large amounts of individual practical time in Alchemea's Pro Tools HD training room.

Other information

The tuition fee includes all course notes and a recording media pack

Book a tour of the college

To talk about this course or to book a personal tour of ALCHEMEA call us on: 020 7359 3986 and ask for Mike Sinnott or Tony Garston. To contact them by E-mail:

Registration

To apply, complete and return an application form together with your registration fee of £500.

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Click here to see the Alchemea Diploma course dates.

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