Professional Sound & Business (Live Production Major) Advanced Diploma

This course will provide students with a broad introduction to the entertainment industry and the interrelationships between art, technology, and business. During the course, students will be introduced to the music, broadcast, motion picture, game, and live event industries and their various subsidiaries.

This course will provide students with a broad understanding of intellectual property and copyright. Students will be introduced to the concepts of patents, trademarks, and trade secret laws, moral rights, licensing, ownership, duration, infringements, and current laws regarding industrial designs. Students will also explore the nature of contracts and contract law and examine basic contractual elements, verbal and written contracts, and discuss several basic types of contracts and clauses related to employment. This course will also provide students with an understanding of entertainment industry agreements and contracts, including those utilized by the film, publishing, and sports industries. Students will also examine the numerous types of contracts utilized in the music business, including recording contracts, producer agreements, and live performance agreements.

As the size and scope of concerts and other live events continue to grow, the live events industry faces ongoing challenges in maintaining the health and safety of workers, performers, and fans at these live events. This course will delve into some of the health and safety issues inherent in the live event industry, including crowd management, temporary staging, working at heights, working with electricity, and other important safety elements. We will examine important case studies of past tragic incidents in the performance industry and look at how such incidents can be avoided in the future.

This course will provide students with theoretical and practical understanding of live show system troubleshooting, maintenance, and repair. During this course, students will learn to effectively diagnose and repair system problems in a logical and timely manner and to avoid technical problems through proper testing and maintenance procedures.

This course will provide students with an extensive overview of audio signal processing devices and their practical applications in live sound reinforcement. During this course, students will examine various types of effects and dynamics processors including compressors, gates, reverbs, and delays, as well as their functional live sound applications.

This course will provide students with comprehensive practical applications of audio signal processing devices used in live sound reinforcement. During this course, students will apply various processing techniques using effects and dynamics processors, including equalization, compressors, expanders, gates, reverbs, and delays.

This course will provide the student with the necessary written and oral communication skills relevant to most businesses. Students will be introduced to the techniques of effective business writing, incorporating letters, reports, electronic communications, and oral presentations. This course will also present students with a fundamental overview of business ethics. Students will gain an understanding of basic moral and ethical theories, and learn how to apply those theories to business and corporate concerns. Students will examine several case studies to better understand key ethical principles and learn the various ways in which business owners address these ethical issues.

This course will provide students with comprehensive practical application of the principles, technologies, and techniques used in stage lighting for live events. During this course, students will be introduced to stage technology, stage terminology, types of lighting fixtures, dimmer systems, cables, connectors, truss systems, focus techniques with various fixtures, lighting console programming, and workplace health and safety practices.

This course will provide students with comprehensive insight into the principles, technologies and techniques used in stage lighting for live events. During this course, students will be introduced the history of the theatre, stage technology, stage terminology, types of lighting fixtures, dimmer systems, cables, connectors, truss systems and an introduction to the lighting design process.

This course will provide students with a broad and thorough insight into auditory perception as it relates to music production and audio mixing techniques. During this course, students will be introduced to the skills and strategies used by professional audio engineers to develop their critical listening skills. Through weekly training drills, analysis, and comparative studies of different styles of mixing, students will identify spectral content depth and spectral balances in order to identify the sonic features that can positively or negatively impact a final audio mix, and learn how subjective impressions of timbre relate to physical control parameters. The ability to quickly focus on subtle details of sound and make decisions about them is the primary goal of an audio engineer.

This course will provide students with a broad introduction to the theoretical, technical, creative and artistic principles of sound and recording in the digital domain. During this course, students will be introduced to digital audio basics, hardware, software, and interfaces through theory, application, and operating principles.

This course will provide students with the comprehensive practical skills needed to work with digital audio recording technologies in live sound environments. During this course, students will develop advanced practical skills using hardware and software based digital technologies, as well as the principles and techniques of advanced recording and editing of music on a DAW through a comprehensive study of Pro Tools.

This course will provide students with an overview of fundamental financial management and accounting practices. Students will be provided with an overview of basic economic theories and practices, as well as important personal financial management practices. Students will then explore fundamental accounting principles and practices, including forms of business organization and business transactions, balance sheets, journals, financial statements, and the accounting cycle. Students will also discuss taxation, analyze financial statements, and explore cost behaviour and break-even analyses. This course will also explore the elements involved in creating and managing a small business. Students will discuss financial management of events, the creation of event budgets, and the costs and risks associated with creating an event planning business.

This course will provide students with a broad introduction to the fundamental principles of marketing, promotion, and publicity. Students will learn methods of analyzing, segmenting and targeting customers, and learn fundamental marketing practices of product development, brand positioning, and brand management. Students will also examine various pricing strategies, and traditional and modern methods of product distribution and sales. This course will examine how those marketing methods and practices are applied in the entertainment industries, including film, television, radio, book publishing, and digital media. Students will also learn the other components of the marketing mix, namely publicity and promotion. Students will learn the vital role of radio promotion in music and examine the tools used to publicize and promote music.

This course will provide students with a broad and thorough insight into the history of music and art and their impact on and from culture. During this course, students will be introduced to the evolution of music and the interrelationships between various musical styles and genres through historical study.

This course will provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the music business and the interrelationships between art, technology, and business. Using both case studies and lectures, students will learn the nature of copyright, the value of songs and their potential revenue streams, the role of music publishers, and the role of the artist and their surrounding team. Students will also examine record labels, their personnel, and the basic elements of recording and production agreements. Students will analyze key entertainment industry statistical data and learn to use that information to forecast consumer spending habits in the music and entertainment industries. This course will also provide students with a thorough study of the methods, technologies, and new revenue streams involved in the digital distribution of music.

This course will provide students with a complete introduction to the principles of sound through a comprehensive study of physics. During this course, students will be introduced to acoustic principles, wave propagation, and auditory perception.

This course will teach students both the theoretical and practical applications of various artist management concepts and strategies. Students will discuss the role of the manager, the relationship between artists and managers, artist management agreements, and the other key members of the artist’s team, including agents, lawyers, business managers, publicists, and promoters. This course will also provide students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required in event planning and management. Students will discuss the various types of events and venues, as well as live event agreements and personnel. Students will also apply their theoretical training in the production of a live event. This course will provide students with a broad understanding of radio and broadcasting, focusing on important radio terms and terminology.

This course will provide students with an overview of the various software applications used in business environments. This course will teach students the necessary computer skills found in entertainment business operations, through a practical, hands-on approach. Students will be introduced to basic word processing software and learn how to create and manage documents. Students will then be introduced to databases and spreadsheet software, and apply that knowledge to the presentation and analysis of financial and statistical data. This course will also introduce students to visual presentation software applications and provide students with the skills to create dynamic visual presentations. Students will learn the core fundamentals of website planning, design and maintenance, and other online business tools.

This course will provide students with comprehensive insight into the principles of electricity and electronics. During this course, students will be introduced to a variety of concepts and terms including electric charges, electromagnetic fields, electric current, electric circuits, electric fields, and electric potential, as well as the use of electricity as it pertains to show systems in live entertainment. Students will also examine analog and digital electronics, including the concepts behind fundamental circuits found in nearly all electronic instruments, such as the behavior of passive Ohmic elements, resistors, capacitors, inductors, in circuits (voltage dividers and filters), and passive non-Ohmic components like diodes and transistors in circuits.

This course will provide students with comprehensive insight into the theoretical, technical, creative and artistic principles of sound and show production systems. During this course, students will be introduced to microphones, signal flow, cables, connectors, consoles, console operation, amplifiers, and speaker systems. Students will also be encouraged to begin acting and thinking as live sound engineers and to develop strong communication skills.

This course will provide students with comprehensive insight into the technical, creative and artistic principles of sound and show production systems through practical application. During this course, students will apply theoretical knowledge to live practical applications of microphones, audio signal flow, cables, connectors, consoles, console operation, amplifiers, and speaker systems. Students will also be encouraged to begin acting and thinking as live sound engineers and to develop strong engineering communication skills.

This course will introduce students to the basics of production rigging for the live entertainment industry, with emphasis on safety considerations and safe working practices. Topics include the rigging technologies and components; operation of ropes and counterweight arbor systems; working with natural-fiber, synthetic-fiber and wire rope; rigging spot lines; the hardware, materials and methods of flying scenic elements; and the application of common knots.

This course will provide students with comprehensive insight into the essential components of a successful tour, including assembling a management team, typical types of industry deals, and alternative streams of income. During this course, students will explore effective merchandising and promotion techniques, the ins and outs of sponsorships, scheduling, hospitality, accommodations, travel arrangements, and the technical side of touring, including stage plots, sound and lights and live show settlements.