Professional Sound (Audio Specialist) 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 an introduction to the theoretical and creative principles used in sound for motion picture, television, and other visual entertainment media. During this course, students will gain insight into the history of motion picture sound, terminology, technology, and post-production concepts. This course will also introduce students to the techniques and practices of the sound designer, sound editor, dialogue editor, sound effects editor, music editor, and re-recording mixer in the film and television industries.

This course will provide students with an understanding of the practical applications and creative principles used in sound for motion picture and television. During the course, students will be introduced to various post-production principles and techniques in a practical hands-on environment. Students will explore and develop the recording and editing techniques used for sound design, dialogue, sound effects, foley and music for film, television, games, and mobile applications.

This course introduces students to topics related to entertainment law, with emphasis on entertainment contracts and intellectual property protection. Students explore the impact of the digital revolution and its impact on the entertainment industry and explore strategies for protecting and exploiting rights within the digital domain. Students are also introduced to entertainment agreements and evolving trends and the impact of entertainment law on specific entertainment industry sectors.

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 the comprehensive practical skills needed to work with digital audio recording technologies, and is designed to cover the practical application of the theoretical principles learned in the Digital Technologies course. 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 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 knowledge and skills to properly represent themselves as working professionals in the entertainment industry. During this course, students will be introduced to resume writing, communication skills, business ethics, goal recognition, as well as practical information and practical exercises that will enhance career development plans and improve job search skills. Students will also examine the various jobs and career paths within the entertainment industry.

This course will provide students with a thorough insight into the acoustical, musical, and technical aspects of live performance in order to develop the skills required to mix and record live performances. During this course, students will evaluate, and compare several different live and studio recordings in order to establish a reference for artistic mix choices and apply knowledge of instrument sounds, microphones, equalization, and dynamics processing, and the systems used for recording and mixing live performances.

This course will provide students with advanced insight into the theoretical, technical, and creative principles of synthesizers, synthesis, and the MIDI Protocol. During this course, students will be introduced to synthesizer and MIDI history, terminology, technology, and the creative practical application of keyboards, hardware, and software.

This course will provide students with a practical and creative introduction to synthesizer technology, synthesis, sampling, and the MIDI Protocol. During this course students will be introduced to synthesizers and the creative practical application of keyboards, hardware, and software as they apply to musical composition and production.

This course will provide students with a broad introduction into the technical, creative, and business responsibilities of a record producer. During this course, students will be introduced to production communication skills, the creative, business, and management responsibilities of today’s music producers, and an overview of record producers and their role throughout the history of recorded music.

This course will provide students with a broad and thorough insight into basic and advanced rudiments of music theory and composition. During this course, students will be introduced to notation, structure, terms and symbols, chord structures and scales in a practical sense, to compose and arrange music. Students will also be introduced to the core concepts of harmony and arranging, and apply them to practical exercises.

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 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. In addition, students will examine analog and digital electronics, including the concepts behind fundamental circuits found in nearly all electronic instruments, including 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 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 provide students with thorough insight into the theoretical, technical, creative, and artistic principles of sound and recording. During this course, students will be introduced to applied acoustic principles, microphones, signal flow, recording studio equipment, console operation, session protocols, and communication skills. Students will also be introduced to microphone placement, signal paths, and studio environments, including live and broadcast. Students will gain knowledge of practical physics and become technically capable and encouraged to begin acting and thinking as professional recording engineers.

This course will provide students with thorough practical application of the theoretical, technical, creative, and artistic principles of sound and recording learned in the Recording Engineering course. During this course, students will be introduced to applied acoustic principles, microphones, signal flow, recording studio equipment, console operation, session protocols, and communication skills. Students will also be introduced to microphone placement, signal paths, and studio environments, including live and broadcast. Students will gain knowledge of practical physics and become technically capable and encouraged to begin acting and thinking as professional recording engineers.

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 logical and timely manner, and to avoid technical problems through proper testing and maintenance procedures.

This course will provide students with a comprehensive practical application of the artistic principles of sound and show production systems. During this course, students will be introduced to live microphone applications, 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 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 a comprehensive introduction into the techniques used by successful songwriters to craft memorable songs. During this course, students will analyze contemporary songs through a study of lyrics, melody, chord progressions, rhythm, form, arrangement, and production styles in order to begin to understand the principles and techniques used to create commercially successful and marketable music.

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 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.

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.