Studio Sound Engineering CourseMax HunterIC Radio (www.icradio.com)production@icradio.com

The course

•5 sessions booked over the next month•Engineer in small groups of mixed ability•IC Radio Production Team will guide and

supervise •Once you’ve done a supervised session,

you can use the studio at your will•17th March deadline – before it all

disappears.

The studio

•IC Radio Production Studio, West Basement

•Shared between STOIC TV, PhotoSoc, IC Radio

•production@icradio.com to book•Control room with 16-channel ProTools 6

rig and various microphones•Can link to IC Radio broadcast desk for

live shows

What is recording?

Tracking

Editing

Mixing

Mastering

Tracking (1/2)

•Recording things (with microphone[s])•Tracking all at once vs. one instrument at

a time•Signal levels

▫Microphone/instrument level▫Line-level▫Speaker-level

XLR ¼” TRS/TRRS Jack‘guitar lead’GPO Type A

GPO Type BDo not confuse with Type

A!Only used on patchbays

RCA‘phono’

Speakon

Unbalanced (2-wire)Noisy, particularly for low-level signals

Liable to 50/60Hz ‘hum’

Balanced (3-wire)Long cable distances with almost no

noise

Gain (so nothing ‘clips’)

EQ

Aux sends and talkback

Pan

Mix sends and level

compressor (patchable in)

AVIOM monitoring system(patchable in)

patchbays

Microphones

Desk preamps

ProTools inputs

ProTools outputs

Channel strip

Mix busses

Recording/monitoring

normalled on patchbay

normalled on patchbay

normalled on patchbay

normalled on patchbay

inside mixer

you patch it yourself!

AVIOM system and effects (just one compressor left)!

mix bus outputs

ProTools outputs -> channel strips

Desk preamps -> ProTools inputs

Microphone inputs -> desk preamps

By default, no sound comes to the channel strips – need to patchProTools one-to-one in software after booting computer!By default, no sound comes out monitor speakers – need to patcha group output to the monitor input (in reality we go through 2TR)

Tracking (2/2)

•Different types of microphones, DI•Microphone placement•Recording media (tapes, minidisk, DAWs)

Editing

•Cleaning up / retiming / retuning audio•Comping vocals•Overdubs / retracking•On-the-go vs editing post-session

Mixing

•Making it all sound good•EQ•Compression•Reverb/delays•Inserts and sends•Hardware and software effects•Bouncing

Mastering

•Making album / several tracks sound consistent, volume adjustment/limiting

•Different masters for different types of listening

•‘Loudness war’