A270
Multitrack Studio Techniques I
Fall 2009

Class Info

Downloads

Grading/ course details

Schedule

Projects

 

Instructor: Michael Stucker Email: mstucker@indiana.edu Office: M254 (inside M257) Office Phone: 856-4987 Office Hours: available by appointment

Class meeting times: Monday 2:30-3:20pm Class meeting place: MC327 Lab Meeting time: Wed 6-10pm Lab Meeting place: MC327 and MC405 Section numbers: 4918 and 7685

This Syllabus may be updated throughout the semester. For updates check in at the course webpage:
http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/audio/Academic/A270/A270_Syllabus.html

Suggested Text: The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook, Bobby Owinski ISBN 0-87288-723-5

Grading:
80%-projects, Practical Tests, and listening assignments (see below for breakdown)
20%-class/session participation and attendance
Project and practical test grades will be available through the Oncourse gradebook.
In order to receive a passing grade in the course ALL assignments must be finished and turned in before 5pm (EST)Friday December 12.
There will not be a final exam for this course
Pre-requisites: A102 is required prior to taking A270

Class Objectives:
-encourage students to listen intently and describe what they hear verbally
-students will build a mix in stages, adding tools/techniques as they are discussed in class
-studio recording will be discussed and basic methods demonstrated

The scheduled class time will involve demo recording/mixing sessions, lecture, and individual student time with instructor. When individual student with instructor time is scheduled each student will have a 20-minute time-slot to reset, play back their mix and get instructor feedback. Students not in 327 with the instructor will have projects to do in 405. At all times, other than the individual time when the student is not scheduled. Every student is expected to be in class! Absences for School of Music productions are not considered excused. Do not sign up for productions that conflict with class meeting times.

Project Materials:
>Each student will need to provide CD-R’s for assignments.  CD-RW’s are not acceptable. 
>Each group of students for the “Group Sessions” will need a DVD-R or Firewire hard drive to save their session for later use.

Project Grading:
1-Projects turned in on CD must be neatly labeled with CD label template to be accepted for grading. If the labeling is not correct on the due date, they can be turned in after and counted as late. Late projects will lose a letter grade (10 points) per week that they are late.
2- Mixing Projects from Pro Tools sessions must be saved as follows:
- Each student will create a folder named with their first and last name inside the A270 folder on the MC327 Pro Tools 1 drive .
- Each session must be saved inside this folder.
- These sessions must be named as "ProjectName_StudentName". Project name will be something like "LevelPanMix", then add your first and last name.
-Sessions not labeled properly will not be graded until the labeling is corrected. These will then be counted as late. Late projects will lose a letter grade (10 points) per week that they are late.
3-Assignments are due on the date listed. I will try to give reminders in class, but you are responsible for all assignments even if reminders are not given.
4-Start IDs/Index points must be set to the start of audio (within 1 second). There MUST be at least 2 seconds of silence between audio selections. Selections that are cut off at the beginning or end will lose points. For short excerpts the audio should be faded in starting at or just after the start ID and faded out after the relevant audio has played.
5- LISTEN to your CD BEFORE you turn it in! Skip to the start of each ID to make sure that audio is not cut off and the IDs/track numbers are in the correct place.
6- In order to receive a passing grade in the course ALL assignments must be finished and turned in.

Listening:
        Throughout the semester listening assignment will be due and the provided worksheet must be used. For most of these the song choice will be left up to the student. As weeks pass the forms should contain more detail as techniques are covered in class.  Worksheets are provided for each assignment and change over time. There will also be a song provided by the instructor for listening in 327, the “Critical Listening Assignment Worksheet” must be used for this. All of these worksheets are available for download below.
        Two Presentations will be due during the semester.  These are similar to the other listening assignments but students will bring the recordings to class to play and discuss.  Use the provided Presentation Assignment sheets for these. Downloaded or copied CDs may violate copyright laws and are NOT acceptable; if you have questions speak to the instructor prior to the class meeting. Students bringing these will be given NO credit for the assignment.

DOWNLOADS
CD Label Template	Session Preparation Form

Mixing Assignments (Level/Pan Mix, EQ Mix, Dynamics Mix, FX Mix, and Final Mix)
        Students will choose from a number of songs that are saved as Pro Tools sessions in MC327.  There will also be a CD of mixes of these songs to help you choose and reference as you are mixing.  Once you have chosen a song, pick a CD from your collection to bring and reference as you are mixing.  Use this to help define how "bright" or "dark" your mix is.  It will also help you define how your ears are changing as mixing time passes.  Bring this CD on assignment due dates as well.

Individual and Practical Test times
6:00	Kyle Zucker
6:20	Matt Holmes
6:40	Ari Kaplan
7:00	Robbi Rossman
7:20	Kevin Ivester
7:40	Ethan Sherry
8:00	Ran Deng
8:20	Hank Powell
9:00	Beck Muth
9:20	Ian Hansen
9:40	Joe Mac!

 

Class Schedule
Week	Monday Date	Monday	Wednesday	Projects/Homework Due
1	Aug 31	Class intro, Listening	405 Basics, Neotek block diagram	Presentation #1 (Sept 2)
2	Sept 7	Pro Tools Basics, Starting a Mix	Demo Session at Echo Park Studios with Busted Creek
3	Sept 14	EQ Basics	Level/ Pan Mix	Listening #1 (Sept 14), Level/ Pan Mix (Sept 16)
4	Sept 21	Using EQ, listen to examples, Routing	Recording in 405	EQ Exercise (Sept 21),
5	Sept 28	Dynamics Basics	EQ Mix/ Practice 405 test	Listening #2 (Sept 28) EQ Mix (Sept 30)
6	Oct 5	Burning CDs	405 Practical Test Wed October 7	Dynamics Exercise (Oct 7)
7	Oct 12	No Class (AES)	Working in 405, headphones and punching	Listening #3 (Oct 14),
8	Oct 19	FX Basics, Burning CDs, prep for session	Dynamics Mix/ Practice Overdub Practical	Dynamics Mix (Oct 21)
9	Oct 26	Using FX, go over Country research	Demo session in 405 with Busted Creek	Listening #4 (Oct 26)
10	Nov 2	Country Research, Review Group A plan	Overdub Practical Test November 4	Country Research (Nov 2) PT Record Assignment (Nov 4) FX Mix (Nov 4)
11	Nov 9	Review Group B plan	Group Session A: Robbie, Ian, Ari, Hank
12	Nov 16	Review Group C plan and Group B session	Group Session B: Ethan, Kyle, Matt
13	Nov 23	THANKSGIVING BREAK (no A270 at all)
14	Nov 30	Presentation and Paper:	Group Session C: Ran, Becs, Joe	Presentation and Paper (Nov 30)
15	Dec 7	Presentation and Paper:	Listen to Session Mixes, Eat Pizza	Presentation and Paper (Dec 7) Session Mix (Dec 9) Final Mix (Dec 9), Sound Alike Mix (Dec 9)
16	Dec 14	No Final Exam for A270, however: All materials must be turned in before 5pm (EST)Friday December 11 to receive credit.