Lesson 1Headphone monitoring and talkback: cue mix routing, independent mixes, bleed control, headphone amp setupsSet up reliable headphone monitoring and talkback systems that keep performers comfortable and in time. You'll design cue mixes, manage bleed, configure headphone amps, and maintain clear communication from control room to floor.
Creating main and individual cue mixesLatency considerations for monitoringControlling click and guide bleedHeadphone amp distribution optionsTalkback routing and dim functionsProtecting hearing and safe levelsLesson 2Acoustic treatment specifics: absorption, diffusion, bass traps placement and materialsApply targeted acoustic treatment for accurate monitoring and controlled tracking. You'll place absorption, diffusion, and bass traps, choose materials, and balance deadness with liveliness for different studio zones.
Early reflection control at mix positionBroadband absorption panel placementBass trap locations and designsChoosing safe, effective materialsUsing diffusion for spaciousnessTreating vocal and drum areasLesson 3Cabling, gain staging, and patching: channel labelling, phantom power rules, grounding and hum troubleshootingBuild a tidy, noise-free signal path from mic to recorder. You'll label channels, apply phantom power safely, manage balanced cabling, and troubleshoot hum, buzz, and ground loops using systematic patching practices.
Balanced versus unbalanced connectionsChannel labelling and documentationSafe phantom power proceduresNormalled and half-normalled patchbaysDiagnosing hum and ground loopsSignal flow checks and test tonesLesson 4Preamp and DI choices: impedance, gain staging, colour vs clean preamps, DI box types and groundingUnderstand how preamps and DI boxes shape tone, noise, and headroom. You'll manage impedance, gain staging, and colour versus clean choices, while selecting DI types and grounding schemes for quiet, reliable operation.
Mic preamp topology and headroomInput impedance and mic interactionClean versus coloured preamp choicesActive versus passive DI selectionGround lift and hum reductionGain staging into convertersLesson 5Mic placement techniques: close miking, XY/ORTF, spaced pairs, mid-side, distance choices and phase-check proceduresDevelop repeatable mic placement strategies for mono and stereo capture. You'll practice close miking, XY, ORTF, spaced pairs, and mid-side, while managing distance, phase alignment, and time-of-arrival differences.
Close miking for isolation and punchXY and ORTF stereo techniquesSpaced pair setups and spacing rulesMid-side configuration and decodingPhase alignment and polarity checksUsing measurement tools for phaseLesson 6Microphone fundamentals: polar patterns, transient response, proximity effect, off-axis behaviourExplore how microphone design shapes polar pattern, frequency response, and transient handling. You'll compare cardioid variants, proximity effect behaviour, and off-axis colouration to choose the right mic for each recording task.
Dynamic, condenser, and ribbon basicsCardioid, omni, and figure-8 behaviourSupercardioid and hypercardioid use casesTransient response and diaphragm sizeManaging proximity effect on vocalsOff-axis colouration and rejectionLesson 7Microphone selection for sources: recommended types for kick, snare, toms, overheads, guitar amps, bass DI/amp, lead and backing vocalsDiscover which microphones excel on common studio sources and why. You'll match mic type and pattern to kick, snare, toms, overheads, guitar amps, bass DI or amp, and different vocal styles for reliable, repeatable tones.
Kick drum: dynamic and boundary optionsSnare top and bottom mic choicesTom mics and bleed considerationsOverheads: condensers and ribbonsGuitar amp close and room micsLead and backing vocal mic selectionLesson 8Isolation and layout: drum booth, amp iso rooms, gobos, and operator sightlinesPlan studio layouts that balance isolation with communication. You'll use booths, iso rooms, gobos, and sightline strategies to control bleed while keeping performers comfortable and visually connected to the control room.
Drum booth design and trade-offsAmp iso rooms and re-ampingUsing gobos for flexible isolationManaging line-of-sight and windowsBalancing bleed versus feelCable runs and safety pathwaysLesson 9Recording room selection: dimensions, RT60 targets, room modes and modal treatment strategiesLearn how room size, shape, and construction affect frequency balance, decay time, and imaging. You'll set RT60 targets, predict room modes, and apply practical modal treatment strategies for controlled, musical spaces.
Evaluating room dimensions and proportionsSetting genre-appropriate RT60 targetsIdentifying axial, tangential, and oblique modesUsing software to predict room resonancesBass trapping for modal controlPositioning speakers and listening spot
