Lesson 1Headphone monitoring and talkback: cue mix routing, independent mixes, bleed control, headphone amp setupsGet your headphone monitoring and talkback sorted so artists stay comfy and on beat. You'll build cue mixes, cut down bleed, set up headphone amps, and keep clear chat between control room and tracking area.
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 materialsFix your room acoustics right for true monitoring and clean takes. Place absorbers, diffusers, and bass traps smartly, pick good materials, and balance dead spots with live vibe for control room, live room, and vocal booth.
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 labeling, phantom power rules, grounding and hum troubleshootingWire up a neat, quiet signal path from mic to recorder. Label channels clearly, use phantom power safely, handle balanced cables, and fix hum, buzz, or ground issues with step-by-step patching.
Balanced versus unbalanced connectionsChannel labeling 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, color vs clean preamps, DI box types and groundingGrasp how preamps and DIs affect tone, noise, and space. Match impedance, set gain right, choose coloured or clean preamps, and pick DI types with grounding for silent, solid performance.
Mic preamp topology and headroomInput impedance and mic interactionClean versus colored 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 proceduresMaster mic positions for mono and stereo that you can repeat every time. Try close miking, XY, ORTF, spaced pairs, mid-side, and handle distance, phase, and timing differences properly.
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 behaviorSee how mic design controls pickup pattern, frequency response, and transients. Compare cardioids, proximity effect, and off-axis sound to pick the best mic for vocals, drums, or guitars.
Dynamic, condenser, and ribbon basicsCardioid, omni, and figure-8 behaviorSupercardioid and hypercardioid use casesTransient response and diaphragm sizeManaging proximity effect on vocalsOff-axis coloration and rejectionLesson 7Microphone selection for sources: recommended types for kick, snare, toms, overheads, guitar amps, bass DI/amp, lead and backing vocalsFind mics that shine on drums, guitars, bass, and vocals, and why they work. Match types and patterns to kick, snare, toms, overheads, amps, DI, and vocal styles for tones you can nail again.
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 sightlinesLayout your studio to cut bleed but keep communication smooth. Use booths, iso rooms, gobos, and sightlines so performers see you and stay relaxed while controlling spill.
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 strategiesPick and tune rooms by size, shape, and build for even sound and imaging. Set RT60 goals, spot room modes, and treat them practically for spaces that sound musical and controlled.
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
