Audio Engineering
Description:
In this introductory course, you’ll learn about the physics of sound and the history of
recording technologies. Next, you’ll learn about the four stages of professional music
recording projects: recording, editing, mixing, and mastering. Using Audacity, an opensource recording and mixing program, you’ll practice the techniques used by sound
engineers to produce multi-track recordings. Through a series of engaging hands-on
projects, you’ll learn the fundamental concepts of audio engineering.
Prerequisites:
None
Estimated Completion Time:
90 hours/18-20 weeks
Major Topics and Concepts:
Section 1: Understanding Sound
 Identify sound sources.
 Identify the parts of a speaker.
 Test speakers and/or headphones.
 Identify the different parts of an audio waveform.
 Identify the difference between volume and loudness.
 Measure amplitude.
 Generate sine, square, and sawtooth wave tone waveforms.
 Playback sound.
 Zoom with the mouse and the keyboard.
 Undo and redo commands.
 Define and identify phase.
 Duplicate audio tracks.
 Define and identity different phase angles.
 Phase shift waves with the Time Shift Tool.
 Save Audacity project files.
 Define frequency, pitch, and octaves.
 Identify octave frequencies.
 Generate tones at specific frequencies and octaves.
 Loop audio.
 Mute and solo audio.
 Define simple and complex waveforms.
 Define harmonics, fundamental tones and partials.
 Identify the partial of a fundamental tone frequency.
 Define and identify noise and noise colors.
 Generate noise.
 Import an audio file.
 Select audio with the Selection Tool.
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Remove noise from an audio file.
Define health and safety for audio engineers.
Define and identify parts of the human ear.
Define sound thresholds.
Define types of hearing loss.
Define hearing protective gear.
Identify steps for reducing damage to the ears.
Define ergonomics and repetitive strain injury.
Identify methods for improving the ergonomics of a workspace.
Section 2: Recording Audio
 Define analog recording technology.
 Define mechanical audio devices.
 Define wax cylinders, record, and magnetic tape, and how they work.
 Define overdubbing, and multitrack recording.
 Identify the disadvantages of audio recording.
 Define digital recording technology.
 Define digital audio, and different digital audio hardware.
 Identify differences between analog and digital audio.
 Identify the advantages of digital audio.
 Define acoustics.
 Define different types of recording studios.
 Define different rooms and equipment in a recording studio.
 Identify considerations when designing a studio.
 Define acoustical problems.
 Define echoes, and how to deal with them.
 Generate silence.
 Add an echo effect.
 Define reverb, and how to deal with it.
 Define useful GVerb settings.
 Add a reverb effect.
 Define leakage, and how to fix it.
 Define standing waves, and how to fix them.
 Define noise floor, and how to reduce it.
 Define frequency balance, and how to fix it.
Section 3: Audio Software Tools
 Define and identify features of DAW software.
 Define computer requirements.
 Define recommended computer hardware.
 Define DAW-specific hardware.
 Identify two specific DAW software programs.
 Define and identify Audacity's advantages and features.
 Define and identify software licenses.
 Read Audacity's software license.
 Define MIDI.
 Define the history of MIDI.
 Define MIDI cables and jacks.
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Define Channel Voice messages.
Define MIDI controllers.
Define MIDI uses.
Define and identify looping software and when to use it.
Identify how to find audio loops to use.
Define syncing.
Sync audio.
Define tempo and the Change Tempo command.
Alter the tempo of an audio file.
Define the Change Pitch command.
Change the pitch of an audio file.
Define the Change Speed command.
Change the speed (tempo + pitch) of an audio file.
Define audio file format.
Define audio codec.
Define and identify uncompressed audio file formats.
Define audio file compression and audio data loss.
Define lossless and lossy audio compression.
Identify lossless and lossy audio formats.
Define encoding and constant and variable bit rates.
Define metadata.
Define LAME MP3 Encoder and Ffmpeg Library.
Install LAME MP3 Encoder and Ffmpeg Library.
Export audio in WAV, MP3, and AAC formats.
Compare audio format file sizes.
Section 4: Audio Inputs
 Define microphone.
 Define transducer.
 Define and identify different types of microphone transducers.
 Define and identify the parts of a microphone.
 Define connectors.
 Define active and passive mics.
 Define phantom power.
 Define and identify microphone specifications.
 Define frequency response.
 Define proximity effect.
 Define transient response.
 Define output characteristics.
 Define and identify microphone placement.
 Define mono and stereo sound.
 Define and identify mic'ing for stereo sound techniques.
 Define and identify mic placement for instruments.
 Define preamp.
 Define direct input box.
 Define intellectual property.
 Define copyright.
 Define digital rights management.
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Define samples.
Define fair use.
Define public domain.
Define licenses and Creative Commons licenses.
Define giving credit.
Define mixing samples.
Download course audio.
Identify and remove unwanted audio tracks.
Define repeating samples.
Define stereo and mono Audacity track types.
Add blank stereo and mono tracks.
Repeat samples of audio.
Define gain.
Change the gain of an audio track.
Define pan.
Pan an audio track.
Split a stereo track into two mono tracks.
Combine two mono tracks into a stereo track.
Define envelope and the Envelope Tool.
Use the Envelope Tool to modify an audio track's envelope.
Section 5: Mastering Sound
 Define mastering and mastering goals.
 Define audio signal processing.
 Define equalization and its uses.
 Define positive and negative decibels.
 Define the Equalization Tool.
 Equalize audio with the Equalize Tool.
 Define EQ curve presets.
 Save a curve preset.
 Define level meters.
 Define and identify the parts of the Meter ToolBar.
 Define clipping.
 Read the Meter ToolBar level meter.
 Define docking and undocking.
 Dock and undock the Meter ToolBar
 Define dynamic range compression.
 Define Dynamic Range Compressor.
 Find the peaks in an audio track.
 Compress audio.
 Define normalization.
 Define Normalize Effect.
 Normalize audio.
 Define fading, fade in, fade out, and crossfading.
 Fade and crossfade sound.
 Define Silence Audio Command.
 Define phaser and Phaser Effect.
 Phaser audio.
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Define wahwah and Wahwah Effect.
Add wahwah to audio.
Combine course techniques into a finished final project.
Course Objectives
 Use Audacity to generate audio at different frequencies and octaves.
 Save an Audacity project file.
 Select and Phase Shift audio tracks.
 Generate noise.
 Make a workspace more ergonomic.
 Identify analog and digital recording technologies and formats.
 Identify considerations when designing a recording studio.
 Add echo and reverb effects to audio.
 Sync audio.
 Change the tempo and pitch of an audio track.
 Export audio in different file formats.
 Identify issues around using other people's music.
 Define intellectual property, copyright, digital rights management, samples, fair
use, giving credit, public domain, proprietary and Creative Commons licenses.
 Rearrange musical samples to create a different sound.
 Adjust the gain, and pan audio to make it sound different.
 Adjust the sound of a track with the Envelope Tool.
 Equalize, compress, and normalize audio.
 Fade and crossfade audio tracks.
 Add phaser and wahwah effects.
Course Assessment and Participation Requirements:
Besides engaging students in challenging curriculum, FLVS guides students to reflect on
their learning and to evaluate their progress through a variety of assessments. This
course is project-based. Assessments are in the form of multiple-choice questions, study
questions, and projects that are assessed with individualized rubrics. Instructors
evaluate progress and provide interventions through the variety of assessments built into
a course, as well as through contact with the student in other venues.