Audio Production, Level 1 - Beginners

This course - Audio Production Level 1 -  is a fantastic starting point for anyone with an interest and a passion to record sounds well, whether purely musical, vocal or any other sounds imaginable, and I will take you through everything you need to know to get started in an easy, straightforward way.

Have a look at some reviews about Audio Production Level 1-Beginners

This course was laid out and presented really well. I had some basic previous experience and this course reinforced a lot of that stuff but also clarified a lot of the stuff I never really understood. e.g. compression and EQ. Liam's presentation style was very easy going and straight forward, any jargon was explained when it came up. Thanks Liam. Ralph Hyland 2020

This was an extremely helpful course. Everything was thoroughly explained and the provided course material was so much fun to work with. The lecturer was really knowledgeable and engaging. Thank you so much for the course. Volga Arasli 2020

Getting all the important essential knowledge for recording and sound engineering. This a great course and I highly recommend it. Liam makes it really easy to do and understand. Enjoyed it. Fred Beck 2020

In approximately 3.5 hours of videos, you will learn all you need to know to start recording, editing, mixing and rendering to .Wav or MP3

Why this course?I am a trained Sound Engineer and Audio Producer, and have been teaching Audio Production, Sound Engineering and Music Technology at my own Recording Studios, in the South-West of Ireland since 2001, and before that, in various locations in London, England. I have taught everyone from absolute beginners up to Degree and Masters students.  I am absolutely passionate about my subject and maintain that “The only stupid question is the one that isn’t asked”.  I am more than happy to answer any question, however trivial it may appear, and I love the challenge to ensure that everyone understands what they are learning.

What will you learn?

The course is divided into 6 modules, covering every area of Audio Production at an easy-to-understand level, and by the end of it, you will be able to record, edit, mix and render your own songs and audio recordings.

I have divided the course so that you travel through it as on a journey, gradually building up on what you have learned, and by the final section you will have all the tools to produce a competent finished piece of audio.

Here is a breakdown of what you will learn in each module:

Free Introductory Video (Lecture 1) (2 minutes 16 seconds)

MODULE 1: Software & Hardware

Lecture 2, Reaper Overview 1 (12 minutes 43 seconds)

The Software used on this course, what it is called, what it looks like, how to put in the audio files (provided), how to open empty tracks, how to save a project, the different functions of the software and some of the functions of the track control panels.

Lecture 3, Reaper Overview 2 (9 minutes 21 seconds)

More about the Software, description of audio (.wav) files, how audio is represented, zooming and navigating the project, how to loop a section of the project, looking at the Arrangement View and the Mixer View.

Lecture 4, Hardware (5 minutes 59 seconds)

The hardware and how to get sound in to and out of the computer, the computer's sound card and its limitations, external audio interfaces and how they work.

Lecture 5, Recording & Audio Levels (11 minutes 40 seconds)

Recording and audio levels, creating project folders for new projects, creating a new project, further explanation of snap control, first explanation of project settings dialogue box, how to save a project, how the meters work, optimum recording levels, naming the track, choosing an input, how to arm the track for recording, how to record the track and the save dialogue box.

MODULE 2: Reverb

Lecture 6, Reverb Theory (7 minutes 48 seconds)

What is Reverb, the speed of sound, the difference between echoes and reverb, what dictates how long reverb lasts and examples of different reverbs.

Lecture 7, Plugins (11 minutes 37 seconds)

What audio plugins are, how to install a plugin, what the terminology means when installing, how to put a reverb plugin into the project, how to adjust the parameters of the plugin and how to set up reverb times.

Lecture 8, Setting up Reverb (7 minutes 12 seconds)

How to set up reverb on a separate track, how to connect dry tracks to a wet track, how to set up a send and how to use a send shortcut.

MODULE 3: Compresser

Lecture 9, Compresser Theory (4 minutes 54 seconds)

What is a compresser, what is dynamic range, what does it do to audio and a visual explanation of the compresser at work.

Lecture 10, Compresser Practical 1 (11 minutes 38 seconds)

How to use a compresser, opening the compresser, an explanation of the 3 compresser meters, an explanation of the 5 parameters and how to compress audio.

Lecture 11, Compresser Practical 2 (10 minutes 34 seconds)

How to open the mixer window, how to resize the mixer, alternative ways to set the sends and inserts on the mixer, how to alter send volumes on the channel strip, shortcuts and signal flow.

MODULE 4: EQ

Lecture 12, EQ Theory (11 minutes 50 seconds)

The frequency response of human hearing, what EQ means, what the EQ does and the different types of EQ.

Lecture 13, EQ Practical (14 minutes 38 seconds)

Some jargon explained, how to adjust EQ parameters, explanation of all the options in the EQ, practical applications, and a demonstration using EQ.

Lecture 14, The Three Main Processors (14 minutes 58 seconds)

Using the Compresser, EQ and Reverb processors together on one song, what we are trying to achieve, setting up loop points, setting up a compresser and an EQ on each of the tracks, how to improve body and clarity, creating a new track, setting up a reverb and setting up sends.

MODULE 5: Microphones

Lecture 15, Microphone theory (11 minutes 47 seconds)

What is a microphone, what is a transducer, what is happening when sound goes in to a microphone, the two different types of microphones: Dynamic and Condenser microphones, what the differences are between the types, how each work (diagrams to help explain), the advantages and disadvantages of the different types, and four important comparison aspects between the Dynamic and Condenser microphones.

Lecture 16, Audio Examples (11 minutes 46 seconds)

Comparing directly between Dynamic and Condenser microphones recording the same sound, a visual illustrating the correct positioning of each type of microphone, testing a Dynamic and a Condenser microphone recording the same sound, but at 3 different distances from the sound source, the pros and cons with each type of microphone, what you need to consider when buying a microphone with regarding your environment, budget and requirements, and some suggested Dynamic and Condenser microphones you may wish to purchase.

MODULE 6: Recording, Editing, Mixing & Rendering

Lecture 17, Using your Audio Interface Part 1: Software (8 minutes 07 seconds)

Explaining how to use your Audio Interface, how to access Drivers, how to change the Preferences to access the Audio Interface on the DAW, Recording Level reminder, adjusting the Reaper screen, how to set up for a Recording Session and how to keep all the recordings for a project in the same place.

Lecture 18, Using your Audio Interface Part 2: Hardware (11 minutes 07 seconds)

How to set up communication between the Audio Interface and the computer. setting up the Audio Interface, plugging in a Dynamic microphone and setting volume levels, plugging in a Condenser microphone, using a shock mount, using phantom power and safety advice, setting volume levels, plugging in an instrument, combi-inputs, and setting volume levels.

Lecture 19, Editing and Grouping (11 minutes)

How to group several tracks together using folders, the benefits and advantages of grouping, how to set up a folder, how to group tracks, how to set up effects to the group and how to do some basic editing.

Lecture 20, Mixing and Rendering (17 minutes 58 seconds)

How to mix a recording using the the software and the three main processers, as well as the reverb, the secret of helping the tracks stand out as well as blending the different tracks together, how loud to make your final mix, how and why to "time select" a recording to be rendered, how to render to WAV and to MP3 and what the differences are, congratulations for completing Sound Engineering Level 1, and see you in Sound Engineering Level 2.

Total time: 3 hours, 28 minutes, 53 seconds

Included with this course;

Introductory video

Audio Files

Legal Software

This does not affect your rights to get your money back, but it will help me make my course better for you and for future students.

And if you enjoy it, please do let me know.

Cheers. Liam