Audio Technology Program
Audio Technology Program
This program accepts GI Bill Veteran Funding, for Veterans who qualify.
Diploma Level Course
36 CREDIT HOURS- 12 MONTHS
This program leads to the award of a Diploma in Audio Technology. Intensive practical and theoretical training give students a solid grounding in all aspects of audio technology and the commercial music recording industry in order to provide the skills necessary for today’s successful audio engineer. Students attending this program will learn both the technical and creative sides of the audio recording process, and will be expected to complete a number of projects throughout the program. In addition, the student will learn basics of audio and music business, covering topics such as contracts, session budgeting, financial basics of the audio industry, copyright, and artistic sides of the music business.
Students enrolled in the Diploma level of the Audio Technology Program must successfully complete 36 credit hours of the core Audio Technology Program courses to receive a Diploma in Audio Technology.
Students enrolled full time in the Audio Technology Diploma Program will complete the program over 3 semesters.
Associates Level Course
60 CREDIT HOURS- 16 MONTHS
This program leads to the award of an Associates degree in Audio Technology. Intensive practical and theoretical training give students a solid grounding in all aspects of audio technology and the commercial music recording industry in order to provide the skills necessary for today’s successful audio engineer. Students attending this program will learn both the technical and creative sides of the audio recording process, and will be expected to complete a number of projects throughout the program. In addition, the student will learn basics of audio and music business, covering topics such as contracts, session budgeting, financial basics of the audio industry, copyright, and artistic sides of the music business.
Students enrolled in the Associates level of the Audio Technology Program must successfully complete 45 credit hours of the core Audio Technology Program courses and 15 credit hours of General Education courses to receive an Associates in Audio Technology.
Students enrolled full time in the Audio Technology Associates Program will complete the program over 4 semesters.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVE
The program is designed to train students for entry level positions such as audio engineers in the areas of commercial recording, post production, and live sound, and to provide the necessary understanding of the music industry for an entry level position in the entertainment business.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The graduate will be prepared to enter the audio recording or music business as an effective professional in a number of entry level roles in recording, post production, and live sound recording, as well as studio management and entry level positions at record companies, production houses, and other related businesses. Additional career possibilities, with employers such as educational institutions and government agencies will be open to graduates of the Associates level.
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES
Classes are held Monday-Thursday with Instructor led labs extending throughout the week. Class sessions are: Morning (10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.), Afternoon (2:00 p.m. to 6:00p.m), and Evening (6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.). Each session includes a 30-minute break. Class sessions will be assigned during registration.
Check with the Admissions Department for session availability.
In addition to workshops and regular classes, students are expected to complete 2 hours of outside class preparation per class per week. All program core curriculum courses require 3 hours of supervised project/lab work per class per week in addition to the 2 hours of outside class preparation per class per week. Students carrying a full time course load should expect to devote at least 25-34 hours per week to their program of study.
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INDIVIDUAL COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ATP101 Intro to Audio Recording
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: None
Overview: This course introduces basic concepts in audio theory and principles concerning sound behavior. Topics discussed include the human hearing mechanism, environmental factors and various components concerning the brain’s interpretation of sound. Theoretical aspects concerning sound production are covered including: speed of sound, frequency response, amplitude, wavelength, phase relationships, harmonic content, decibel theory and their respective mathematical formulas. Microphone applications, design and both mono and stereo placement techniques will be explored and implemented.
ATP102 Basic Signal Flow Concepts
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: None
Overview: This course introduces basic concepts and principles concerning signal flow through an analog audio console. Practical exercises are performed utilizing the audio console including: equalization, inserts, auxiliary sends, stereo returns, direct outputs, bus assignments, sub-grouping and gain structure. This course also introduces basic concepts in electronics and applies them to simple circuits, as well as sound systems for public address. Topics discussed include the fundamental principles of electron flow, Ohm’s law applied to series and parallel circuits, components that construct a simple circuit, and decibel ratings as applied to voltage, power, and speaker sensitivity. Proper terminology and mathematical relationships of electrical quantities are explored and applied to basic audio circuits relating amplifiers and speakers.
ATP103 Intro to DAW and Electronic Music Production
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: None
Overview: This course introduces basic concepts of digital audio theory and principles. Topics discussed include computer language and software platforms, general DAW system theory, and manufacturer protocol. In addition, this course focuses on introductory concepts in programming music on a MIDI workstation and its accompanying industry standard software platforms. The essential aim is to familiarize students with the practical skills required to operate MIDI software effectively and efficiently. Music theory concepts are introduced covering basic rhythmic, notation, scale and triad construction. Critical listening and an analysis of diatonic harmony will be examined. Concentration will be focused on industry standard software programs. Students will be introduced to mixing practices used within the DAW and MIDI domain.
ATP121 Intro to Studio and Live Recording
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: ATP101, ATP102, ATP103
Overview: This course introduces session procedures and audio production techniques that can be applied to a studio setting as well as live sound reinforcement applications. Topics discussed include studio etiquette, session documentation procedures, the recording process, and production environments. Theoretical aspects concerning live sound production are covered including: loudspeakers, amplifiers, cabling, and sound system exam equipment.
ATP122 Intermediate Signal Flow Concepts
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: ATP101, ATP102, ATP103
Overview: This course incorporates intermediate signal flow concepts and studio production techniques utilizing both an analog and digital audio console. Practical exercises are performed utilizing the analog and digital console including: multi-track recording, overdubbing, mixing, signal processing, microphones applications, proper session documentation procedures and optimizing recording levels in an intermediate/project studio recording environment. This course also introduces intermediate recording concepts and applies them to assigned lab projects including: setting up headphone mixes, utilizing the talkback functions of both consoles, inline monitoring vs. split monitoring, interfacing DAW control surfaces with analog onboard circuitry, and proper bounce down procedures.
ATP123 Intermediate DAW and Electronic Music Production
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: ATP101, ATP102, ATP103
Overview: This course introduces intermediate concepts of digital audio theory and principles. Topics discussed include more advanced concepts in MIDI sequencing, DAW, Synthesis, and Sampling. Logic Pro and Pro Tools software will be explored in depth and DSP plug-ins will be implemented and discussed thoroughly. The student will be guided through industry standard methods of recording/mixing music and will need to meet several intermediate level lab assignments meeting specific criteria that will be shared, analyzed and critiqued.
ATP201 Advanced Audio Production
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: ATP101, ATP121
Overview: This course introduces students to advanced techniques involving the production of audio content and the various ways that content can be utilized. Students investigate the relationship between the human auditory system and surround sound in both theory and practical settings. Topics include semi-pro and pro surround sound systems, set-up and calibration techniques, encoding for surround, DVD authoring, and mixing for surround. The interfacing of various audio systems in a studio is explained. Students will learn advanced techniques for incorporating various components including clocks and clock rates, digital and analog conversion, digital wiring, and DAW integration. Students will explore advanced mixing techniques using exercises designed to teach depth of field, stereo image, frequency and level balance, compression techniques, and master bus effects chains. Acoustic principals and studio design illustrate the need for students to understand the nature of sound in enclosed environments.
ATP202 Advanced Signal Flow Concepts
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: ATP102, ATP122
Overview: This course is designed to give students an understanding of advanced signal flow concepts and audio production in a professional, commercial studio environment utilizing large-format audio production consoles. Students will develop a deeper comprehension of modern recording techniques and practices.
ATP203 Audio Postproduction and Multimedia
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: ATP103, ATP123
Overview: This course introduces modern techniques used in sound for picture, sound design, and multimedia applications as well as the art and science involved in mastering audio. Its purpose is to provide for an opportunity for students to learn about specific applications used in film, multimedia, gaming, and digital video and to understand how audio careers are sustained in these mediums. Specific assignments are implemented which model real world scenarios and the student is subjected to industry standard methods of production in this genre.
ATP221 Event Production and System Integration (Associates Degree program only)
4 credit hours
Prerequisite: ATP201, ATP202, ATP203
Overview: This course focuses on specific training skills utilized in audio-visual (AV), media systems designs, audio networking, video teleconferencing and concert/event sound reinforcement. Students will be guided through practical training exercises designed to expand their knowledge in standard communications technologies as they gain functional experience for a wide variety of opportunities found in a rapidly emerging marketplace. This course will focus on production design and implementation for a wide variety of environments such as live sound venues, broadcast facilities, recording studios, houses of worship, nightclubs, and hotel conference centers - just to name a few. In addition, students will gain experience in installation, consultation and contract services commonly used in today’s media based industry.
ATP222 Advanced Music Production and Business Practices (Associates Degree Program only)
5 credit hours
Prerequisite: ATP201, ATP202, ATP203
Overview: This course focuses on advanced music production. Students will become adept at operating state-of-the-art recording equipment and practicing advanced production techniques. Students will gain the ability to craft a musical sound and an arrangement. Advanced techniques include the ability to improve the artist’s performance and delivery, thus developing the artist’s style and career, how to acquire the intuitive ability to recognize the finger on the pulse “hit potential” with a creative vision, and how to facilitate and launch the artist’s career to its full potential, outshining the competition in today’s music industry. Students will receive a comprehensive overview of the various elements of the music business, with an emphasis on how to successfully conduct one’s business affairs as an engineer, producer, and artist.
GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES
Students enrolled in Associates level programs at SAE must successfully complete 15 hours of General Education courses in addition to 45 hours of Core courses.
Students with General Education credits from previous college experience may receive credit for prior learning. Students that wish to have previous coursework applied towards the program’s General Education requirement must submit official copies of all college transcripts prior to admission into the program. The Admissions Department will notify the student of which credits can be transferred upon review of the student’s college transcripts.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
GE101 English Composition
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: None
Overview: This course is designed to increase students’ fundamental composition skills and will focus on audience awareness, effective paragraph and essay construction, as well as Standard English language usage (punctuation, spelling, and grammar). Emphasis will be placed on developing clear, coherent, and effective written prose. The course will also introduce students to different research methods and familiarize them with the conventions of academic writing they will be expected to apply to a college-level paper they will write for other courses in the program.
GE102 World History
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: None
Overview: This course is designed to increase students’ fundamental understanding of the world from an assemblage of relatively isolated regions through the present day. Emphasis will be placed on tracing the origins of globalization and its relation to European hegemony through invasions and colonization. The course will also introduce students to the contributions of the non-western world and how the assemblage of these factors shaped the early modern world. By examining the interconnectedness of global histories and analyzing the social, cultural, political, economic, demographic, and ecological implications that created it, an understanding of this history may be obtained.
GE103 Mathematical Modeling
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: None
Overview: This course will cover skills needed for applied algebra, linear, piecewise, exponential and quadratic functions. The aim is to strengthen mathematics skills by increasing mathematical knowledge and focusing on logical problem solving techniques required for critical thinking. Statistical analysis and probability will be used to explore real world data. Emphasis is placed on developing a clear understanding of the role and function of quantitative analysis in the real world. This course also focuses on skills needed in the real world to ensure students acquire better decision-making processes for money management in their personal and business profiles.
GE201 Conceptual Physics
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: GE 103 Introduction to Mathematical Modeling
Overview: This course aims to build a fundamental understanding of the physical laws that govern nature: mechanics, heat, sound, electricity and magnetism. Emphasis is placed on developing critical thinking skills. This course is appropriate for students who will have careers in technical fields.
GE202 Speech Communications
3 credit hours
Prerequisite: None
Overview: This course is designed to increase students’ fundamental understanding of the world of communications and encourages students to be active media consumers and gives them a deeper understanding of the role that the media play in both shaping and reflecting culture. Through this cultural perspective, students learn that audience members are as much a part of the mass communication process as are the media producers, technologies, and industries. Emphasis will be placed on tracing the origins of various forms of media and their impact on the world today, from issues of ethics to the shaping of personal and social identities. By examining the interconnectedness of these forms of communication and analyzing the social, cultural, political, economic, demographic, and ecological implications that created it, an understanding of our communication process may be obtained.
