3120 Syllabus

Robert S. Thompson Ph.D.
1114 Standard Building
Office Phone: 404-651-1731

Spring Semester 2003

Office Hours: as posted or by appointment...

Digital Audio Fundamentals
and
Recording Techniques II

Center for Audio Recording Arts (CARA)
School of Music, Georgia State University

MI 3120 - M/W 9:00-10:15 1100 Standard
URL: http://cara.gsu.edu/courses/MI_312.htm

Prerequisites: MI-Recording Majors only, Physics 2030, Music Theory Sequence, MI 3110 or consent of instructor.

Texts and materials:

Modern Recording Techniques - Runstein (used as text for MI 3110)
The Audio Engineer's Reference Book - Talbot- Smith ( recommended optional text)
Acoustics and Psychoacoustics - Howard + Angus (required text)

Thompson et al: Selected pre-prints/reprints and Web-based texts:

Hi-8 Video/Audio tapes, DAT tapes and Cassette tapes
Laboratory Log Book

It is recommended that you begin with one HI-8 and one DAT tape, 120 minutes in duration and purchase more materials as needed throughout the quarter. Tape supplies are best obtained from Tape Warehouse located off Peachtree Industrial Blvd. in the Chamblee area. Some recording supplies are made available to students in this course based upon the laboratory fee - see Dr. Thompson for details.

Course aim: This seminar will further introduce the concepts and techniques of audio recording and the equipment housed in the CARA studios. The focus of our study will be theoretical and practical in orientation and will cover electroacoustic sound production and reproduction with a special emphasis on digital audio theory, digital multi-track recording, console operation, digital signal processing and audio mixing. The course content will be divided between practical projects in recording and scientific study.

Specific Technical Agenda (not given in order of discussion):

console operation and design, block diagrams and ergonomics
digital audio recording techniques and technologies
audio mixing of multi-track recordings - art, aesthetics and technique
production and post-production techniques
digital signal processing applications

The goal of our activity will be to facilitate exploration and experimentation so that each student may develop technical facility in audio recording which match his or her own artistic sensibility and personal goals.

Assignments and Grading Policy:

There will be six guided recording projects which will address the various uses and applications of the recording studios in a variety ways. In addition to these tasks there will be two examinations, a number of tests, assigned listening and reading and various small assignments throughout the semester. Most, if not all exams will be given in class and will be closed-book.

Task I: 5%       Recording Project: 1     Due for in-class playback on: Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Task 2: 10%     Recording Project: 2     Due for in-class playback on: Wednesday, February 5, 2003
Task 3: 5%       Recording Project: 3     Due for in-class playback on: Wednesday, February12, 2003
Task 4: 5%       Recording Project: 4     Due for in-class playback on: Wednesday, February 19, 2003
MIDTERM EXAM: 15% (Midterm listening session, Log Book Evaluation) DATE: February 26, 2003
Task 5: 5%       Recording Project: 5     Due for in-class playback on: Wednesday, March 12, 2003
Task 6: 5%       Recording Project: 6     Due for in-class playback on: Wednesday, April 16, 2003
FINAL EXAM: 20% (Final listening session, Log Book Evaluation) DATE: TBA
Other: 20% (Tests, assignments and etc.)

Studio Hours Logged: 10%

(Minimum of four, individually logged, hours per week).

Recording Projects:

All recording projects are to be completed individually. Other assistance, from students in others courses for example, is forbidden and will result in loss of grade credit for the given project. Projects done in addition to those required as coursework will count toward extra credit.

Independent Work:

The emphasis this semester is on the recording projects outlined. However, if time permits, students may take on independent recording projects but only with the prior consent of the instructor. It is crucial that independent projects be secondary to the actual course work. Independent projects will in no way argue into the final course grade. In an effort to make studio time available for the course projects, other courses and faculty research, the number and scope of independent projects will be quite limited. Please follow the new CARA guidelines when considering independent projects. All independent projects must be booked in accordance with policies.

Academic Policies Relating to this Course:

This is a lecture and laboratory course and these policies apply to both the lecture and laboratory components.

1. Attendance Policies and Consequences of Non-Attendance and Tardiness:

Prompt, consistent attendance is required and will be considered in determination of grades. Record of attendance begins on the first day of class. Requests for excused absences should be submitted to the instructor in advance of the absence. Failure to attend class regularly may result in your withdrawal by the instructor and a grade of W or WF for the course. After four unexcused absences the instructor may withdraw the student.

Being late to class is disruptive to the instructor and the rest of the students attending. Please make every effort to be in class on time. A student will be considered tardy 10 minutes after the scheduled start time of class. Three tardies will equal one absence.

2. Excused Absences:

Excused absences for illness or other urgent reasons will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Except in cases of emergency, your absences should be cleared in advance of class time. If, in the judgment of the instructor, the number of excused absences compromises your ability to meet the objectives of the course, you will be advised to withdraw or take an Incomplete.

3. Incomplete (I) grades:

The grade of I will be given only to students who have completed the majority of the course work and for a non-academic reason beyond their control have been unable to complete the semester (e.g. take the final exam, submit final paper, perform jury, etc.).

4. Withdrawal (W/WF):

Prior to the mid-point of a grading period a student may withdraw (or be withdrawn by the instructor) and receive a grade of W. Withdrawal without penalty is not permitted following the midpoint of the grading period when the grade WF will be assigned.

5. Grading Determination:

In addition to numerical and letter grades for project, tests and the like, factors such as attitude, professionalism and consistency of quality in assignments will be considered in awarding the final grade. Students are invited to discuss these aspects of their grade with the professor at any time.

6. Late and Incomplete Work:

In general, late and incomplete work is not acceptable for a university level course. Assignments, tests, projects and the like will be discounted one grade point for each day they are late. After three days of lateness a grade of F will be assigned.

Please refer to the GSU General Catalog for college and university policies on grading, academic honesty and related issues.

Attendance, Laboratory Time and Security Issues:

Attendance: After 4 unexcused absences the professor reserves the right to drop a student from the course. Attendance and class participation is highly encouraged.

Laboratory Time: Lab time will be available to students in this course working independently and in pairs or small groups. Some of the projects will be group projects and some will be pair projects. One project is independent. Lab times will be assigned and scheduled throughout the semester according to CARA policies of advance booking. Students are expected to use four hours per week (minimum) in Studios B and C.

Laboratory Assistants: There are several laboratory assistants in the Center for Audio Recording Arts – Alejandro Marin, Andrea Bailey and George Box. They may be available to you to help with specific questions and facilitate your project development. These are capable individuals and each possesses thorough knowledge of CARA and the policies.

Security Issues: Only those individuals enrolled for credit in a course taught in the Center for Audio Recording Arts (CARA) will have access to the facility. Furthermore, depending on the course and the level of the students technical skills, as designated by the various courses, various aspects of the studio will be available for use. No keys for the facility will ever be issued to students.

Equipment Usage: No equipment can be brought into the studios with prior consent. This includes items such as drum sets, guitar amps and keyboard set-ups. If such equipment is required, a simple process of logging the fact on the Session Booking Form is required and clearance with Dr. Thompson. If elaborate set-ups are required for sessions, it is expected that they be completely broken down before the next session and that the studios are left in a better condition than they were found.

It is crucial that no guests be invited into the CARA facility without prior clearance and that you do not allow any persons without identification into the facility under any circumstance. Failure to comply with this rule and other rules of the Center will result in your being dropped from the course and the loss of studio access.

Laboratory Fee: In keeping with policies in place elsewhere in the School of Music and in other academic departments there will be a Laboratory Fee in effect for each of the studio courses offered in the Center for Audio Recording Arts. This fee is necessary for studio maintenance costs and upgrades. The fee is $75.00

Pay you fee in cash or by check directly to Mr. Alan Barrett in the School of Music office on the 5^th Floor of the Haas-Howell Building. He will provide you a receipt. Bring the receipt to Dr. Thompson for a CARA card.

CARA ID BADGES: All persons working in the studio complex must carry with them their Student ID card and also a valid CARA ID BADGE. Please wear the CARA ID BADGE at all times while working in the studios. This is extremely helpful to the administration as an aid to identifying authorized persons quickly. Lost or destroyed badges will be replaced free of charge, but replacement will take at least one day. Keep the receipt for your fee payment.

Note: Studio access will not be granted without a CARA ID BADGE. Please protect your badges and do not forget them when coming to the studio. GUEST CARA ID BADGES are available for loan from Dr. Thompson, if you want to bring a guest with you. Please get these badges in advance and return them promptly.

Important Policies:

Session Booking:

Session will be booked in advance up to 2 weeks. Session booking will be possible on Monday and Wednesday only. See schedule for times.

Key Checkout:

Keys will be checked out from Ms. Powell in the School of Music office. In order to obtain a key for a given session you will need to do the following things:

1. Book the session with Dr. Thompson (or assistant) in the Master Session Log. This must be done in person. Use the sign-up sheets and envelopes in the CARA landing area.

2. Fill out the appropriate paperwork for the session booked giving detailed information about the session.

3. Receive an authorized confirmation slip for the session noting date and time in/out.

4. Take the confirmation slip to Ms. Powell for key check out on the day/time of the session.

5. Present a valid CARA ID badge.

Key Return:

If keys are not returned by the time stated on the confirmation slip the student will loose the ability to check out keys in the future.

Studio Policy Synopsis:

1. No food or drink in the studio complex.
2. Do not bring backpacks, coats, umbrellas or the like to the studio - store these in a School of Music Locker. For locker assignment see the School of Music office.
3. Do not make excessive noise or behave disruptively in the studios. This is a professional working environment and other people are working.
4. Do not use excessive volume in any of the studios
5. Do not bring unauthorized guests into the studio complex.
6. Report all breakage, damage and malfunctions to Dr. Thompson immediately.
7. Never leave unauthorized persons in the studios without supervision.
8. Never share the keypad combination and/or keys with anyone!
9. Never leave doors propped open or unlocked after use.
10. Always leave the studios in a better condition than you found them.
11. Always pull patch cords and normal the consoles and other equipment.
12. Always coil cables and replaced mic stands to standard storage positions.

Failure to follow the studio guidelines and adhere to the policies will result in your loss of studio access. Usage of CARA is a privilege and not a right.

Student Recording Project Guidelines

Following these simple guidelines will make our lives at CARA pleasant and interesting. Failure to follow them could result in being dropped from the course you are taking. So, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this document and follow the provisions set forth throughout the quarter.

Student Recording Projects are those activities that are associated directly with course work and/or are those projects which are important to the further professional and technical development of authorized persons with the Center for Audio Recording Arts.

1. Only those students who have a valid CARA ID badge may be involved in organizing recording projects. All other persons are considered guests except a) School of Music Administration members and CARA Staff, Interns, Research Assistants and Laboratory Assistants.

2. In general, recording projects should take place during individual, assigned, studio times. The general studio allocation is as follows -

MI 3110 - Studio C
MI 3120 - Studio C and Studio B (upon Checkout Examination)
MI 3230 - Studio C and Studio B (upon Checkout Examination), Studio A for advanced users
MI 3130 and 4610 - Studio C, B and A (upon Checkout Examination)
MI 4910 - based on project proposal as appropriate
MI 4999 - based on project proposal as appropriate
MUS 4999/6999 - based on project proposal as appropriate
MUS 4970/6970 - Studio M
MUS 4980/6980 - Studio M

With this in mind, make certain that the project proposed can be realized in a given studio.

3. The general studio guidelines contained in the syllabus for your courses apply for all sessions held within CARA. Please adhere to them.

4. You are responsible for the actions of those musicians you record during your projects. They must also be assigned guest ID badges prior to the recording session. ID badges for guests are allocated on a per- session basis and are valid only for that session (date and time). To get them have your musicians fill out a short registration form - get these from Dr. Thompson.

5. It is crucial that your session begin on time and end on time. Sessions must end when scheduled as a courtesy to others working in the complex.

6. You are responsible for leaving the studios in a better condition than you found it in. Please be careful with the equipment, the stretched fabric walls and wood floors of our facility.

7. Keep a LOG BOOK - JOURNAL of each session you do. Be detailed in your note keeping. This is an important habit to get into for the future and the LOG BOOK will be turned-in for evaluation at the MIDTERM and the FINAL.

Note all musician's names - phone numbers Describe the session in detail, what you learned, progress you made, "ah-ha" moments... Provide some insight into problems encountered and solved.

RECORDING PROJECTS OUTLINES

MI 3120 Student Recording Project I: Solo instrument recording: (5% grade credit)

Due Date and Playback Session: Wednesday January 22, 2003

Overview:

Find a School of Music student who is an instrumentalist or vocalist and invite them to do a
recording session of one of their solo instrumental or vocal works. This can be an improvisation
or a composed work that they know.

In the session, record the soloist in a number of takes - try to get the best performance. If needed
assemble the best takes from DAT onto a multi-track MDM tape. Then mix the result back to
DAT.

When making your final assembly: onto DAT, for later playback and critique - follow these
caveats:

1. Record one version of the piece dry - no effects, no EQ, etc
2. Record a second version with EQ used to enhance the timbre of the instrument
3. Record a third version with reverberation added to version 2 to simulate a concert hall setting.

If your musician is interested in having a cassette of their performance do not hesitate to provide
them one.

A little pre-planning will really help to make for a smooth session:

set up before the talent gets ready to play
be sensitive to the needs of the musician(s)
have time set aside after the recording of the soloist to make the 3 mix versions

There are two ways to accomplish this project - one is to record all materials on DAT the other is
to use MDM. If you use MDM it is easy to "punch-in" over pre-recorded sections to correct
mistakes and so on.

It is likely that your musician will desire to have headphones to listen to her/himself play.

The team will create a 2 page write-up of the project and outline clearly each persons role in the
project. Present this write up to the entire class (making a photocopy for everyone's notebook)
during the Playback Session for Project I. Be as detailed and informative as possible.

MI 3120 Student Recording Project 2: Voice Over (10% grade credit) (Individual, "solo", project)

Due Date and Playback Session: Wednesday, February 5, 2003:

Overview:

Select a pop (or other genre) music recording of significance to you (Dark Side of the Moon, Sgt.
Peppers, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Exile on Main Street, Thriller, Soul Cages and etc.) and
three tracks from it. Using DAT and MDM select segments from these three tracks that would be
of interest to other engineers from a technical and/or musical point of view. Assemble them as
follows:

1. The entire project is no longer than 10 minutes and no shorter than 7 minutes.
2. Segments from all three tracks are heard.
3. Treat each track in succession.

Using whatever resources that are at your disposal, collect some information about the group or
artist, the recording, the engineer, the producer, the studio and so on. Write a voice-over that will
fit with the edited music tracks as a second, over-dubbed layer. Of special interest will be your
discussion of what you are hearing in the recording from a technical and/or aesthetic point of
view.

Record the voice over.

Mix the final tracks to stereo onto your DAT for later playback and critique.

Create a two-page write-up outlining your process of creating this project. Prepare photocopies
for class members.

MI 3120 Student Recording Project 3: Jazz Combo Recording (5% grade credit)

Due Date and Playback Session: Wednesday, February 12, 2003

Overview:

There are many jazz combos in the School of Music and I have asked Dr. Vernick if we could
record them. He is delighted by the possibility. Find a combo, perhaps with the help of Dr.
Vernick (just ask him), and arrange to have them come to the studios for a session.

Using multiple microphones (and possibly more than one recording space) create a multi-track
recording of your combo. Make sure they record at least 3 selections.

Choose 2 of the selections you have recorded and in another mix-down session refine two mixes
of each track. One mix "for publication" using reverberation and subtle effects and another
"experimental" mix using your imagination.

Record these to DAT for our discussion and critique. Create a two-page write up outlining the
session in detail and indication each person's role in creating the recording. Photocopy this write
up for distribution among the class.

MI 3120 Student Recording Project 4: GSU/SOM Guitar Studio Project (5% grade credit)

Due Date and Playback Session: Wednesday, February 19, 2003

Overview:

Our guitar program has some of our finest musicians in it. Each team is to find one or more
guitarists to record. Let the musicians choose their repertoire. Build on the experience we gained
last quarter doing our guitar recordings in class. Work with Mr. John Sutherland and the
Graduate guitar students to identify the appropriate musicians.

Create a recording of two, but not more than three, selections from your guitarist or guitarists.
Have the musicians tell you which recording they preferred and make a note of it.

Mix the recording with a keen ear to EQ and reverb. Record these to DAT for our discussion and
critique. Create a two-page write up outlining the session in detail and indication each person's
role in creating the recording. Photocopy this write up for distribution among the class.

MI 3120 Student Recording Project 5: Classical Ensemble Project (5% grade credit)

Due Date and Playback Session: Wednesday, March 12, 2003

Overview:

Locate an instrumental ensemble from within the School of Music to record. You may arrange to
use the Recital Hall for your recording session direct to DAT if you wish. This will need to be
arranged in advanced and may not be possible. So, as always plan ahead and give me plenty of
time to help you arrange things.

Record a classical work for an ensemble of more than two players, either by a living composer or
from the established repertoire. Choose from the string program (trios, quartets, etc), from the
percussion program, vocal program (vocal works for unaccompanied or accompanied voices are
fine) the New Music Ensemble (see Dr. Demos for ideas here) and so on.

Record your selection(s) as final mixes with EQ and reverberation as appropriate. Try for definite
recordings aimed at publication.

MI 312 Student Recording Project 6: Pop or Rock Ensemble Project (5% grade credit)

Due Date and Playback Session: Wednesday, April 16, 2003

Overview:

Find a Pop or Rock group from within the School of Music, or the university community, to
record. Assist them by producing for them a song demo - do not attempt to record more than
one song!. Work with the musicians to help define their "sound" and translate their ideas onto
tape.

Mix their materials for a definitive recording. Record to DAT for our discussion and critique.
Create a two-page write up outlining the session in detail and indication each person's role in
creating the recording. Photocopy this write up for distribution among the class.