Basic Keyboard Skills I: In this course, the students are introduced to the keyboard layout, playing techniques and scales and chords. The course curriculum progresses to include all aspects necessary for proper keyboard operation for the MIDI production courses.

Critical Listening Skills: This course will cover listening skills in relation to music production, from tracking to mixing a final product. Topics will include sound level perception, frequency perception, frequency band limitations, frequency response irregularities, tone quality perception, distortion, reverberation and ambience, and tonal colorations.

Introduction to Audio Production: This course combines the following three topics to give the student broad introduction and a strong foundation to audio production techniques:

• Microphone Essentials
  Covering basic microphone types, characteristics, recording environments, mono & stereo miking techniques and practical instrument-specific microphone applications.
• Principles for Analog & Digital Audio
  Provides an introduction to analog recording history, physical properties of sound, digital recording - past, present & future, data storage and play back media and digital audio formats.
• Signal Flow, Mixers & Signal Processors
  Covers advanced signal flow, audio production consoles, equalizers, dynamics processors, time-based / time-shift processors, noise reduction and an introduction to plug-in processing.

MIDI: Synthesis and Sequencing: This course is an introduction to the MIDI language, using Ableton Live and Native Instrument's Komplete 8 ULTIMATE as the vessel of instruction.

Music Theory Essentials: This course Introduces students to the basic elements of sound and pitch, rhythm and meter, scales and key signatures, chords and progressions and other aspects needed to understand basic music concepts from a technical perspective.



Back to Top

Applied Computing Basics: This class covers the basics of computer components and software essential to maintenance and use in studio applications. While the information in this course is universally applicable, it retains a strong focus on the Mac OS X® computing platform, which is the industry-standard operating system for professional digital media.

MIDI: Sampling and Composition: This course builds on the previous MIDI Production course, introducing concepts such as sound and timbre, tone production, and sampling techniques. It also covers audio for video, composing for picture, advanced tempo mapping, composing cues and MIDI orchestration adding acoustic instruments to MIDI recordings.

Pro Tools Native: This course is an introduction to Pro Tools | Native covering the basic Pro Tools principles, giving you what you need to complete a Pro Tools project, from initial set up to final mixdown. The course will continue into advanced Pro Tools basics covering all the key concepts and skills needed to operate a Pro Tools system.

Studio Acoustics Basics: This course will cover the goals of acoustic design - isolation, structural aspects, acoustics for mixing monitoring and tracking, room modification, and low cost studio design.

Studio Interconnect Basics: This class will cover the basics of electronics, measurement tools, cabling and soldering basics, wherein the students will produce all cable types commonly found in professional studios.



Back to Top

DAW Editing and Processing: This course covers the more vital tools & processes of audio editing used in the industry by musicians, engineers, producers and sound designers. Subjects range from integrated functions built in to popular D.A.W.s, to third-party softwares from companies like Antares, Celemony, Wavemachine Labs, SynchroArts, & many more.

Electronic Music Production: In this course, students build on basics learned in their first two levels. They expand their knowledge of topics including the following: synchronization, specifically syncing external sequencers to digital audio workstations (D.A.W's). Multi-track recording will occur both from external midi instruments (i.e. keyboards, synths, drum machines & sound modules) and from virtual/software instruments using Ableton and Pro Tools. Students will explore transferring audio produced or recorded on one D.A.W. platform to another. They will use the file transfer protocol to send and receive sessions, and investigate advanced midi functions including program change, midi controllers and using D.A.W's to control external midi instruments. Students will gain a broad understanding of the tools, recording techniques and skills needed to successfully produce music and audio in the urban market.

Introduction to Live Sound: This class is a multidisciplinary class which strives to deal with all aspects of sound reinforcement, including, but not limited to: live signal flow, comprehension of each element, mixer topology and application, proper power requirements and set up, miking for live, room EQ, drive racks, speaker set up and rigging, dealing with artists and contract riders. The class will be comprised of a one-hour lecture paired with a one-hour lab where students will practically apply the skills for the instrumental program's Live Sound Performance classes.

Introduction to Music Production: This course offers hands on experience from the beginning to end of an actual music production inside AIM studios. The course moves the student through all stages of a music production from planning, to tracking demos, cutting basics, overdubs, vocal production, mixing & mastering. In each phase, students will learn a professional approach along with cutting edge techniques to utilize. In class, students will get to go through an actual music production that we handle as a whole with real artists that work with us in our studios. Then, individually during their lab times, they will work with their own music production project in which they are encouraged to utilize AIM studios and musicians.

Pro Tools HD: Pre-requisite - successful completion of Pro Tools Native course. This course covers the core concepts and skills needed to operate a Digidesign Pro Tools | HD system in a professional studio environment, as well as techniques for working with Pro Tools systems in a professional music production environment. Concepts and skills learned in Pro Tools | Native course are reinforced with practical music-specific examples. Students will take the music operator's certification.

Back to Top

Advanced Music Production: This is a comprehensive, hands-on course in which students will utilize any & all subject matter from previous courses in an effort to develop their own fully-featured productions. The product generated in this course will serve as the student's graduation presentations, as well as serve as the main part of the student's audio portfolio during the job placement process.

Audio Post Production: In this course, Students will use the Pro Tools application to learn the fundamentals of audio post, learning about Time Code, Synchronization, Sound Design and Mixing for Picture. In class students will work hands on with actual post projects which include commercially released and licensed short films, radio and television commercials. They will obtain a wide range of skill sets including sound design, ADR, workflow and delivery standards and experience what it's like to work in post audio and understand the skills necessary to succeed in today's professional audio market.

Methods of Mixing: This course covers the history and mechanics of mixing, the balance and arrangement of the mix, the panorama, use of equalization, effects and dynamics, monitoring, printing the master mix, and mixing "in the box" using Plug-ins.

Music Business: Students will learn about the music business through a series of seminars covering copyrights, entertainment agency contacts, trademark/service mark, resume creation, tax deductions, artist management agreement and the changing record industry, performing rights organizations, demo and pro-tape kit creation and health and safety of engineering industry.

Science & Art of Mastering: This course will cover an overview of concepts, techniques, equipment and environments used in the process of mastering a record. It will cover the aspects of mastering while outlining the differences between a mixing engineer and mastering engineer. Guest lecturers such as Rodney Mills will add to the class instruction.



Back to Top