General Information

When: Spring Semester, 2003, M - W - F, 9:00 AM
Where: M & W - Usually in the Electronic Music Studio (AR 1.02.06)
sometimes in the Music Department Computer Lab.
F - Often on stage or on location.

This course covers fundamentals of recording, playback, and sound reinforcement equipment operation. Topics include physical & perceptual acoustics, basic electricity, analog & digital recording principles, console operation, microphone selection & placement, and sound engineering in live and studio situations. No previous musical background or recording experience required. However, an active interest in digital audio, recording techniques, and sound reinforcement is necessary.

At UTSA we understand that more and more professional audio work is being done by creative individuals with personal equipment rather than by major recording facilities. Therefore, unlike similarly-titled classes taught at other schools, this course concentrates on quality home and project studio music/sound production. Within the last five years hardware and software has advanced exponentially in both features and affordability. This means that, with good training, a musical ear, and only a modest investment, anyone can now produce audio rivaling the quality that a decade ago required a million dollar studio.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I learn in this course?

• Historical background of sound recording.
• How sound works.
• How digital audio recording works.
• How to choose and use microphones.
• How to do good voice recording & instrument recording.
• How to do effective live recording.
• How to operate several types of consoles.
• How to edit audio.
• How to use hardware signal processors and software audio plugins.
• How to sync audio, MIDI & video.
• How to use MIDI for control.
• How to create audio for the web.
• How to evaluate audio hardware & software.
• How to evaluate sound studios.
• How to construct various types of studios.
• How professional music production works.
• How to create a red-book audio CD.
• How emerging trends in audio (multi-channel surround, etc.) work.
• How to operate UTSA's sound recording facilities.

Who teaches the course?

Dave Sebald is Associate Professor of Music and also owner/director of Advanced Instructional Media.a multimedia production/consulting company that has produced nationally distributed videos and CD-ROMs. He holds a Ph.D. in music education from Michigan State University with cognates in instructional technology and educational product development. Since completing his 1981 dissertation on the development of multimedia products for use in teacher training, he has written numerous articles and presented throughout the nation on the creative application of digital technologies to all areas of education. In addition to teaching computer applications, audio technology, and multimedia production courses at UTSA, he serves as technology advisor to both the music division and the UTSA Institute for Music Research. He is Texas State Technology Chair for TMEC and on the national advisory board of TI:ME. In 1992 he founded the Technological Directions in Music Learning Conference, an international event sponsored by the IMR and held annually in San Antonio.

What software is used in the course?

ProTools 5.1, Reason 2.0, ProTools LE, ProTools 5.1, Peak 3.0, SoundEdit 16 2.0.7, SoundForge 5.0, Cubase VST 5.1. and many other similar audio tools.

What recording hardware is used?

Mostly G3 &G4 Macintosh computers. Windows Pentium 4 computers for Recital Hall recording. , Digidesign Digi001's, Tascam DM-24 Digital Mixing Boards, Tascam M-520 Mixing Board, Lexicon MPX-1, M-Audio DigiPatch, TASCAM CD RW700 CD Writer, TASCAM DA-38 Digital 8-Track Tape Recorder, Kurzweil K2000 Synth/Sampler, Yamaha V50 Synthesizers, Yamaha SY77 Synthesizer, Roland JV-80 Synthesizer, Moog Opus 3, Casio Casiotone 202, MOTU MIDI Time Piece A/V, Alesis Quadraverb, Yamaha SPX900, Panasonic SV-3700 Professional DAT Deck, Klipsch Monitors, Cassette Deck, Record Player, 5 CD Changer. Many other audio tools.

How about microphones?

Neumann KM184, Audio-Technica AT4047SV, AKG C4000B, AKG C3000B, Crown PZM 30D, Crown PCC 170, Electro-Voice PL-20, Shure SM57 SM58, and many others.

Are there other related courses I can take?

Check out our UTSA's new Music Technology Certification program here.