Curb College Syllabus Templet

GOALS OF THE MIKE CURB COLLEGE OF ENTERTAINMENT AND MUSIC BUSINESS:

The following objectives will be applied toward course completion:

· To provide a personalized, career-oriented and practical education that emphasizes leadership, innovation, private enterprise, and entrepreneurship.

To equip students with the tools to think critically, communicate effectively, accept responsibility, make successful decisions, and prosper in diverse work environments.
To emphasize quality classroom instruction within the parameters of ethical Christian principles.

HONOR CODE: It is the responsibility of each student to abide by the Belmont University Honor Code.

“In affirmation of the Belmont University Statement of Values, I pledge that I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in course work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud. Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance: Class and lab attendance policy follows the guidelines presented in the current Belmont University Catalog. Students may miss up to total of two class (or lab) periods throughout the semester without any grade reduction. After four total absences, a student’s final grade will be reduced by 5%. After six total absences, the student’s final grade will be reduced 10%. After eight total absences, the student will be removed from the class roster and withdrawn from the class with a grade of F. Absences are excused at the discretion of the instructor.

Materials: Audio Engineering 1 Workbook (Red cover); Audio in Media by Stanley R. Alten (6^th or 7^th Edition)

Assignments and Participation

· Song Analysis 1 (SA1): Analyze a song structure and create a Lyric/Arrangement chart as described in class. Must be typed.

· Song Analysis 2 (SA2):

o Critically listen to a nationally released musical recording of your choice and describe the instrumentation, arrangement and production techniques used to make the recordings. Include any relevant anecdotes. This description is to be a minimum of two pages, with citations in the MLA format. This is a short research paper, not an editorial.

o Create a Lyric/Arrangement chart for the song.

o Prepare a Credits Sheet listing the production credits including artist, album (if applicable), label, song title, writer, publisher information, PRO, producer, engineers, musicians and vocalists.

o Submit a CD of the song in addition to the documents listed above.

· Labs: In order to gain experience with specific tasks, you are required to participate in lab sessions. Labs are hands-on activities with small groups of students in each studio. Credit for lab participation is based on individual attendance and participation.

· Team Recording Projects: Students are required to participate as an Engineer in three (3) Team Recording Projects as part of AE1: an 8-Track Record & Mix Project, a 16-Track Record Project and a 16-Track Mix Project. See the Studio Team Recording Project Requirements for detailed information.

· Assistant Sessions: In order to gain hands-on experience, you are required to serve as Assistant Engineer, as described in the Project requirements, for at least five recording sessions in the CMB and RCAB studios.

· Testing: 2 written tests, 1 practical exam, 1 final exam (includes written and practical exams). See class schedule for dates.

· Grading scale as per the current Undergraduate Bulletin.

Basis of Final Grade Evaluations:

ITEM DESCRIPTION	PERCENTILE CREDIT (% of 100 points)
Song Analysis 1: Create Song Chart	3%
Song Analysis 2: Critical Analysis	5%
Class Attendance & Participation	10%
Lab Attendance	10%
Written Tests 1 & 2	10%
Practical Exam (Mid-Term)	5%
Team Recording Projects	30%
Assistant Engineer Sessions	7%
Final Exam (includes written & practical)	20%

ACCOMMODATION OF DISABILITIES:

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities. If you have a disability and would like the university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please notify the Director of Counseling & Developmental Support in the Office of the Dean of Students (460-6407) as soon as possible.

Spring 2007 Class Schedule

Date	Class Topic	Readings (AIM = Audio in Media, 7^th Edition)	Lab	Assignments
1/11/07	Studio History, Class Overview
1/16-18/07	Basic Studio Signal Flow; Basic Electrical Concepts; the decibel; Polarity; Studio Equipment Interface: The Patchbay, Balanced & Unbalanced Circuits; Audio Cabling & Connectors	AIM: Ch.2, 72-74, 90-93 Lab Book
1/23-25/07	Console Signal Flow; API Signal Flow: buss, aux system	AIM: 79-92 Lab Book	Session Setup
1/30/07	Session Procedures: Planning, Recording, Mixing, Assisting, session documentation	AIM: 424 “Recordkeeping” Lab Book	Signal Flow	SA1 assigned
2/1/07	Written Test 1; Pro Tools operations for printing mixes	AIM: 372-378 Lab Book	Signal Flow
2/6/07	Acoustics & Room Awareness; Mic Operating Principles & Specifications	AIM: Ch.3, 43-50, 68-78, 279-280 Lab Book	Mic Lab 1	Due: SA1
2/8/07	Mic Techniques for Vocals and Acoustic Stringed Inst.	AIM: 188-194, 212-214 (“Single Mic Tech”), 302-304, 286-288	Mic Lab 1
2/13/07	Mic Techniques for Acoustic Keyboard Instruments	AIM: 214-216 (“Multi Mic Tech”), 307-310 (“Stereo Mic Arrays”)291-293 (piano mic)	Mic Lab 2	2/12/07: Begin Team Project 1
2/15/07	Mic Techniques for Amplified Instruments	AIM: 298-302	Mic Lab 2	SA2 assigned
2/20/07	Mic Techniques for Drums & Percussion	AIM: 280-286	Mic Lab 3
2/22/07	Review Written Test 1 & Practical Exam Prep		Mic Lab 3	Due: SA2
2/27/07	Analog Tape Recording Theory, Digital Recording Theory	AIM: 101-112, 112-134 Lab Book	EQ
3/1/07	Mid-Term: Recording Practical Exam		EQ	Due: Team Project 1
3/6-8/07	Spring Break
3/13-15/07	Equalization	AIM: 146-150, 408-410 Lab Book	Comp-Gate	3/12/07: Begin Team Project 2
3/20-22/07	Dynamic Processors: Compression, Limiting, Expansion, Gating	AIM: 155-160, 410-412 Lab Book	Reverb-Delay
3/27-29/07	Time Processors: Acoustical Reverberation, Mechanical Reverberation, Delay	AIM:150-155, 412-413 Lab Book	Mix Lab 1
4/3/07	Written Test 2			Due: Team Project 2
4/5/07	Easter Break
4/10-12/07	Hearing & Listening, Loudspeakers & Monitoring, Mixing Techniques	AIM: Ch.1, 168-187, 399-414, 437-440 Lab Book	Mix Lab 2	4/9/07: Begin Team Project 3
4/17/07	Analog Tape Machine Alignment	AIM: 101-112 Lab Book	Tape alignment
4/19/07	Review Written Test 2 + TBA	TBA	Tape alignment
4/24/07	Movie: Tom Dowd & The Language of Music		None