Course # / Title:	AET 4190.50 Recording Techniques
Course Credit Hours:	3 Credit Hours
Semester:	Summer 2009
Instructor:	Bil VornDick – BBA. - Music Business
Instructor Contacts:	615-948-6251; bilinstudio@comcast.net
Instructor Office Hours:	Available before or after class
Class Location:	Ocean Way Studios – 17^th and Edgehill, Nashville, TN
Meeting Time(s):	10 am – 3:30pm Saturdays  June 13 – Aug 8th
Final Exam:	Aug 8 10am

Course Description:

AET 4190. Recording Techniques (3). Prerequisites: AET 3090, AET 3190, and permission of instructor. An intensive study of microphone design and techniques used for recording acoustic instruments. Hands-on experience is provided in several methods of recording different instruments and vocalists to produce a variety of musical and non-musical results. Course of study includes a research project in microphone technology and applications. Lab hours required. ($30.00 course fee)

Course Outcomes: At the end of this course, the student will be able to:

ú recall facts and detailed information on the progression of microphone technology.

ú associate the effects of the overtone series, instrument timbre, and key signature to potential microphone selection, preamp choice, and use of equalization.

ú demonstrate an advanced knowledge and application of advanced microphone techniques using acoustic and eclectic instruments.

ú predict the tonal spectrum of instruments and describe the effect on placement in a mix.

ú demonstrate satisfactory competency in the use of multiple studio environments.

ú apply and interpret a technical vocabulary.

Performance Tasks:  During this course, the student will:

ú experience disassembling a microphone, describe how it functions and how sound is captured.  

ú discriminate microphone characteristics and describe the relationship to tone color, placement, preamp selection, and the effect of the combinations.

ú practice listening to inter harmonic overtones (resonant dominate frequencies) that cause conflict when particular instruments are combined.

ú critique out-of-phase stereo miking.

ú explain aliasing feedback and how it relates to distortion in analog to digital converters.

ú demonstrate satisfactory preparation of a hard disk, providing an in-depth explanation of initializing, formatting, partitioning, and application of read and write security.

ú demonstrate proper hard disk data management and a basic knowledge of archival and storage.

ú prescribe session setups in Ocean Way A, B and C.

ú organize session notes and cumulative data collection according to NARAS standards.

ú review and apply the Nashville Number System.

ú conduct (1) collaborative group recording project during the semester.

Assessment Tools: During this course, outcomes mastery will be evaluated by:

ú Class participation

ú Group project

ú Technical paper 

ú Final Exam

Activity	Credit	Purpose/Description
1.  Group Project	30%	Projects will be done by teams and turned in on the last day.
2.  Individual Project/Paper	30%	Papers will be written by each student ,  that want to research answers on a topic or item they have always had questions about.
3.  Final Exam	40%	A comprehensive test over course materials.

Course & Classroom Policies: Each Student will participate in all procedures in class

Attendance & Participation:  Class attendance follows university policy as stated in the current Undergraduate Bulletin.  Class participation is expected; attendance and absence will be noted.

Materials: A new notebook that you can keep for your career. Various handouts will be supplied by instructor.  You will be responsible for all information contained in the handouts. A hard drive for group project, blank CD’s, paper, pen, CD marker, etc. is needed.

Grade Evaluation:  As per CEMB policy, the grade assignment scale for this course is:

Grade	Percent (GPA)
A	94 (4.0)
A-	90 (3.7)
B+	87 (3.3)
B	84 (3.0)
B-	80 (2.7)
C+	77 (2.3)
C	74 (2.0)
C-	70 (1.7)
Final grades below 70 % will not apply to the major.
D+	67
D	64
D-	60
F	< 60

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.”

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 Office of the Dean of Students located in Beaman Student Life Center (460-6407) as soon as possible.

Class Schedule:

1	6/13/09	Intro to Oceanway; Oceanways staff instructs how the studio will be set-up and left. Console and routing discussed.
		Paperwork for studio use is reviewed and filled out. Student papers and projects are assigned.
		Archival recommendation of Digital Media is handed out and reviewed.
		Laminates made for class, handed out to each student. Groups for session and group project discussed.
2	6/20/09	Hard Disc Management, AF, Mic  history, recording environment, microphone and mic  pre  application and discussion of this with Drums and continuing to most electric instruments.
		BOOK YOUR PROJECT STUDIO TIME (7/19-7/24) Each team gets 3 slots. A slot is 10-5, 5-1
		I need a list of the groups by the end of class.
3	6/27/09	Application of class 2. Live drummer in studio, education on tuning, micing styles. Class will be limited
		to 23 microphones, but each student must provide a drum mix with 3, 5, 7 & 9 of the microphones set-up.
		This will be a long class and usually goes past 5pm.
	4^th of July	Off : School Holiday
4	7/11/09	Application and lecture of miking techniques for  most acoustic instruments and vocals.
		Tonal color of mic and preamp combinations discussed.
5	7/18/09	Class Field Trip to NAMM. Each student must spend the day there and look at recording equipment
		Mr. VornDick will be helping with the ALL STAR GUITAR NIGHT SHOW all that day and night
6	7/25/09	Acoustic performer comes in and the class applies the techniques learned in the previous class.
		Long class to about 4:30 p.m.
7	8/1/09	Mixing techniques, bussing, and routing with outboard gear, plug-ins are talked about and applied to mixes. Some
		Class elects what they need to know more about at the end of class 7 Time in class 8 is spent to fill
8	8/8/09	Final Exam. Students papers are due. Team projects are due and listened to in class. Group special  Projects are due. How to  "get in the door and stay there” is discussed.