There's a new Alchemy Academy course in the works that will cover everything you need to begin recording and releasing your own music from home.
A few decades ago, recording music required either a trip to a professional studio, or a massive investment in expensive hardware and difficult-to-obtain technical knowledge on its operation.
While professional studios still exist, these days the barriers to entry in audio production have dropped immensely, but the knowledge required to produce a truly great recording has, in some ways, exploded in complexity with the number of available tools. It is very possible to become overwhelmed with the amount of information and the sheer number of products available.
At the heart of things, the process is the same as it was in the early days when recording studios were akin to sterile laboratories for capturing sound. However, there have been compounding enhancements added over the years, and a plethora of similar yet different tools have emerged that all have a slightly different take on the elements, making it a bit more difficult to sift out the information most important to the process.
Once you know the groundwork, it becomes easy to see the differences in application and context, but it is helpful for those starting out to have a bit of assistance clarifying what that groundwork really is.
Consider this course your starter manual in the world of audio engineering. Here we will cover all of the crucial elements you need to know to get a firm footing and be on your way to producing great mixes.
Some of the topics we will cover are:
Basic physical properties of sound, acoustics, and some of the basics of the circuits used to capture and reproduce audio
The general tools of the trade and their basic application, which includes, but is not limited to:
Microphones
Preamps
Mixers / Controllers
DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation)
Audio Interfaces and Converters
Audio Processing and Outboard Gear
Plugin Technology
The workflows involved in moving from concept to finished product
Who is This Course For?
This course is intended as an introduction to audio engineering, but it dives deep enough to also be of use to those who may have some experience but are attempting to fill gaps in their overall knowledge. For instance, if you know that compressors exist, but aren't really clear on how they work or what their most effective use is, this course will assist you. It will also be of use if you want to understand technical details like how or why, perhaps, someone may choose to utilize hardware effects instead of plugins when working within a DAW. These are just a few examples of some of the possible applications of this course material. Of course, this course will also be suitable for those with little to no prior knowledge of recording.
Methodology
We believe that, while theoretical material can be instrumental to the learning process, it is the hands-on application of that material that fully cements that information into an applied skill.
As a result, this course will be approached in the form of theory and instructional content, followed by hands-on tutorials that will get you working with the information in your environment.
To the best of our ability, all of the exercises in this course will be tailored to work no matter what environment you are working within, but there may be limitations to this in certain situations. When a specific device or program is required to follow the instructions, we have done our best to provide solutions that are available for free, or in the case of physical devices or hardware, with a minimum requirement that nearly all students can easily meet with items found in most homes or for a minimum investment.
OK, When?
We're hard at work producing content and will begin rolling out sections of the course for early access as soon as they are complete. We will make an announcement as we get closer to this point and give those interested a chance to sign up for early access.
Looking forward to working with you.
∞ J