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Want to make pro-standard mixes in your own home recording studio? Now you can!
The Audio Masterclass Professional Course in Mixing - Full online course with assessments of your practical assignment work leading to an Audio Masterclass certificate on successful completion.
- The challenge: To make mixes in your own home studio that sound as good as those made by professional mix engineers.
- The problem: Your mixes are muddy, lack drive and impact, the instruments are confused and the vocal unclear.
- The solution: Work with our professionally-made multitrack recordings in your own DAW, learn how to mix each one to perfection. Then use the skills you have learned in your own work.
Get great experience in mixing
- 12-Volume DVD-ROM disc set shipped to you anywhere in the world
- Professionally-made multitrack recordings, compatible with all DAWs
- Start by mixing drums with original recordings made in Abbey Road Studio 3 - Continue with full multitrack recordings with all individual tracks in .WAV format
- Styles ranging from light pop to heavy rock
- Detailed information and audio examples on optimizing individual instruments and vocals
- Breakdowns and partial mixes
- Step-by-step guides to mixing
- Example mixes
- The producers' own reference mixes
- 12 practical assignment projects
- Student advice team
- Study when and where you like
- Available worldwide (we have students in more than 120 countries)
- Online access to an incredible library of supplementary video and audio material
The twelve modules of the course
Module 01: Mixing Drums
In this first module of your mixing course, we will ask you to mix a recording of drums, made by Audio Masterclass in Abbey Road Studio 3. We will also demonstrate some alternative recorded drum sounds that have been very widely used over the years.
Assignment 1: Work with and mix recordings of drums made with microphone setups ranging from a single mic, two mics in the doubly-equidistant configuration, four mics in the Glyn Johns configuration, through to the currently popular 8-mic setup for a five-drum drum set.
Module 02: Midnite Star
Midnite Star is a song that has been very cleanly recorded and is straightforward to mix. This is great as a first step into mixing, where hardly anything can go wrong. As in all of the modules, detailed advice is given with audio examples.
Assignment 2: Midnite Star is clearly a very strong song, and with a song as strong as this, the mix needs to be simple and without embellishments. Otherwise you could easily find that some of the good features of the song are obscured.
Module 03: Clouds
Clouds is another very cleanly recorded song. It is typical of the genre of cute ukulele-based songs that is very popular in TV and video backgrounds or introductions. It is very useful to learn how to mix this style of production.
Assignment 3: To get a feel for this song, it might be a good idea to start by mixing the tracks without EQ, compression, reverb or any processing, only using faders and pans. Indeed, this is a good discipline for practising mixing in general.
Module 04: I Should've Run To You
As the course progresses, the mixes become more complete and more challenging. But here we are still in relatively easy-to-mix territory. Just mix I Should've Run To You how you would like to hear it.
Assignment 4: This recording is a lesson in itself on how a strong, powerful sound can be created using comparatively few instruments. It may sound simple, but years of experience are required to be able to achieve such simplicity, where everything sounds magically right.
Module 05: Kapow!
As a mix engineer you will need to be able to work with all genres of music. In this module you will mix Kapow!, a jazz song with a very solid vocal performance.
Assignment 5: This song is in a rather different style to many of the other modules of the course, but by now you should be gaining the confidence to cope well with whatever material comes your way.
Module 06: DAWG FM
This song has a lovely funky vibe and is exceptionally well-recorded. It is straightforward to get a good mix, but there is scope to aim just that little bit higher and squeeze every last drop of quality from the multitrack recording of DAWG FM.
Assignment 6: The funky vibe of the song is enhanced mostly in mixing the drums. In nearly all mixes you need to get a good drum mix before anything else is likely to work well. In this song however, a great drum mix is absolutely vital.
Module 07: It Would Be So Easy
Now we're getting to the more challenging songs! It Would Be So Easy is well-recorded, but it is complex with multiple acoustic and electric guitars to cope with. As always, the course gives detailed advice and shows you how to construct your mix step-by-step.
Assignment 7: The individual track recordings here are very clean and require little in the way of correction. So the task of mixing is therefore the task of blending the sounds to perfection.
Module 08: Pretending
This module is a real challenge. Although it is possible to get a great mix from this multitrack recording, it isn't easy at all. The original tracks of Pretending are difficult to blend well. It is vitally important however that you can work with all kinds of material, even the most challenging.
Assignment 8: This is an unusual recording, as it was not intended ever to be heard by the public. It is a song demo and the recording has the tough task of trying to sell this song to a recording artist. The requirement of the mix therefore is that it should present the song simply and effectively.
Module 09: The Woodcutter's Wife
By this point in the course, you will have gained a lot of confidence in mixing. The Woodcutter's Wife features an exceptionally creative bridge section that will fire your imagination when mixing.
Assignment 9: This track has an interesting feature. It has a bridge segment that is entirely different to the rest of the song. This means that effectively you have to make two mixes - one of the main parts of the song, and one of the bridge. Naturally, both have to dovetail together so that there is no musical discontinuity.
Module 10: Hard To Let Go
Hard To Let Go song is recorded to a very high level of professionalism. It isn't easy to mix however - not if you want to get the best out of it. At this point in the course you will spend as much time listening as you do operating the controls of your digital audio workstation.
Assignment 10: Our advice here is to pick out a complex section of the song and mix that to your satisfaction. Then work on the other sections and adjust what you need to in order to get a satisfactory result from beginning to end.
Module 11: All Or Nothing
We couldn't resist the temptation to include a full-on rock song in this course. The challenges in All Or Nothing will prepare you to work with powerful guitars and drums, and put them together to make an even more powerful mix.
Assignment 11: All Or Nothing is a full-on rock track. Although the song hits the listener head on between the ears, there are many layers of complexity that a successful mix can bring out.
Module 12: Man For All Seasons
Rounding off the course is this exceptionally well-recorded, but also exceptionally challenging song. Although you will have achieved a significant level of skill by this point in the course, Man For All Seasons will show you that mixing is never easy - not if you want to achieve the very best results every time!
Assignment 12: This is a real powerhouse of a song. A full drum kit is supplemented by a thrashing drum loop; there are layers of guitars and backing vocals. Above all soars a screaming rock vocal. Your job is to make sense of this multitrack recording. When there is a lot going on in a song, it is easy for all of the sounds to blend together into a kind of 'gray goo' where you can hear a lot of noise, but not very much music.
How you will learn in your course
Audio Masterclass works by flexible self-study and online distance learning. We have students in more than 120 countries all around the world. All you need for your course is a basic home studio setup, a computer with a DVD-ROM drive and an internet connection, and a strong desire to produce recordings of fully professional quality in your own home studio.
With Audio Masterclass, you will learn professional studio techniques, mixing and creative recording. You can start with the Audio Masterclass Music Production and Sound Engineering Course, and after that - or if you are already at an advanced level - you can progress to enroll in one of our Professional Courses such as Equalization, Compression, Reverb & Effects, Mixing or Mastering.
Tutorials and videos
Course instruction is through world-class textbook materials, audio tutorials, and supplementary video materials where appropriate. We show you the important techniques of audio that professionals use every day, and you can use yourself in your own home studio. In addition to your 12-volume DVD-ROM set, all of the course materials are available online for the full duration of your 12-month enrollment, with enhancement learning materials including videos shot at Abbey Road Studios 2 and 3.
Audio examples
Our tutorials and videos are supported by a wealth of audio examples, which are also online and downloadable. We recommend that you load these examples into your digital audio workstation so that you can listen to them in exactly the same way as when you're recording yourself.
Many of the audio examples will show you what you should aim to achieve, whether the topic is EQ, compression, mixing, mastering etc. Others will show you how things can go wrong - and we'll show you clearly the difference between good audio and bad, and explain the reasons why.
Practical projects
The best way to learn audio is to do audio - recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering. And don't forget the importance of close, attentive listening. The more you do it, the better you'll get.
So your Audio Masterclass course will feature a range of practical projects relating to the modules of the course. The practical projects will set you a task to complete, show you how to do it and point out what could go wrong. And when you have completed your project, you can compare your work with our examples - many of which are created by Audio Masterclass students.
Student advice team
All Audio Masterclass students have access to our Student Advice Team for one full year of enrollment. You can ask questions on any of the course topics and receive a personal response.
Flexibility
Because you have all of your course materials immediately in your hands on delivery you can learn entirely at your own pace. There is no set schedule and you can move quickly or slowly through the course as you wish and take breaks at any time.
Our experience in audio education
Audio Masterclass has experience in audio education going back to 1986. We have been running online courses since 2001 which is longer than any other audio training provider on the web.
Summary
At Audio Masterclass we want to give you the fastest, most effective route towards a professional standard of work in your own home studio - a standard that is fully equal to professional studios and commercial releases.
We do this through effective, comprehensive instruction through tutorials and/or videos, audio examples, and practical projects that relate closely to real-world professional practice.
If you want to make fast progress, then Audio Masterclass is here to help.
Buy NowA sample page from the course manual...
Clips from some of the songs featured in the course...
What our students say about their Audio Masterclass course...
[Some elements of the comments below refer to other Audio Masterclass courses and modes of delivery.]
You did a great job!
Excellent material, audio and videos are really good and clear.
I appreciate the depth, very informative and useful. I increased my knowledge in the area I am so passionate about. I was able to implement a lot of new procedures in my own sound and musical projects.
My gratitude and best regards
Anton Strecky, Slovakia
With my employment in health service established years ago, music and recording is an essential withdrawal from professionalism to me, rather than a significant possibility to provide a supplement to earned income. But with growing interest and investment, achievement of professionally acceptable quality became a must. At that point studying at Audio Masterclass had only pros and no cons to me, and no equally accessible alternatives of world-class standards.
The book "How to set up a Pro Home Recording Studio" [by Audio Masterclass] and other information concerning hardware and software helped me to find "my way" in the jungle of possibilities, and it actually had a money saving effect.
Assessments of practical assignment projects were of especially great importance to me. It is easy for the beginner like me to have an illusion that the produced work is good, while actually it is not. Additional valuable information can be derived from individually provided comments too.
It is very comforting to have tons of audio examples at hand. Even after the course I use some of them as benchmarks of specific quality.
The most special experiences along the way of the course were moments of approaching the presumed limits of creative possibilities… stepping beyond… and finding that there is something more out there. And this kind of training may have implications that are not immediately obvious, but may prove to be of great importance in any intellectually demanding/competitive situation of life. All in all, I consider that to be my greatest gain achieved at Audio Masterclass.
Egidijus Nemanius, Lithuania
I was looking for an audio school online that could give me the information I was missing. I also needed someone to tell me "this is good, here you were wrong, you made such a mistake ...", in fact, I needed a guide! That's when I discovered Audio Masterclass.
Even though I was very interested in what was announced, I still had a great fear; I was afraid that the education provided would be purely theoretical. Several times, even for weeks, I went through the site of Audio Masterclass up and down and compared it with other schools of the same type.
Eventually Audio Masterclass won my membership because it seemed to me to be the most consistent. From the first lesson, I knew that I was not mistaken! Yes, there is a theoretical teaching but it’s really practical and very effective. The lessons are precise and free from the superfluous, what is taught is what is needed to be immediately effective.
After following the 12 modules proposed, I can affirm that I was able to deepen my theoretical and practical knowledge: 1. For example, I used the microphones by instinct or empirically, with more or less happiness. Now I know their characteristics, I know why and how to use different types of mics, how to place them, etc ... 2. In terms of acoustics, electro-acoustics and synthesis, I learned a lot. And you know what? I who was not at all good at maths, I had no trouble to assimilate what was taught because the explanations provided were really very clear. 3. Knowing one's work tool is very important.
I can assure you that the teaching of Audio Masterclass on compressors, EQ's, preamps is very valuable to me. Now I know how to deal with possible issues and also why devices sometimes react in such and such other ways. 4. Today, every time I handle an audio file, I have a thought for Audio Masterclass. I rely on what has been taught me both on a practical level and on the rigor, that must be exercised. I insist on this last point because do not deceive yourself, the correctors hear everything, even the smallest details and they do not let anything pass; Thanks to them!
Finally, if I have any advice to give to any student who wishes to make the best of the proposed teaching, it would be to act in 2 steps: a) For the theory, do not hesitate to read and reread the course several times, do the questionnaire, read the course again, repeat the questionnaire, etc. b) For practice, do not limit yourself to simply performing the proposed exercise. But once the corrector has evaluated the work, repeat the same exercise several times with other audio files, it is really the only way to master it. If I had a suggestion to say to at Audio Masterclass, it would be precisely not to be limited to one exercise per module but to give several before validating the level; I know that it is probably not possible to realize in practice ... This is my experience with Audio Masterclass.
You know what? Audio Masterclass has been a real game changer for me and if it was to redo, I would refer it without problem!
Georges Niacadié, France
Hi David [Gatis refers to David Mellor, Course Director of Audio Masterclass], I very happy that I signed-up for your course and that I've graduated it!
Actually, before I made my mind, I did a lot of research on web about your course, because at that time I just finished my studies at America Audio Insitute, but I felt like it's not enough for me to get on next level - as I wanted it so much. So I found Audio Masterclass. I found just one review on google, where somebody told that: "you won't get what you as an engineer really need etc, it lacks of deep dive in subject... this and that...." - I thought to myself: "well... maybe this guys is all wise or he is not opened for new experience and knowledge, or he was a bad student". So I decided to take a risk as I had no clue what is will look like.
The first thing that made most sense to me is practical assignment - that is "everything"! But in many other online-schools (like America Audio Insitute or Detroit Recording institute), it's the biggest defect of the program. If you can send your material for constructive feedback, it's the most valuable learning point!
Next thing: Every time I got feedback on task, at first I started learn it with your written feedback - that had greatest value to me. Another great thing is that by reading your feedback, you really get this feeling that somebody is listening to your work and paying attention to details.
About content: the structure of the course is very similar to many other courses but the difference in content is huge! And by this I also mean the language - how you explain things and details. This is very important to me as I'm not comming from english speaking country, but here it's easy to perceive the information. There are many great recording engineers out there, but not everyone has capability to teach others - but you can teach! (and I mean it, especially if I compare with my previous courses on America Audio Insitute Detroit Recording institute).
Other student audio examples: - very good in understanding what to do, and what to avoid! Sometimes if you have nothing to compare your work with, then you might think that "oh, yeah, great record!", but when you start to listen to others ...hmmm.... it become a challenge - it's like setting benchmark.
And yes, for me, as a small studio owner, has no huge budget or possibility to try out some top-end mics, the files with pre-amp and mic samples are awesome - now I have an idea how U87 sounds! : )
About improvements - actually I don't have anything to add to this, because from all this course I can feel that it's all made with professional attitude.
Overall - I've learned a lot, but most important to me is that by having many "aha" moments, I've developed completley different mindset when I start to think about recording, mixing and mastering - for me, it's the biggest achievement! ...and I want to learn more!
Ok, again, thanks for everything - I got the certificate - it's a very important milestone for me towards my GRAMMY! : )
P.S. I've already decided, to save some money and enroll to your professional courses within few month, so see you soon!
P.S.S. I've also attached my picture from my home studio.
All the best.
Gatis Pastars, Latvia
“I have to thank you and your team for helping me better understand the complex, and sometimes difficult to discover, secrets of audio engineering ! I'm very happy with my choice of enrolling in your captivating and well structured course !
Thank you and best wishes.”
Tudor Rogoz, Romania
This course is for you if...
- You listen to pro recordings and think to yourself, "Why don't mine sound like that?"
- You want to master all of the techniques of the recording studio
- You want to get the utmost out of your equipment and software
- You want to save money by realizing it's all down to your knowledge, skills and experience - you don't need more equipment or software
- You want to be sure that your production skills allow you to get the best from your musical creativity
