Audio Basics

This two-day class is designed for a student with no real knowledge or experience in sound reinforcement. The focus is on audio for basic breakout rooms or show floor booths in a convention or hotel setting. It is also a good refresher course for people who may have learned some audio on the job, but who are still unclear on the underlying principles of audio theory.

The end goal is to give the students a level of knowledge and experience where they will have the skills to build a basic audio reinforcement system, set proper gain structure, and act as operators who can sit in for more experienced operators when breaks are needed.

The course focuses on analog theory and analog mixers to form a basis for understanding the fundamentals of audio. These fundamentals, when understood, are easily carried over to digital mixers as the basic functions are exactly the same. Digital mixers differ only in the interface and the addition of some extra built-in audio processing. Students will be able to recognize and use the same functions on a digital mixer that they have learned on an analog mixer.

The course is in two sections:

A lecture and slide presentation covering basic audio theory, distribution and equipment, and how to set up an audio system that would be found in a typical business convention breakout room. It also covers in more detail the sections and functions of an analog mixer and explains and demonstrates the principles of equalization. The main body of the lecture is 4 hours with a 15-minute break. After a lunch break, focusing in detail on equalization and the sections of a mixer will be about two hours, including Q and A about any of the material.
A guided hands-on lab where the students will build a system, set proper gain structure, set up record sends and other secondary audio outputs, and mix microphone and playback levels to an appropriate volume in the lab setting. Day One is the lecture section, which could be in-person in a classroom or remotely by Zoom or an equivalent online system. The Day Two lab is an intensive hands-on experience with a lot of personal interaction with the instructor. Four to six students in a 4-hour session will cover the necessary experience with optimal teacher interaction. Two sessions per day with a one-hour break between sessions would be standard and would process 8 to 12 students per day.