City & Guilds Sound Engineering Live Workshop

[Rico1210] i can't say i have, no. Could you explain a little?
[Rico1210] hehe
[Audiocourses] Rico sure, explain what exactly?
[Rico1210] i've never heard the term 'revox'
[Audiocourses] Revox is a tape recorder...
[Audiocourses] You know the old school style with two big reels?
[Rico1210] oh lol
[ben_m] its a brand name like 'hoover' that often gets applied to reel to reel machines
[Rico1210] no i can't say i've ever used one of those
[Audiocourses] well they were the "normal" way of recording sounds until about 10 years ago..
[Audiocourses] using magnetic tape..
[Audiocourses] so if you wanted to create a soundtrack, and then edit it, you had to cut the tape with a razor blade and stick it back together with tape!
[aik] the basic difference by editing on a revox, compair to a computer is on a revox you have only your ears to rely on
[Audiocourses] yes good point aik
[Audiocourses] To pin point an edit point, there was no zoom in to find the zero crossing line, you had to actually listen hard for it!
[Audiocourses] Right aik?
[Rico1210] sounds difficult
[Audiocourses] Often an engineer might even turn the system gain up loud and put their ear almost on the speaker... even watch it move in and out.
[aik] yes, listen for hours, but I quite like that, still doing that even though I have all the otre tools to help
[Audiocourses] aik, nothing wrong in that!
[Audiocourses] Rico, a great discipline.
[Audiocourses] Now imagine a 24 track tape machine at two inches wide!
[Audiocourses] The band have done 4 weeks of sessions, and you need to move a chorus!!
[Audiocourses] That's an expensive slice if it goes wrong..
[Audiocourses] Luckily, we can simply copy and paste these days..
[aik] and undo
[Audiocourses] yes, otherwise know as "non destructive" editing.
[Audiocourses] You ok with this Rico?
[Rico1210] yup
[Audiocourses] Good
[Audiocourses] We have just mapped out a typical exam question..
[Audiocourses] "explain some differences between editing in the anologue domain compared to the digital domain"
[Audiocourses] Now..
[aik] like what is a revox or how to move that chorus?
[Audiocourses] Probably more likely to have the question i wrote above, about a comparion, they like comparisions.
[Audiocourses] Now moving on.,
[Audiocourses] Typically this first session we map out some details and answer your questions about the format of your course.
[Audiocourses] So shall we do that now, I'm sure you both have some quetions?
* Audiocourses changes topic to 'Course Format'
[Rico1210] yes please
[aik] yes i have to be honest not really a picture of how we will work
[Audiocourses] OK ben... you fancy have a go at this?
[ben_m] sure chris
[Audiocourses] thanks
[ben_m] ok guys
[ben_m] if i can run through the format and then any questions
[ben_m] ok, obviously you are working towards a C&G qualification
[ben_m] this is assessed in the form of 2 exams, one for each module
[ben_m] Each week you will be set a number of questions in each module by both myself and chris
[ben_m] i will be giving you the MT questions
[ben_m] and chris will be delivering the RT questions
[ben_m] each module has several topics
[ben_m] for instance in the MT module there are topics such as
[ben_m] Computers
[ben_m] MIDI
[ben_m] Sequencers
[ben_m] etc
[ben_m] Each week we will ask you questions based on one of these topics
[ben_m] the larger topics will be spread over 2 weeks typically
[ben_m] There are a lot of questions set each week
[ben_m] There may be weeks when you have around 100 questions to answer
[ben_m] There are obviously many sources to use to answer your questions
[ben_m] In previous years most students have used the internet predominantly
[ben_m] Although other good sources are magazines such as Sound on Sound and Future Music in the UK
[ben_m] as well as certain textbooks
[ben_m] As a rule the MT module is more 'black and white' in terms of correct answers than the RT module
[ben_m] Each week myself and chris will peruse your answers which you post in the relevant forum
[ben_m] We will obviously pick you up on points that are incorrect and point you in the right direction for the correct answer
[ben_m] What we will not tend to do however is each week give each one of you a score or percentage or similiar
[ben_m] Now, as well as the weekly questions you will be set practicals for certain topics
[ben_m] these will be available to download from the AC FTP server
[ben_m] The practicals will usually tie in with the topics you are covering the week/fortnight
[ben_m] to perform these practicals you will ideally need a few things
[ben_m] an audio editor
[ben_m] an audio/MIDI sequencer, preferably VST compatible
[ben_m] so, thats an outline of how the course is structured
[ben_m] anything you'd like to add chris before any questions?
[Audiocourses] Thanks Ben that was very comprehensive..
[Audiocourses] The only thing I would add is that the thing to remember guys is that this is YOUR course..
[Audiocourses] therefore ben and myself are here to get you through those exams...
[Audiocourses] some we take a very "open" approach and often tailor the weeks to suit each of you...
[Audiocourses] You will supported every step of the way, and do remember when it gets tough (and you have doubts), they will come, we have a 100% pass rate to date!! (no pressure then) hehe
[Audiocourses] our methods are proven to work very successfully..
[Audiocourses] I think that's all on that for now.. so as ben mentioned perhaps questions?
[Rico1210] thanks for that, very helpful
[aik] yes thanks
[Rico1210] will the questions be set from the 'live workshop' or will they be posted on the forum?
[aik] i assume the question will come as we go along and get our hands dirty
[ben_m] they will be posted on the forum
[Audiocourses] All questions will appear in each of the classrooms in the forum at the start of each week, typically mondays.
[aik] i mean the question to you both
[Audiocourses] sure aik...
[Audiocourses] You will find the couse very absorbing..it is designed that way...
[Audiocourses] to simulate the pressure of "real life" learning..
[ben_m] this particular method of learning, student driven, usually incurs much more retention of knowledge in students
[ben_m] and is unlike more traditional methods of regurgitating answers to questions in exams
[ben_m] you construct your own framework of knowledge which allows you to critically approach questions and get the most marks from them
[ben_m] my descriptions may sound a bit odd now but in a few weeks it will be clearer! :)
[Audiocourses] Yes ben and myself can get a little "academic" sometimes :)
[Audiocourses] but we are very "normal" really :))
[aik] would you mind to ask a question just to get a taste?
[Audiocourses] apart from ben liking football, I find that odd.
[Rico1210] hehe
[aik] i like football as well
[Audiocourses] hehe most people do it seems.. perhaps I am "odd". :)
[ben_m] for once chris looks like i may be on a winner here with the football!
[Audiocourses] lol
[ben_m] no perhaps
[ben_m] ;)
[Audiocourses] please say you do not like footie aik!
[Rico1210] i like football also:)
[aik] i love football
[Audiocourses] oh gee
[Rico1210] hehe
[Audiocourses] fingers crossed the others don't..
[ben_m] workshops could be good post-mortems of the weekends action eh chris?
[ben_m] :)
[Audiocourses] oh man
[aik] you might learn something about it the next few month chris
[Rico1210] i bet u can't wait
[ben_m] anyway aik
[ben_m] you want an example question?
[aik] yes that would be great
[Audiocourses] I got one ready
[Audiocourses] "Explain why some multitrack hard disk recording systems can play back much slower than normal speed, but only a little faster.
[Audiocourses] anothe rone
[Audiocourses] What piece of equipment is necessary to use a sequencer with a multitrack tape recorder?
[Audiocourses] and one more
[Audiocourses] Your studio manager has given you a multitrack tape containing music and timecode to copy. What must you do to ensure that the timecode is copied correctly?
[aik] yes i got the idea. interesting to find out. much better to find out yourself, then getting the answer delivered for bare memorizing
[ben_m] exactly aik
[Audiocourses] oh yes aik, we will get on just fine.
[ben_m] we could sit here and say "the answer to this is this" etc
[ben_m] but if a question came up in the exam we hadn't covered you'd ve in trouble
[ben_m] and this kind of knowledge is much more useful in the realworld
[aik] definitely
[ben_m] obviously we cover theories and techniques in the workshops
[ben_m] we just don't spoon feed information
[aik] i'm convinced that you best learn active instead of passive getting filled up with knowledge like a car with fuel
[Audiocourses] good attitude aik, many people find it tricky to realise this.
[aik] what a difference when you have to explain something, so others can understand. then you know what you don't know
[Audiocourses] so true
[Audiocourses] ok guys any mnore quesitons?
[aik] well it involves more engagement. it is of course more convenient to get the knowlegde delivered, but it will not stay in your mind
[Audiocourses] have we met before? lol
[aik] we obviously agree
[Audiocourses] so moving on I'm happy to get this cohort kicked off, more will be joining us so the workshops will be more lively.
[Audiocourses] I see the workshops as very important, not so much for the syllabus, although we do obviously cover areas in here, but for the social aspects.
[Audiocourses] Therefore please do always try to be here...
[Audiocourses] naturally as the course progresses you may even want to set up meetings between each other in here.
[Audiocourses] to work through some difficult concepts.
[Audiocourses] As well as this you will find me online with yahoo or icq almost every day.. so buzz me.

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