City & Guilds Sound Engineering Part 3 Syllabus - Audio Production Course Listings

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City & Guilds Sound Engineering Part 3 Syllabus

Printer Friendly Version of City & Guilds Sound Engineering Part 3 Syllabus

Recording Techniques

Music

Classical

Equipment

Recording
Communication

Microphone placement and techniques
Location recording
Concert
Session
Stereo recording
Multitrack recording
Editing

Popular

Band

Microphone placement for common instruments, including:

Drums
Acoustic and electric guitar and bass guitar
Piano and other acoustic keyboards
Brass section
Vocals

Studio recording

Foldback
Basic tracks and guide vocal
Overdubs
Punch-ins
Vocals

Live recording

Recording
Interfacing with the PA system
Post production

Electronic

Equipment

Synthesizer/sound module
Sampler
Sequencer
DJ decks and mixer

Techniques

Sampling
Recording synthesizers
Recording vocals as samples

Other styles

Jazz
Bands - military band, brass band etc.
Folk and ethnic music
Choral

Mixing multitrack recordings of music

Speech

Voiceover
Talking books
Poetry
Drama

Sound Effects

Radio/drama
Film and video
Sound effects in music
Cataloguing sound effects

Equipment

Typical recording studio configurations
Mixing console

Advanced mixing console features
Advanced mixing console operation
Metering
Automated mixing

Multitrack

Advanced multitrack recorder features
Autolocators
Multitrack tape

Analogue
Digital

Disk recording systems

Stereo

Analogue
Digital
Disk

Dynamics and Effects

Compression

Controls
Stereo linking
Use of compression in reducing dynamic range
The compressor as an effects unit
Interfacing with the mixing console

Gating

Controls
Stereo linking
Use of gating to reduce noise
The noise gate as an effects unit
Gating and compression
Interfacing with the mixing console

Delay and reverberation

Tape delay
Digital delay
Reverberation

Natural echo chamber
Spring/plate reverb units
Digital reverb
Reverb unit parameters

Interfacing with the mixing console

Phasing/ flanging/chorusing

Tape phasing
Digital phasing effects

Exciter
Pitch changer

Noise reduction in analogue recorders

Mastering

The mastering studio
The mastering process
Mastering for:
CD
Vinyl
Cassette
Multimedia
Other formats and applications

MIDI and recording

The sampler as a device for ‘spinning in’
The sampler as a corrective device
Synchronizing a sequencer to a multitrack recorder

Synchronization

Modular digital multitrack recorders
MIDI to multitrack
Multitrack to video
Multitrack to multitrack

Music Technology

Computers in Music Technology

Computers in current professional use
Computer architecture

Von Neumann model
Alternative architectures

Input devices

Input devices in common use
Specialized input devices for music and audio
Interfaces for input devices

Processors in common use
Processor architecture
Basic processor operations

Storage

RAM
ROM
Disk

Magnetic
Optical

Bus systems in common use

Internal
External
Networks

Output devices

Output devices in common use
Specialized output devices for music and audio
Interfaces for output devices

Introduction to programming

Machine code and assembly language
Disk operating systems
High level languages
Platform-independent languages

Synthesizers

Generalized synthesizer operation

Oscillators
Filters
Envelopes and amplifiers
Low frequency oscillators
Keyboard parameters
Effects
Multi-timbral operation

Keyboard and velocity zones
Multiple MIDI channels

Storage

Analogue synthesis

Additive synthesis
Subtractive synthesis

Voltage controlled oscillator
Voltage controlled filter
Voltage controlled amplifier
Envelope generator
Low frequency oscillator
Ring modulator

Practical implications of voltage control and the use of early analogue synthesizers
Analogue synthesizers in current use, including digital synthesizers that simulate analogue sounds and methods of operation
Sound design with analogue synthesizers

FM synthesis

Operators
Algorithms
Sound design with FM synthesizers

Physical modelling

Theory of physical modelling

Driver
Resonator
Modifier

Current developments in physical modelling synthesis
Control of physical modelling synthesizers
Sound design with physical modelling synthesizers

Other types of synthesis in current use

Wavetable
‘Sample + synth’
Current developments

Sampling

Samplers in current professional use
Features

Voices
Memory
Outputs
Storage

Sampler hierarchy (note terminology differs between manufacturers)

Sample
Key group
Key group zone
Program
Multiple programs

Sampling

Recording
Original pitch
Editing
Looping
Sampling in stereo

Creation of key groups and programs

Sample assignment
Note span
Tuning
Loop type
Keyboard track/constant pitch
Velocity zones
Filter
Envelope
Low frequency oscillator
Keyboard parameters
Mute groups

Using multiple programs

Assigning MIDI channels
Priority
Other parameters

Advanced features

Time stretch
Resampling
Effects

MIDI

MIDI systems
Controllers
Sound generators
MIDI messages

Channel voice messages
Channel mode messages
System messages

System common
System exclusive
System real time

Running status
General MIDI and Extended General MIDI

Other systems with a purpose similar to MIDI in current professional use

Sequencers

MIDI sequencer systems
MIDI interfaces
Advanced features

Editing of song structure
Tempo and meter maps
Groove quantization
Synchronization to a multitrack recorder
Production of printed scores and parts

OMS and similar systems in current use
Communication between MIDI applications
Standard MIDI files
MIDI + audio sequencers
Synchronization

FSK
MIDI clock and Song Position Pointers
MTC
SMPTE/EBU timecode

Applications of Music Technology

Recording
Performance
Related fields

Lighting
Show control

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