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Course Syllabus

MUSC 3351 Audio Fundamentals I Lab

  • Division: Fine Arts, Comm, and New Media
  • Department: Music
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 1; Lecture: 0; Lab: 1
  • Prerequisites: MUSC 1110
  • Corequisites: MUSC 3350 Audio Fundamentals I
  • Semesters Offered: Fall
  • Semester Approved: Spring 2025
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Fall 2029
  • End Semester: Fall 2030
  • Optimum Class Size: 16
  • Maximum Class Size: 16

Course Description

This course focuses on the study of the fundamentals of sound and how it can be captured, manipulated, and reproduced. It functions as an Audio Lab for MUSC 3350 Audio Fundamentals I to cover non-computer aspects of sound and recording. This course is the first of two laboratory courses that cover aspects of sound, acoustics, psychoacoustics, recording, audio processing, mixing, and mastering.

Justification

Although the personal computer has revolutionized the study, production and distribution of music, the basic concepts of sound remain unchanged. An understanding of how sound travels through the air and reacts in a room, how a microphone works, and what compression and equalization are remain paramount for anyone who produces music and records audio. This type of course is offered for music majors at four-year institutions in the State of Utah, and is a regular course offering around the country. The Horne School of Music at Snow College is an accredited member of The National Association of Schools of Music, and NASM requires that its member schools prepare students by teaching them the purpose and use of audio technology in various forms as part of undergraduate music training. This course, in conjunction with MUSC 3353 (Audio Fundamentals II Lab), fulfills that requirement.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Be knowledgeable of the fundamentals of how sound travels through and interacts with spaces.
  2. Be knowledgeable of how sound is described and measured in acoustical, electrical, and digital systems.
  3. Be familiar with the basic rules of mixing and the psychoacoustic concepts that pertain to mixing.
  4. Be knowledgeable of an analog console and be able to use an analog mixing console to mix a 16-24 track multitrack audio project.
  5. Be familiar with various audio processors and tools used in mixing such as equalizers, dynamics processors, and reverb and delay processors.

Course Content

This course provides students with opportunities to develop audio and music production skills through labs and various projects. The labs give equal opportunity to all students to participate and learn through hands-on experiences. The projects are variable in order to cater to the diverse backgrounds and musical tastes of students, but additional projects may be presented to push students out of their comfort zones and into new and exotic styles and genres. The following topics are covered:Introduction – History of RecordingAcoustics – Frequency & Amplitude/MeasurementAcoustics – Behavior/Acoustics/Ear AnatomyProcessing – Analog Audio/Mixer FunctionProcessing – Signal Flow and RoutingPsychoacoustics – Masking/Fletcher-Munson CurveMixing – Basics/RulesMixing – Leveling/PanningMixing – EqualizationMixing – Dynamics ProcessorsMixing – ReverbMixing – Delay/Time-Based EffectsMixing – Automation/Mixdown