Home on DAD 222: Audio Production I

Arranging Clips

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Find, arrange, and mix audio loops in REAPER. Foundational DAW and arrangement skills.

Satirical PSA

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Write, record, and edit a 30-second satirical PSA. Voice, SFX, and narrative editing.

Angels in Amplifiers Mix

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Complete a multitrack mix using EQ, compression, delay, and reverb. Critical listening and technical mixing.

Drum Programming and Beatmaking

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Program a drum pattern and build a 16–32 measure composition from sampled sources triggered with MIDI in Sitala.

Synth Composition with Vital

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Design 3–5 original Vital patches and compose a 2–3 minute piece around them.

Final Project

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A 3–5 minute piece that embodies your identity as an artist, using at least two techniques from the semester.

Vital Roulette (Preset Detective: Style Edition)

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A synthesis listening game where students spin for a random Vital preset style, analyze what they hear, and describe the sound before checking what’s really happening.

Delay, Chorus, and Flanger

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Delay is one of the simplest and most powerful time-based effects in audio production. It records an incoming signal, waits for a set amount of time, and then plays it back—either once or many times, depending on the settings.

By mixing delayed and dry signals, delay creates space, rhythm, width, and unique timbral textures. REAPER’s ReaDelay plugin makes it easy to explore these variations.

Understanding Delay

A delay effect:

Records the input into a short digital buffer.
Plays it back after a defined delay time.
Mixes that delayed signal with the dry (original) one.

By adjusting delay time, feedback, and mix, you can shape the character and movement of the sound.

Recreate That Sound: Synthesis Ear Training with Vital

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

You’ll hear several short synthesized sounds and rebuild each one in Vital, by ear. The skill being trained: hearing a sound and working out its waveform, filter, envelopes, and modulation. 50 minutes, four rounds.

Setup (5 minutes)

Open Vital with a blank/default patch.
Have your DAW ready to save patches.
Keep notes on your synthesis choices as you go.

Round 1 – Bright Filtered Lead (10 minutes)

Concept: Filter envelope modulation in subtractive synthesis.
Listen:

Vital Leads & Keys Workshop

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Learning Goals

By the end of this session, students will:

Create an expressive mono lead patch using glide, vibrato, and formant-style macros.
Design a polyphonic key or pluck patch with velocity-sensitive tone.
Map at least two expressive performance controls (mod wheel, or macros).

Session Flow

Reference Listening Play a short clip of a classic analog lead and a glassy key sound. Identify the transient, sustain, vibrato, and filter motion.

Analog Synths Demo

Vital Synthesizer: First Patch Creation

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

What you’ll accomplish

By the end of this demo you will:

Initialize Vital to a clean state.
Choose and morph a wavetable in Oscillator 1.
Tune and thicken the sound with unison.
Shape timbre with a filter.
Sculpt dynamics with the amplitude envelope.
Save your first custom preset.

Tip: UI labels below appear in code style (for clarity), e.g., Osc 1, Filter 1, Cutoff.

0) Reinitialize the patch

Open the preset menu (click the current preset name at the top).
Choose Initialize Patch.

Result: Vital loads a simple sawtooth with neutral routing and no effects. This gives a predictable starting point for learning and repeatable results in class.

Workshop: Beyond Oscillators — Sculpting Sound with Vital’s Effects

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Workshop: Beyond Oscillators — Sculpting Sound with Vital’s Effects

Length: 40 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Goal: Learn how to shape and transform sounds using Vital’s built-in effects.

What You’ll Learn

By the end of this session, you’ll be able to:

Use Vital’s nine built-in effects to add space, depth, and texture.
Understand how the effects rack works and how to change its order.
Combine effects creatively for expressive sound design.
Use modulation to bring your effects to life.

1. Getting Started (5 minutes)

Open Vital and load an initialized patch (File → Initialize Preset). We’ll start with a single saw wave and explore what happens when we add effects.

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Class Exercise: Recreate That Sound — Ear Training in Synthesis

50 minutes, Vital. Ear training through reverse-engineering: students hear a sound, then rebuild it.

1. Introduction and Setup (5 minutes)

Explain the game: they’ll hear short synthesized sounds and rebuild them in Vital.
Push note-taking: perceived waveform, filter type, envelopes, modulation, effects.
Check everyone has Vital open in a DAW with a default patch loaded.

2. Example Round 1 – Bright Filtered Lead (10 minutes)

Concept: Subtractive synthesis and envelope modulation of filters. Reference description: Bright sawtooth lead with filter envelope sweep and mild resonance.

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Kickoff: Reflecting on Wednesday’s EQ Exploration

Before we dive into today’s multitrack project, let’s pause and reflect on what we learned during Wednesday’s loop-based EQ exercises.

Warm-up Recall

What frequency ranges were easiest for you to identify when shaping the loops?
Which instrument was the easiest to shape with EQ, and why?
Did toggling EQ on/off reveal anything surprising about your changes?

Deeper Reflection

When you boosted or cut frequencies, which adjustments sounded subtle versus extreme?
Did you ever go too far with EQ and make the sound worse? How did you fix it?
Which EQ move gave you the clearest improvement in the mix?

Conceptual Connections

How did the frequency cheatsheet help you — did it guide your ears, or did you rely more on listening?
What did you notice about instruments clashing in the same frequency range?
Thinking ahead: in a bluegrass multitrack (guitar, lead guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass), which instruments might fight for the same space in the mix?

EQ in Context: Bluegrass Multitrack

Overview & Objectives

Build a working vocabulary for describing EQ problems (boxy, muddy, harsh, etc.).
Practice corrective EQ on a 5-track bluegrass multitrack (guitar, lead guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass).
Develop both corrective and creative EQ approaches.
Strengthen critical listening through collective discussion and independent practice.

Download the multitrack files and import them into Reaper to begin practicing EQ techniques.

Adaptive Grid Tool

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Using the Adaptive Grid Tool in REAPER’s MIDI Editor

For MIDI editing in REAPER, the Adaptive Grid Tool is a great addition. It gives you the flexibility to quickly adjust the grid in the MIDI editor, which can be incredibly helpful for fine-tuning your MIDI edits. Plus, you can add it directly to the MIDI toolbar for quick access!

Here’s how to set it up and use it:

Setting Up the Adaptive Grid Tool for MIDI Editing

Install the Tool via ReaPack:

Basic Editing in Reaper

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Undoing Edits

If you make a mistake while editing, press Cmd+Z (Mac) or Ctrl+Z (Windows) to undo. For a complete list of your previous actions, open Edit -> Undo History. This lets you step back through your edit sequence and return to any earlier state.

Adjusting Item Content (Slip Editing)

To adjust the timing of content inside an item without moving the entire item, hold Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) and drag left or right. This “slip edit” is ideal for tightening dialogue or syncing effects to visuals while keeping the item anchored on the timeline.

Basic Voice Recording in Reaper

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Getting Started with Recording in Reaper

Create a New Track
Start by creating a new track. Right-click in the track control panel (the left section of your track area) and select “Insert New Track.”

Compression and When to Use It

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Download these audio tracks to practice with in class.

Some setup: quickly rename tracks using the Track Manager (shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + M). You can also change the color of tracks by right-clicking on the track number and selecting Set track color. This can help you visually organize your session.

Compression is a technique that controls the dynamic range of an audio signal—this means balancing the loudest and quietest parts by reducing peaks and then using makeup gain so the overall level sits consistently.

Delay in Reaper

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Delay is one of the simplest time-based effects in audio production. It takes the incoming audio, stores it in a digital buffer for a set time, and then plays it back.

The delayed signal is mixed with the original, undelayed signal.
The length of the delay time shapes the character of the effect:
- Long delays (100ms+) create clear, audible echoes.
- Short delays (10-50ms) thicken the sound without noticeable echoes.
- Very short delays (a few ms) act like a comb filter, altering frequencies.
Feeding the delay output back into the input creates repeating echoes that fade out over time.
Adjusting the delay time with feedback can produce different creative effects.

Examples

Here are some examples of songs that showcase various delay effects:

Drum Synthesis in Vital

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Building a Drum Kit in Vital

Every drum here is the same recipe: an oscillator or a noise source, an amplitude envelope with zero sustain, and sometimes a fast pitch envelope for the attack. Once the kick makes sense, the rest are variations.

The values below are starting points, not answers. Get each drum close, then push the settings around until it sounds like yours.

1. Kick drum

A deep thump with a fast, punchy attack.

Ear Training Drills

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Ten-minute listening drills for the second half of the semester. Each drill tests one skill we’ve already covered.

EQ Exploration Project

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Cheatsheet

Objective: Use EQ in Reaper to manipulate specific frequency ranges in a full-spectrum tracks from Looperman, referencing the Music Instrument Frequency Cheatsheet for guidance.

Instructions:

Find a Three Loops:

Go to Looperman and search for three tracks that includes combinations of instruments. Look for tracks in these catagories, or similar:
- drum and bass or funk
- acoustic or singer-songwriter
- rock or metal
Download the tracks and import them into Reaper.

Open ReaEQ:

Final Project Influences Workshop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Today’s class is designed to help you move from an early idea to a clear, focused proposal for your final project. By the end of the session, you’ll have researched your artistic influences, identified techniques you want to use, and shared your ideas with a small group.

This work directly supports the proposal that’s due Friday and will help you walk into the final weeks of the semester with direction and confidence.

Free Sound Effects

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Free Sound Effects

Freesound Search

Apps

SoundQ - downloadable tool to search SoundQ free sound effects and Freesound.org
Soundly - 10,000 free sounds
BBC Sound Effects

Downloadable packs

99 Sounds
Gamesounds xyz - GDC collections and free packs
Sonniss GDC Collections - annual releases with thousands of curated effects
Sample Focus - community library with descriptive tags and previews

Creative Commons & Licensing Tips

Creative Commons License Chooser - review the requirements for attribution, share-alike, and non-commercial clauses
Prioritize CC0 and public domain assets when you need royalty-free use without attribution
Track license notes in your DAW or file metadata so you can credit properly when exporting
Double-check whether collections pulled from YouTube or sound packs bundle third-party content with conflicting licenses

From two measures to 16

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Building out the song

Copy and paste the 2 bar loop to extend it to 16 or 32 bars. This gives you a basic structure to build on.
Add variations to every 4th or 8th bar. For example, remove the kick drum on the last bar of every 4 bars. Or add an open hi-hat on the 2nd bar of every 8 bars.
Create a B section or chorus by significantly changing parts of the loop. For example, halve the tempo, remove some percussion elements, add new melodic parts.
Introduce new drum elements during different sections. Bring in the crash cymbal on the chorus. Add shaker in the verse. Remove the clap for one section.
Automate parts over time. For example, use volume automation to make the hi-hats fade out over 16 bars. Or pan the snare from left to right over 8 bars.
Arrange parts to follow common song structures. Have the loop repeat for verse sections then bring in more elements for the chorus. Add breakdowns and builds for transitions.

Send Drum Parts to Effects

Set Sitalia to multi-out and start adding effects.

FX Roulette

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Learning Objectives

Identify core characteristics of common effects by ear.
Practice fast parameter vocabulary (threshold, feedback, decay, rate, mix).
Make quick, confident decisions under time constraints.

Tools

Related: Delay , Reverb , EQ

Setup

Use a short, dry loop or a duplicate of your PSA VO so you don’t overwrite your main mix.

How Drum Patterns Work

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

How drum patterns work

You do not need to read music or play drums to make a convincing beat. A drum pattern is a short grid of choices: where the kick lands, where the snare or clap answers it, and how the hi-hat divides the space between them.

Today you will build a two-bar pattern in a browser, rebuild it in REAPER, and change the second bar so the loop does not sound copied and pasted.

MIDI and Sitala in REAPER

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Download Sitala before class.

The drum-pattern lesson covered what to put in the grid. This lab concentrates on getting that pattern into REAPER, editing it, and loading the sounds you want to use for Project 4.

Goals for the lab

Insert Sitala on an instrument track.
Create, record, and edit a two-bar MIDI pattern.
Use quantization and velocity with a musical purpose.
Load your own samples without breaking the pattern you already made.

Set up MIDI

Create an instrument track: Use Track -> Insert virtual instrument on new track... (recommended). This inserts a track, opens the FX browser, and sets the track to receive MIDI. Alternatively, create a track, set input to MIDI > All MIDI inputs > All channels, enable record monitoring (speaker icon), and arm the track.
Connect your MIDI keyboard: Go to Options > Preferences > Audio > MIDI Devices, enable your device for input, and choose it as the track input. You may choose All MIDI inputs instead.
Use the Virtual MIDI Keyboard if needed: Open View > Virtual MIDI Keyboard. Set the track input to Virtual MIDI keyboard or All MIDI inputs.
Verify activity: The track shows a small MIDI activity indicator when MIDI is received. With an instrument inserted and record monitoring on, the audio meter should move as you play.

Work with Sitala

Start with Sitala’s factory kit so everyone can follow the same steps. Sitala works well for one-shot samples. Use a synth or chromatic sampler for a playable bass line.

MIDI Editing

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Now that we’ve recorded our parts they need to be edited. If you double click on any MIDI item it will bring up the MIDI editor.

Notice the bar below:

Double click on any MIDI item to open the MIDI editor. Take note of the transport bar at the bottom which contains settings for:
- Grid lines
- Quantization strength
- Note lengths
- Key snapping
Grid line settings are important for setting the quantization, but also for editing MIDI notes by hand. With snapping enabled, moving a note will snap it to the grid division.
When adding new notes with the pencil tool, their length is set by the Notes setting. Currently this matches the grid size.
To add a note at the grid length, double click. To make longer notes, hold and drag the pencil.
To quickly add many notes at the grid size, hold down option+command and drag to use the paint tool.
You can move notes by selecting and dragging with the mouse or using command+arrow keys. This will snap notes to the grid horizontally and change the MIDI note vertically

Adding Variation to the loops

Loops likely sound robotic due to lack of velocity variation. Real drummers emphasize different parts of the beat and vary strength

Mixing with reverb

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Download the audio files here .

Reverb does more jobs in a mix than most people expect. Five of them, with examples:

Blend
Reverb helps different parts of a mix feel like they’re in the same space. For instance, on The Ronettes’ Be My Baby, chamber reverb merges dozens of instruments and vocals into one lush texture, a hallmark of Phil Spector’s “Wall of Sound.”
Size
On A Day in the Life, the orchestral ‘bigness’ comes from Studio One’s natural space plus multiple orchestral overdubs; reverb contributes to a concert‑hall impression, but the heavy, obvious reverb is on Lennon’s vocal.

Modulation in Vital: Design Your Own Patches

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Learn practical modulation techniques in Vital (LFOs, envelopes, performance sources, and meta-modulation) and build original, performance-ready patches through short demos and guided labs.

More Vital Synth

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Last time we worked with the ADSR envelope. Today: thicker sounds from multiple oscillators, the sampler, and Vital’s effects. We’ll build three patches along the way.

More oscillators

Turn on oscillators 2 and 3 and listen to what changes. They work exactly like oscillator 1; the point is layering.

Patch 1: Ghostly Choir

Set every oscillator to a sine wave (the first option under basic shapes).
Detune oscillators 2 and 3 slightly above and below oscillator 1.
Turn on the filters.
Save the patch. Export it if you want to share it.

What to notice:

Resources

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Schedule

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Opportunities in Digital Sound Design at DSU — DSU Live runs student concerts; the Sound Design Discord is where projects and program news get shared; and Student Research Initiatives funds undergraduate work.

8/24

Class introductions
- What’s your name, major, and what is the last song you listened to?
Introduction to the syllabus
[slides] Intro to Music Technology

homework

Your favorite sound, submitted on D2L — due Friday 8/28

8/26

[slides] Finish Intro to Music Technology

homework

Your favorite song is due Friday

8/28

[due] Your favorite sound — due tonight on D2L
[slides] Sound and hearing

8/31

Listen to a few of your songs — class playlist
[slides] Introduction to Reaper

9/2

Listen to a few more songs that we haven’t heard yet
[slides] Introduction to Reaper — continue with the intro

9/4

[slides] Saving and exporting
[project] Introduce Project 1: Arranging Clips
- Find loops and preview them on Looperman — show the different features of the site, including what its license lets you do with the loops
- Find drums, percussion, chords, and a cappella vocals
[lab] Find and preview loops on Looperman
Reminder: all projects are played out loud in class. Make sure you are comfortable sharing what you’ve created with the group.

homework

Project 1: Arranging Clips — due Monday 9/14 by class

9/7

[off] No class — Labor Day
- Work on your loops project independently

9/9

[lab] Walk through Working with loops in REAPER : timebase setup, Option-drag, and gluing clips
[lab] Show a basic version of the loops project
- Find 7 clips from Looperman
- Layer and rename tracks in Reaper
- Build the arrangement
Some layering and mixing of the project from Monday
[slides] Audio hardware - 25 minutes

9/11

[lab] Finish the in-class project
- Mixing and exporting
[slides] Finish Audio hardware - 25 minutes

9/14

[due] Project 1: Arranging Clips — due today by class
Listen to loops projects

9/16

Move to the studio
- Studio tour
- Microphones presentation
- Studio documentation
- Book your time in the studio to record your projects
[slides] Reaper recording
- One student dialogue demo

homework

[project] Project 2: Satirical PSA — have your script ready by Monday 9/21

9/18

[off] No class
Work through the Editing slides and bring questions Monday
Each student should edit their own PSA and bring any questions to class Monday

9/21

[lab] Another recording day for more practice, focusing on editing and mixing
- have different students try recording to learn the process.
[lab] Gain staging drill — record the same line clipped, healthy, and too quiet, then normalize and compare (instructions )

9/23

Sound effects and music beds
- In-class example: The Raven audiobook SFX design
- Transition impacts or swooshes between character lines; some scripts need effects that illustrate locations or products, like chirping birds for outdoor settings
- Add sound effects to separate tracks
[slides] Finding sound effects
Make sure your music and dialogue work well together
Mixing — background music should be much quieter than dialogue; around −30 dB is a good start

9/25

[lab] FX Roulette game

9/28

[drill] Ear training: frequency bands — 10 minutes
[slides] EQ

9/30

Listen to PSAs in class
Discuss what worked well and what could be improved
[lab] EQ in-class assignment
[due] Project 2: Satirical PSA — due tonight by midnight

10/2

[lab] Exploring EQ on a multitrack recording — instructions

10/5

[slides] Dynamic effects
- ReaComp , ReaXComp, ReaLimit, ReaGate
- What elements in our mix are still not sitting correctly that could use compression?

10/7

[slides] Time-based effects — delay, chorus, and flanger

10/9

[slides] Reverb

10/12

[off] No class — Native American Day

10/14

Putting together all we’ve learned to make a simple mix
[slides] The rough balance — faders, panning, and sends
[lab] Rough balance on the bluegrass multitrack — faders and pans only

homework

[project] Project 3: In-class mixing assignment — due by 10/23

10/16

[drill] Ear training: compression — 10 minutes
[lab] Continue looking at Project 3: In-class mixing assignment

10/19

[guest] BAD BEAT (Tino Gomez) visits class
- Las Vegas techno and house producer and DJ, co-founder of the MNTRA collective and the Techno Taco Tuesday party
- How a track gets built: drum machines, synths, and arranging for a dancefloor
- How he uses compression, reverb, and delay in his own music, picking up the effects work we just finished
- Running a collective and a recurring night: booking, promoting, and making a living in the scene
- Come with a question. The session counts toward participation.

homework

WhoSampled write-up — due Friday 10/23 on D2L
- Find three of your favorite sampling uses on WhoSampled . Why do you like them? Describe how the artist used the sample and what it was about the original recording that made them want to use it.
- For one of the three, trace the rights side: who cleared it, who got paid, and who didn’t.

10/21

[drill] Ear training: space — 10 minutes
Questions about the mixing assignment?
[slides] Sampling history — the machines and records behind sampling, and the problem MIDI was invented to solve
- The sample clearance section at the end sets up the rights part of your write-up

10/23

[due] WhoSampled write-up — due tonight on D2L
[lab] How drum patterns work
- Build a beat in Ableton Learning Music, then rebuild it in REAPER with Sitala
- Make a two-bar pattern with a backbeat, subdivisions, velocity changes, and one variation
[project] Introduce Project 4: Drum Programming and Beatmaking at the end of the lesson; today’s exit pattern can become its drum track
[due] Project 3: In-class mixing assignment — due tonight by midnight

homework

[project] Project 4: Drum Programming and Beatmaking — due Monday 11/2

10/26

[drill] Ear training: balance and image — 10 minutes
[lab] MIDI and Sitala in REAPER
- Set up the instrument track and load drum samples
- Record or draw MIDI, quantize it, and use overdub when useful
- Edit note placement and velocity
[lab] Continue Project 4 with help available for setup and troubleshooting

10/28

[slides] Synthesis and MIDI — electronic sound production

10/30

Install Vital Synth if you haven’t already
[lab] Vital Roulette game

11/2

[drill] Ear training: one hidden difference — 10 minutes
Play beatmaking projects in class
[slides] Vital Synth
- Vital Synth manual (PDF)
[due] Project 4: Drum Programming and Beatmaking — due today

11/4

[slides] Modulation — LFOs and mod envelopes

11/6

[slides] Effects and post-processing
Last day to withdraw from full-term courses

homework

[project] Project 5: Vital Synth — due Monday 11/23

11/9

[drill] Ear training: synthesis ears — 10 minutes
[slides] Drum synthesis
No class Wednesday or Friday — I’m at the ATMI conference. On Monday 11/16 we’ll have some volunteers share their patches from previous classes

11/11

[off] No class — I’m at ATMI in Grand Rapids, MI (Nov 11–14)

homework

Keep working on Project 5: Vital Synth — now due Monday 11/23

11/13

[off] No class — I’m at ATMI in Grand Rapids, MI (Nov 11–14)

11/16

[slides] Leads and keys
Vital Synth patch sharing — students share a patch they made with the class
[project] Start final project discussions and brainstorming
- Take a few minutes and write down some ideas. I’ll come around and chat with each of you individually.

homework

Final project proposal — due Friday 11/20, presented in class

11/18

[slides] Connecting influences to your creative voice
[lab] Recreate That Sound: synthesis ear training — reverse-engineer patches in Vital before Project 5 is due

11/20

[due] Final project proposal — due today, presented in class
Play in-progress Vital projects in class — last round of feedback before they’re due
After you play your project, spend a few minutes presenting your final project proposal

11/23

[due] Project 5: Vital Synth — due today
[lab] Final project studio day
- Divide the class into two groups of four
- Group A (22 minutes): tracking session in the studio. Choose a mic, set your input gain, build a cue mix, and record a few takes of a volunteer singing or playing. Keep everything; the takes can go straight into your final project.
- Group B (22 minutes): independent work on laptops in the classroom, sourcing sounds and arranging
- Groups switch halfway through — the spare minutes cover the swap and wrap-up

11/25

[off] No class — Thanksgiving recess

11/27

[off] No class — Thanksgiving recess

11/30

[lab] Independent work day focused on final projects
Instructor available throughout class for one-on-one help

12/2

Course evaluations

Critique session, part 1

[lab] Each student presents for 8–10 minutes, sharing a rough mix, composition, or sound design in progress
- Presenters explain their current stage in the process and outline their intended next steps
- The class offers constructive feedback and suggestions
Presentation order posted in class

12/4

Critique session, part 2

[lab] Continuation of project critiques, same format as Wednesday
Presentation order posted in class

12/7

Final Q&A session
One-on-one help if needed

12/9

[off] Reading / study day — no class

12/11

[due] Final project — due today, submitted on D2L
Final project presentations — 8:00–10:00 AM, our scheduled final exam slot

Starting a New Project in REAPER 7

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Based on this video

Step 1: Check Audio Device Settings

Before starting a new project, make sure your audio device settings are correct. To do this, go to REAPER’s Preferences (ctrl + P, or cmd + , on Mac) and navigate to Audio -> Device -> Audio Device Settings. Ensure the correct audio device is selected, especially if you’re using external audio interfaces or microphones, as this can change when new devices are connected.

Syllabus

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Audio Production I. This page covers how the course runs and what is expected; the full signed syllabus with university policies is available as a PDF .

Meets MWF 9:00–9:50 AM in TCB 209 · Credits 3 · Prerequisite CSC 105

Last day to drop with a full refund September 3 · Last day to withdraw with a W November 6

Course description

This course assumes no audio background. We start with what sound is and how you hear it, then work through signal flow, microphones, recording, and mixing in a DAW. By the end you’ll have made several finished pieces of your own, and you’ll have the skills to keep making them: music, podcasts, or sound for media.

Synth Composition with Vital

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

We’re going to create short compositions out of just tracks of Vital Synth. To start the composition we’ll come up with one measure of material that will be looped and start as the basis for the rest of the composition.

Day 1

Find a preset that you like, or create your own. Create a 1 bar MIDI clip and then open it. Make sure key snapping is on, so that whatever notes you add in match to a key. A good scale to start off with is the pentatonic scale, though you can use other scales if you wish.

This is REAPER 6 - The Tracks

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Based on this video.

Tracks

Adding tracks

Shortcut - cmd + t
double click in the TCP
or right click in TCP

Organization

Make a habit of naming your tracks something to keep them organized. As you name you can move to the next track with the “Tab” key.

To add multiple tracks at once right click and select “insert multiple tracks.” We can select the number of tracks and a name for each. See how it will automatically number them for you?

Vital Pt 3 - Modulation

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Matrix and Modulation, LFO and Envelopes

LFO

As you play any note notice that the LFO is actively moving through a triangle oscillator. It isn’t having an effect yet because we need to connect it to a parameter.

Drag the LFO icon down to the cutoff frequency control of Filter 1. Now notice that you can control this cutoff frequency parameter with the LFO. Notice the circle that now connects the two parts of the synth. This allows you to change the amount of modulation. You can also think of this as the strength of the modulation. Now experiment with the frequency of the LFO.

VO and Narration in Reaper

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Everything on this page comes from Ian Corbett’s Mic It!, the same book behind the companion audio linked in the syllabus. Chapter references are at the bottom so you can read further.

Choosing a microphone

The studio default for spoken voice is a large-diaphragm cardioid condenser. It gives a big, detailed sound that flatters most voices. If you have to record in an untreated or noisy room, a good dynamic microphone used close to the mouth rejects the room and isolates the voice. Keep that option in mind for PSA interviews recorded outside the studio.

Working with loops in REAPER

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Set up your timebase, fit loops with Option-drag, and glue edited clips into phrases.