Syllabus
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.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Describe the physical properties of sound and basic acoustics
- Operate recording equipment and microphones
- Use a DAW such as Reaper for editing and mixing
- Apply basic effects and processing — EQ, compression, reverb
- Integrate MIDI sequencing, sampling, and synthesis into original projects
- Plan and execute simple recording sessions
- Critically listen to and analyze audio productions
Major topics
- Sound and hearing — physics of sound, waveforms, frequency, amplitude
- Microphones and recording — types, placement, and signal flow
- Digital audio — sampling, bit depth, file formats
- DAWs — introduction to Reaper
- Editing and mixing — basic editing, EQ, compression, reverb, and balance
- Sampling and MIDI — sampling history, MIDI sequencing, and beatmaking
- Synthesis — sound design and composition with Vital
- Critical listening — ear training and analysis of professional recordings
- Creative projects — music, podcast, and sound design assignments
Course structure
- Lectures — weekly sessions covering theory and demonstrations
- Labs — hands-on practice with equipment and software
- Guest artists — working producers and engineers visiting class to talk about how they actually work
- Projects — creative assignments and a final project
- Readings — core articles and online resources
- Resources — curated list of software, plugins, and tutorials
Semester at a glance
The schedule has the day-by-day plan. In broad strokes:
- Weeks 1–2 — Sound, hearing, and music technology; introduction to REAPER
- Weeks 2–3 — Arranging with loops (Project 1); audio hardware; the move to the studio
- Weeks 4–6 — Recording and editing dialogue; the satirical PSA (Project 2)
- Weeks 6–8 — EQ, compression, delay, and reverb; the multitrack mix (Project 3)
- Weeks 8–10 — Sampling, MIDI, and beatmaking (Project 4); guest artist BAD BEAT on October 19
- Weeks 10–13 — Synthesis with Vital (Project 5)
- Weeks 13–16 — Final projects: proposals, work sessions, critiques, and the exam-slot presentation
Assessment
Projects 50% · Attendance and participation 30% · Final project and proposal 20% — 15% for the project and proposal, 5% for the final presentation.
How the project rubrics work
Every project is graded with the same kind of rubric: a set of criteria, each worth a stated number of points, scored at one of four levels.
| Level | Meaning | Earns |
|---|---|---|
| Exemplary | Meets the criterion fully, with control | 100% of the points |
| Proficient | Meets the criterion with minor gaps | 75% |
| Developing | Partly meets it; the skill is forming | 50% |
| Emerging | Attempted, not yet meeting the criterion | 25% |
Work that is not submitted earns zero, which is separate from the scale above. Each criterion covers one thing, so a strong mix does not cover for a missing reflection, and a weak mix does not sink an otherwise solid project. Every level describes something you can check in the file rather than a judgment about quality, so you can score your own work before you submit it.
Attendance and participation (30%)
- Attendance (10%) — a single 50-point item; three absences are free, and after that 10 points come off for each additional absence (see the attendance policy below).
- Participation (20%) — the small assignments and in-class exercises, each
worth an equal share:
- Favorite-sound and class-playlist submissions on D2L (week 1)
- In-class editing and EQ exercises
- FX Roulette and Vital Roulette sessions
- The WhoSampled sampling write-up
- The guest artist session on October 19 — come with a question
- Vital patch sharing and the Recreate That Sound ear-training session
- Spoken feedback during critique sessions — one specific observation and one concrete suggestion when a classmate’s work is played
| Grade | Range |
|---|---|
| A | 90% and above |
| B | 80–89% |
| C | 70–79% |
| D | 60–69% |
| F | 59% or below |
Final exam: Friday, December 11, 8:00–10:00 AM. The final exam period is the final project presentation, and presenting is part of the grade: of the final project’s 20%, 5% is the presentation itself. Presentations are for the audience as much as the presenter — your classmates spent the semester sharing their work with you, and the final session is where you return that. An unexcused absence earns a zero on the presentation portion, and the project is graded from the render alone. With a documented excuse, contact me to arrange a make-up presentation.
All projects are played out loud in class. Be ready to share what you have made.
Attendance and make-up policy
Attendance is a single 50-point item in the combined attendance and participation category. The first three unexcused absences do not reduce the score. Beginning with the fourth, 10 points come off for each additional unexcused absence:
| Unexcused absences | Attendance score |
|---|---|
| 0–3 | 50 |
| 4 | 40 |
| 5 | 30 |
| 6 | 20 |
| 7 | 10 |
| 8 or more | 0 |
Excused absences recognized under university policy do not count toward this total. An excused absence needs an emailed explanation before class, and where it applies, documentation such as a medical note, a family emergency, or an official university notice for university-sponsored travel.
Late work
Every assignment has an automatic 72-hour grace period, and you do not need to ask for it. D2L shows the original due date and stays open until the grace period ends. Grading normally begins after that window closes.
After the grace period, work is accepted only for a documented excused absence, an approved accommodation, or another arrangement made with me. Work tied to a scheduled presentation, critique, or collaborative activity has to be ready on that date to earn credit for that portion.
Unless an assignment includes a revision stage, graded work is not routinely revised and regraded.
Communication
- Email: Tate.carson@dsu.edu — the preferred contact method. I will respond within 48 hours during the school week.
- Office: TCB 305 · 605-681-6183
- Office hours: MWF 10:00–10:50 AM and 12:00–1:50 PM; additional times by appointment. Book a meeting .
- Feedback on assignments: within 1–2 weeks after the 72-hour grace period closes.
AI tools
Audio software increasingly ships with AI features, and they aren’t all alike. Tools that process your own recordings, such as stem separation or noise reduction, are fine to use in this class; mention them in your submission notes the same way you’d name a sample source. Tools that generate the creative material itself, such as loop or full-song generators, don’t belong in graded work unless an assignment says otherwise. When you’re not sure which side of the line a tool falls on, ask before you submit. If this territory interests you, DAD 492 (Topics: AI and Music) spends a whole semester on it.
University policies
University policies (accessibility, academic integrity, freedom in learning, grade appeals, and student support) are in the signed syllabus PDF .
Key resources
- Reaper · Vital · Audacity (WASAPI loopback for capturing system audio on Windows)
- Physical attributes of acoustic waves, part I and part II
- Companion website for the Routledge textbook
The signed syllabus
This page is the readable version. The signed PDF below is the official document and carries the university policies in full.
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