Syllabus

Welcome to Audio Production III. Below is the course structure, key topics, resources, and expectations. The signed PDF version is available for download .

Course description

Builds upon Audio Production II. Instructs in advanced multi-track editing techniques, including advanced audio mixing, signal processing, and critical listening. Also covers business practices for the music industry and career preparation, including copyright law, resume building, and online music marketing and promotion.

In practice this section is a spatial audio course. It begins with acoustics and the physical properties of sound, then works through stereo, binaural, ambisonic, and multichannel formats, using both historical and contemporary spatial audio technologies. Technical instruction in recording, mixing, REAPER, and the Ambisonic Toolkit runs alongside critical listening, collaborative critique, and the spatial aesthetics of music, sound art, and cinema.

Prerequisite: DAD 322. Credits: 3.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Describe the history and application of immersive sound technology
• Describe the different aspects of spatial audio psychoacoustics — how sound affects spatial perception
• Apply that knowledge of spatial audio psychoacoustics to create immersive audio sound designs
• Demonstrate proficiency in producing sound designs for multi-channel speaker systems using ambisonics and Dolby Atmos

Major topics

• Sound and space — physical attributes of acoustic waves, space and time in music and sound art
• Psychoacoustics — distance perception, localisation, spatial impression
• Stereo — reproduction theory and the standard microphone techniques
• Binaural — HRTFs, SOFA files, recording and rendering with Anaglyph
• Ambisonics — theory, recording, and mixing with the Ambisonic Toolkit in REAPER
• Surround — cinema sound history, 5.1 and 7.1 aesthetics, ReaSurroundPan
• Dolby Atmos — object versus channel-based audio, mixing and delivery in Logic Pro

Semester at a glance

The schedule has the day-by-day plan. In broad strokes:

• Weeks 1–2 — Acoustics, space and time in music and sound art, historical context; the mono sound walk (Project 1)
• Weeks 3–4 — Psychoacoustics; stereo reproduction and recording; binaural with the Zoom H3-VR and Anaglyph (Project 2)
• Weeks 5–6 — Ambisonics: theory, recording, and mixing with the Ambisonic Toolkit (Project 3)
• Weeks 6–8 — Cinema sound history; 5.1 and 7.1 aesthetics; ReaSurroundPan
• Weeks 8–11 — Dolby Atmos in Logic Pro (Project 4); commercial and hybrid spatial tools
• Weeks 12–16 — Final projects: proposals, work sessions, midpoint critique, and the exam-slot presentation

Course structure

• Lectures — theory, listening, and demonstrations
• Labs — hands-on work in the classroom, the studios, and the immersive room
• Projects — four graded projects plus a self-directed final project
• Critique — projects are played out loud in class and discussed as a group

Assessment

Projects 50% · Attendance and participation 30% · Final project 20%.

Attendance and participation (30%)

• Attendance (20%) — three absences are free; after that, 10 points come off a 50-point attendance pot for each additional absence (see the attendance policy below).
• Participation (10%) — graded complete/incomplete, earned by the small assignments and in-class exercises:
  • The week 1 reading discussions (Physical Attributes of Acoustic Waves, parts I and II)
  • The NPR Binaural Soundscapes reflection
  • The Like Lambs 5.1 group mix and the 7.1 ReaSurroundPan lab
  • The progress bounce posted to D2L during the ATMI conference week
  • Feedback during the ambisonics check-in, the proposal workshop, and the midpoint critique — one specific observation and one concrete suggestion when a classmate’s work is played

Final exam: Friday, December 11, 1:00–3:00 PM. The final exam period is the final project presentation.

All projects are played out loud in class. Be ready to share what you have made.

Attendance and make-up policy

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. After three absences, 10 points will be deducted from the 50-point attendance pot for each additional absence.

Late work will only be accepted with a documented excuse. Students may redo work they received an undesirable grade on once, but only if they turned in something by the original due date. The deadline for redoing work is one week after the original due date. After this time, no late work will be accepted.

Materials

No textbook is required.

Headphones are required at every class meeting. No earbuds, and no noise cancellation. Recommended:

• Budget ($28–50): Sennheiser HD206, Audio-Technica ATH-M20x
• Midrange ($50–100): Shure SRH440, or a Sony or Sennheiser model in that range

Headphones are also available to rent — ask about the request form.

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 AM – 12 PM, T/Th 1 – 2 PM. Book a meeting .
• Feedback on assignments: within 1–2 weeks of the due date.

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 · Ambisonic Toolkit for Reaper · Anaglyph
• Physical attributes of acoustic waves, Part I and Part II
• Ambisonia and the ATK example recordings
• The full resources page collects every tool, reading, and reference used in the course

The signed syllabus

This page is the readable version. The signed PDF below is the official document and carries the university policies in full.

Open the syllabus in a new tab