Continuing Education for the Sound Engineer
(Originally posted July 8, 2015)
When I started learning about audio I was using Pro Tools 6 and large analog consoles that were bigger than my 2000 Kia Sephia. Needless to say, to keep up with technology and new trends in audio I had to keep learning.
Now with the Internet we can learn whatever we need to online. I earned an associates degree in audio 12 years ago and I've earned the equivalent of a doctorate in audio from the Internet and continued reading. So there, I'm a doctor!! Work experience is the best way to get hands on training. I think everyone should start out as a runt coiling cables and burning your fingers soldering cables because it's a great way to learn. But what you will find working with people is not everyone knows what they are doing. It is REALLY important to differentiate the garbage some "seasoned" professionals tell you and the gems that you can pick up from more experienced engineers. I'm sure everyone has worked with someone who would just pull the ground pin off a power cord to get rid of a hum....if you are reading this, I am glad you are still alive :) YouTube is not immune to this either, anyone can put a video on YouTube which means there's some bad information that you have to steer clear of.
Here are some ways I continue my education.
Books:
Here are a few must have books I think every sound pro should have. Great foundational material that will help you decipher the false information you may receive when working in the field.
Sound Reinforcement Handbook by Gary Davis & Ralph Jones for Yamaha
Everyone should have this one, its mandatory reading. If you work in the House of Worship market you should have a Bible and this book!
The Ultimate Live Sound Operators Handbook by Bill Gibson
This is a great book and easy to understand, also comes with a DVD with audio examples.
Sound Systems: Design and Optimization by Bill McCarthy
A must for system alignment and optimization.
The Audio Expert: Everything You Need to Know about Audio by Ethan Winer
As the subtitle says, its everything you need to know about audio and it's a great reference book.
Anything ever written by Bobby Owsinski!!
Literately anything he has ever written just get it. Great information on recording and mixing. Also follow his blogs and podcast
A couple books I just picked up are
How Music Works and Physics Demystified
I could keep going with books since there are A LOT of good ones, but those are a good start.
Seminars:
I try to catch all of the free seminars that come to my area. So far I have attended seminars from Meyer, Avid, SSL, Soundcraft and Waves. I continue to use their products and understand their products better now having learned more about them. Also it's a great way to meet people. Here are a couple paid seminars:
Rational Acoustics Smaart Operator Training
I attended this one last month and it was full of information! I learned a lot and totally recommend it.
Ok I haven't attended this one but I want to! A week in a studio learning from the best in the business in the South of France...FRANCE!
I have attended some seminars as a part of larger conferences but these companies also travel and offer seminars as well:
Company Websites:
I love going through manufacturer websites and reading their free educational resources. They are mostly foundational and not just related to their specific products. Here are a few I frequent:
There it is, I feel smaarter already... ← see what I did there :)
-Cheers!
Dr. Shon Moore