NEXT START DATE: July 6, 2026!
Technical deep dives, honest gear reviews, and industry insights for the modern audio professional.
The name of the game is sound reinforcement. When it comes to successful and great-sounding live mixes, it is important to remember that the name of the game is “sound reinforcement.” So what does it mean to reinforce? Well, if…
“Every room I have mixed a show in has had its own ambience, it’s own signature tone.” Many things make it difficult to attend a concert when you are a live sound engineer. Maybe it’s the lights are too bright,…
Greetings! Here at The Blackbird Academy, we teach many subjects: technology and techniques, critical listening, business skills, history, acoustics, studio design, and much more. Of these, probably the most important is studio etiquette, which I subtitle “How Not to Get Fired.”…
A Frank Discussion June 28, 2020 By John McBride In At Blackbird, Insider How I Started I come from a family that feels strongly about getting a college education. Both my parents were college graduates. My dad was a Professor of Anthropology at…
I believe that some people are born to great things, and that greatness is defined by a feeling you have in your heart when you are doing something that you…
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Plugins are essential tools used in modern-day audio production. Unlike their hardware counterparts, plugins can be used on multiple channels simultaneously, making them incredibly affordable. There are hundreds to choose…
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February 23, 2017In Alumni, Live Sound Program David Loy is a graduate of the June 2015 Live Sound Engineering Program from The Blackbird Academy and has been out with some fantastic artists since graduation.…
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There isn’t any one way to get studio work, but there are typical paths and ways to maximize your chances. Finding studio work can be separated into two categories –…
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MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Advances in technology and the wide availability of affordable recording software and gear have made it possible for everyone to record and produce their own music, audiobooks, voiceovers,…
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Okay, let’s say audio engineering has been your passion for years, and you know you want to take it to a professional level. The only issue is, the more and…
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Michael Freeman was part of the first-ever The Blackbird Academy studio engineering class. We tracked him down to chat about his experience at The Blackbird Academy, working with the incredible…
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If you want to avoid phase issues when recording guitar amps, stick with one microphone—simple and effective. But if your goal is to combine multiple microphones with different frequency responses…
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Engineer Robert Bull is one of the many guest lecturers in The Blackbird Academy’s live sound program. He has worked in the industry for 20 years, mixing for the top names…
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When talking about essential studio gear, most people want to talk about microphones, mic pre’s, eq, and compression. Each one of those could warrant their own blog. So instead, I’m…
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Greetings from Blackbird Studio and The Blackbird Academy!The acoustic piano is one of the most wonderful instruments we get the pleasure to record. Invented in about 1700 for the Medici…
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Bass guitar recording is an important skill. The bass provides the harmonic foundation for the music and helps form the rhythmic pulse. It can create the signature sound – for…
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