The Blackbird Academy Grabs ‘Top Mixer’ Award
February 3, 2026
In only its second year of competition, The Blackbird Academy was awarded the top prize at the Nashville Audio Engineering Society (AES) annual “Spring Mixer” held April 23, 2015. The…
Blogs
Insights, tutorials, and stories from the Blackbird Academy.
Live Sound Students Assist Eric Church
February 3, 2026
The Blackbird Academy Live Sound Engineering students weren’t “outsiders” on Saturday. They started at 7 a.m. to observe load in, set up and sound check for Eric Church’s record-setting “The…
Impressive Students
February 3, 2026
Last week was the first week for our students working with a band in Blackbird Studio’s Studios A and B. Neo Tundra Cowboy came in and laid down two of their songs,…
A visit with legendary mixer Dave Natale
January 29, 2026
Legendary Front of House Mixer Dave Natale spent a week in April 2021 with The Blackbird Academy students. As one of the most influential and respected live-sound guys in the…
Pro Tools Tips: Playlists and Comping
January 29, 2026
Pro Tools Playlists One key to quick and effective recording is the use of Pro Tools playlists. Playlists allow us to save and switch between multiple performances, whether of entire…
Congrats to Our Grads!
January 29, 2026
Congratulations to our second Studio Engineering and first Live Sound Engineering graduating classes at The Blackbird Academy! The graduation ceremony was held Friday, June 27, 2014, at our new Live…
Check out the new gear at The Blackbird Academy ‘Live’
January 29, 2026
Allen & Heath SQ7’s We recently added two Allen & Heath SQ7 digital consoles with a GX4816 Expander to our arsenal. The SQ7’s are the flagship console of the SQ…
Mixing Vocals In a Live Setting
January 14, 2026
The human voice, as an instrument, is probably the oldest, most dynamic, and sonically diverse sound source in existence. In terms of sound reinforcement, it is also a signal that…
Best Mics To Use For Recording Drums
January 5, 2026
The array of available microphones to use for your recordings is vast and multifaceted. Here are a few more options to try out on your drum recordings that are some of our…
Now Accepting International Students
January 14, 2015
The Blackbird Academy is now approved through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and accepting applications from international students for start dates as early as April 6, 2015. Here…
Experience Week 1
January 7, 2015
Week 1 at The Blackbird Academy included lots of experiential learning and networking with the top names in the industry. Students recorded, overdubbed, and mixed on tracks recorded in the…
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