NEXT START DATE: January 4, 2027!
The Blackbird Academy · Live sound engineering Program
Twenty-four weeks of live sound, built one week at a time. Here’s exactly what you’ll learn, and when you’ll learn it.
Weeks 1–4
Power, cables, microphones and the analog console: the groundwork every live engineer builds on.
Week One
Orientation and a tour of the Live Sound campus, then electricity for entertainment: DC and AC circuits, single- and 3-phase power, and power connectors. Labs include safely metering 3-phase power and hooking up power distribution.
Week Two
Balanced and unbalanced connections, analog and digital snakes, microphone splitters and the basic electronics inside direct boxes and audio splits. Labs include soldering, building and testing audio cables.
Week Three
Dynamic, condenser, ribbon and carbon microphones, polar patterns, frequency response and on- vs. off-axis coloration. Labs include applying mic techniques to various sound sources.
Week Four
Analog console signal flow: the channel strip, auxiliary sends, the master section, routing and subgrouping, plus inserting EQ, dynamics and time-based effects. Labs include live signal routing and signal flow charts.
Weeks 5–8
How a show comes together, from stage plots and acoustics to processing and recording a live set.
Week Five
Crew positions from FOH to tour manager, stage directions, stage plots, input lists, and line check vs. sound check. Labs include setting up a monitor console and wedges, and using a cue wedge.
Week Six
Frequency, wavelength, the speed of sound, decibels and dynamic range, plus venue acoustics: RT60, room modes and the inverse square law. Introduction to critical listening and sound control in room design.
Week Seven
Frequency-, amplitude- and time-based processing: filters, shelving and parametric EQ, side-chained and parallel dynamics, and an introduction to multitrack mixing. Labs include hands-on work with each type of processor.
Week Eight
Recording a live performance: digital audio basics, networking with Dante, and Pro Tools setup, recording, editing and mixing. Labs include setting up, running and mixing a project in Pro Tools.
Weeks 9–12
A week in the studio, then digital consoles and the loudspeakers that carry the sound, closing with the midterm.
Week Nine
Three days in the studio recording, overdubbing, editing, mixing and mastering a live band, wrapping up with a listening session to critique mixes. Studio engineering students make the reverse trip to learn live audio basics.
Week Ten
Patching and I/O, digital connectivity, latency, onboard processing, scenes and snapshots, and offline editors, on consoles such as the Midas M32 and Soundcraft Vi1. Labs include signal flow and mix technique exercises.
Week Eleven
Moving coil and compression drivers, horns, enclosures and dispersion patterns, active and passive crossovers, and amplifier ratings, classes, impedance and modes of operation. Discussion of how modern sound systems are connected.
Week Twelve
Comprehensive review of material covered in the previous 11 weeks in preparation for the midterm exam. Practice for the midterm practical exam.
Weeks 13–16
Designing, installing, tuning and flying the systems that fill venues.
Week Thirteen
Building 2-, 3- and 4-way systems: crossover points, filter types such as Linkwitz-Riley, comb filtering, aux-fed subs, sub arrays and system processors. Labs include connecting a PA and configuring processors and sub arrays.
Week Fourteen
Fixed audio systems for theaters, schools, bars and churches: processing, power sequencing, rigging, remote access and 70V speaker systems. Students design a sound system to a budget and a deadline.
Week Fifteen
Introduction to system analyzers and troubleshooting methods, time alignment, and system tuning methods.
Week Sixteen
Line array history, theory and configurations, from straight line to progressive splay, plus rigging gear and rigging points. Labs include flying and configuring a line array system.
Weeks 17–20
Large-format consoles, wireless, monitor world and the networks that tie a modern rig together.
Week Seventeen
Large-format analog consoles, VCAs and matrices, mute groups, outboard processing and how to document it, mixing tips and tricks, and recording a live mix in Pro Tools.
Week Eighteen
RF theory, FCC rules, frequency bands and modulation, diversity receivers, and antenna patterns, splitters, combiners and deployment. Labs include connecting wireless devices and monitoring them remotely over a network.
Week Nineteen
Monitor mix approaches and signal flow, wedge configurations, gain before feedback, IEM mixing, side fills, and communication etiquette with artists. Labs include wiring and deploying monitor setups and building a monitor mix.
Week Twenty
AD/DA conversion, sample rate, bit depth and word clock, networking fundamentals, and audio over Ethernet with Dante, AVB and AES50, plus MADI and AES/EBU. Labs include connecting and networking audio gear.
Weeks 21–24
The business of touring, backline and advanced digital mixing, finishing with final exams.
Week Twenty-One
Production, stage and tour management, riders, unions and venue management, plus the business side: taxes, LLCs, resumes and being your own boss. Also covers touring etiquette and bus and tour safety.
Week Twenty-Two
Instrument setup and maintenance: guitar anatomy, stringing, truss rod adjustments, intonation and action, pedal signal flow and amp mic techniques, plus setting up a drum kit and changing drumheads.
Week Twenty-Three
Advanced digital signal flow, large-format digital consoles, advanced routing with matrix mixers, aux sends, subgroups, DCAs, control groups and snapshot automation, and offline editors.
Week Twenty-Four
