Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2024
Course Code: COMM7393C
Course Title: Record sound
Important Information:
Please note that this course may have compulsory in-person attendance requirements for some teaching activities.
To participate in any RMIT course in-person activities or assessment, you will need to comply with RMIT vaccination requirements which are applicable during the duration of the course. This RMIT requirement includes being vaccinated against COVID-19 or holding a valid medical exemption.
Please read this RMIT Enrolment Procedure as it has important information regarding COVID vaccination and your study at RMIT: https://policies.rmit.edu.au/document/view.php?id=209.
Please read the Student website for additional requirements of in-person attendance: https://www.rmit.edu.au/covid/coming-to-campus
Please check your Canvas course shell closer to when the course starts to see if this course requires mandatory in-person attendance. The delivery method of the course might have to change quickly in response to changes in the local state/national directive regarding in-person course attendance.
School: 515T Creative Industries
Campus: City Campus
Program: C5410 - Diploma of Music (Sound Production)
Course Contact: Rebekha Naim
Course Contact Phone: +61399254849
Course Contact Email: rebekha.naim@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Teacher: Tim Johnston
Email: timothy.johnston@rmit.edu.au
Nominal Hours: 60
Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.
Pre-requisites and Co-requisites
None
Course Description
In this course you will acquire the skills and knowledge required to record sound.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
CUASOU415 Record sound |
Element: |
1. Prepare for sound recording |
Performance Criteria: |
1.1 Review production documentation and confirm technical and recording requirements with required personnel 1.2 Prepare recording plan according to production requirements and brief required personnel 1.3 Select equipment and accessories to use for recording, and confirm they meet required standards and are in working order 1.4 Set up and confirm sound equipment and accessories are connected and aligned according to safety, technical and production requirements 1.5 Confirm recording media have required capacity for expected duration of sound recording 1.6 Check that other consumables required are available for duration and number of tracks required for recording 1.7 Anticipate problems that may arise during sound recording and develop mitigation strategies with required personnel |
Element: |
2. Place and test microphones |
Performance Criteria: |
2.1 Select microphones to suit sound source and give desired tonal and dynamic quality to recording 2.2 Place and move microphones to capture desired sound and reject unwanted sounds according to safety requirements 2.3 Adjust microphone position according to acoustic characteristics of environment as required 2.4 Confirm sound will be recorded with required level and signal-to-noise ratio with required personnel 2.5 Apply signal processing for optimal sound quality and confirm no audible defects are present using test recordings |
Element: |
3. Make sound recordings |
Performance Criteria: |
3.1 Monitor sound recording for quality, audible defects and extraneous background sound 3.2 Confirm recorded sound is in line with production requirements 3.3 Complete recording sessions within required timeframes |
Element: |
4. Finalise sound recording operations |
Performance Criteria: |
4.1 Label and log sound recording according to production requirements 4.2 Produce master of sound recording in required format and backup copies as required 4.3 Prepare set-up report according to production requirements 4.4 De-rig, check and clean sound equipment and accessories according to safety and production requirements 4.5 Clean and restore work environment to pre-recording condition 4.6 Provide feedback to production team members as required 4.7 Evaluate own performance against production requirements and note areas for future improvement |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course you will have developed and applied the skills and knowledge required to demonstrate competency in the above elements.
Details of Learning Activities
In class activities will include a range of teacher directed group activities, projects, class exercises, review discussions/lectures and independent project based work.
Out-of-class activities include completion of individual design and pre-production work, preparation for class presentations and production work. Online research and occasional outside of class time group discussions will be required to maintain project work.
Teaching Schedule
WeekTopic/ Learning activitiesAssessment|
Semester 1 Week 1 |
Physics of Sound Course overview What is sound, sound wave propagation, Compression and Rarefaction, Amplitude, Frequency, Wavelength, Phase, Velocity, Simple Waveforms/Complex Waveforms, Fundamentals/Harmonics, Envelope |
|
| Week 2 | The ear Transducers, Outer/Middle/Inner, Pinna, auditory canal, tympanic membrane, Ossicles, Cochlea, Basilar membrane. Fletcher-Munson Curves, Equal loudness contours, Perception of direction. Reflection, Refraction & diffraction of sound. |
|
| Week 3 | Decibels & SPL Application of basic formulae Amplitude, Sound Levels, and Decibels Inverse Square Law Sound Intensity, SPL |
|
| Week 4 |
Decibels & Hearing Decibel formula - Logarithms |
|
| Week 5 | Reverberation Early reflections & Echoes Pre delay & RT60 Intelligibility of rooms & idealised reverb times. Sabine’s formula |
|
| Week 6 | Acoustics Theory Standing Waves/ Eigentones/ Room modes Room mode calculations. Axial, tangential, oblique |
|
| Week 7 | Acoustics Theory Introduction to Building Acoustics Porous Absorbers, Membrane Absorbers, Diffusers. |
|
| Week 8 | Design & Building Acoustics Noise criteria and Transmission Loss, Sound Transmission Class. Room Acoustics and design requirements. |
|
| Week 9 | Revision | |
| Week 10 | Analysing and calculating the acoustic properties of a recording environment . | |
| Week 11 | Analysing and calculating the acoustic properties of a recording environment . | |
| Week 12 | Analysing and calculating the acoustic properties of a recording environment . | Assessment Task 1 - Knowledge Questions open |
| Week 13 |
Commence Planning Major Project: Talent Sourcing & Liaison. Run through of the gear in Studio 1 |
Assessment Task 1 - Knowledge Questions due |
| Week 14 |
Sourcing & Liaison with Artist for Major Project: Issues regarding the organisation of recording artists and the ongoing liaison required. Click Tracks & Metronomes: Prep of Time Keepers for Drummers Recording techniques - Live performance vs multitrack recording Setting up guide tracks |
|
| Week 15 | What is Mixing? Basic mix techniques & concepts |
|
| Week 16 |
Tracking Session Overview & Prep. Major Project Session 1 Preparation & Checklist. Reference Audio Selection. |
Assessment Task 2 - Sound Recording Requirements - DRAFT submission due |
|
Semester 2 Week 1 - 14 |
Implementation of Record Plan. Working in a supervised environment, you will be making a professional recording in an industry standard sound studio. You will be working in groups of approximately 4 students and recording session times (10 x 4hr sessions) will be timetabled by your teachers in consultation with your group - see Canvas for studio session times. |
Weekly scheduled practical Recording Studio sessions |
Week 15 |
Finalisation of Recording material, documents, data. |
Assessment Task 2 - Sound Recording Requirements - FINAL submission due Assessment Task 3 - Produce sound Recordings due |
| Week 16 | Set aside for outstanding assessment |
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
References
Other Resources
You are advised to look at myRMIT for ongoing updated information.
It is recommended that you bring materials to classes to make notes, for example;
a pen and notepaper or a laptop computer. You will need to have either a USB thumb drive or a USB/Thunderbolt Harddrive (or both) to store and manage your media. Your teacher will advise you what to get when classes commence.
The University Library has extensive resources. The Library has produced a number of subject guides that includes quality online and print resources for your studies. Lynda.com is available via your Library login.
The Library provides guides and subject specialist help via your Liaison Librarians.
Overview of Assessment
Assessment for this course is ongoing throughout the semester. Your knowledge and understanding of course content is assessed through participation in class exercises, oral/written presentations and through the application of learned skills and insights. Full assessment briefs will be provided and can be found on CANVAS.
Assessment Tasks
To demonstrate competency in this course you will need to complete the following assessment tasks to a satisfactory standard. You will receive feedback on all assessments and once you have demonstrated competency you will also receive a result after your final assessment task.
Assessment Tasks
Semester 1
Assessment Task 1: Knowledge Questions. Answer a series of questions on the knowledge areas. Due in Week 13, Semester 1 (one week to complete).
Assessment Task 2: Sound Recording Requirements DRAFT. Due by Week 16, Semester 1.
Semester 2
Assessment Task 2: Sound Recording Requirements FINAL. Due by Week 15, Semester 2.
Assessment Task 3: Produce Sound Recordings. Due by Week 16, Semester 2.
You should refer to the assessment brief which is available on myRMIT for full assessment criteria.
Results that apply to Ungraded courses that are delivered and assessed in accordance with competency-based assessment are:
CA Competency Achieved
NYC Not Yet Competent
DNS Did Not Submit for Assessment
Assessment Matrix
The assessment matrix demonstrates alignment of assessment tasks with the relevant unit of competency. These matrices are available through Program Administration.
Other Information
Please refer to the RMIT student page for extensive information about study support, assessment, extensions, appeals and a range of other matters: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students
Cover Sheet for Submissions:
You must complete and sign a submission cover sheet for every piece of submitted work, including online submissions.
http://mams.rmit.edu.au/s1llva641yxuz.pdf
Attendance:
Your learning experience will involve class-based teaching, discussion, demonstration and practical exercises
It is strongly advised that you attend all timetabled sessions. This will allow you to engage in the required learning activities, ensuring you the maximum opportunity to complete this course successfully.
Assessment Feedback:
You will receive spoken and written feedback on all your work. Where relevant, this feedback will also include suggestions on how you can proceed to the next stage of developing your projects.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/policies/assessment-policy
Student Progress:
Monitoring academic progress is an important enabling and proactive strategy designed to assist you in achieving your learning potential.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/acadprogress
Adjustments to Assessment (eg. applying for an extension of time):
If you are unable to complete any piece of assessment satisfactorily by the due date, you can choose to apply for an adjustment to your assessment. RMIT University offers a range of adjustments designed to support you in your studies, including an extension of time to complete the assessment.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/assessment/adjustment
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism:
RMIT University has a strict policy on plagiarism and academic integrity. Please refer to the website for more information on this policy.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/academic-integrity
Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning:
Credit transfer is the recognition of previously completed formal learning (an officially accredited qualification).
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment process that allows you to demonstrate competence using the skills you have gained through experience in the workplace, voluntary work, informal or formal training or other life experiences.
Recognition of Current Competency (RCC) RCC applies only if you have previously successfully demonstrated competence in a unit of competency, and now require to be reassessed to ensure that the competence is being maintained.
Please speak to your teacher if you wish to discuss applying for Credit Transfer, RPL, or RCC for the unit(s) of competency addressed in this course.
http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students/enrolment/credit
Course Overview: Access Course Overview