Diploma in Music Production in New York City

Audio Recording and Production School, New York City:
Located in New York City, close to the vibrant Greenwich Village and Union Square. We provide a complete education in audio engineering and music production, combining a broad background with hands-on experience. Our audio engineering and music production diploma curriculum is crafted by faculty members who are deeply involved in music and audio. IAR’s rolling admissions places students in classes that begin throughout the year, so you don’t have to wait long to start training for your future. The program can be completed in approximately nine months by a full-time student and in approximately a year by a part-time student at night.

Over the 900-hour program, students build a broad foundation for a career in music production and audio engineering. This means not just working with digital audio in computer software, but also working with digital and analog audio hardware components to understand what happens behind the technology. It means learning how to set up a recording studio with mixing consoles, microphones, amplifiers, speakers and cables. It also means learning about how we hear and respond to sound. We teach our students how to adapt to changing technologies and conditions.

The following subjects are covered:

01 Basics of Digital Audio
In this course, students learn about the internal workings of the computer and how to interface it with other audio software and external equipment. We discuss different types of storage media and compare them in demonstrations of digital audio production. Students learn about industry-standard audio applications and start working with them on individual computer workstations.

02 Audio Electronics
This course is the gateway to an understanding of audio electronics. It is an essential part of becoming a “power” audio equipment user. The course lays out the fundamentals of audio and computer equipment, and introduces the student to important signal routing and patching techniques. We explain the details of connecting computer interfaces and audio equipment in a step-by-step process so that the student can begin working in digital audio. A hands-on component to the course introduces the student to working with wiring and repair tools. The student will construct useful audio cables and audio processors. Students receive their own set of tools—a soldering iron, wiring tools and testers—indispensable materials for repairing cables and audio gear.

03 Ear Training and Acoustics
This course introduces the student to acoustics and ear training-two essential areas of knowledge for every engineer. Through extensive demonstrations and listening sessions, the student comes to understand how the ear and brain work together to interpret sounds, and how the skilled engineer can use that knowledge to produce sound that has a desired effect. Room acoustics play an important part in our appreciation of recorded sound. The student learns about room environments and how to achieve the best possible room design. We discuss the physics of how musical instruments generate and direct their sounds with a direct connection to how to record those instruments.

04 The Business of Music
Today’s successful music production is a result of a combination of creative talent, engineering, production, promotion, marketing, and of course, sales. Very few people can handle all of it well. You need knowledge of how the music business works to find your way to a hit record. This course focuses on the structure of the music business and the process by which an artistic creation is brought to market. You will learn the roles of the record label, artist, writer, producer, manager and attorney. You will learn about copyright and music. You will also learn how to create budgets for projects, form a small business, assign and collect royalties, write recording and producing contracts, and publish and protect your music. You will see how the Internet can affect your music and learn about other legal issues and business considerations.

05 Audio Processing and Storage
There are a number of tools that an engineer can use to manipulate sounds. In this course you learn about and, through the hands-on part of the course, get familiar with compressors, expanders, equalizers, delays, reverb, mixing console operations, and analog and digital storage media. All these devices and processes can help you create your sound.

06 Digital Music Production
This course helps the student understand the operational differences of the various digital audio workstations (DAWs) and how to work with and around them. The student learns about quantization, aliasing, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion, digital delays, AC-3, DTS, and MPEG compression algorithms—all critical issues when creating a product. The course features a hands-on component allowing students to work on individual computers mixing music selections using industry-standard DAW software. This hands-on experience allows students to explore music mixing techniques, non-destructive editing, virtual patchbays, effects plug-ins, and CD burning.

07 Microphones, Amplifiers and Speakers
This course explains the design and operation of all types of microphones amplifiers and speakers, and their similarities and differences. Through many demonstrations and live recordings in the classroom, the student gains an appreciation of how to select and place microphones for recording. The student learns how to calculate the amount of amplifier power needed to play music at specific levels and how to design a system with speakers that will accomplish that level of sound. This information is especially important to those people interested in setting up small home studios.

08 MIDI Applications
Much of today’s popular music is made with synthesizers and samplers being “played” by a computer. The device or program that runs this is a sequencer. It controls sound generating devices and tells them when to play. The control of these devices is done though a digital language called Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or “MIDI.” In this course you learn how to use all the power built into the MIDI language to control not only instruments but also other machines and devices as well. The student designs and programs sounds, creates music by using samples and a popular virtual synthesizer program, and produces tracks using the MIDI protocol, synthesizers, and sequencer.

09 Mixing Music 1
Mixing has become an integral part of the creative process in producing a finished product. It is up to the mix engineer to add the sonic cues that allow the different parts to become one whole. This course traces the history and philosophy of mixing from the early days of single microphone recording of the 1950s, through the multitrack tape era of the ‘70s and ‘80s, and up to the digital workstation production techniques of today. Through demonstrations and the companion hands-on workshop classes, the student gains valuable experience mixing music of varied genres. Student mixes are played in class, allowing for further development of critical listening and evaluation skills.

10 Mixing Music 2
This class continues the focus on the art and craft of the mixing engineer, but moves forward by emphasizing techniques of using the all-in-the-box DAW. We re-examine issues first discussed with analog mixing, this time in the digital realm. Topics include gain structure through a signal path, metering, virtual patchbays, and plug-in effects. Each student works at individual computer workstations mixing and burning CDs of work for evaluation.

11 Recording Workshop
Conducted in IAR’s recording complex, this course ties together material presented in previous courses. Students interface with professional musicians as they take a project from start (meeting the musicians and discussing the type of project) to the finished final mix. Each student has the opportunity to be the engineer, assistant engineer DAW operator, and session set-up and breakdown personnel. In this course, the student works with a complete range of equipment from the latest technology high-resolution multitrack digital recording equipment to vintage outboard processors.

12 Post Production Audio
This course introduces the student to this world of audio post production. The magic behind sound design, dialog replacement and final mixing are demonstrated. Students do hands-on production and mixing of their own sound tracks to popular commercials and movie scenes.

13 Industry Practicum
This class takes students through resume writing, interview techniques, networking, and job search strategies to prepare students for the workplace. Helpful tips on the current job market are discussed. One-on-one time is available to students to polish their resumes and help steer them towards suitable employment.