COURSE OVERVIEW
Enhance your production prowess and grasp industry-standard mixing and mastering techniques in this 2-week course. An intensive version of our 3-month Mixing and Mastering course.
Rooted in crucial sound and acoustics theory, this hands-on program allows you to deepen your existing skillset while gaining insights into how sound is perceived. You'll also be treated to exclusive masterclasses by industry professionals and access to our impressive facilities after classes and during your mid-course weekend, offering you twelve full-days at ICMP.
Over ten days of learning, two lessons per day, you'll acquire a versatile set of techniques, elevating your projects to a professional level. Our seasoned tutors provide the necessary support, clarity, and space for you to elevate your productions. To get the most from the course and maximize your learning experience, it's preferable that you focus your learning on your own work — whether it's a piece you've produced, recorded, or the multitrack files/stems of a project.
Commencing with a foundation in psychoacoustics and sound physics, you'll build a solid base that enables you to employ various mixing techniques using equalizers (EQs), dynamic processors, and digital signal processing effects. Additionally, you'll investigate how diverse acoustics and listening environments impact the perception of sound.
As you delve into the course’s theoretical and practical activities, you will be able to recognise and perform sound and frequency manipulation. You’ll explore how these work from the ground up, as you assess recording results and make decisions based on skill and experience rather than guesswork.
Course Structure
WEEK ONE (MON–FRI)
10am–1pm Morning Lesson •Lunchtime • 2–5pm Afternoon Lesson
Optional use of facilities between 5pm and 7pm each weekday,
WEEKEND
Saturday: Optional use of facilities between 10am and 7pm
Sunday: Masterclass AM • Optional use of facilities between 12pm and 7pm
WEEK TWO (MON–FRI)
10am–1pm Morning Lesson •Lunchtime • 2–5pm Afternoon Lesson
Optional use of facilities between 5pm and 7pm each weekday.
Core Modules
The following modules make up the core elements that you'll study over your two-week course.
Physics of Sound
To ensure maximum quality sound, power and impact, and clarity between the musical parts, it’s essential that mixing and mastering for any style of music is based on the physics of sound. As you discover a range of theoretical concepts and procedures in the context of the science of sound and human hearing, you’ll broaden your knowledge of room acoustics and concepts such as reflection, absorption, diffusion, mixing/mastering room designs, and loudspeaker placement. You’ll also cover psychoacoustics, studying Fletcher Munson Curves, frequency masking and stereo localisation.
Signal Flow
Improving your technical understanding of signal flow makes it easier to solve problems while recording, ensuring a high-quality sound during the mixing process. As you build your signal flow knowledge, you’ll refine your audio production techniques, streamline your process and save time. You’ll explore both analogue and digital mixes in this module, including digital formats and file management.
Signal Processing
In this module, you’ll develop skills and experience across different signal processing software and hardware. Using equalisers (EQs), dynamic processors (including compressors and limiters), noise gates and expanders, you’ll learn extensive signal processing techniques. You’ll also gain experience in signal processing effects such as delay, chorusing, phasing and flanging, reverb, distortion and re-amping.
Advanced Signal Processing
Take your signal processing skills and knowledge to the next level in this advanced module. Incorporate new techniques into your repertoire, including parallel compression, frequency conscious dynamics control, sidechaining, limiting and dynamic equalisers, multi-band compression and mix bus processing. You’ll also become confident using impressive combinations of equalisers, dynamics and effects.
Mastering Techniques
Discover key principles for the last stage of the audio production process – mastering. As you assemble the final touches of your project, you’ll explore concepts such as understanding loudness and optimal levels, choosing suitable analogue and digital file formats (including vinyl and cassette), and mastering for specific environments like albums, broadcast media and streaming scenarios.
Access to incredible facilities
To ensure you get the most from your time at ICMP, we're opening up our world-class facilities to you outside of lessons. This will allow you to continue working on your projects and familiarising yourself with industry-standard gear.
When you complete this intensive Mixing and Mastering course, your workflow will be faster and sharper, thanks to valuable time spent in our dedicated Mixing and Mastering studio and Workstation-based Tech Labs. You’ll feel empowered to finalise projects, confidently and consistently achieving the exact sound you desire every time.
Course Details
- Start dates: Monday 17th June 2024
- Duration: Two weeks
- Time: Weekdays (10am - 5pm, with one hour for lunch), guest sessions and optional access to facilities outside of lessons to further progress work
- Where: ICMP London, Tech labs in Kilburn and our Mix and Master Studio in Queen's Park
Course cost: £999
Pay in full or via two payments - a £99 non-refundable registration fee, to reserve your space, then a one-time payment of £900. The second payment needs to be paid prior to course commencement.
Alternatively, you can book a call to learn more about the course.
Taster Session: Attend a free taster workshop for our Music Industry Courses, explore them here.
International Students
We welcome students from outside of the UK to join this specialist course. Depending on where you are coming from, you may require a standard visitor visa to attend this course. Please be aware that ICMP is a recognised accredited UK institution. Should you require this visa; the cost will depend on where you are travelling from. To check if you require a UK visa head to gov.uk.
Key facts
- Available in London
- Start date: Monday 17th June 2024
- Intensive 2 week course
- Gain an impressive overview of industry-grade mixing and mastering techniques.
- Advance the delivery of your projects to a professional level.
- Become confident using mixing and mastering hardware and software.
- Understand psychoacoustics and the physics of sound.
- Learn from expert industry tutors in a creative and inspiring study environment.
- Develop an understanding of listening environments and improve your project outcomes.
- Undertake practical hands-on activities and gain extensive studio experience.
- Acquire a confident working knowledge of the industry’s professional mixing and mastering standards.
- Connect with the London music industry and develop a music production and sound engineering network.
- Study this programme without a visa if you’re an international student (eligibility criteria applies).
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Payment plans available.
