Fundamentals of Live Sound

SoundGirls.Org Presents The Fundamentals of Live Sound 101

Six Classes at The Ventura Theater

Ventura Theater
26 Chestnut St.
Ventura, CA 93001
Dates: 10/1, 10/15, 10/29, 11/12, 12/3, 12/17
10:00 am to 4:00 PM
Cost $300
Financial Aid is Available
Register at soundgirls.org
SoundGirls.Org Fundamentals of Live Sound is a six class workshop for teens and adults (16+ all genders and non-conforming genders welcome) who want to learn about live music production. The curriculum was designed by industry veteran Fedj Sylvanus and teaches the basics for working in live sound. Working in small, collaborative and hands-on groups, the attendees learn:

Live Event Safety
Stage and Audio Terminology
Signal Flow, Setup and Wire PA Systems
Input lists, Stage Plots
Microphones, Wiring Stages
Line Check, Sound Check, Mixing
The Business Side
Setting up and Mixing a Band.
October 1 – Live Sound Fundamentals

Careers and Potentials
The Basics
Signal Path
Tools – Just the Basics
Basics of electricity – sine wave, AD & DC voltage, etc.
How a Speakers work
How Microphones work
How Mixing Boards work
Acoustics
Hands On: Mixing Tracks
October 15 – Stage Fundamentals

Patch Person: The most important job
Stage plot, Input list, Tech Riders, Daily timeline schedule,”
How to wire a stage properly
Cabling: audio power, backline power, mics, lighting, video, coms
“Cable wrapping party!!”
How to lift & move gear properly
GAIN STRUCTURE.
Hands on mixing tracks
October 29 FOH Fundamentals

Small PA to Large PA components
Small consoles to Large consoles
The importance of FLAT
Tuning the PA & Reference tools
Problems faced by FOH Engineers
Fundamentals of a Crew
The Crew and “Teamwork;” Making a good first impression, How to talk to the PM/ Steward/ Chief, How to talk to talent, etc.
What time are doors? The importance of staying on schedule and being organized
Ego – Why there is no room for ego behind the console or backstage
Hearing Protection and Why it is important
Hands On – Setting up a sound system from start to finish
November 12 Fundamentals of Monitors

Review the first three classes and Q&A
Monitors:
wedges vs in ears.
feedback and what happens to the performers hearing once exposed to it.
gain structure and the mic pre.
EQ, Graphic and Parametric, how and when to apply each.
Common problems faced by monitor engineers
Hands on with wedges and mics.
December 3 Fundamentals of Business and FX/Processing

How the ear works – and why we need to protect our hearing
How to advance a show
How to get paid
Freelance or Employee
Rules no one tells you about
What to do when nothing works – Troubleshooting
FX and Processing Fundamentals
December 17th The “Fun” of Working a Show

Review – Q&A
Students will set up – tear down a system and work with a band
* Syllabus is subject to change – due to time constraints.

* Dates and Times are subject to change due to this being a working venue. We currently do not forsee any changes and we will keep all participants updated.

About the instructor: Fedj Sylvanus is an old road dog from the way back machine. Fedj got his start in the Los Angeles punk rock scene, working with Fishbone and The Red Hot Chili Peppers and moving on to the likes of Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, George Benson, just to name a few. When not on tour he worked almost every club in town to pay the rent, House Of Blues, The Roxy, The Whiskey, The Key club, etc. and has an extensive knowledge of all things technical.

Fedj has a love for sharing his knowledge through teaching and spent years teaching Live Audio at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. This series is a modified version of the program he taught at Musicians Institute.