Audio specialist Sennheiser in Old Lyme, Conn., is launching a new online Recording Sound Academy (RSA), through a partnership with audio software and hardware manufacturer Steinberg, that is designed to help aspiring producers and engineers create a great sounding mix. The Recording Sound Academy, which takes place entirely online, is an interactive program that provides aspiring engineers and producers with raw, individual pre-recorded tracks for three unreleased songs by a well-known recording artist, each recorded with Sennheiser and Neumann microphones.
Recording enthusiasts can have their mixes reviewed and evaluated by accomplished engineers including Grammy Award winners David Thoener (Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie), Karl Richardson (Eric Clapton, Bee Gees, Barbra Streisand), Al Schmitt (Steely Dan, Ray Charles), Tom Young (Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra), Tim Palmer (Pearl Jam, U2) and Kool & Dre (Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Queen Latifah).
To participate, users simply download these from the Recording Sound Academy Website, mix them on computers or in home studios, and then upload a finished track to the Website. Each complete, uploaded mix is then individually critiqued by an award-winning engineer. The first artist to be featured in the program will be Bo Bice, who has been featured on the hit TV show American Idol.
Participants are encouraged to use whichever DAW (digital audio workstation) software they are comfortable with. However, the RSA program will provide a complimentary copy of Steinberg’s Cubase LE 5 to all users, compliments of Steinberg. Additionally, once the program is completed next year, one participant with the best mix will be chosen to win a Neumann U87 Ai.
The online Recording Sound Academy borrows instructional elements from the highly successful Sennheiser Recording Sound Academy, such as valuable tips and instruction on microphone selection and placement and recording techniques. All participants in the program are invited to participate in a series of live video Webinars that feature the participating engineers who will explain how they created their version of the final mix for the songs. The Webinars, which include Q&A sessions, present an opportunity for program participants to learn about special techniques and methods of mixdown, as well as how Neumann and Sennheiser microphones were used to capture the tracks.
For more information on how to participate, visit Sennheiser’s Recording Sound Academy Website at www.sennheiserrsa.com.
