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The journey to graduation (Wednesday, 28 September, 2022)
Yes, I graduated in a real profession: Audio Engineer and Music Producer (Cum Laude) at Sound Education Nederland (SEN) run by owner and main lecturer Ignace Dhont. I can highly recommend this programme to everyone interested in audio engineering and music production.
The training was fun but also hard work (in particular with a full time job on the side) and an exciting journey. Many evenings and weekends to do all the practical (and theoretical) work but I have made significant progress, like many of my fellow students who produced some amazing music at the end of the program. Also acquired new contacts in the professional audio industry, which will be of help for my next projects.
Lectures
We had interesting (online) lectures from many professionals in the field, such as Holger Schwedt, Wessel Oltheten, Ewoud van der Linden, Margriet Koedooder, and many more. In addition, there were many hours of video on the SEN portal (again from professionals working in the audio industry) to provide further information and/or deepening into matters.
Home studio
I learned a lot from all sessions about acoustics and (home) studio design. Although the acoustics of my home studio are still far from perfect, it did actually improve a little bit. I also learned to listen and measure (imperfect) room acoustics using Room EQ Wizard (REW).
I’m very happy with the upgrade of my studio monitoring (currently the Kali IN8 and Avantone mix cubes). In addition, with knowledge and experience provided by the lecturers and fellow students, I have upgraded my studio software (e.g., plugins, virtual instruments) to industry standards, and now is state-of-the-art. Also, I extended my collection of hardware controllers that now also include the SLL UC1, Avid S1 and the Komplete Kontrol S88. And finally decided to buy a mic pre-amp (Golden Age Pre-73), and even bought the Shure SM58 to complement my other microphones. Despite all of this, listening skills remain the most important tool and Soundgym is a recommended approach to improve on this (already earned my Silver Badge) a while ago.
Studio visits
During the SEN project we worked at different studios (i.e., SoundVision, Arnhem; Trypoul Recording Studios, Neerkant; Studio Moskou, Utrecht; Obsidian, Eindhoven; Da Goose, Hendrik Ido Ambacht; Kox Music; Amersfoort). Very nice to see all these professional studios and the way they have been setup. Many knobs and cables!
Projects
Below a selection of projects we worked on during the SEN program. Everything came together in the final ‘Producer assignment’.
Mixing
The first mix I produced for SEN was the rock balled Empty from Direct. Directly revealed some weakness in my mixing skills (which I now have largely improved).
Mastering
The first mastering assignment for SEN was the song Until a drop becomes a flood from the album Where the Waters Run (2008) written by Leela and Ellie Grace. The biggest challenge of mastering is to identify what, if anything at all, should be improved given the (very good) mix provided. The suboptimal monitoring in my (and most) home studios doesn’t make it easier.
Band recording
We recorded, mixed and mastered a band (Recover) at Trypoul Recording Studios (River Deep Mountain High and I can’t stand the rain).
Electronic Music Production
We did a electronic music production (EMP) using sample libraries and virtual instruments (VSTi); listen to Sorry that you feel.
Audiovisual
We did an audiovisual assignment during which we had to put sound to a short video clip using a sample library and/or foley.
Producing a song
Final we had to produce a song during which recording, mixing, mastering and producer skills come together. The result is The Stranger. Very proud on this one…..
Study material
The amount of material provided by SEN was amazing. First of all, its own syllabus of about 600 pages of which we received a hardcopy but was also available as pdf. In addition, all lectures during the program become available online on the SEN portal (to which we will keep access). These were complemented with many lectures by other lecturers from previous years. Many many many hours of video. Feedback was provided many through the SEN E21 class private Facebook group and Discord, which was very active and which will remain to exist. We received some software, sample libraries, test tones, etc. In addition, there were several recommendations for good books that I bought (some of which I still have to finish reading or read for a second time): Mixing with your mind, Muziekproductie, Master handbook of Acoustics, Mixing with impact, Mastering Audio, and Principles of Digital audio.
Impression of graduation event
What’s next?
My short term goals are to continue music production. Either songs that I compose myself, or being the producer of an other artist or band. In parallel, I aim to further improve my mixing and mastering skills (and as part of this, even will try to improve my home studio acoustics with the knowledge that I have now).
During the SEN programme, I registered with SENA both as an artist and music producer and, therefore, can now officially provide recordings I make with an ISRC code. I also registered with Fiverr to sell my mixing and mastering services (but still have to actively promote this).
If you want me to produce your song, or to do your mix/master, or simply want to know more about digital audio workstations (DAW) like Cubase to record and mix your own music then send me a message.
