Tech Focus: Broadcast-Audio Education, Part 2 — Manufacturers Offer Online Learning

The pro-oriented curricula are surprisingly comprehensive — and free

One consistently available source of training for broadcast-sports audio has been the manufacturers of the equipment used to capture it, mix it, and transport it. Of course, the majority of the training modules focus on the brands’ own products and are part of marketing strategies.

Click here for Tech Focus: Broadcast-Audio Education, Part 1 — Limited Opportunities and Interest Raise Industry Concern

However, given the variety of the content across the key verticals of broadcast sound and the content’s depth and detail, sufficiently ambitious students can put together a surprisingly comprehensive curriculum.

Here’s a look at some of the educational offerings available online and elsewhere from broadcast-audio–equipment manufacturers.

Calrec’s Audio Primer provides an introduction to audio consoles in a broadcast application.

Calrec
Video tutorials on the Summa and Brio consoles are available online. In addition, Calrec has produced two documents, both available in print and as a PDF file: the Audio Primer and Networking Primer are designed to provide an introduction, respectively, to audio consoles in a broadcast application and to various types of audio-networking protocols and platforms. The company also maintains an “open-door policy” for free-of-charge freelancer training at its UK and California offices. Tutorials planned for release later this year will focus on the Calrec’s Type R IP-based radio consoles.

Dolby
Continuing to invest in the tools and resources needed to educate users about Dolby Atmos, Dolby last year partnered with the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences (CRAS) to launch the first online Dolby Atmos training course, providing training on how to use the technology, its application for live television, and installation and mixing guidelines for professional studios and broadcast trucks. Since then, Dolby has also set up a training facility in its San Francisco office, featuring a Calrec Artemis console, which joins the training facility Dolby opened in the UK several years ago. In addition, the Dolby Institute focuses on educating and empowering content creators to “think critically and creatively about audio and imaging from the beginning of the creative process.”

Lawo Online Academy tutorials cover the use of Lawo consoles and other products.

Lawo
The Lawo Online Academy offers a wide range of online tutorials on the use of Lawo consoles and other products and includes a final exam for a certificate of completion of the course. A comprehensive primer on networked audio and links to white papers and other information are available.

Shure
The Shure Audio Institute (SAI) is a global educational and training platform that provides access to deep knowledge and practical skills on general audio topics, technology, sales, and Shure products via online webinars and other training materials, as well as educational booklets. All the training is free and open to anyone who wants to learn more about audio and Shure products.

Solid State Logic
SSL offers two types of courses: Operational Training and Maintenance Training. Both types are two days (basic) or three days (advanced) in length and are available with a translator. The courses can take place onsite or at SSL HQ. In addition, SSL offers “on-air cover,” providing support in critical on-air operational periods. Training is provided free of charge with the purchase of a console or at a fee post-sale.

Studer OnAir console has its own online training portal, which offers operational certification.

Studer
Vista and OnAir series broadcast-audio consoles have their own online training portals, offering operational certifications on successful completion of courses and exams. The training courses are available on demand; users first need to set up an account in Harman’s learning-management system by filling out a one-page sign-up form. In addition, the company recently relaunched the Studer Vista Online Certified Operational Training Course, which updates the original course, hosted on the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences website, with the latest software.

Wheatstone
VoxPro Academy is an online series of video tutorials covering the company’s record/editing system used by sportscasters to record and edit simultaneously.