Tech Focus: Pro-Audio Training, Part 1 — Manufacturers Offer Comprehensive Online Courses

In-depth, detailed programs on a wide variety of topics are available, mostly free of charge

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 manufacturers’ training modules focus on the brands’ products and are part of marketing strategies. However, with the variety of the content across the key verticals of broadcast sound, combined with the depth and detail that many programs achieve, sufficiently ambitious students can put together some surprisingly comprehensive curricula.

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

Calrec’s Networking Primer is part of an extensive education effort by the broadcast-audio–equipment supplier.

Calrec
Online video tutorials cover Calrec’s Summa and Brio consoles. In addition, the company has produced two documents that are available in print and as a .pdf file. The Audio Primer and Networking Primer are designed to provide an introduction 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. Calrec plans to bring out some tutorials later this year focused on its Type R IP-based radio consoles.

Dolby
Investing in the tools and resources needed to educate around Dolby Atmos is a continuing effort. Last year, Dolby 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 Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos 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; the company has had a similar training facility in the UK for several years. 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
The Lawo Online Academy offers a wide range of online tutorials and includes a final exam for a certificate of completion on the use of Lawo consoles and other products. A comprehensive primer on networked audio, along with links to white papers and other information, can be found here.

The Shure Audio Institute offers online webinars and other educational/training efforts on a variety of audio topics for free.

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, technical, sales, and Shure product solutions, via online webinars and other training materials and 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)
Two types of courses are offered: Operational Training and Maintenance Training, each comprising two days (basic) and three days (advanced) and available with a translator. The courses can be held onsite or at SSL headquarters. In addition, SSL offers “on-air cover,” with support provided in critical on-air operational periods. Training is provided free of charge with the purchase of a console or post-sale for a fee.

Studer
The company’s Vista and OnAir series broadcast-audio consoles have their own online training portals, including user operational certifications on successful completion of courses and exams. The training courses, which are available on demand, can be accessed here, but users will need to set up an account in Harman’s learning-management system, which can be done by filling out a one-page signup form. They can then access the content on demand. In addition, the company last year updated the Studer Vista Online Certified Operational Training Course, which is hosted on the CRAS website, with the latest software.

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

Click here for Tech Focus: Pro-Audio Training, Part 2 — Formal Programs Get a Boost From Esports.

Click here for Tech Focus: Pro-Audio Training, Part 3 — Full Sail University’s Gus Ramsey on the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting.