Free Online Audio Engineering Courses, Lessons & Classes
Free online audio engineering courses, lessons, and classes are available from various accredited colleges and universities. Keep reading to find out what resources are available and what you need to get started.
Overview of Free Online Audio Engineering Courses, Lessons & Classes
Audio engineering is a term that encompasses many different technical aspects of the manipulation of sound, such as recording and mixing. Though some free online courses require previous knowledge, there are courses for those with no experience. All audio engineering courses, however, require access to a sound system of some kind, even if that is just a laptop and a digital audio workstation (DAW). Listed below are some free online resources to help you get started.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
These free online undergraduate courses, part of MIT's OpenCourseWare, are about the recording and production side of audio engineering and teach concepts and practical knowledge about sound and electronic composition. Lecture notes, reading list, and detailed listening guide, as well as labs and assignments with audio source files are provided. All these resources walk students through what they need to do. Topics include the following:
- Basics of audio recording and music production
- Using microphones
- Using digital audio workstations and other types of audio software (Pro Tools, Peak, Max/MSP)
- Digital signal processing (DSP)
- Automation
- Mixing
- Mastering
- Using different types of audio software (Pro Tools, Peak, Max/MSP)
- Dealing with feedback
- Using delays and reverb
- Filtering and layering
- Convolution
- Reducing unwanted noise
- Sound sculpting
- Composing
- Synthesis
- Sampling
- Mixing and remixing
Ideally, students would have access to a professional recording studio, but some of the labs and assignments should be able to be completed using a computer, a few textbooks for the readings, a mobile sound system (MOSS), and the various types of audio software used in the courses, such as Pro Tools, Peak, and Max/MSP. Here are two examples of free online courses related to audio engineering you can find through MIT's OpenCourseWare:
- Composing with Computers I (Electronic Music Composition)
- Music and Technology: Recording Techniques and Audio Production
Stanford University
Stanford University offers multiple open source courses on a variety of sound and audio topics, such as audio signal processing and sound transmission through the internet. These free online courses consist of a series of video lectures and assignments. After a quick enrollment process, students can access the video lectures and assignments and will be provided with software, audio files, and other resources needed to complete the assignments. The video lectures cover the following topics:
- Signal and spectral processing
- Computational methods
- Transforming and altering sounds
- Analyzing and synthesizing audio signals
- Using music applications
- Programming techniques for audio
- Collaboration over the internet
- Setting up studio-to-studio audio links
- Distributed rehearsing and production
- Troubleshooting and debugging
- Network protocols and audio
- Using JackTrip and Audacity
- Multi-site setups and P2P connections
- Ear training
To complete the assignments, students will need a computer, a wired internet connection, and two pieces of software, JackTrip and Audacity. Some mathematics and programming knowledge is necessary for select courses. Here are examples of the free online courses related to audio engineering offered by Stanford University:
- Audio Signal Processing for Music Applications
- Online Jamming and Concert Technology