Great Sound Institute |
Resources
There is an abundance of resources available to assist you in learning more about the skill, craft, and art of live sound. I’ve listed a number of resources below that I’ve found helpful in my journey and quest in learning.
Books & Guides
Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook by Gary Davis & Ralph Jones, 1988
Yamaha Guide to Sound Systems for Worship by Jon Eiche, 1990
The Art of Mixing: A Visual Guide to Recording, Engineering, and Production by David Gibson, 2005
The Ultimate Live Sound Operators Handbook by Bill Gibson, 2011
The Mixing Engineers Handbook by Bobby Owsinski, 2013
Mobile Apps
hearEQ and Quiztones app – ear training for musicians, sound engineers, and audio lovers
FreeRTA and RTA Audio Analyzer app – Real Time Analyzer apps useful for visually finding frequencies
Great Sound app - includes a multi-track practice mixer, frequency analyzer, & tips
General Audio Education and Information
Great and simple interactive tutorials about sound
Overview of basic sound concepts, physics, and components
Introduction to acoustics, frequency, and audio transmission/reproduction.
Courses for professional audio training and seminars offered by SynAudCon
Beginner’s Guide to PA systems from Yamaha
Tutorial regarding signal-to-noise, microphone selection, etc. (tailored for video camera operators, but very useful information for the audio engineer): www.GreatLiveSound.com/videos
Virtual Soundcheck Tool
All-in-one multi-track recording and playback device for up to 32 channels: NDrive by NemoSyn
Wireless Microphone Information
A basic introduction to various wireless microphone system features and examples
FCC rules for wireless microphone frequency changes
Microphone Tips
The microphone 3:1 rule explained (especially useful for miking choirs): www.GreatLiveSound.com/videos
Compression
Great tutorial about Compression and techniques for how to use it effectively in your mix
Eliminating Buzz & Hum
Brief guide for assessing and eliminating buzz & hum problems in sound systems
Great post about What's That Noise? How do I Fix It!
Acoustics & Sound System Design
Why Churches Buy Three Sound Systems, and How You Can Buy Only One (by Jim Brown)
http://audiosystemsgroup.com/3Times.pdf
Acoustics and Sound Systems in the Contemporary Church (by Jim Brown)
http://audiosystemsgroup.com/ContempAcoustics.pdf
Terms, Definitions, Formulas
Glossary of Professional Audio Terms
Glossary of Theatre & Stagecraft Terms
Balanced vs Unbalanced cables & signals - two helpful video explanations:
www.GreatLiveSound.com/videos
Formula and calculator for loudspeaker impedance
Great analogy of Ohm’s law for sound
Explanation of loudspeaker impedance
The difference between analog and digital signal levels
Other sites you may find helpful & informative:
ProSoundWeb.com
MixMagazine.com
SynAudCon.com
LightingTrainer.com
Pyramid Audio Training
Shure Microphones Audio Docs
Down2EarthAudio.com