Audio specialist Sennheiser announced that it is launching a new online Recording Sound Academy (RSA), designed to help aspiring producers and engineers achieve their dreams and create a great sounding mix. Through a partnership with Steinberg, maker of Cubase recording software, Sennheiser is providing recording enthusiasts with the opportunity to have their mixes reviewed and evaluated by accomplished engineers.
The online Recording Sound Academy is an interactive program that provides aspiring engineers and producers with raw, individual pre-recorded tracks for three unreleased songs by a well-known recording artist, each recorded with Sennheiser and Neumann microphones. Users simply download these from the Recording Sound Academy website, mix them on their computers or home studios, and then upload a finished track to the site. Each uploaded mix is then individually critiqued by an award-winning engineer. The first artist to be featured in the program will be Bo Bice of American Idol fame.
Participating engineers include Grammy winners David Thoener (Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie), Karl Richardson (Eric Clapton, Bee Gees, Barbra Streisand), Al Schmitt (Steely Dan, Ray Charles), as well as Tom Young (Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra), Tim Palmer (Pearl Jam, U2) and Kool & Dre (Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, Queen Latifah).
The RSA borrows instructional elements from the Sennheiser Recording Sound Academy, with tips and instruction on recording techniques, microphone selection and placement. Participants are invited to a series of live video webinars in which engineers will explain how they created their version of the final mix for the songs. The webinars, which include a Q&A session, present an opportunity to learn about special techniques and methods of mixdown, as well as how Neumann and Sennheiser microphones were used to capture the original tracks.
Participants can use whatever DAW (digital audio workstation) software they are comfortable with. However, the program will provide a complimentary copy of Steinberg’s Cubase LE 5 to all users. Once the program is completed next year, the participant with the best mix will win a Neumann U87 Ai.
