Course Syllabus

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AUDIO FOR CONVERGED MEDIA

Comm 1560 – Section 1

Fall 2014

 

     
   
 
   

 


               

Class Meets:                       MWF 11:00 pm – 11:50 pm               Classroom:      192 – Jennings Building

                                                                                                                 Instructor:       Shawn Denevan

Consultation Hours:          MWF Immediately after class                                       (435) 619-5804 (c) 

                                                Jennings Room 107                                                       (435) 879-4312 (o)
Shawn.Denevan@Dixie.edu

 

     
   
 
   

 

 


        Required Text:                                Alten, Stanley R. (2013). Audio in Media (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

 

Recommended Equipment:         Headphones – Circumaural (around-the-ear) – available at the Bookstore, or eBay – with 1/8 and ¼ inch plug adapter. Ear buds are not sufficient for this course.

 

        Recommended Equipment:        Flash drive or portable hard drive for saving projects.

                               

 


Course Description:          For Communication Majors and other interested students. Develops beginning
audio production skills for radio, television, film, and

online environments, including generating and editing audio for broadcast

stations and new media.

 

Course Objectives:           This course will teach the “how” of audio production; the “why” will follow in advanced courses. The desired outcome is twofold:

                                                            1) Determine the level of interest a student has in pursuing studies in audio.

                                                            2) Train students to be able to perform basic audio tasks in real-world settings.

                                       

                                                Students will develop proficiency in various practical aspects of audio production, including:

  • Selecting the appropriate equipment needed for a given production setting.
  • Proper set-up and tear-down techniques for basic audio gear.
  • Field and studio acquisition of vocal and ambient audio.
  • Editing, sweetening, mixing and mastering on digital audio software (Adobe Audition).
  • Live audio production for radio and television.

 


Class Discussions:           The nature of this class requires serious analysis and discussion of the principles and practices of audio production. For this reason, attendance and punctuality are important, and students cannot do well if they are often absent or late. Please plan your schedules accordingly.  Please turn off all cell phones during class time. If you must take a call, take it outside, and do not return to class.

 

Chapter Quizzes:               Doing the assigned reading is particularly important to your success. This textbook has been carefully assessed as an essential part of learning audio in this class. You will be quizzed regularly on the content. Early or make up quizzes will not be allowed, except under extreme situations.

 

Audio Production:              Audio production projects as individuals or teams will be an important part of your evaluation for this class. Guidelines for each project will be provided before the project is due. Due dates for these projects will also be announced during the semester. Projects will not be accepted late.

Radio Practice:                   You will receive hands on training for being a live Radio DJ. 5 weeks of class will require you to sit in with a DJ and learn and implement some on-air fundamentals. An edited recording will be submitted for your grade. 

     
   
 
   

 

 


Exams:                             Quizzes:                                Approx. Biweekly                                Reading/discussions as indicated

                                                Mid-Term Exam:  Oct 15                                   1st Half of Course Material

                                                Final Exam:          Fri Dec 19 10-12                 2nd Half of Course Material

                                                                                 

CLASS SCHEDULE

 

Wk     Date:        Topics:                            Reading:         Quizzes/Assignments:                     Points:             

1

Aug 25

Aug 27

Aug 29

Sound

Studio Tour / Adobe 1

Acoustics

1,2

3

 

 

2

Sep 1

Sep 3

Sep 5

NO CLASS

Consoles

Adobe 2

 

6

 

 

 

Quiz 1 (1, 2, 3, 6)  /  Project 1

 

 

25 / 50

3

Sep 8

Sep 10

Sep 12

Adobe 3

Recording

Editing

 

7

21

 

 

4

Sep 15

Sep 17

Sep 19

Adobe 4

Adobe 5

 

 

 

Quiz 2 (7, 21) / Project 2 /

 

 

25 / 50 /

5

Sep 22

Sep 24

Sep 26

Speakers

Microphones
Signal Processing

4

5

9

 

 

6

Sep 29

Oct 1

Oct 3

 

 

 

 

Quiz 3 (4, 5, 9)  /  Project 3

 

 

25 / 50

7

Oct 6

Oct 8

Oct 10

Speech

Voice Over

11

12

 

 

Quiz 4 (11, 12) /  Project 4 /

 

 

25 / 50

8

Oct 13

Oct 15

Oct 17

 

Midterm

NO CLASS

 

 

Midterm (1,2,3,6,7,21,4,5,9,11,12)

 

 

100

9

Oct 20

Oct 22

Oct 24

Studio Production

Field Production
Sound Design

13

14

15

 

 

Radio 1

 

10

Oct 27

Oct 29

Oct 31

 

 

 

 

Quiz 5 (13,14,15)  /  Project 5 / Radio 2

 

 

25 / 50 / 50

11

Nov 3

Nov 5

Nov 7

Sound FX

Internet Sound

Game Sound

16

10

19

 

 

12

Nov 10

Nov 12

Nov 14

 

 

 

 

Quiz 6 (10,16,19)  /  Project 6 / Radio 3

 

 

25 / 50 / 50

13

Nov 17

Nov 19

Nov 21

Music Underscore

Music Recording

Music Mixdown

17

20

24

 

 

 

 

14

Nov 24

Nov 26

Nov 28

 

NO CLASS
NO CLASS

 

 

 

15

Dec 1

Dec 3

Dec 5

 

 

 

 

Quiz 7 (17,20,24)  /  Project 7 / Radio 4

 

 

25 / 50 / 50

16

Dec 8

Dec 10

Dec 12

Production / Mixing Mobile
Mixdown

Fin    -    Last day of Class

18,25

23,23

 

 

Quiz 8 (18,22,23,25) / Project 8 /Radio 5

 

 

25 / 50 / 50

17

 

 

Dec 19



(Final - Sect 1: 10-12)

 

 

13,14,15,16,10,19,
17,20,24,18,25,22,23

 

 

100

 

 

 

 

 

 


GRADING

 

 

 

 

  1.      SCHEDULE OF POINTS:                  Production Projects (8)                       400 pts.

                                                                        Chapter Quizzes (8)                            200 pts.

                                                                        Radio Training (4)                               200 pts.

                                                                        Mid-Term Examination                        100 pts.

                                                                        Final Examination                               100 pts.

                                                                                             TOTAL POSSIBLE:        1000 pts.

 

  1.      CANVAS: The online tool Canvas will be extensively utilized in this class, and knowledge of its operation will be paramount to your success. All tools, audio, video, documented instruction, email conversation, grading, and assignment submission will be down through Canvas. Assignments will only be accepted through Canvas. Communication with the instructor is advisable though Canvas. Most questions can be answered with the content on Canvas, and thus students will be directed there for their inquiries.

 

  1.     ADJUSTMENT FOR DIFFICULTY:  Your instructor does not grade on the curve; therefore, to guard against the rare possibility of exams being too difficult for all students, grades on exams will be adjusted to insure a median score of 75%. For example, if 100 points are possible and the median score is 70, all students who took the exam will receive an additional 5 points. Final grade points will be similarly adjusted. No such adjustment will be made for quizzes.

 

  1.  PARTICIPATION GRADE:  Because this class necessarily involves class discussions and evaluations, attendance and participation are essential to our success. Roll will be taken daily. Participation will be evaluated, and your instructor reserves the right to adjust your final grade by as much as a half-grade, based on your participation rating. The average student will earn a null (0) on participation and will be unaffected.

 

  1.      FINAL GRADES:  After any adjustments for difficulty and participation, final grades will be assigned according to the following schedule:

 

                                                950 + points (95%) A              740 + points (74%) C

                                                900 + points (90%) A-             700 + points (70%) C-­

                                                870 + points (87%) B+            670 + points (67%) D+

                                                840 + points (84%) B              640 + points (64%) D

                                                800 + points (80%) B-             600 + points (60%) D­-

                                                770 + points (77%) C+            Below 600 points   F

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REGULATIONS

 

 

 

 

 

  1.      Exams and Chapter Quizzes:  Exams and chapter quizzes must be taken in class on the day they are administered. No make-up quizzes or exams will be given. For this reason, attendance in class on those dates is essential to your success. Carefully reading your assignments is important since you may be quizzed on any material assigned and/or discussed prior to that date.

 

  1.      Academic Dishonesty:  Plagiarism (claiming somebody else's work or ideas as your own), submitting another person's work as your own, and/or cheating on exams will not be tolerated. At best, these will result in a failing grade on the assignment or test involved. More likely, they will result in a failing grade and dismissal from the class. Further information on Dixie State Universities’ policy on academic dishonesty can be found at http://www.dixie.edu/humanres/policy/sec3/334.html

 

  1.      Accommodation for Disabilities:  If you are a student with a medical, psychological, or learning disability or think you might have a disability and would like accommodations, contact the Disability Resource Center (652-7516) in the Student Services Center. The Disability Resource Center will determine eligibility of the student requesting special services and determine the appropriate accommodation related to their disability.

 

  1.      Office Hour Appointments:  As shown on the front page of this syllabus, your instructor has set aside time immediately after class each day for office appointments with students. If you wish to meet with the instructor during this time, you must make an appointment in advance. If no appointments have been made, the instructor cannot guarantee his availability on any day for which advance appointments have not been made.

 

  1.      Class Conduct:  Students will be expected to show respect for other students. Disruptive or distracting behavior will not be tolerated. Real-world studio environments require a high level of teamwork and accommodation. Also, because food and drink are not allowed around the equipment in studio environments, food and drink (other than water) will not be allowed in class. Dixie State Universities’ policies on student conduct can be found at http://www.dixie.edu/humanres/policy/sec3/334.html.

 

  1.      Adjustments to Class Schedule:  The instructor reserves the right to alter the class schedule or grading system shown in this syllabus, depending on his assessment of the progress and needs of the individual and collective members of the class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important Days to Remember (2014 Fall)

 

List Schedule

Aug 25

Classwork Starts

Aug 28

Last Day for Waitlist

Aug 29

Last Day to Add Without Signature

Sep 1

Labor Day

Sep 4

Drop/Audit Fee Begins ($10 per class)

Sep 4

Residency Application Deadline

Sep 9

$50 Late Registration/Payment Fee

Sep 15

Pell Grant Census

Sep 15

Last Day for Refund

Sep 15

Last Day to drop without receiving a "W" grade

Sep 17

Courses dropped for non-payment

Sep 19

Last Day to Add/Audit

Oct 1

Fall 2014 Associate's degree Graduation Application Deadline

Oct 15

Mid-Term Grades Due

Oct 16-17

Semester Break

Oct 20

Last Day to Drop Individual Class

Oct 27

Spring and Summer 2015 class schedules available online

Nov 3

Spring 2015 Bachelor's degree Graduation Application Deadline

Nov 11

Career Day

Nov 14

Last Day for Complete Withdrawal

Nov 17

Spring Registration open to Seniors (90+ credits)

Nov 18

Spring Registration open to Juniors (60+ credits)

Nov 19

Spring Registration open to Sophomores (30+ credits)

Nov 20

Spring Registration Open to All Students

Nov 26-28

Thanksgiving Break

Dec 12

Classwork Ends

Dec 15-19

Final Exams

 

 

Final Exam Schedule

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due