David Adamcyk

In this course, I learned how to use analog and digital mixers in the context of live sound. We learned about EQ, compression, balance, signal flow, mics and micing, setting up live sound for different rooms, avoiding phase interference, and other basics of live sound. When I started the course, I had very limited knowledge about live sound, and now I feel confident that I can run and problem solve in live sound scenarios.

2 concert reports (first is 15%, second is 25%) 1 midterm (listening, multiple choice) 1 final (listening, multiple choice essay) Really light workload and you learn a lot. How a Core class should be.

Learned about live music techniques, miking, using mixers, etc

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in David Adamcyk's section of Music Hum, despite the fact that it was an 8:40 am class. I think he gave a solid overview of music from the Western tradition at a good pace, while managing to cover many contemporary music concepts. He has a separate website for his Music Hum class, which is super helpful and contains the lesson plan for each day, links to supplementary listening/concert venues/terms, and information about papers and exams. Each day, one student is assigned to pick any kind of music to present during the first five minutes of class; this is fun because it relaxes the atmosphere and you learn a bit more about your classmates. The class explicitly follows this schedule and we covered everything from Medieval music (Hildegaard von Bingen, Palestrina) to Minimalism (Reich, Cage, Glass) and Jazz. Of course, the most famous classical music composers such as Haydn, Brahms, Mozart, and Bach, are covered. He was very patient in going over key terms and material, and even as a student who has had extensive training in classical music, I found the course very illuminating when we learned about technology's role in music (think Moog synthesizers, multi-track recording process). At first, I was intimidated to take this section of Music Hum when I learned he was a composer. I suppose I had some warped perception that composers would be harsher in…

In this class I learned how to operate a Behringer X32 digital sound board and other essential skills for sound engineering for live events. A majority of the homework assignments were focused on mixing from Logic stems on the X32 board.

Learned all of the aspects of live sound engineering within the context of both analog and digital technologies. Also learned some of the nuances of being a live sound engineer, interacting with artists, creating a tech rider, working collaboratively with other engineers, and honing my ear for EQ.

I learned a great deal of practical knowledge regarding music and live audio

In this class, I built on knowledge I gained from Recorded Sound, which had more to do with mixing "in the box" (i.e. in Logic Pro) and recording acoustic instruments. Primarily, I learned how to successfully prepare for and "run" audio for a live show, spending most of our time gaining skills on digital consoles (Behringer Wing, Behringer X32) and analog mixers (Mackie boards). This course gave me the tools to run a live event effectively (e.g. show preparation, mic placement, equipment) and make quicker live mixing decisions (e.g. different types of signal processing, I/O configuration, basic routing, etc.).

If you want to learn how to run sound for a concert using a digital (or analog) board, this is the class for you. Good knowledge for anyone interested in live music or performance in any capacity. 1 Columbia University: Arts & Sciences Spring 2023 Course: MUSIGR6631_001_2023_1-TechniquesofLiveSound : MUSIGR6631_001_2023_1 - Techniques of Live Sound Instructor: David Adamcyk