Introduction to Professional Studio Recording

The Introduction to Professional Studio Recording short course will teach you the principles and practicalities of top-class musical sound recording in the industry-standard recording studios of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Overview

This course is about the nature of sound, how different types of microphone capture sound, how best to set up for recording and how to elicit memorable performances from musicians in the studio.

We also look at approaches to editing, mixing and mastering, with a strong element of critical listening to underpin a practical hands-on approach.

Who would benefit?

This course is for musicians and aspiring music producers interested in developing their practical skills in a real-life recording studio environment.

Course in depth

You’ll be taught in RBC’s high-end industry standard recording studios, which contain an SSL mixing desk, Prism audio interfaces and monitoring from ATC and PMC. There will be access to RBC’s extensive microphone collection. You’ll use industry standard DAWs, such as Logic, Pro Tools and Reaper.

We’ll look in detail at the typical preproduction, production and postproduction stages of recording projects. We will consider techniques, tips and tricks to get a good outcome, as well as respond to any specific issues that you might be wanting to overcome in your own musical projects.

All the techniques taught in this course are fully transferrable to project or home studios.

Any recordings or project files created during the course will be available to you to take away and work with at home.

This Short Course does not contain any formal assessments, but upon successfully attending and completing the programme, you will be issued with an official BCU Certificate of Achievement with which to evidence your skills.

There are no pre-requisite qualifications to attend, but some basic IT knowledge and musical skills on an instrument would be valuable.

Schedule and location

The course consists of ten sessions of three hours' duration, taking place on successive Monday evenings from 6pm.

Full schedule

• 13 October 2025
• 20 October 2025
• 27 October 2025
• 3 November 2025
• 10 November 2025
• 17 November 2025
• 24 November 2025
• 1 December 2025
• 8 December 2025
• 15 December 2025