Fall 2025 - MUSI 4630
Room 317, Prentis
Tuesdays 11:40pm-2:30pm
Instructor: David Adamcyk (da2472@columbia.edu)
Office Hours, Tuesdays 10-11am
TA: Àsa Olafsdottir (ao2964@columbia.edu) - for studio issues or assignment questions, email directly CC David
Description:
Recorded Sound focuses on the fundamentals of sound recording and mixing, as well as on basic acoustics and audio tools. Students learn to use the recording studio as a creative environment to record musical works or audio projects. The main tool used during the semester is Logic Pro (not Pro Tools), along with the collection of microphones and outboard gear available at the Columbia Music Center (CMC) studio. Topics include basic acoustics, digitizing sound, signal flow, microphones types and techniques, audio editing, equalization, compression, and audio mixing (note this is not a MIDI based course and most of the work centers on recording and mixing acoustic sources). Class time is generally divided into two parts: theoretical concepts for the first half, and practical implementations for the second half. Students are expected to complete and present eight assignments, answer a short mid-term exam, and prepare a final creative project of approximately 3-5minutes, which is completely open and unbound by musical aesthetic, genre, or purpose. All recording and most mixing must be done at the CMC, and the course cannot provide musicians. Acoustic drums and piano are available at the CMC (both need approval). Lastly, students must be available outside of class time twice: for 30 mins during the week of October XX and for 45 mins during the week of November XX.
Expectations:
• Students must attend all classes
• No phones during class time (laptops are OK, but only for note taking)
• If applicable, student must provide their own performers (can be themselves, friends, or classmates). Note that only drums and piano are available at the CMC, and both need approval to be used.
• All recording and most mixing must be done at the CMC.
• Students should take notes (I will not do any Zoom recordings of lessons)
Grading for each semester is broken down as follows:
65% Assignments (6.5% for each of the ten assignments)
15% Mid-term Test (multiple-choice)
20% Final project
Grading is based on specific technical criteria made clear with each assignment.
All work must be turned in on time. Late work will be given one letter grade lower, and work submitted more than week late will not be accepted. Failure to submit the final project will automatically result in a failing grade.
Hard Drive for Backing Up Your Work
You will be asked to save your work on the studio's computer. However, there is no guarantee that your work is safe there. You must have a hard drive (can be a USB flash drive or anything bigger, as long as is has at least 32GB) so that you can create a backup copy of your work.
Required Textbook:
There is no required text book, but readings from Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior and Modern recording techniques : a practical guide to modern music production by David Huber will be assigned. An electronic version of the book is available for free via the Columbia Library (you must be connected to the Columbia network to gain access).
Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio
https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/18414159
Modern recording techniques
https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/17700222
Class Website: http://columbia-recordedsound.davidadamcyk.ca/
You are required to consult the class website on a weekly basis.
Weekly Schedule:
See class website, under the “Schedule”. The exact contents are subjects to change during the semester.
Student Attendance
Students are expected to attend every class/meeting. In the event that a student must miss a class due to religious observance, illness, or family emergency, instructors may strongly encourage that students complete additional assignments to help make up for lost class participation. Whenever possible, students should provide advance notification of absence. Students who miss class without instructor permission should expect to have their grade lowered.
Academic Integrity
Students are responsible for the full citations of others’ ideas in all research papers and projects; they must be scrupulously honest when taking examinations, and must always submit their own work and not that of another student, scholar, or internet agent. Any breach of this intellectual responsibility will not be tolerated.