Mondays, 7:00-8:15 pm, 12 weeks beginning January 9 (no class on 1/16 or 2/20)
$240.00 advance / $250.00 after January 2
Register online

Are you interested in mixing live acoustic bands? Do you want to turn the knobs and move the faders? Or are you the person in the band who gets stuck trying to fix the feedback without a clear idea of how to go about it? This class is for anyone who either wants or needs to gain an entry-level understanding of live sound reinforcement.

The first part of the class is an introduction to the basic concepts and techniques of live sound reinforcement on an analog system, with an emphasis on reinforcement of acoustic music and getting a clear, intelligible sound. The class will begin with an overview of the parts of a basic sound system and what they do, and will go on to cover signal flow, gain structure, equalization, use of compression and effects, microphone choices, and helpful hints for feedback elimination and room tuning. There will be hands-on opportunities to learn about live sound system behavior and troubleshooting.

The second part of the class will introduce students to a basic digital mixer interface and will help students to make the transition from the analog mixing controls to the digital controls. We'll continue to practice the techniques learned in the first part of the class on a digital mixing console, using an iPad interface. The final class session will be hands-on practice mixing in the main Freight & Salvage performance room. 

The class will be taught by Tesser Call, a Freight and Salvage sound engineer with more than 15 years of experience working with live sound reinforcement for acoustic and ethnic music. In addition to working at the Freight, she works freelance in the Bay Area and has worked with artists such as John McCutcheon, Bruce Molsky, and Lavay Smith and her Red-Hot Skillet Lickers. She works regularly at events like the Kate Wolf Memorial Music Festival, Ballet Afsaneh’s Festival of the Silk Road, and the Berkeley Indigenous Peoples Day Powwow, and she has toured with the Old Blind Dogs and the Black Brothers. Her experience ranges from straightforward old-time music to Persian classical, and everything in between.