Learning Audio on a Budget and acquiring useful tools

By Jim Brown

Learning Audio on a Budget. Jim Brown shares from his 40+ year background of learning the trade.

A common question on the e-mail lists I frequent is, “How can I learn audio and build up my stock of good test equipment without spending a lot of money?” This column attempts to provide some answers to both of those questions.

How and Where to Study

It’s no secret that I think Syn-Aud-Con classes and workshops are a great way to learn pro audio. And I’ve put my money where my mouth is – I’ve probably attended at least 25 of them over the years, and helped teach a few myself. But Syn-Aud-Con at its best should be only the beginning of the learning process. To really learn audio, you’ve got to take what you learn in class and build on it with years of self-study (what musicians call “woodshedding”).

AES conventions and conferences are also a great place to learn. Spend most of your time at the workshops and tutorial sessions. Sure, cruise the exhibits and look at the toys, but the technical sessions are where you’re likely to learn the most. Some of the technical tours can be interesting, but many will cost extra (usually to pay for transportation). A registration fee is required to attend the technical sessions, but you’ll get a free badge for the entire convention if you can be one of the volunteers who helps out in those sessions for a day. Contact the AES early to sign up. Students also get a reduced rate for membership and to attend conventions. And whether you’re a student or not, there’s an additional discount for registering in advance.

Most local AES chapters have regular meetings with invited speakers on a broad range of topics, they’re free, and you don’t need to be a member to attend. There may be a charge for dinner, but the meeting will be after dinner, and you don’t have to come to dinner if you don’t want to. These chapter meetings are also a great way to meet and “network” with other audio professionals in your area – many jobs are filled on the basis of contacts spawned at these meetings. See the local chapters section of the AES website.

Look beyond the audio field for professional societies to interact with. The Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) have local chapters in many cities, all have monthly meetings and programs, and nearly all are free. The EMC working group of the IEEE is also a very interesting one for people working in audio. Check the websites of these societies to find local chapters and meetings. I’ve learned lots of very interesting and useful things, and formed both personal and professional friendships, at meetings of all of these groups.

I’ve not included the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) or the US Institute for Theater Technology (USITT) on this list, because their local chapters, if they exist at all, tend to be extremely insular, academically based, and closed to participation by folks like you and me. Also, the conventions of both societies are costly to attend in proportion to the learning opportunities they offer. Some interesting papers are presented at ASA conventions, but are almost never available as printed copies (or even online), and presentation times are quite limited. USITT conventions are oriented to artistic design, with very limited technical content.

NSCA and ICIA (Infocomm) have no local chapters (they’re basically trade organizations). They offer some good (and bad) educational sessions at their trade shows, but they aren’t inexpensive. Instructors are poorly compensated (if at all), so many are “teaching” to promote their product and/or with minimal preparation. Thankfully, there are exceptions – Pat Brown, Bill Whitlock, Bruce Olson, Bob Coffeen, Brad Nelson, Peter Mapp, Jerrold Stevens and Ron Sauro are some of the “good guys” who teach classes at NSCA. A good rule is to invest your time and money in those sessions where you recognize the presenters from their participation in Syn- Aud-Con and other segments of the industry.

Self Study

What should you be studying on your own? Your class notes and printed materials are a great place to start. Often these materials are like the ones I prepared for the Hum, Buzz, and RF Workshop – they are written like book chapters and intended for self study. They also include a lot of references – mostly books that the authors have found really helpful. What else should you study? Certainly look through these references for answers to any questions that you have, and for any concepts that you’re not sure of.

How much and how long should you study? As long as you can stay awake, and until they throw dirt on you! I finished my EE degree 41 years ago, and I’ve been studying something nearly every day since. Some of that study is technical, some of it is not. You can assume that any concepts that are presented in these classes took the teachers months to learn in depth, and some took years of research. One of the reasons Pat’s classes are so good is that he is studying and doing research day and night! The man must never sleep! You should expend that same kind of effort. Read, re-read, and ask questions. Remember that the only dumb question is the one you’re afraid to ask.

Learning By Doing

You can learn a lot about how musical instruments and microphones work by spending a lot of time sticking mics in front of instruments and listening to the result. To do that, you need to find a job mixing live music. Consider working for free or cheap in exchange for what you can learn, but to learn the most, you’ll need to avoid rock and roll and concentrate on the acoustic music played by jazz and folk bands. Try to acquire as many different mics as you can. Don’t waste your time with run of the mill mics like SM-57’s and 58’s – instead, look for some good variable-D mics, at least one ribbon, some good omni’s, and a variety of good condensers. The good news is that good mics last for decades unless they’re really badly abused.

You can also learn a lot with acoustic modeling software, like EASE. If your employer owns the package, let him know that you’re willing to spend your own time learning it. Borrow a machine (or stay late and use one in the office) and run through the tutorials. Then find some project drawings, enter some rooms, “build” some systems, and “check them out.” Not only will you be learning this stuff, but your employer will see that you’re one of the more highly motivated members of the team, and you’re far more likely to get promoted when the opportunity arises.

When tuning and balancing a system, always try to devote some non-billable time to learning about how it works, how it’s interacting with the room, and investigating any “interesting” things that might be happening. For a few hours, you can be in your own private large scale acoustic laboratory with a system that you’ve designed and/or installed, with test equipment that is already set up, and with one or more members of a crew to help. Use this time to study crossover alignment, the spatial alignment of the loudspeakers, reflections from various surfaces, etc. And to be fair to your crew (and to prevent a revolt), be sure to involve them in your learning process.

Many employers will send you for specialized training if you agree to remain on their payroll for a reasonable time afterwards (usually several years). Ron Steinberg of Rent Com (Chicago) has long had this sort of policy. Others may split the costs with you. Ask about tuition reimbursement programs. And if an employer does not seem interested in you learning new stuff, you might want to start looking for a different place to hang your hat! They may not think you’re worth the investment, or they may not value growth. Either way, it’s time to move on.

Another way to learn is to find someone in your company (or local AES chapter) who will let you ask questions and give you thoughtful answers. In return, you may be able to offer some “grunt work” to further his or her research, or a pet project. Again, you’ll be demonstrating that you’re motivated to grow. Also, remember that while making a decent wage is important and demonstrates that your employer values your work, some of the most important things that any employer can offer are a challenge and the opportunity for growth.

Don’t limit your study to audio, or even to technical topics. People working in audio must understand the fundamentals of acoustics, video, radio, computers, computer networking, and photography. To be successful, both in business and in managing our own personal finances, we need to understand how business works – marketing, management, banking, and the world of investing. After 42 years working, I can think about a decent retirement because I’ve spent more than a thousand hours and read more than a dozen books learning how to invest my own money in stocks and mutual funds. In the process, I’ve learned a lot that has also been useful in understanding our industry in general and my own business in particular.

Ham radio can be a great way to learn radio. Many local ham clubs offer classes in basic electronics and radio, usually taught by their more technically sophisticated members. These classes are nearly always free, and will prepare you for obtaining a ham license in your country. That’s when the next stage of learning begins – put up some antennas, get on the air with a used radio from a hamfest, and study how things work! Volunteer to help maintain local repeater systems. US clubs are listed at www.arrl.org. Elsewhere, start your search at www.iaru.org.

Minimizing Travel Costs

Syn-Aud-Con classes and AES meetings must be held in hotels and similar venues that are large enough to set up the big video projection systems that add so much to the learning process. These places also must have the facilities to feed us reasonably well without burning a lot of time, and they need to be convenient to a major airport. AES conventions also need a place for the exhibits that pay for the convention. This means that they are often not the lowest cost place to stay. If you’re really on a budget, use the Internet to find a lower cost motel nearby, and also find a roommate to share it with. If your “roomie” can also share the drive with you, even better! You can also look for inexpensive places to eat dinner, or even bring munchies to eat in your room. I regularly do all of these things to hold down expenses. When I attend an out-of-town meeting, whether in Europe or the US, I use the Internet to learn the city, its public transport system, its hotels and restaurants, and their proximity to public transport and the convention center. I also search for cheap flights, and try to use public transport to and from the airport. I like www.tripadvisor.com, which provides user reviews of accommodations (large and small, including “bed and breakfasts”) and restaurants all over the world.

Acquiring Test Gear

The first thing you need to do is learn what to buy. In other words, more study! Again, ask questions. Go on the Internet and study product specifications and product reviews. Hamfests and eBay are the obvious places to find bargains. But also, ask around at AES meetings – many of us who have been at it for a while have basements full of stuff that we would be willing to sell for cheap to someone who we think will really learn from it. Once you know what to buy, do regular searches on eBay (and elsewhere on the internet) for specific models.

When you’re buying from someone you don’t know, it helps to learn to how to check out a seller to weed out those who may take advantage of you. On eBay, look for feedback of 99% or better, and avoid sellers without much feedback. Stick with good brands of gear – HP test equipment, for example, is built like a tank, so it lasts for decades, but you can get it for 10-20 cents on the dollar. Try to buy from individuals rather than big dealers. And watch out for proprietary cables and other accessories that aren’t included in the deal, and that the equipment won’t work without! The big dealers take the gear and dump the cables in the trash, and replacements can be next to impossible to find.

Ray Rayburn is selling older model Audio Toolboxes at bargain prices on his website (www.soundfirst.com), both used and new closeouts. Ray also has great deals on low-cost imported mics. Everyone needs at least a couple of VOM’s (volt-ohm meters). Make sure it can read down to fractions of an ohm. The one I carry in the bottom of my toolbox is a cheapie I bought at a hamfest for about $20. At that same hamfest, I found a Fluke 8060A, minus test leads, for $25. The seller thought it was flaky – in two years, I haven’t found anything wrong with it. I’ve found first class, 30-year old HP audio oscillators (that go to 1 MHz) for $20 – $50, an HP sine/square generator for $75. Expect to pay $500 – $1,000 for a good RF generator, $1,500 and up for an RF spectrum analyzer. In all cases, these prices are 10- 20% of their original selling price. Fluke, Amprobe, and AEMC are the good brands for current probes. Look for models that measure the small currents typical of our systems (tens of amps, not hundreds). When you’re buying face-to-face, chat the seller up to “get a read” on him. Is he selling his own gear, or his neighbor’s? Ask if everything works right. How long has he owned it?

Original TEF machines are available at very low cost, and are a great way to learn a lot about loudspeakers microphones, and acoustics. With the original Heyser software, they are an even more powerful piece of test equipment. Larry Shank often knows where they are for sale. See his listing on the Syn-Aud-Con website.

Sharing Resources

Few of us need all of our test equipment every day. Consider collaborating with others in your area to build and share a collection of resources. Some specialized software we use comes with a license for multiple “seats” – that is, an installation on a computer workstation. A standard EASE and EASERA license, for example, covers five seats, but a two-seat license (your office computer and a laptop) costs a lot less. Ask about this when you’re buying, and if your employer has a fiveseat license, ask if an unused seat might live on your computer.

Formal Education

Many public colleges and universities permit “auditing” of a course without registering for it (and may not even notice your presence if you maintain a low profile). Most will require the permission of the instructor. If you don’t care about degree credit, consider this option. jb

References

Here are some of my favorite reference books. More are listed as references in the technical papers on my website. Used copies are often available – use amazon, eBay, Google, and other Internet search tools to find them. I met Alton Everest many years ago at a Syn-Aud-Con workshop, and his books are worthwhile. Peter Lynch’s books and “The Motley Fool” website offer excellent advice on personal investing.

The ARRL Handbook and The ARRL Antenna Book (www.arrl.org)

Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems Henry Ott, Wiley Interscience 2nd edition 1988.

Sound System Engineering (the “Yellow Book”), Don and Carolyn Davis,

Sound Reinforcement Handbook (paperback, written for Yamaha), Gary Davis and Ralph Jones, Hal Leonard Publishing, 1989

Music, Physics, and Engineering Harry Olson, 2nd Edition, Dover Press, 1967 (available as a paperback)

Music, Sound, and Technology John Eargle, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1990

Microphones: Design and Application Lou Burroughs, Sagamore Press, 1974 (long out of print)