School of Music Production
Are you from Nashville?
Learn Music Production in Music City
In a 20-week program, you’ll learn the art of sound recording and music production in our professional working studio just outside Nashville, TN. Train hands-on and gain experience on world-class studio equipment. Our award-winning engineers will teach you about mixing techniques, mic placement, Pro Tools, music production, using plug-ins, live sound basics and much more.
On the first day of classes, you’ll be actively learning and be participating in studio-related audio engineering tasks. The Audio Engineering Course at Dark Horse Institute is small to ensure that our students get plenty of one on one time with their instructors and the recording equipment. That means from day one, you will learn by doing, not just watching.
Launch your career in music production
Courses are held in an experiential learning environment with small class sizes. Our instructors will guide you through digital and analog recording techniques, ear-training and how to operate every piece of studio equipment you could dream of. Our audio production facilities include two large teaching studios with SSL and Trident mix consoles and three audio labs where every student gets their own workstation with Pro Tools, access to UAD Plugins, Melodyne, a MIDI controller and more.
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Program Focus
The Audio Engineering Course is a certificate program in the recording arts aimed strongly at a hands-on, real-world approach over 20 weeks. You will learn:
- Microphones and placement techniques
- Signal routing and patching
- Compression, EQ, and digital effects
- Fundamentals of digital audio
- Using industry-standard software – Pro Tools HD
- Setting up a tracking session
- Software plugins including Melodyne, Auto-Tune, Elastic Audio, and Beat Detective
- Live sound techniques and how to set up a PA system
- Analog tape machines
- Transferring between different digital platforms
- The role of the audio engineer
- Advanced editing techniques
- Full band recording, editing, mixing, and mastering
- Studio etiquette, life skills, invoicing, and becoming an independent contractor
- Soldering and studio repairs
- Working with MIDI
Dark Horse Institute gave me the tools and knowledge I needed to be able to feel comfortable in any studio session. I was able to start working within two weeks!
Dark Horse Institute was truly essential for this career and the list of talented people I’ve been blessed to have worked with.
For King And Country, MercyMe, Rush Of Fools, Phil Stacey, Jason Ingram, David Garcia
Dark Horse taught me how to think, act and use every second of my time in the studio efficiently. Those technical and personal skills laid the foundation for where I am today as an engineer and producer.
What makes Dark Horse Institute different for Nashville students?
There are many reasons why DHI may be a superior choice: professional instructors with real-world experience, world-renowned facilities equipped with industry-standard equipment, more opportunities for independent studio time, and hands-on learning of the business, smaller class sizes, and career services to name a few. Most of all, we are a professional recording studio and an indie record label, not just a school.
When comparing other schools to our professional program, we suggest spending some time researching these critical components: Career Preparation, Facilities & Equipment, and Our Faculty
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Dark Horse Institute is authorized for operation as a postsecondary education institution by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. In order to view detailed job placement and graduation information on the programs offered by Dark Horse Institute, please visit http://tn.gov/thec/topic/authorized-institutions-data and click on the Authorized Institutions Data.