Self-paced
$149
Start today, finish when you like.
- 42 recorded lessons
- Six assignments with worked answers
- Checklists, templates and a room measuring sheet
- Private forum
- Lifetime access
Online course · Six weeks · Starts Monday 11 January 2027
Aubade : Sound design and acoustics for people who make things.
Learn how rooms, materials and microphones shape what people hear. Six weeks for musicians, podcasters and video makers, with live sessions or at your own pace.
- 6weeksOne topic a week, about four hours of work.
- 6live sessionsNinety minutes each, recorded for later.
- 3finished projectsYou work on your own recordings and rooms.
- 40places per cohortSmall enough for personal feedback.
What you will learn
Six weeks, one idea at a time
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Week 01
Vibration and rooms
How sound travels, bounces and fades in a space. You measure your own room with a phone and a hand clap, then read the result.
You make A one-page report on your room.
Mode 1 · 2 — 61 Hz
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Week 02
Resonance and standing waves
Why some notes boom and others disappear. Find the standing waves in a room, and watch sand find them on a plate.
You make A map of the problem notes in your space.
Mode 2 · 3 — 158 Hz
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Week 03
Absorb, diffuse, block
Choose materials for a purpose. Treat a corner, a vocal booth or a desk with a budget you can afford.
You make A treatment plan with a shopping list.
Mode 3 · 4 — 303 Hz
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Week 04
Microphones and placement
Pick and place microphones for voice, guitar, drums and a whole room. Hear the same source captured four different ways.
You make A recording with two placements compared.
Mode 2 · 5 — 351 Hz
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Week 05
Repair, then shape
Use EQ, compression and reverb to fix a weak recording first, then to give it a character on purpose.
You make A before and after of your own track.
Mode 3 · 5 — 412 Hz
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Week 06
Final mix and delivery
Bring it together in one project, check it on five different systems, and export files ready for streaming and video.
You make A finished piece and a delivery sheet.
Mode 4 · 7 — 788 Hz
Your teacher
Helen Marsh
Helen has designed small studios for fifteen years and mixes music, podcasts and film dialogue for a living.
She taught sound at a college of music for nine years before moving the course online. Her method is simple: listen first, measure second, change one thing at a time. You will hear her explain every step in the lessons and give feedback in the live sessions.
- 15 yearsStudio and room design
- 9 yearsTeaching sound at a college of music
- MixingRecords, podcasts and film dialogue
How it runs
Four parts that fit around a job
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Live sessions
One 90 minute session a week, Thursdays at 18:00 UTC. Ask questions, listen to student work and try things together. Every session is recorded.
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Assignments
One practical assignment a week, about three hours, built on your own room and recordings. Nothing to buy beyond what you already have.
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Feedback
Helen replies to one assignment each week with written notes and a short audio recording, within three days. Cohort plan only.
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Community
A private forum for everyone, and a critique group of eight in the cohort. Share work, compare rooms and trade recordings.
Student work
What people make in six weeks
Three sample projects, drawn from the kinds of results students reach. Numbers are illustrative.
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Spare room to voice booth
Two blankets, four panels and a moved desk. Echo time fell from 0.9 to 0.35 seconds.
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A boomy guitar, evened out
A bump near 200 Hz traced to the corner he sat in. Moving the chair and one filter flattened it.
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Dialogue clean-up for a short film
Fan noise and room tone brought down 18 decibels without making the voices sound thin.
Prices
Two ways to take the course
One price, no subscription. 14 day refund on both.
Starts 11 January 2027 · 14 places left
Cohort
$449
Or three payments of $159.
- Everything in self-paced
- Six live sessions with Helen, recorded
- Written and audio feedback each week
- Critique group of eight
- Certificate of completion
Do I need a studio or special equipment?
No. A phone, headphones and the computer you already use are enough for the first weeks. Microphones in week 4 are optional: you can use any you own, or the sample recordings we provide.
Is this for beginners?
Yes, and for people who already record. We start from how sound behaves and build up. If you have mixed before, the assignments let you work at your own level.
How much time does it take each week?
Plan on about four hours: roughly one hour of lessons, three hours on the assignment, and the live session if you are in the cohort.
What if I miss a live session?
Every session is recorded and posted the same day. You can send your questions in advance and Helen answers them in the next session.
What if it is not right for me?
Tell us within 14 days of buying and we refund the full price. No reasons needed.
Next cohort · 11 January 2027
Hear your room for the first time.
Fourteen places are left in the January cohort. The self-paced course opens the moment you enrol.