Course Syllabus · Free The Music

Sound Engineering

A 13-week guided path from "what does that knob do?" to mixing real records — taught in signal-chain order, grounded in the canon of working engineers, with stock-plugin guidance for every DAW.

6 Tracks
24 Modules
~50 Widgets
10 Practice games
~13 wks Linear time

This course is the FTM Sound Engineering pillar — a structured curriculum for members who want to learn to record, mix, and master with confidence. It's organized in signal-chain order, the way audio actually moves through a real session: ear → signal flow → gain staging → EQ → compression → saturation → effects sends → environment → real mix. Each module assumes the one before it.

Every lesson combines an interactive widget (so you can hear and feel what you're learning), a "why this matters" article in plain language, a "try this in your DAW" exercise that calls out the exact stock plugin to use in GarageBand, Logic, Ableton, Pro Tools, Reaper, or FL Studio, and a list of the books and engineers the lesson draws from — so you can keep going beyond the course if you want depth.

By the end of the Foundation track, you'll be able to mix your own recordings with confidence using only the plugins your DAW already ships with. By the end of the full curriculum, you'll have shipped a fully mixed and mastered song — and earned the FTM Sound Engineering Certificate.

0

Pre-Foundation · Optional

Studio 101

For members who haven't built a setup yet. ~3 days. Skip if you have a working studio.

Module 0

Setting Up Your Studio

◯ Planned

Pick gear that matches your budget and use case. See three real studio configurations annotated. Learn cables, connectors, and phantom power.

  • 0.1Equipment Pickerinteractive widget
  • 0.2Studio Configurationslayout visualizer
  • 0.3Cables, Connectors & Phantom Power 101
1

Required for All Members

Foundation

Setup → perception → tools. ~3–4 weeks. The core of the curriculum.

Module 1

Setup & Signal Flow

◐ Partial

Get your studio working. Connect your gear, configure your interface and DAW, hit record, understand what your levels mean. The operational foundation everything else builds on.

  • 1.1The Signal Path✓ Signal Flow Builder · ✓ Module page
  • 1.2Connecting Your Studio (cables, connectors, phantom power)✓ Module page
  • 1.3Configuring Your Audio Interface (drivers, sample rate, buffer)
  • 1.4Configuring Your DAW (per-DAW walkthroughs)
  • 1.5dB Units, Gain Staging & HeadroomGain Staging Trainer + dB Converter
  • 1.6Your First Recording — end-to-end walkthrough
  • 1.7Troubleshooting Setup Issues
Module 2

How You Hear (Psychoacoustics)

✓ Complete · 5 of 5 lessons built

Now that your studio works, the ear is the most important instrument in the chain. Every later decision is downstream of how your ear actually perceives sound.

  • 2.1The Audible Range✓ How You Hear Frequency · ✓ Module page
  • 2.2Equal Loudness & Why Low-Volume Mixing Matters✓ Equal Loudness Demo · ✓ Module page
  • 2.3How You Hear Stereo✓ How You Hear Space · ✓ Module page
  • 2.4Critical Bands & Masking✓ Critical Bands & Masking · ✓ Module page
  • 2.5Phase & Polarity✓ Phase Demonstrator · ✓ Module page
Module 3

EQ — Shaping Tone

✓ Widget built

The first inline tool. Corrective EQ goes before compression in the chain; musical EQ goes after. We teach the corrective use first.

  • 3.1EQ Frequency Explorer & The Seven Zones✓ EQ Explorer widget
  • 3.2Subtractive vs. Additive EQ
  • 3.3Common EQ Moves: The Playbook
  • 3.4Hardware EQ Lineage (Pultec, Neve, SSL, API, Maag)
Module 4

Compression — Smoothing Dynamics

✓ Widget + Module page built

The second inline tool. After corrective EQ has fixed the source, compression smooths the dynamics so the rest of the chain can do its job.

  • 4.1What Compression Does✓ Compressor Visualizer
  • 4.2Compressor Topologies in Depth (FET, Opto, VCA, Vari-mu)
  • 4.3The Two-Stage Vocal Chain (CLA approach)
  • 4.4Parallel Compression (the Brauer / NY move)
Module 5

Saturation — Adding Harmonics

◯ Planned

The third inline tool. Saturation adds harmonic content for body, character, and translation on small speakers — sits after comp in the chain.

  • 5.1What Saturation DoesSaturation Sandbox
  • 5.2Tape, Tube, Transformer, Solid-State Saturation
  • 5.3Even-Order vs. Odd-Order Harmonics
Module 6

Reverb & Delay — Effects Sends

◯ Planned

The first parallel-only tools — they live on aux sends, not inline. They come after the inline chain because they hear the dry-shaped signal.

  • 6.1Reverb: Creating SpaceReverb Space Builder
  • 6.2Reverb Types: Plate, Hall, Chamber, Room, Spring
  • 6.3Delay: Time-Based MovementDelay Time Sync
  • 6.4When to Send vs. When to Insert
Module 7

Your Listening Environment

◯ Planned

Now we step out of the chain to ask: are you actually hearing all of this correctly? The room and monitors are part of the signal path between speaker and ear.

  • 7.1Room Acoustics 101: Modes & ReflectionsRoom Mode Calculator
  • 7.2Diagnose Your Acoustic ProblemsAcoustic Problem Diagnostician
  • 7.3Monitor Placement: The Equilateral TriangleMonitor Placement Visualizer
  • 7.4Headphones vs. Monitors
  • 7.5DIY Treatment Priority GuideTreatment Priority Visualizer
Module 8 · Capstone

Your First Real Mix

◯ Capstone

Integration capstone. The chain runs end to end on a real multitrack — and you'll see how EQ and compression interleave (corrective EQ before comp, musical EQ after).

  • 8.1Session Prep & Organization
  • 8.2The Real Order: Balance → Pan → EQ → Comp → Effects → Automation
  • 8.3Reference Tracks: How to Use ThemLoudness-Matched Reference A/B
  • 8.4Final-Mix QC: Will It Translate?
  • 8.5Capstone: mix a provided multitrack (3-stem starter)
2

After Foundation

Mixing

Apply the chain to real instruments. ~3 weeks. Each module pairs a step-by-step tutorial with deep dives.

Module 9

Mixing Vocals

◯ Planned
  • 9.1Lead Vocal ChainMix the Vocal tutorial
  • 9.2Backing Vocal StacksBGV Stack Builder
  • 9.3Vocal Effects: Reverb, Delay, Doubling
Module 10

Mixing Drums

◯ Planned
  • 10.1Kick & Snare FoundationMix the Kick & Snare
  • 10.2Overheads & Room Mics
  • 10.3Drum Bus GlueDrum Bus Builder
  • 10.4Sample Reinforcement
Module 11

Mixing Bass & Low End

◯ Planned
  • 11.1Bass Guitar (DI + amp blend)DI/Amp Bass Blender
  • 11.2Sub Bass / 808808 Sub-Bass Tuner
  • 11.3The Kick-Bass RelationshipKick-Bass Sidechain Lab
Module 12

Mixing Guitars & Keys

◯ Planned
  • 12.1Electric Guitar: Clean & Driven
  • 12.2Acoustic Guitar in a Band
  • 12.3Piano, Rhodes, Wurli, Organ
  • 12.4Synth: Pad, Lead, Arp, Bass
Module 13 · Capstone

Putting It Together — Full Band Mix

◯ Capstone
  • 13.1Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Approaches
  • 13.2Bus Architecture & Routing Strategy
  • 13.3Capstone: Full multitrack mix project (5–7 stems)
3

After Mixing

Advanced Mixing

Mix like the engineers on the records you love. ~3 weeks.

Module 14

Mix Bus Glue & Color

◯ Planned
  • 14.1SSL Bus Compression (incl. Ableton's free Glue Compressor)
  • 14.2Tape Saturation on the BusBus Saturation Lab
  • 14.3The Subtle Mix-Bus EQ
Module 15

Mid/Side Processing

◯ Planned
  • 15.1Understanding M/S
  • 15.2M/S EQ MovesM/S Separator
  • 15.3M/S Compression for Mastering
Module 16

Engineer Signature Workflows

◯ Planned
  • 16.1Chris Lord-Alge's Vocal & Drum ChainCLA Chain Walkthrough
  • 16.2Michael Brauer's Multi-Bus Parallel CompressionBrauer Multi-Bus Sandbox
  • 16.3Andrew Scheps' "Mixing in the Box"
  • 16.4Tchad Blake's Smashed Room Mics
Module 17

Genre-Specific Approaches

◯ Planned
  • 17.1Pop, Rock, R&B
  • 17.2Hip-Hop, Trap, EDM
  • 17.3Indie, Folk, Acoustic
  • 17.4Jazz, Classical, Worship/CCM
4

Anytime After Foundation

Mastering

The final 5%. ~2 weeks.

Module 18

Mastering Fundamentals

◯ Planned
  • 18.1What Mastering Is (and Isn't)
  • 18.2Bob Katz's K-System
  • 18.3Reference Mastering Chains
Module 19

Mastering for Streaming

◯ Planned
  • 19.1Loudness Normalization (Ian Shepherd's framework)
  • 19.2LUFS Targets by GenreLUFS Target Picker
  • 19.3Loudness Penalty SimulatorStreaming Penalty Preview
  • 19.4True Peak & Codec Safety
Module 20

Final Delivery

◯ Planned
  • 20.1Bit Depth, Dither, Sample RateDither & Bit-Depth Demo
  • 20.2Distribution Formats
  • 20.3Metadata, ISRC, Sequencing
5

Anytime After Foundation

Live & Acoustics

Beyond the studio. ~2 weeks.

Module 21

Microphone Technique

◯ Planned
  • 21.1Mic Types & Polar PatternsPolar Pattern Visualizer
  • 21.2Mic Placement LabMic Placement Lab
  • 21.3Stereo Mic Technique PickerStereo Mic Comparator
  • 21.4Common Mic'ing Recipes
  • 21.5The 3-to-1 Rule, Phase, and Mic Pairs
Module 22

Live Sound

◯ Planned
  • 22.1FOH Console Workflow
  • 22.2Monitor Mixing: Wedges & IEMsMonitor Mix Builder
  • 22.3Feedback Diagnosis & PreventionFeedback Frequency Trainer
  • 22.4PA Coverage: Line Array vs. Point SourcePA System Layout
Module 23

Acoustic Treatment Beyond the Bedroom

◯ Planned
  • 23.1Treatment for Different Room Types
  • 23.2Building DIY Bass Traps & Absorbers
  • 23.3When to Hire an Acoustician

Always Available

Practice Layer — 10 Games

Drop into these any time, build streaks, climb difficulty levels. Game-style widgets that turn ear training and mix critique into something members do for fun.

Mix Match

Match a target reference using EQ, comp, balance moves.

Spot the Issue

Diagnose a flawed mix (muddy 250 Hz, harsh 4 kHz, etc.).

Frequency Roulette

Guess the Hz of a played tone.

Compression Detective

A/B clips at different ratios; identify what changed.

Reverb ID

Name the space (room, hall, plate, spring, chamber).

Mix Memory

System mutes one element; identify what changed.

Critical Listening Ladder

Laddered ABX (mono vs. stereo, polarity flip, lossless vs. mp3).

Phase Detective

Single phase-flipped track buried in a mix; find it.

Mic Type Identifier

Hear a vocal, identify dynamic / condenser / ribbon.

LUFS Estimator

Hear a clip, guess its LUFS.

Members-Only

Final Capstone

Mix a full song from raw stems supplied by FTM. Submit to the FTM Circle for community + Matteo feedback. Earn the FTM Sound Engineering Certificate — downloadable PDF + Circle badge.

Roadmap to Launch

v0.5

Foundation core (this is where we are now)

EQ Explorer, Compressor Visualizer, How You Hear Frequency widgets shipped. Compression module page (Module 4.1) shipped. ~3 cycles to complete: EQ module page, Hear-Frequency module page, the /learn/sound-engineering hub page.

v1

Foundation track end-to-end + Mixing Vocals

All 8 Foundation modules built. Module 9 (Mixing Vocals) as the headline Track 2 tutorial. 2–3 practice games. Hub + module pages. ~4–6 weeks of building.

v2

Track 2 Mixing complete + Capstone v1

Modules 10–13. Capstone (one provided multitrack to mix). 2 more games. Soft launch to the FTM Circle.

v3

Mastering track + Cert/Badge system

Track 4 (Mastering) shipped. Certificate PDF + Circle badge. More games. Plugin packaging — ftm-sound-engineer becomes a WordPress plugin.

v4+

Advanced + Live & Acoustics + scale

Tracks 3 and 5 shipped. Bundled into the FTM Studio plugin (with widget-builder, wp-builder, instruments, music-maestro).

Free The Music · Sound Engineering Curriculum · Powered by the FTM Sound Engineer skill