Sound Engineering
With Oliver Thompson
Status: Running | Duration: 6 months
Next start date: September 2020
Schedule: Mondays 10:00-13:00 AWST

A practical six month course designed to give you the hands-on experience and qualify you to work as a competent sound producer or audio engineer.
- What is sound production and what is the role of a music producer, audio engineer or sound technician
- History of sound production and important lessons that need to be remembered
- What does it take to be a successful producer or engineer
- Pre-production
- Critical listening
- Health and safety in the workplace
- Safety precautions
- Best practices
- Workflow and procedures
- Software and equipment overview, operation and troubleshooting
- Setup, signal flow, interference, troubleshooting
- Studio assembly, setup and design
- Panning
- BUS and sends
- Levels
- EQ and frequency theory
- Reverb and delay
- Dynamic range and the “loudness wall”
- Compression
- EQ
- Side-chaining
- Sequencing
- Virtual Instruments
- Presets
- Sampling
- Copyright laws regarding sampling
- Synthesizers
- Structure
- Microphone overview, types, operation and troubleshooting
- Vocal and acoustic instrument recording techniques
- Percussion recording techniques
- Recording amplified instruments
- Editing completed projects
- Limiting, stereo image and master EQ
- Preparing for mastering
IN-HOUSE PASS
Learn from our instructors and guest artists IN-PERSON in our state-of-the-art facility in Perth, WA for the ultimate hands-on learning experience
ONLINE PASS
Next-generation LIVE online learning experience where you can participate in classes in REAL-TIME from anywhere around the world.
infinite learning, real-life opportunities and face-to-face support in one subscription
Participate in all our courses and mentoring programs, plus new programs as they launch either in-person or online with our all inclusive membership. Get qualifications and real-life experience working alongside the best in the industry.
Currently Running
5 Courses
Starting Soon
14 Courses
Archived Courses
200+ Hours
Artist Development
3 Programs
- Live online participation in all courses and new courses when they launch
- All archived courses and special programs
- On-demand 1:1 lessons
- Business mentoring and industry support
- Artist development program
- Unlimited support
Apply for an In-House Pass and learn and work with our instructors in-person in our state-of-the-art studios and facilities in Perth, WA for the ultimate experience.
Live Szulgolski @olivemusic is an Australian indie-pop singer-songwriter. You can catch Liv and Rueben De Melo performing live around Western Australia.
Live Szulgolski @olivemusic is an Australian indie-pop singer-songwriter. You can catch Liv and Rueben De Melo performing live around Western Australia.
Live Szulgolski @olivemusic is an Australian indie-pop singer-songwriter. You can catch Liv and Rueben De Melo performing live around Western Australia.
"To all the instructors at Westside, thank you for all the support, help, patience and creative freedom that you guys have given me."
"To all the instructors at Westside, thank you for all the support, help, patience and creative freedom that you guys have given me."
"To all the instructors at Westside, thank you for all the support, help, patience and creative freedom that you guys have given me."
"I would recommend Westside to anyone who wants to join a community of extremely passionate and creative people who are very supportive of everyone around them."
"I would recommend Westside to anyone who wants to join a community of extremely passionate and creative people who are very supportive of everyone around them."
"I would recommend Westside to anyone who wants to join a community of extremely passionate and creative people who are very supportive of everyone around them."
Afrobeats giant DJ Alabak is an up and coming DJ and music producer making his name around Australia and the rest of the world.
Afrobeats giant DJ Alabak is an up and coming DJ and music producer making his name around Australia and the rest of the world.
Afrobeats giant DJ Alabak is an up and coming DJ and music producer making his name around Australia and the rest of the world.

"Westside worked with me to release our single with Lady Amaziah, Gandii, Franklin Davidson and Uri Avi Music. Thanks guys for everything!"
"Westside worked with me to release our single with Lady Amaziah, Gandii, Franklin Davidson and Uri Avi Music. Thanks guys for everything!"
"Westside worked with me to release our single with Lady Amaziah, Gandii, Franklin Davidson and Uri Avi Music. Thanks guys for everything!"
"Going to Westside was magical for me. From the moment I went inside, I felt as though all the clutter from the outside world just fell aside and allowed my creative expression to flow."
"Going to Westside was magical for me. From the moment I went inside, I felt as though all the clutter from the outside world just fell aside and allowed my creative expression to flow."
"Going to Westside was magical for me. From the moment I went inside, I felt as though all the clutter from the outside world just fell aside and allowed my creative expression to flow."
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FAQ
You can start anytime. Live courses start regularly throughout the year and you can also enjoy previously archived programs. You can find out when a course is starting by visiting the specific course page.
If you are learning online, you can participate from anywhere around the world from any device.
If you’re learning in-person, training will be held in our facilities in Perth, Western Australia.
You will learn about what software and equipment you might (or might not) need during your course. So before going out and buying a whole bunch of stuff, we recommend speaking with your instructors first when you start your course.
If you are participating online, all you need is a computer with a good internet connection.
If you are learning in-person, you should bring your own USB drive and headphones to every lesson. Even better if you bring your own laptop.
Our team is very diverse and all of our instructors use different DAWs. So whether you are using Logic, Cubase, FL Studio, Ableton, or something else for your project, there will always be a specialist around to help you if you need.
The most important thing is that you understand the concepts behind DAWs. Because there will inevitably come a time where you will need to use a different DAW, so if you can understand the underlying concepts and principles, you will be able to use any DAW with little to no practice.
With an In-House Pass you will have exclusive access to our state-of-the-art recording studios, control rooms, DJ labs, production rooms, music rooms and more, allowing you to practice and work on your projects even when you’re not in class.
We want to help you get the most out of your membership so that you can actually achieve your goals and ambitions.
We don’t test our students in the usual “classroom” setting. The real “tests” will be your achievements in the industry, as we help you find opportunities, meet the right people and take the real steps forward.
No. You do not need to have any prior skills, knowledge, experience or qualifications to enrol. Most of our training and mentoring programs are accessible for complete beginners.
If a course recommends that you have some experience before enrolling, it will explain the requirements in the course description.
Our programs currently do not support Student Visas in Australia.
Yes! All lessons are archived. With your subscription you will be able to access all past courses and content.
We believe that the most valuable thing we can give our students aside from hands-on training, is real-life experiences and opportunities to build their name in the music industry.
Westside Music College has a huge network of people both locally and all around the world which we use to try to give our students as much real-life experience and opportunities as possible.
You can apply for an official Westside Music College certificate and Record of Attainment after completing any of our training programs. You will need to book a time with your instructor who will make sure you have understood all the important concepts covered in your course.