This page is dedicated to providing course-specific information relating to your start with us in September. New information will be added to this page over the coming weeks and we will inform you when this becomes available.

Will lessons begin on Monday 12th September?

No, your first week at dBs Institute will be Induction & Freshers' Week and will focus on getting everyone prepped for their first week of study and engaging in a range of workshops, guest lectures and other activities. You can find more detailed information on the dedicated Induction & Freshers' Week page.

What do I need to bring for the start of term?

Many of your sessions will take place in either the studio environment or in one of our IT suites. As such, it is essential that you invest in some good quality headphones (as opposed to ear buds) and bring these with you to all sessions as you will no doubt be spending many hours listening. It is a good idea to also carry with you a portable USB storage device to enable you to backup and transfer projects between dBs and home.

Is there anything I should be doing between now and when I start?

As recommend by Alex in his welcome video, we suggest honing your craft as much as you can before joining us in September. The course is heavily based on Pro Tools and we highly recommend downloading the trial version and getting a basic understanding of the programme.

Below we've provided a list of books and online resources that will be useful in preparing for your start at dBs.

Firstly some recommended reading:

• Huber, D.M., and Runstein, R. E. (2017) Modern Recording Techniques. 9th ed. New York: Routledge;

• Owsinski, B. (2017) The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook. 4th ed. Burbank: Bobby Owsinski Media Group;

• Owsinski, B. (2017) The Recording Engineer’s Handbook. 4th ed. Burbank: Bobby Owsinski Media Group;

• Russ, M. (2008) Sound Synthesis and Sampling. 3rd ed. Oxon: Focal Press.

It is not essential for you to buy any of these books, as we do have copies of them at the dBs HE centre in Bristol, although having your own copy of any of the above books would certainly not disadvantage you. Remember to try borrowing them from your local library, or to look for second-hand copies online if you want to save some money.

*It’s important to note that there isn’t any expectation that you’ll buy these books before starting your course. However, if you would like to do some reading in preparation, these are a good place to start!

In addition to this, here are a few websites which I believe it would be useful for you to explore. In particular, look out for the videos on specific tools and techniques, as well as interviews with notable producers, sound engineers and artists. Many of the themes from these will be touched upon as you progress through the course and I’d be surprised if you cannot find anything of interest:

Software

• Pro Tools Trial: https://my.avid.com/get/pro-tools-trial

• Logic Pro X Trial (Mac only): https://www.apple.com/uk/logic-pro/trial/

Websites

• Tape Op: https://tapeop.com/

• Sound On Sound: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques

• Pensado’s Place: http://www.pensadosplace.tv/category/into-the-lair/

• dBs Institute YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/dBsSoundMusicInstitute

• dBs Insider

If you are currently holding a conditional offer and do not achieve the results you needed please contact us as soon as possible to discuss your options.

Call us on 0117 325 9290 or email admissions@dbsmusic.co.uk