Intro to Audio

AVE Standard | 1 Day | In-Person

Overview

Audio is the most unforgiving element of live production. When it is right, no one notices. When it is wrong, nothing else matters. This course builds a foundational understanding of audio for corporate and live event environments: signal flow, mixing console operation, microphone types and placement, gain structure, EQ, and the field workflow habits that keep audio clean and consistent from soundcheck through the final session. It is designed for technicians who are new to audio or who have picked up the basics on the job and want to fill in the gaps with structured, practical training.

This Class Is Right For You If...

• You're a general AV technician who gets pulled into audio roles and wants to operate with more confidence.

• You're new to live production and want to develop audio as a foundational technical skill.

• You're a meeting planner or event coordinator who wants to understand what your audio team is doing and why it matters.

• You're pursuing a technical career path and want a solid foundation in audio before specializing.

Career Level

Entry Level to Mid-Level: This course is designed for participants with little to no formal audio training. It is the starting point for technicians building audio as a core skill and a prerequisite foundation for more advanced audio training.

What You'll Learn

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Understand and trace audio signal flow through a live production system.

• Operate a mixing console for a basic corporate AV environment.

• Select and position microphones appropriately for common corporate and live event scenarios.

• Set proper gain structure across an audio system.

• Apply EQ fundamentals to improve clarity and control feedback.

• Execute a soundcheck workflow and make real-time adjustments during a live production.

• Identify and troubleshoot common audio problems on-site

A Day in Class

Participants work hands-on with a full audio system throughout the day, building signal chains, running soundchecks, and mixing through structured exercises that mirror real show scenarios. Instruction covers both the technical fundamentals and the practical field habits that separate technicians who know audio from technicians who can run an audio system under pressure. Instructors review participants' work throughout and provide direct feedback on gain-structure decisions, EQ choices, and troubleshooting approaches.

What You Leave With

Participants receive an AVE Intro to Audio certificate of completion along with a signal flow reference guide and a soundcheck workflow checklist for use on the job. This course is built to be a launchpad: participants leave ready to continue developing their audio skills in real production environments.

Reducing Risk

Untrained audio operators create problems that are immediately audible to everyone in the room: feedback, poor gain structure, inconsistent microphone levels, and a mix that fights the program rather than supporting it. A technician with proper foundational audio training reduces those risks, communicates more effectively with senior audio engineers, and develops the professional instincts that make them a reliable addition to any production team.

Instructor

Ercel Abbott is an AVE instructor and experienced audio engineer with extensive production credits across corporate AV and live events.

Course Details

Duration: 1x day

Format: In-Person, Hands-On

Class Size: Maximum 10x students

Equipment: [TBD] TO BE CONFIRMED WITH ERCEL ABBOTT