Audio Systems Academy
"BETTER SOUND THROUGH KNOWLEDGE"

Conductors of

The BOSS

The Basics of Sound Systems

The one day intensive, BUT FUN, audio seminar.

Our Story

Some of this may seem redundant with other things on the website, but it is in a more chronological order. I have been doing live audio and systems for over forty years all part time. Over the decades I have helped numerous organizations with their AV issues and systems.
I have had an interest in AV, especially audio, from my elementary school days. I would get a call or meet someone who needed assistance and help them, sometimes for pay, food, old equipment, etc., but usually for free, it depended on the situation. I would fix what the fixers couldn't fix and do complete installs because the client trusted me rather than the alleged experts. One thing I kept noticing is that there was a lack of understanding the basics of a sound system.
When I went back to college in 2008 no one was allowed to touch the sound system unless they took the class. Which I thought was a great idea, until myths and bad advice were stated. Things like if it hums cut the ground pin off.
I talked to several people to see if there was an interest in an audio class and the response was overwhelmingly positive! Setting up a curriculum using Duncan Fry's book "Live Sound Mixing" as the text. Unfortunately the vast majority of users were of a low/no pay volunteer basis and couldn't do a one or two semester course or even a one week intensive course.
I started to write a more basic curriculum, but found Curt Taiple's "Church Sound Boot Camp" seminar and got the teachers edition. It was a nice seminar but was specifically geared to houses of worship. However Curt's Boot Camp did provide an excellent template. In 2012 operating as GP Lorenzen, a course was rolled out, but this stretched the course to two days and added costs, especially for the one seminar at one location.
We received requests to do the seminars, but they were from different areas of the country, couple this with having people take two days off of work plus pay $185.00; well, this was out of the realm for folks who may work a gig now and then or only volunteer a few times a month. Couple this with logistics and expenses on our part to do a two day seminar; It was not justifiable for the participants, or us. The seminar was condensed to the one day intensive, but fun course we have today. The course is in a continual state of review and updated as needed (e.g. losing the 600 MHz bandwidth for wireless devices).
We were seeking financial aid from manufacturers and resellers to help defray the cost of the seminar. Even after they agreed such training was greatly needed and wanted. They were either too far removed from the chain and/or had no verifiable way to justify the expense. Perhaps if it was tax deductible, then maybe.
We applied and were incorporated as a not for profit, public benefits corporation in the state of Montana February 2018 getting approval the next month and receiving our Federal 501(c)(3) status retroactive to March 2018 in February 2019. Still manufactures and resellers could not justify support citing the previous reasons. A brief tour was set up for 2019, but vehicle issues (new vans with serious issues from three different manufacturers) and Patti (the better half, book and website keeper) having a stroke for the most part shut down the 2019 tour and Covid knocked out the 2020/2021 tours.

Audio Systems Academy
PO Box 78
Glendive, MT 59330
406-812-0693

info@audiosystemsacademy.org

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Last update: January 18, 2022

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Audio Systems Academy "BETTER SOUND THROUGH KNOWLEDGE"

Audio Systems Academy
"BETTER SOUND THROUGH KNOWLEDGE"