The first and most popular educational program at the Vera Project was born out of the necessity to set up a PA for our All Ages shows at Local 46 and subsequent temporary venues. Now the Vera Project is famous for providing the most hands on live sound experience of any audio engineering program in the Puget Sound Area. All classes are $30 per student.
SOUND 101 (Held monthly on the 1st Sat and 3rd Wed)
Sound 101 is both an introduction to live audio engineering and an orientation to The Vera Project’s methods and equipment. Topics covered include an introduction to microphones and mic placement, signal paths, stands, cables, DI’s, snake, sub-snakes and etiquette for working with bands. This class is designed for both the novices and experts of all ages and will give an overview of how a show is run at the Vera Project from the sound crew’s point of view. Discover why the accommodating, open minded “VERA Attitude” of show production is appreciated world wide.
Classes held on the First Saturday of every month from 12 to 2 PM
and the Third Wednesday of every month from 5-7 PM
- Prerequisites: Vera Live Sound 101
- Class Size: Minimum 4 Maximum 12
After a person has completed 101, they are eligible to act as a Sound Runner for any Vera Project shows, to sign up for the Vera Audio Committee email list, and take advantage of opportunities that arise for our tech volunteers (tours, field trips, internships, etc).
Sound 101 is a prerequisite for all other sound classes.
SOUND 102: Mixing for Monitors (See Calendar for Dates and Times)
Creating a good monitor mix is one of the most important skills for a live sound engineer to master. This advanced class will work with a live band in a low pressure environment. Subjects will include an introduction to Vera’s stage monitors, the basic ‘ringing out’ of monitors, EQing, gating, the techniques of creating clear monitor mixes and, if there’s time, an introduction to in-ear monitoring systems.
These advanced classes are held in rotation on the First Saturday of every month from 2:30-4:30 PM and alternate Third Wednesdays of every month from 5-7 PM
- Prerequisites: Vera Live Sound 101
- Class Size: Minimum 4 Maximum 12
After completing the Mixing for Monitors class one can sign up to be the Sound Assistant at Vera Project shows. Mixing for Monitors is required to the Sound Assistant position and is a prerequisite for the Front of House class.
SOUND 103: Mixing for Small PA (See Calendar for Dates and Times)
This intermediate class is designed to acquaint sound engineers with the Vera Project’s small PA used for poetry readings, acoustic shows, DJ sets or full blown rock shows with monitors. Topics will include: Speaker set up and placement, signal flow, setting up turntables, using EQ’s to ‘ring out’ a room and mixing a small show.
Advanced Classes are held in rotation on the First Saturday of every month from 2:30-4:30 PM
- Prerequisites: Vera Live Sound 101
- Class Size: Minimum 4 Maximum 12
After a person has completed the small PA class they can rent the Vera’s equipment and run show of their own! (Tip: Vera Members get half off rental fees.)
More Info
SOUND 201: Troubleshooting/Outboard Gear(See Calendar for Dates and Times)
The focus of this class will be two fold: learning how to use the outboard gear that will inevitably lead to the need to trouble shoot. Some of the topics covered: diagnosing and tracing out of a problem, signal flow, and what to do in an emergency. Compressors, gates, equalizers and effect processors will be explained and demystified. Techniques for their use will be thoroughly discussed and practiced. Students are encouraged to come prepared with lots of questions.
Advanced Classes are held in rotation on the First Saturday of every month from 2:30-4:30 PM
- Prerequisites: Vera Live Sound 102
- Class Size: Minimum 4 Maximum 12
Along with Mixing for Monitors, the Troubleshooting/Outboard Gear class is a prerequisite for the Front of House class and will prepare you for problem solving while doing Sound Reinforcement in the real world.
SOUND 202: Mixing for Front of House(See Calendar for Dates and Times)
This is the big one! A full two hours of mixing a live band in a low pressure environment beginning with the basics of mixing at the front of house board and ending with a full blown mix. Subject matter will include: Setting up for a mix, preamps, EQ settings, mixing styles, sound pressure levels, advanced outboard gear techniques and lots of critical listening. Find out why what we do is called “Sound Reinforcement” not “Sound Enforcement”.
This class will be limited to 6 people to increase time at the board.
Advanced Classes are held in rotation on the First Saturday of every month from 2:30-4:30 PM
- Prerequisites: Vera Live Sound 201
- Class Size: Minimum 2 Maximum 6
After completing this series of classes Sound Assistants may be asked by Lead Sound staff to mix the first band of a show to increase experience and confidence levels. This is the last step before becoming a Vera Sound Engineer.
Private Technical Classes:
You can book a private class for your friends, your classmates, your high school jazz band,…whatevs. You can book time to take any one or all of the classes we offer, or talk to us and our talented teaching staff can tailor one to your specific needs. Private classes cost $30 per attendee, and you must have a minimum of 6 people participating. It’s all the rage!
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Check dates for shows, gallery openings, classes, workshops, meetings, orientations, and silkscreening.
Vera is a true to life ‘choose your own adventure’ story – you can run shows, help in the silkscreen studio or recording studio, curate exhibitions in the gallery… anything you want really.
Are you organizing a show or event and need a sound system? Do you know Vera has one you can rent?