Step-By-Step Sound Design Version 3 Preorder
Learn how to create great sound design, from scratch, without fancy gear, expensive software, or high-priced sound effects libraries
When we're sitting down to work, starting at a blank DAW can be daunting
There are so many possibilities for the sounds we can create. Where should we even start? What will sound good? How can we make sure that the sounds we make won't come across as thin and weak sounding?
This is the common struggle of many beginning to intermediate sound designers
Even when we do make a great sound, it's hard to know how to recreate that level of quality over and over again - especially across multiple genres and types of sounds.
And in time, we start to wonder if we're improving at all
If some of our sounds are great, but we only get there randomly and with tons of wasted time and struggle, then we might wonder if we're really improving at all, and if all this time is worth it.
Introducing:
Step-By-Step Sound Design
Everything inside is laid out for you, and if you get the premium version of the course, I'll be there to offer feedback and guidance each step of the way.
Even looking high and low and trying to absorb as many sound design tutorials as you can, your improvement may not be as fast as you'd like. Why? Not because the tutorials are bad - in fact many are great, but because there's no system in how they're laid out.
However, there CAN be a process to all of this
Instead of just making sounds and hoping you get better, you can, step-by-step, follow a system that helps you create solid sound design from scratch every time you sit down to work. And no, you don't need to have any fancy gear, software, or sound effects libraries to do this.
And that's what this course helps you do
You'll be able to sit down, and know what to do next to work on your sound. Yes, you'll still need to experiment and play, but you'll have more confidence, focus, and direction in what you create - leaving you with better sounds in a much shorter timeframe.
All the Delicious Features of
Step-By-Step Sound Design
Know exactly what to do when it's time to create
Instead of opening a DAW and flailing around randomly, hoping that the sound you make will eventually turn out okay, this course provides you with simple practices and processes to keep you focused and ensures that your sounds are ready to ship.
Watch my workflows
A good demonstration can save hours and hours of learning. So, in this course you'll get to hear my thought process and watch my sound design methods right in front of you.
Have fun while practicing
We all know practice is essential... so why don't we do it enough? Well, frankly, most of the time it's boring and painful. Here, though, you'll be encouraged to practice sound design in fun, novel ways that will keep you motivated and energized.
Go at your own pace
This is a self-paced video on demand course, so you'll be able to revisit it whenever you'd like. No need to be present at certain times, or show up to "class". Just jump in when you have the time, and it'll be here waiting for you.
Easy to follow, easy to finish
This isn't some gargantuan, 35-hour course that claims to teach you everything you need to know about sound design. No. Instead, this course will just give you exactly what you need to create better sound design, faster, and with less randomness.
What else will you learn in
Step-By-Step Sound Design?
- The HMLS Technique: How to quickly make a rich, thick sound effect
- How to time your sound effects layers to create audio with greater impact
- How to export your sound effects properly to be used in a game
- Why we need to master both types of reverb
- How to set up a proper sound design practice
- How to blend various sounds together to make a cohesive whole
- How to use sidechain triggering to create some crazy unique sounds
- Why time stretching and shrinking algorithms are so important
- How to use the 5 most important sound processing techniques
- How to create sound quickly when you're on a deadline, but you have no idea what to create
- Why practicing with a timer will drastically enhance your skill
- And much more!
While there are plenty of sound design tutorials out there, most leave you to piece the information together yourself. Here, we follow a trusted, easy-to-follow sequence, so you know exactly what to do, and how to practice.
What's Inside
Step-By-Step Sound Design?
So many courses try to teach you everything, and thus make their course unfinishable. Here, we just have the exact video lessons you need to start making great sound, quickly.
Who Is This Course For?
- Beginner to intermediate sound designers who want more speed, confidence, and skill when doing their work
- Sound designers who want to feel more comfortable designing any sounds - not just those in a particular genre
- Sound designers who want to work full-time in game audio
- Students who took a previous version of this course and want a completely updated version that teaches brand new sound design skills
Who Isn't This Course For?
- Those who want an entire course on using synthesizers. I'll have a course in 2024 to help with that! Though, the premium version of this course comes with a mini module on sound design using synths!
- Absolutely brand new sound designers who don't know how to use any DAW yet
- Sound designers who want a single, giant course that will teach them everything about sound design. This course is small and focused so you can actually finish it and gain real skill from it quickly.
What's Unique about
Step-By-Step Sound Design?
Most other sound design tutorials just show you how to make a very specific sound - giving you skills that don't transfer from situation to situation. This course gives you a framework to follow so that when you're designing almost any sound, you'll know where to start.
What our students are saying:
Elisabeth Jetter
Composer/Sound Designer
I have more background and experience with music than sound design, but I've also been growing my knowledge of SFX over the past few years. I was looking forward to taking my skills to the next level, and this course felt like the perfect fit in terms of where I was skill-wise.
I enjoyed the different topics covered. Being a detail-oriented person, I appreciated the videos on various aspects of processing, layering, blending, and exporting.
It was helpful having the takeaway assignments to do after each section. I find that it's far too easy to forget what you've learned if you don't take time to apply it and try it out.
Akash provided helpful, detailed feedback on all the work that I shared, and I'll be able to learn from the comments he provided on others' assignments, too. I'm grateful to have continued access to the server for community support and engagement, as well.
I would absolutely recommend this course to anyone who is slightly or moderately familiar with the ins and outs of sound design but feels a little lost and not yet confident in their skills.
Saili Chola
Sound Designer
I was a bit worried about the value that I could get from this because I have been managing for a while on my own, but the course actually helped me a lot with confirming or updating the info I’d been collecting over the years. So even as a refresher, the course is excellent.
Akash did not disappoint all the way through the course, and even kept me inspired to keep going because of how seriously Akash takes prepping content on top of showing up for feedback sessions.
The level of care that Akash shows was honestly striking. I think it would have been easy to do a half job, commendable to do a full job, but true to form that I now see first-hand that Akash goes above and beyond. There’s a lot to be said about a teacher that is open to meeting you where you are, is honest with the reality of things, but still offers insight and inspiration on where to go next. The value offered by this course is something I don't see given in other courses out there.
If we’re talking about course material, however, I’d say the blending techniques really helped me. They’re not something that I’ve easily come across or heard about in formal terms but laying them out as clearly as they were made me aware of how and when to use them for my own creative output.
In more esoteric terms I’d also say the small hints and tricks done really quickly and explained in a way that is digestible was beyond cool. Finding out about comb filtering or the differences between reverbs or the different pitch shifters and their eccentricities between DAWs helped me re-examine my relationship with all of these techniques.
Mike Breidegam
As someone who is an experienced composer, but is relatively new to sound design, this course seemed to be just what I was looking for. The material was extremely digestible, and presented in a way that made it easy to keep learning.
I absolutely would recommend this course, especially if you are new to sound design. It gives a great solid foundation to what you need to do in order to create excellent sound effects.
The time I would have to spend scouring YouTube and the Internet for this type of material would have been far greater than the time I actually spent doing this course and learning the basics to sound design. Highly recommend!!
Kris Kirk
The visualizations of the sound design topics we were covering made so many of the concepts much easier to grasp, and Akash's lessons catered to so many learning styles that I think anyone would find it easy to follow along.
The Discord group was incredibly valuable! The amount of feedback Akash provided was fantastic, and I learned so much through asking questions and learning alongside my fellow students.
As someone who doesn't have much money to spend outside of the necessities, I hope one understands that the value of the lessons themselves are worth it. Going further and gaining access to the discord and Akash's personal feedback is another amazing addition to an already wonderful package.
I'd absolutely 100% recommend this course.
Paul Shelley
I think the part that most stood out was the having direct feedback from Akash on our assignments. Akash is always very generous with his feedback and gives fantastic advice, and I’ll be looking to get on his games business-oriented course opening up again next year.
The tutorials were all very constructed and informative as expected with Akash, and learning the 30-minute practice structure was really valuable for opening up speed and improving fluency of making sounds, it’s really opened up my eyes to understanding a more professional pace and about practicing putting together ideas faster and more streamlined. It makes it hugely easier to get quality practice time in with tangible output.
I'd absolutely recommend joining! It’d be a waste not to go on the course and learn from Akash, he has a lot to share and is very good at doing it!
FAQ
What do I need to know to join?
So long as you have a basic grasp on how to use most any DAW (I use Reaper in the course, but you can use whichever one you want), you'll be set!
What gear/software do I need?
Only the absolute bare minimum. If you have a Mac or PC and any DAW (such as Reaper, Garageband, Logic, FL Studio, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Bitwig, Studio One, Digital Performer, etc.) you'll be able to follow along without issue.
How long is this course?
The entire course can be finished in just one afternoon. Does it teach *everything* you need to know about sound design? No. And that's actually the point. You'll be able to finish this course quickly, have fun practicing, and increase your skills rapidly without needing to slog through endless videos.
Which DAW does Akash use in the course?
Throughout the whole course, I'm using Reaper. But, if you are using any other DAW, you will be able to follow along without issue.
Does it matter which DAW I use?
Not at all! This course is DAW agnostic so you can use any DAW you want. If you do not yet have one, then my personal favorite DAW, Reaper, offers a 60-day free trial (and is very cheap to purchase outright).
How long do I have access to the course?
You have access for the lifetime of this course! That means so long as the course is live on my site (and I don't see it disappearing anytime soon), you'll be able to watch and re-watch it.
Are there class times, or is this course self-paced?
This course is an entirely self-paced video course. You can watch and rewatch the lessons whenever you like.
When does enrollment close? When does it re-open?
Enrollment for this course will close when all 350 spots are sold out!
This course will re-open in late 2024 at the earliest!
When does the course start?
The course itself begins on February 19th, 2024!
What if I don't have any time?
The entirety of this course can be finished in just one afternoon. I kept it tiny not only so that you don't have to waste your time, but also so that you can get to making better sounds quickly. If you can spare even 15 minutes a day, you have enough time.
Can't I learn this all for free online?
While there are countless free sound design tutorials online, many of them only teach how to do one specific thing. This course teaches you sound design frameworks that will help you build a stronger base - a base that will give you more skill and confidence when making practically any sound.
PREMIUM VERSION BONUSES
Reaper Assignment Templates
On top of getting access to the course and the assignments themselves, you will also gain access to a set of Reaper templates that will help you practice your sound design skills quicker and easier. Just open a template, save a copy, and practice what the template lays out for you.
Extra Mini-Module on Using Synthesizers for Sound Design
While this course isn't focused on using synthesizers, it's still a very important skill to creating great sound.
I have a full course coming out later on that focuses exclusively using synthesizers for sound design, but if you grab the premium edition of this course, you'll get a bit of a sneak preview that teaches you some basics on how to use synthesizers in your sound design work!
Detailed Reaper Workflow Breakdown
I use Reaper every single day for my game audio clients, and have found some great tips and tricks to help speed up the sound design workflow immensely and deliver high quality work for game audio clients consistently.
Those who grab the Premium Edition will gain access to a detailed deep dive into my Reaper workflow that will help you speed up your sound design workflow considerably.
Early access to future courses
My current students get first dibs on future courses that are coming out.
So, if you grab the Premium Version of this course, you'll be first in line to preorder my courses in the future, making it easier to dive in before they sell out.
READY TO UPGRADE YOUR SOUND DESIGN?
Standard Version Preorder
I'm thrilled to have you inside the course! Here's just some of what you'll be getting inside the standard version:
- A fully self-paced video course that will increase your sound design skills quickly
- Lifetime Course Access
- Access to Free Sound Libraries and Plugins
- Sound Design Assignments for Each Module
- 📅 Course begins on February 19th, 2024 📅
$295 USD
Premium Version Preorder
If you want all the extra goodies, this is the version for you!
- A fully self-paced video course that will increase your sound design skills quickly
- Lifetime course access
- Access to Free Sound Libraries and Plugins
- Sound Design Assignments for Each Module
- 📅 Course begins on February 19, 2024 📅
- Bonus: Reaper Assignment Templates
- Bonus: An extra mini-module on using synthesizers for sound design
- Bonus: A full and detailed walkthrough of my latest Reaper workflow, which will speed up your sound design immensely, and help you deliver for clients quickly
- Bonus: Early access to preorder my upcoming courses. You'll be able to jump in on them early and secure your spot