Certified Audio Engineer

I am pleased to announce my first full Level 4 Qualification in music. I'm now a German State Certified Audio Engineer from HOFA College in Karlsdorf. In Germany that's an Ausbildung zur Tontechniker I think. For that task I had to mix 72 tracks of Ska Punk. It forms a constituent part of the HOFA Diploma and BSc Degree with Triagon Uni, that covers everything from Rock and Pop production to orchestral and voiceover production. I didn't mean to start studying pop as well as classical music but it is quite fun.

I'm starting to be able to really produce music quite well as well as play 2 instruments, sing and compose.

In 2019, I bought an E-Violin from Stefan Beyer at Classical Next in Rotterdam. I've finally managed to get up to Woodbridge in the UK to have my bow re-haired and I'm starting to make productions with my E violin as well as piano. I'm trying to develop a production style for basic tunes on the E-Violin at the moment. It's a bit like an electric guitar I suppose. I'm treating it like that anyway.

I'm going to be doing a Composition course at MMS in Bavaria at some stage in the next few years as well. I'm also looking into doing formal teaching and performance qualifications at degree level with ABRSM in London. They are changing the syllabus at the moment so I might wait for the new syllabus. All that will be to go with my degree.

My other professional interest is in creative writing. There might be an opportunity coming up to study for a CERTHE in Creative Writing and Historical Musicology at Oxford University coming up as well. I've got some credits towards that already. I've got 40 CATS points from Oxford. I'm glad to be getting the attention of the highest rated university in the world right now.

In musicology, I've come up with a new method of empirical analysis for U-Tube performances comparing the style and interpretation of five different performances of the same movement. Beethoven's Pathétique Sonata Op.13 Movement 1. Iv'e got the following Short Courses form Oxford in Musicology and Theory.

1. The Beethoven Piano Sonatas course with Jonathan Darnborough 10 CATS points @ Level 4

2. Classical Music Analysis: An Introduction with Jonathan Darnborough 10 CATS points @ Level 4

3. Harmony in Practice with Peter Copley 10 CATS points @ Level 4

I passed my final exam for the apprenticeship from HOFA with a creditable 70%.

I've also picked up a few more accolades from online competition though I'm starting to question how meaningful they are I want them to count for something but I'm not sure whether they are just a license for people to print money to be honest. Perhaps someone could enlighten me as to whether paying 88 euros for 3-4 finals in a year is worth it? I got an Honour Prize from Amadeus International Music Awards in Salzburg for recording an entire Haydn sonata with each movement separately a little one Hob XVI/8, but again all I got was a certification. Although with the BIMC Birmingham Competition I got a bit more one video with over 1000 views. I don't mind paying my way in it's just so difficult to really know what is and isn't a genuine offer. I really am scared of wasting money on them but I'm doing them anyway for now.

Last year, I got a Film Music Composition Certificate for Beginners from GSMD also.

Here are an assortment of videos and audio files I'm preparing for a set of Christmas Demo CDs for HOFA that they have asked me for. I've got over 450 recordings of my playing singing and spoken voice now to choose from. I'm just remastering some of them.

I'm also getting better at remastering old audio cassette recordings. Like this track I recorded in 1995 for Ralph Allwood on a Choral Course at Eton for the bBC world service. It was badly damaged and distorted and after years of TLC I came up with this Vigilate by William Byrd as a remastering.

article posted by:Hugh Waldock, Waldock, Hugh

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