Behind the curtain of the Sound Production course

Home / Magazine / Behind the curtain of the Sound Production course

By 2026 Media and Communication Fellow Amanda Wong

Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a Sound Production participant looks like? What participants take away from the course?

For years, one of AYO’s best-kept secrets has been their unique non-orchestral programs (which complements its orchestral performance program). Alumni of the non-orchestral courses have gone on to become successful composers, arts administrators, sound engineers, orchestra managers, producers, radio presenters, writers, cultural leaders, and more.

Halfway through the 2026 National Music Camp in January, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sound Production participant Ashlyn Keiler and program tutor Jakub Gaudasinski about the two-week course and their experience. Here’s what they had to say:

This interview marks the halfway point of the program. How do you feel now compared to Day 1 of camp?

Ashlyn (participant): Now that the first week’s over, the experience has been amazing. It’s been really fun—definitely learning a lot and it’s been great getting to know everyone. On Day 1, I was very nervous; I am coming into this program with not a lot of experience so I was worried that everyone else would know a lot more than I did. But I’ve been finding that we all have different experiences and areas of expertise, so I’ve settled in now and we’re all learning from each other. I definitely feel a lot more comfortable and confident and excited for more recording in Week 2!

What content do participants cover in the Sound Production course?

Ashlyn: We cover a lot of different things in sound production. On a surface level it might kind of seem like we’re just setting up mics and recording stuff (which definitely is a big part of it) but then it’s also a lot of troubleshooting and problem solving; getting to learn about the different types of microphones (and what’s suitable for different instruments and what kind of sounds they can create), how to mic up the different ensembles and orchestras, how to patch everything up in the stage box, send the signal down to where we’re recording, setting up all the levels for recording, doing all the live mixing and also post production.
And then we’re doing a lot of background into the physics of sound as well: so how electricity works, electromagnetism, physics—all of which is really interesting and important background. So even though we only get two weeks here, the skills that we’re learning are definitely super transferable to future endeavours.

Jakub (tutor): As part of sound production here at camp, we cover a great many subjects. In fact, I try to give my participants a healthy overview of what sound production actually means as as a vocation—as something that they can possibly do as a job in their futures. As well as recording the major ensembles, the chamber ensembles, the orchestras, the string quartets; they also record interviews, do audio editing, planning for various sessions, as well as listening to me many a time. I explain various technical aspects (sometimes mathematical aspects) of the craft that delve sometimes deep—sometimes not so deep (depending on if time allows)—into the properties of not just sound and sound production, but also generally the dynamics that need to be exploited between our group and the groups that work alongside us.

Apart from setting up on stage and listening to things, we do editing, a lot of equipment setup; we talk about various technical issues about what microphones to use, what cables to use with the various pieces of equipment that we employ to achieve our goals and why certain things are important.

Take us into the inner workings of a sound production participant here at NMC. What does a typical day look like for you and the team?

Jakub: A typical day at camp would involve various setups for orchestral performances and we do a lot of listening; we listen to the music that is being performed on stage as much as we can. Sometimes we’re afforded a full orchestra, sometimes just a section, sometimes it’s even a single player who just comes on stage to practice for 15-20 minutes because the opportunity exists. What that means is that we can learn from anything. Apart from that, we record many of the interviews that media and communications schedule, and we very often prepare participants for delivery in what we deem to be broadcast standard.

Ashlyn: A typical day generally consists of a lot of different things. For the concert days, it’s mainly setting up the microphones and making sure we have all the levels correct. And then during the actual concerts, we’re changing the mics on the stage; one of us is downstairs with the console doing the live mixing and making sure everything’s sounding good. But then other than that, we’re also just doing a lot of learning—talking, chatting, learning from each other; going on a few random tangents as well.

Can you tell us a bit about the skills that participants can gain from this course?

Jakub (tutor): The skills that the participants can gain (and certainly [from] the environment that they’re exposed to) is that of adaptability and collaboration—and by that, I mean collaboration with other departments.

When it comes to working with, say for example, orchestral management, the roles that we perform run parallel to those of them. In many cases, they dictate the way the stage is set up based on the requirements of all the musicians, and of course we follow suit and tailor the way we set up our equipment to that.

And because these are live productions, they often happen extremely quickly—sometimes even at a moment’s notice. With certain technical difficulties that may arise, we are required as technical producers to adapt to those changes and very quickly deal with and solve them as efficiently as we can. It gives you, I believe, a reasonably realistic picture of what it takes to be involved in sound production given that many productions out there in the so-called real world do happen very, very quickly.

What have you enjoyed most in the program?

Ashlyn: It’s been really amazing. We’re getting to record with lots of the equipment from the ABC, use Reaper (which is the digital audio workstation that lots of the ABC team use to record), and getting to learn about their standards for recording and what kind of practices they do. It’s definitely been really interesting learning about that sort of professional standard and how to achieve that in what we’re doing here at music camp.

NMC has also been a really supportive environment—everyone’s really lovely and friendly. All the tutors just want you to have the best experience possible; they’re just here to support you and really facilitate your learning in all the ways that they can.

Is there anything you’ve learned so far that has surprised you?

Ashlyn (participant): It surprised me to find that I wasn’t the only one who felt like maybe I had still lots to learn. Even in the other programs I’m guessing I’m seeing lots of people still on their learning journey and I’m not the only one and that was really encouraging.

I came into this course feeling like I just had a few gaps in my knowledge, but even in this first week I’ve learnt so much. I definitely feel more confident going into the future knowing I have those skills and that I have so much time to improve on them. There’s no rush to come out of the end of this knowing everything and having the perfect level of skills. I’ve also learnt that there’s still so much time to improve, [that] these things do take time, and it’s okay to just be learning constantly. Even Jakub is always saying that he’s still learning— he still makes mistakes and that’s okay.

What qualities do you look for in prospective participants in the sound production course?

Jakub (tutor): When it comes to the participants who engage in the sound production program, I think that one of the most important qualities is being able to step up even if you’re not entirely sure. Many of the participants have never participated in recording a symphony orchestra and of course until you do it for the first time—you’ve never done it before. It can be an intimidating experience with 100 or so people onstage and you weaving your way through trying to adjust things—that can be a daunting prospect.

I’d like to think that even if you haven’t done anything like that in the past and if you’re the sort of person who is willing to make mistakes (and not be too hard on yourself for it because you’re just starting out), ask questions and perhaps come out of this a little better informed in terms of what it takes to do this sort of thing—then I think you’re probably the person for the job.

What do you hope participants will take away from the course?

Jakub (tutor): I’d like to think that the sound production course gives the participants a primer of sorts, a taste. What I hope participants take away from this is a sense of understanding what this job entails because it’s not always easy. There’s a lot of hard work and by that, I mean hard physical work. But if they can take away from this a sense of excitement about what they could possibly be involved in the future—I think that’s a good thing. If you participate in this over those two weeks and feel like you understand this better and feel like ‘yes that is something I can definitely properly step into’—then I think that’s a good thing and that they are in some way slightly better prepared for what it takes.

Is there anything you’d like to say to people who are thinking about applying for the sound production course?

Jakub: To the future prospective participants of this program, I would say just be brave. If you’re interested in any aspect of it, by all means apply and see how you measure up and have a go, because even if you don’t end up being an orchestral engineer—that’s really not necessarily the point of this—the skills you’ll take away from this, I firmly believe will give you access to many other things; many other career opportunities and jobs, perhaps even hobbies that you may explore in the future. One way or another, you at the very least will understand why the technical producers, engineers and people generally in the sound department do the things that they do.

Ashlyn: This is very clichéd advice, but I think it’s good advice—definitely just don’t be afraid to apply even if you don’t think that you have enough experience or even the right experience. Personally, I’m coming to this program as predominantly a composer background with performance and a bit of conducting—and sound production is really the newest venture that I’ve been on in only the last few months. I still somehow got in, and I applied on the last day that applications were due. Definitely don’t be afraid to give it a go. At the end of the day the worst thing that they can say is no and you can always try again. It’ll be worth it.

Applications for the 2027 Sound Production course are open until 3 August. For more information and portfolio requirements, click here.