Audio Engineering at HOFA

HOFA College is a private web college for the study of Audio Engineering to degree level in combination with their partner university Triagon Academy with their headquarters in Malta. Audio Engineering is all things do do with music production both popular music wise and classical and also voiceover production. My studies will at first culminate in a German HND in Audio Engineering and then there is an option for a final year to make it into an official ECTS Point Bachelors Degree and this is my aim with it:

BSc Creative Media (Audio Engineering)

The highest level I’ve achieved so far is the professional certificate in Audio Engineering and I’m shortly going to have the diploma. It’s all paid for now anyway. These are all my web badges I’ve accumulated.

Web Certificates

My Assessed Rock Song Composition

I live with my 80 year old mum she’s always trying to remind me of how tolerant she is. This is motherly love.

Course Mixes

HOFA BASIC and Pro V2 Syllabus

No Need for Solace by Stuck

Security by Masterbrecords

Mornings

Unter der Haut by Jochen Sachse

Tanzt by Vamerledt

Demons by Sameday Records  mixed by Jochen Weyer

Floor! By Jens Helmis

Hungarian Dance from Symphonic Dances by Johannes Brahms (Orchestral)

HOFA V3 Syllabus

Do You Care by Nuemo

And I will be okay by About Last Time

When it Rains by Lenny Lamal

Demons by Sameday Records mixed by Jochen Weyer

You are the One by Hugh Waldock

Welcome! Stems

Strangers Car by Lenny Lamal (Numeo Remix)

Three Spoken Voiceovers in English and in German by Hugh Waldock

Barbie by Brenda Blitz

Theoretical Exams

Pass Mark 50% (40 Multi Choice Tests on a Pass/Fail Basis)

Professional DIPLOMA 40/40 Theory Exams Completed

Marks By Topic

Acoustics

Acoustics 180%
Acoustics 354%
Acoustics 574%
Topic Total (Theory)69.33%
Practical Grade
Topic Certificate

Academic Work

Academic Work 271%
Topic Total (Theory)71%
Practical GradeD (Pass)
Topic CertificateAwarded

Audio Engineering for Film

Audio Engineering for Film 165%
Audio Engineering for Film 353%
Topic Total (Theory)59%
Practical Grade
Topic Certificate

Drum Programming

Drum Programming 150%
Drum Programming 264%
Topic Total (Theory)57%
Practical Grade
Topic Certificate

Editing

Editing 184%
Editing 350%
Topic Total (Theory)67%
Practical Grade Not Approved
Topic CertificateNot Awarded

Entering Guide to Digital Audio Production

Entering Guide to Digital Audio Production 260%
Topic Total (Theory)60%
Practical Grade Pass
Topic CertificateAwarded

Game Audio

Game Audio 362%
Topic Total (Theory)62%
Practical Grade
Topic Certificate

Harmony, Music Theory, and Songwriting

Harmony, Music Theory and Songwriting 278%
Harmony, Music Theory and Songwriting 493%
Topic Total (Theory)85.5%
Practical Grade A (Distinction)
Topic CertificateAwarded

Live Sound Engineering

Live Sound Engineering 256%
Live Sound Engineering 353%
Topic Total (Theory)54.5%
Practical Grade
Topic Certificate

Mastering

Mastering 157%
Topic Total (Theory)57%
Practical Grade 1
Practical Grade 2
Topic Certificate

Mixing

Mixing 375% B
Mixing 665% C
Mixing 8D
Mixing 1070% B
Mixing 12
Mixing 13
Mixing 14
Mixing 16
Diploma Grade
Topic Certificate

Music Business

Music Business 250%
Music Business 381%
Topic Total (Theory)65.5%
Practical Grade D (Pass)
Topic CertificateAwarded

Music Video Production

Music Video Production 363%
Topic Total (Theory)63%
Practical Grade
Topic Certificate

Organology, Studies on Instruments and Voices

Instrument Studies 164%
Instrument Studies 368%
Instrument Studies 450%
Instrument Studies 5100%
Topic Total (Theory)70.5%
Topic CertificateAwarded

Producing, Electronic Music and Hip Hop

Producing Electronic Music and Hip Hop 176%
Producing, Electronic Music and Hip Hop77%
Producing, Electronic Music and Hip Hop62%
Topic Total (Theory)71.66%
Practical Grade
Topic Certificate

Producing, Pop, Rock and Heavy Rock

Producing, Pop, Rock and Heavy Rock 179%
Producing, Pop, Rock and Heavy Rock 368%
Topic Total (Theory)73.5%
Practical GradeD (Pass)
Topic CertificateAwarded

Producing Orchestral Music

Producing Orchestral Music67%
Topic Total (Theory)67%
Practical Grade
Topic Certificate

Recording

Recording 271%
Recording 756%
Recording 1259%
Topic Total (Theory)62%
Practical Exercise 1D (Pass)
Practical Exercise 2
Topic Certificate

Sound Design

Sound Design 152%
Sound Design 365%
Sound Design 467%
Topic Total (Theory)61.33%
Practical Grade
Topic Certificate

Technology in Sound Engineering

Technology in Sound Engineering 174%
Technology in Sound Engineering 462%
Technology in Sound Engineering 659%
Technology in Sound Engineering 750%
Topic Total (Theory)61.25%
Topic Certificate Awarded

Total 40 Theoretical Exams 66% Average for theory.

Practical Exams for Pro Certificate

3/3 Exams Taken

Mixing 3 – When it Rains By Leny Lamal – Mixing 3 – 75%

Mixing 6 – Strangers Car by Leny Lamal – Mixing 6 – 65%

Mixing 10 – Barbie by Brenda Blitz – 70%

Certification

Exams for the Core Diploma Curriculum 2/3

HOFA College German Certified Audio Assistant March 2023

HOFA German Certified Audio Engineer September 2023 Pass with Good Success 70% (2:1 Standard)

V2 Short Course Certificates (on the old syllabus)

HOFA Harmony and Theory for Audio Engineers V2 April 2022

Topic Certificates on new V3 Syllabus 3/20 possible so far.

HOFA Introduction Guide to Digital Audio Production March 2023

HOFA Studies in Instruments and Voices Topic Certificate March 2024 (70.5% average)

HOFA Technology in Sound Engineering Topic Certificate (61.3% average)

Exerts from the 3 Exam critiques for HOFA PRO

When it Rains by Leny Lamal

Hello Hugh!

Congratulations on your final mix in the BASIC course Mixing 3! You already know the song from the mix documentation in the course – so you know how we proceeded in our mix. It was your task to use your own DAW and your own tools to do this mix.

Conclusion:

All in all, you have submitted a great mix in this learning unit – keep it up! You have implemented the processings well and achieved a balanced overall sound. Some details could still be optimized, but you are on a good way.

Stranger’s Car by Leny Lamal (Numeo remix)

Practical exam: Passed

Exam result:  65 %

Congratulations on passing your Mixing 6 module exam!

You have managed points of the task well, although there is still some room for improvement in a few aspects. Let’s take a detailed look at how you handled the different parts of the task. But over the course of your mixing process, you have improved this mix

Conclusion:

Overall, you have demonstrated good session management and a clear plan for the mix which results in a solid mix. Your processing ideas are good starting points, but could be improved in some places. You could look at the balance of the drums and bass, while the instruments could be more open and bright, for example the chord-piano. Have fun in your upcoming courses!

Barbie – by Brenda Blitz (a 72 track mix)

Practical exam: Passed

Exam result: 70%

Congratulations on passing your Mixing 10 module exam!

Looking at your mix, we can immediately see that a lot of work and effort has gone into it. You have listened very carefully in many parts and in some places you have been able to translate the sounds of the original very well. Mixing this song is not so easy and has many pitfalls. So, generally speaking, your mix is going in the right direction, but there are still a few aspects we need to address.

Conclusion:

All in all, you have done a good job in this unit! You have listened carefully to the original mix and have been able to implement a few aspects in your mix – well done! However, there are some points we would like to discuss. In particular, the dull and resonant sound of the vocals and the guitar. There is still some room for improvement here. All in all, you can build on this mix because it goes in the right direction 🙂

I’m proud to announce my recent distinction in the Harmony, Music Theory and Songwriting Course!

The badge is on the landing page. I achieved over 85% in the final pracitcal project with this one.

Distiction