Really learning this stuff?

[percussion boy]

what were your classes like?

One night of class a week, plus you had to show up sometimes for the open lab on Saturday.

About two hours of homework per week -- mostly simple math problems about figuring out impedance, capacitance, etc., in different kinds of circuits. Midterm and final along the same lines.

We also had to build stuff. Initially, just setting up real simple circuits on a little board; then in the second class, building a power supply or other real project -- which involved learning to solder and use multimeter and oscilloscope.

I also took part of a digital electronics class, where you start to learn about different kinds of gates and such, and the Boolean algebra stuff for predicting how a big bunch of gates will act.

was that your major or just something you did on the side?

I did the first course before starting grad school in psychology. Got about halfway through the second analog course and the digital course during grad school, but had to quit at midsemester; it was too much and I had an "A" going in one class but like a "C" in the other. I really want to retake those two classes.

pros and cons?

The cons are just like in any other school setting -- you have to keep up with someone else's pace, and you may or may not like the teacher. The textbook was expensive (over $100 new, more than the class cost) but very useful as a reference.

One more con: Little or nothing about tubes; that's obsolete technology in most fields.

Pros: You get some company while you're learning; the teacher or students can fill in the spots where you get lost; you get to use the school's multimeter, oscilloscope, etc..; procrastination is harder since there are deadlines. Mainly, you get taught all the fundamentals in a structured way, rather than wondering what you don't know.

what were the projects like and have you found any of the skills taught in a general electronics class applicable towards your interest in audio?

I chose to the Hamptone tube pre as the project for my second analog class. (Still need to finish it.) Had the lab teacher to critique my soldering (helpful), and test equipment to use.

I think it's all totally relevant. I wish I knew more. Just understanding signal flow and how impedance/resistance works has a lot to do with music stuff. Also, it improves your hands-on skill for building/fixing/testing stuff.


Hope this helps.