Though you may be able to skimp on the visuals in your film, you won't be able to do so with the sound, so knowing how to make it the best it can be is supremely important.

MZed, whose educational tours, masterclasses, and recorded trainings have brought quality filmmaking training to international audiences (SNL editor Adam Epstein's Cutting Edge Tour was particularly fantastic), is back with the Sound Advice Tour hosted by Oscar-winning sound designer Frank Serafine.

Here's a quick intro for the tour:

On top of working on films such as TRON, TRON: Legacy, and Star Trek, Serafine won an Emmy for his work on The Day After and an Oscar for his sound design on The Hunt for Red October. He'll be teaching participants the techniques and tools he has been using over the past 40 years, everything from recording sound to creating sound effects.

We got a chance to chat with him about the tour, asking why sound designers, editors, and low-budget filmmakers should attend. Serafine explained:

I've been an educator at the UCLA Extension for 13 years -- the LA Film School -- done over 60 films. What I'm bringing is the techniques I've learned from my mentors. Not just that, but all the latest and greatest technology. Workflow -- how Hollywood does it differently than anyone else in the world. They always come back to Hollywood -- how they do it. I want to show people how it's really done in Hollywood.

Things that used to cost a billion dollars just don't now. What we can do now is much cheaper and consolidated - accelerated. There's options for people with no budgets.

If you go to this workshop, expect to see some things you haven't seen before. Serafine says, "It's all new tech that I've been learning. I'm excited to show it to people." The workshop will cover:

Sound Recording
Sound Editing
Sound Effects
Sound Mixing
Sound Tracks
Sound Design
Sound Inspiration

"Sound is very essential and an important aspect to the success of a film. The audience can be forgiving with a less than perfect picture, but not with sound."

-Frank Serafine

The all-day tour will go through 33 US cities during its run, April 26th - July 2nd, and features daytime interactive workshops that will benefit filmmakers, sound designers, and editors of all levels of experience and professional expertise, be it narrative filmmaking or commercial work. Tickets cost $299 and include a full HD download of the workshop, a collection of 200 sound effects by Serafine, a 1-month subscription to Shane Hurlbut's Shane's Inner Circle, a free pass to this year's NAB Show, a free ProPic account, and a certificate to show that you completed the course.

For more information about, or to reserve your spot for the Sound Advice Tour, head on over to its website or check out MZed's homepage here.

Frank Serafine