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Workflow Techniques for Hard House w/ Amber D

 

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Workflow Techniques for Hard House w/ Amber D

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Course Contents

Course Preview

Less than 1 minute

Introduction

4 minutes

Track playthrough & mindset

4 minutes

Track deconstruction

17 minutes

Organising your project

3 minutes

Using samples to ‘find your sound’

19 minutes

How to remix

25 minutes

Live Q & A

Q & A

10 minutes

About This Course

Amber covers a range of topics including production mentality, how to find your sound, how to use samples in a creative manner.

Amber shows you how she approaches producing hard house music using FL Studio. This course is designed for both beginners and intermediate producers. 

You will learn:

  • How to use sidechain for cleaner mixdowns
  • How to mix kick and bass
  • Tips to better organise your projects in FL Studio
  • How to ‘find your sound’
  • How to use samples in FL Studio
  • Creative techniques using reverb, filters and vocals
  • The art of remixing a track
  • The best mindset for music production

Lessons: 

 

1. Introduction

Amber introduces herself as a hard dance and house DJ/producer, explaining her musical background and influences.

2. Track playthrough and Mindset :

Amber plays through her song and explains her mindset for producing hard dance music. 

  • Track playthrough
  • Mindset when producing

3. Track deconstruction :

Amber begins to deconstruct one of her own hard dance tracks in FLStudio. She explains how she uses techniques such as sidechaining, EQ and layering, as well as offering tips on how to mix the kick and bass for a tight low end. Amber demonstrates how to use a filter envelope to modify a kick sample to taste.

  • Kick Drum & Clap
  • Mixing Kick & Bass
  • Sidechaining using the LFO Tool

4. Organizing Your Project : 

Learn how the professionals organise their projects. Amber suggests tips and tricks to speed up your workflow in FLStudio.

  • Organising your ideas
  • Workflow advice

5. USING SAMPLES TO ‘FIND YOUR SOUND’

Amber shares her ideas on how to ‘find your sound’ as a music producer and how to get inspired to overcome writer’s block. She explains her approach to using samples and what the difference is between REX and WAV files.

  • How to find ‘your sound’
  • How to use samples

6. How To Remix

How you can use remixing to your benefit. Amber explains why reworking another artist’s track can help you with your own music production. She talks you through her remix of Dance Monkey, revealing several creative techniques she uses with reverb, filters and vocal acapellas.

  • Track Playthrough
  • Dance Monkey Remix Deconstruction

Live Q&A

Amber answers questions on how to use FL Studio for music production. Questions include: what FX does she apply to her master channel, how to find the pitch of a kick sample and the best way to use samples.

  • What FX does Amber apply to her master channel when in the creative stage?
  • How to find the tone of a kick sample?
  • What is the best way to make fast acid patterns? Transistor Bass
  • How can you use ‘busy’ samples that have lots of elements playing at the same time?

Meet Your Teacher

Amber D

Amber D is a hard dance, house and trance DJ from Staffordshire who has supported the likes of Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren and K-Klass. She is well versed in many genres of dance music, having been a multi-format DJ for over 16 years, sometimes performing under the moniker “Amber D’Amour” playing electro, old school dance, house and tech house.

She has released records with notable dance labels such as Tidy Trax, Kiddfectious, and Riot! And has played a live set on Pete Tong’s BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix series with the Tidy Boys.

Discussions

Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!

Discussions

Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!

About This Class 

Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!

In this new class, Emma shares the framework that allowed her to overcome self-doubt and carve her own path as an author, broadcaster, and podcast host. The secret to her success? Fed up with feeling afraid—of failure, of not being good enough, even of success—Emma dug into the science behind self-sabotage and learned exactly how to get out of her own way.

Now, Emma is sharing what she’s learned so that you can do the same: unlock your creative potential while feeling energized and empowered! 

Together with Emma, you will:

  • Identify the patterns in your life, and let go of habits that don’t serve you
  • Cut out comparison to figure out what you really want and need
  • Silence your inner critic by talking back to negative beliefs and behaviors
  • Own your success and vulnerability—both go hand-in-hand with creativity

Packed with insights and examples from Emma’s personal journey, this class is designed for every creative who needs a pep-talk or extra push to get started—and includes five exclusive downloadable worksheets to support you along the way.

Whether you’re looking to break through block, remove self-imposed pressure, or simply approach each new project with intention, this 45-minute class will unlock your confidence as a creative. Get started and celebrate taking the first step!

______________________________

All you need to follow along is a pen and paper. Download the worksheets to follow along with Emma’s exercises, or jot your thoughts in a notebook.

Resources

  • Introduction
  • Week one

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Saytek programs toms from the 808 Core Kit, tuning them down for more sub frequencies. Next he adds some more from the 909 Core Kit to create a question and answer pattern. 6 : USING DRUM BUSS TO GLUE YOUR DRUMS TOGETHER + Q & A Drums can lose their impact if they aren’t working together. Saytek shows how to use Ableton Live’s: Drum Buss to glue drums together and also add crunch, distortion and other powerful FX. 7. EXTENSIVE Q & A. An in depth Q and A on House and Techno drums and other production topics. Saytek answers questions on the pros and cons of using FX in sends, using panning FX on your hats, reverb on drums and more. What are the pros and cons of adding FX in sends and not in the instrument channel? Do you prefer using hardware or software when producing? Do you mono your kick and what reverb do you use on them? Do you usually create your basslines with toms or do they just add groove? Do you use panning FX on your hats? Do you use compression and EQ Eight in Ableton when using your hardware? Is there a reason for using Auto-Filter for cutting highs? Do you use soft clipping in Glue Compressor and Saturator? How do you go about arranging your drums? Do you tune your kicks when layering and with your bassline? What are your two main synths, beats or FX units for live performance? Do you use Span or similar on each channel or just on the master? 9. ISOLATING DRUM HITS FROM LOOPS USING ABLETON LIVE’S: SIMPLER Danny / Adam, this whole section was a nightmare as his boy keeps coming in and is making noise in the background, I’ve marked the bits you can take out for it to still make sense, but there are still bits in there. Saytek shows you how to isolate individual drum sounds from loops in Simpler and use them to programme your own rhythms when making House and Techno drums. He picks out kicks, hi-hats, claps and other percussive elements and adds character with filters and other processing. 10: LAYERING LOOPS WITH YOUR HOUSE AND TECHNO DRUMS This section shows you how to use loops to add character to your drums. Saytek looks at finding a loop that compliments your sound, removing the low end so the loop fits, using Auto-Filters and extracting grooves. 11. WORKING WITH LOOPS IN AUDIO Saytek works with loops in Audio. He shows you how to remove sections, play with loop length to match your existing drums and pitch elements, all in clip mode. 12. ADDING A RIDE FROM ABLETON LIVE’S: CORE 909 DRUM KIT Ableton Live has a range of core drum kits for you to select sounds from when making House and Techno drums. In this chapter Saytek adds a ride from the 909, altering its pitch and velocity and shows you how to programme alternative sequences. 13. USING ABLETON LIVE’S: “SLICE TO NEW MIDI” FUNCTION ON LOOPS Sayek uses “slice to midi” to chop up a drum loop and include slices in his track. He covers chopping the audio, programming the slices and creating space and character with EQ and Auto-Filter. 14. PROCESSING DRUM GROUPS AND AUTOMATION Your drum elements may not work together as a unit if you don’t process them properly. Saytek pulls his together with a Glue compressor and then adds some more character with automated delay. 15. EXTENSIVE Q AND A Saytek answers questions on making House and Techno drums, with some bassline and music theory knowledge as a bonus. Questions cover automation in clip vs utility, working out the key of a loop and more. Can you automate Auto-Filter for individual midi slices? Can you record automation for filters instead of drawing it in? Automating volumes in clip mode or with a Utility? Can you automate the transient envelope in Simpler? Do you always work on drums first? How many years have you been using Ableton Live? Is there a way of working out the key of a loop? Do you use layered basslines in Operator? How do you feel about using a kick with reverb as a sub bass?
Acapella Production Techniques w/ Fry UpsFry Ups is a DJ/Producer and artist based in Manchester, UK. IN 2020, his remixes have been played on Radio 1 Dance Anthems, Capital FM and various other radio stations. Fry Ups gives a class on Acapella’s, explaining what they are and how you can obtain them using the Phase Cancellation technique, as well as a look into softwares that can extract vocals and sites you can download acapellas from. Reverse engineering one of his tracks “I Believe In You” that Fry Ups wrote in 2018. He works in Logic Pro X using a wide range of vocal enhancing plugins. You will learn: What is an acapella Phase Cancellation Acapella creation software Detecting Keys Creating Harmonies Plug-In Selection for Vocals Bussing Sampling Vocal Looping Using Alchemy to create vocal instruments Additional Effects Fry uses the following to treat vocals: Voxengo Voxformer Noveltech Vocal Enhancer FF Pro Q 2 Shaper Box Lex Random Hall Reverb Chapter 1: What is an Acapella? In modern culture, an acapella is used to describe the isolated vocal track from a multi-track recording that originally included music. Fry elaborates on this while looking into the technology we have today. Chapter 2: Phase Cancellation Like a magic trick, Phase Cancellation is an audio phenomenon in which two or more out of phase sound waves result in weakened or lost frequencies. You can use this method this obtain acapellas from existing soundtracks. Chapter 3: Acapella Creation Software A look into softwares like Izotope Rx7, Hit n Mix, Audionamix, Phonic Mind and the free Acapella Extractor that can help extract acapellas. Chapter 4: Detecting The Key It’s important to know what key the acapella is in once it’s extracted. Fry explains softwares that can do this for you, including Traktor, Rekordbox and Mixed in Key. Chapter 5: Creating Harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which the composition of individual sounds, or superpositions of sounds, is analysed by hearing. Usually this means simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches or chords. Chapter 6: Production Techniques What you can do with vocals; looping, vocal instruments, reverse reverbs, stutter effect and filters. Fry shows us how to create a reverse reverb using an acapella. Chapter 6: Acapella Websites A few website tools to help you obtain acapellas. Fry speaks about the consequences (both good and bad) of clearing your samples. Sites include: www.volcr.it Msprojectsound.com Acapellas4u.co.uk Remixpacks.ru Splice.com Chapter 7: Introduction & Recap Track playback. Chapter 8: Plugin Selection & Bussing Stating that these are the best plugins for him, there are several plugins on the market that you can explore to find out which works best for you. Chapter 9: Sampling The Vocal Using the long reverse reverb effect created in the last chapter, Fry shows us how to sample effects throughout the track. He uses Keilworth Audio VPS philta XL and Logic’s brand new (10.5) sampler to create stutter effects. Chapter 10: Vocal Looping Choosing a section of the vocal singer holds the note, you can loop those parts and apply effects to create interesting drone sounds. Chapter 11: Using Alchemy To Create a Vocal Instrument. With the option of spectral and granular synthesis, Alchemy can analyse the audio sample and create a virtual instrument out of any sample you put into it. Chapter 12: Additional Effects Fry shares a few of his most used alternative vocal effects: Ableton Time Warp Vocoder Scratching Samples using Virtual DJ Using vocals from other songs to compliment your vocal. Q/A 2 How do you source vocals? The vocal channels have no effects in them and are all on send and return? Is there any other plugin to do the same effect as Alchemy?
Arrangement w/ Richard EarnshawOne half of Spiritchaser and co-founder of Duffnote, One51, Guess, not to mention various appearances on the likes Soulfuric, Defected, Hed Kandi and Ministry of Sound, Sony Music, amongst many others, Richard has now been a familiar figure in the dance music scene for over 15 years. As a result of his continuous delivery of quality productions, remixes and solid live performances he has positioned himself amongst some of the most respected producers/DJ's in the world. In this lesson using Logic Pro X, Richard explains the methods behind creating multiple edits for your tracks, looking at club edit, radio/stream edits and extended edits, he breaks down what you need to have in these and why they are so important. You will learn: Various styles of arranging Making a club edit Making a radio edit Making an extended edit Chapter 1: Introduction to Arrangement Richard explains the history of how music arrangement has changed over the years. He shows us a project file of his where the arrangement has been considered with the option of making an extended mix. Various styles of Intro arrangement Going through more DJ tailored arrangements, starting off with the drums alone to make it easy to mix. Richard demonstrates how he would tailor this arrangement and make radio/stream edits. Chapter 3: Break and Drop Arrangement Going through traditional styles of verse-chorus-verse-chorus, Richard explains his arrangement techniques working with a vocal for one of his tracks. Chapter 4: Various types of edits (radio, club, extended) Richard explains the importance of making various edits for your tracks, Radio/Stream Mix, Club Mix and Extended Mix. Chapter 5: Working with vocals Breaking down a Spiritchaser track, Richard shows us how he worked with a vocal to create a series of hooks spread throughout the track.
Ableton Effects and Effect Racks w/ Rob TisseraRob gives a lesson on Ableton Effects and using the Effect Rack. Looking into effects used on popular instruments as well as DJ and Performance effects within Ableton. You will learn: Effect chains for strings Types of limiters Effect chains for piano Effect chains for bass DJ and Performance Effects Bus Effects Chapter 1: Effects in Ableton for Strings Rob goes over a few effects you can apply to strings and the master of your track, going over external limiters like Ozone 8 and Invisible Limiter, then inbuilt effects like Ableton Limiter, Autofilter, EQ, Reverb, Utility, Autopan. Chapter 2: Piano Effects Going over interesting effects you can apply to a piano like Ableton’s Ping Pong Delay and Saturation. Chapter 3: Bass Effects Rob talks through the fundamentals of working with bass. Showing us practical ways of EQing the bass, sidechaining it to the kick and automation. Chapter 4: Beat Repeat & Autofilter DJ style effects in Ableton that can be used for music making, mixes, podcasts etc. Rob shows us the Beat Repeat, Redux & Autofilter in action. Chapter 5: Vocal Effects Rob explains some popular effects for vocals. Going over frequency sweeps to suss out harsh frequencies in the vox. Chapter 6: Grouping Effects Grouping effects can increase your workflow speed, by saving effect chains you use frequently, you can save and access them in your project in one click. Chapter 7: Mixing tracks effects How to create mixtapes on Ableton. Rob shows us various ways of using effects to mix 2 tracks together. Chapter 8: Bus Effects Return and bus channels are the same thing, you can make use of them to apply the same effect to many different sounds while keeping the dry version audible. Q/A What's the difference between a good limiter and a bad limiter?
Turning an Idea into a Full Arrangement w/ Carl BeeA dynamic and eclectic DJ & producer, Carl Bee has risen from his native Malta, to worldwide acclaim, cementing a reputation as one of the most naturally gifted, and hard-working artists on the scene. With a number of releases on prestigious labels such as Lost Records, Saved, CR2, Abode and many more. Carl Bee has had support from mega artists like Solomun, Carl Cox, Marco Carola and Dubfire. In this workshop, Carl shares insightful information on how to turn an idea as a loop into a full track. Using Logic Pro X and mainly stock plug-ins, Carl talks about important factors on keeping a track interesting by breaking down a loop he made. You will learn: All the elements needed to create a full track Making an intro tailored for DJs Creating breaks and build ups Automation and track stacks Send and Return FX Creative processes on crafting anticipation in a track Chapter 1: BREAKING DOWN A LOOP In this chapter, Carl breaks down his loop idea. Going through each element from the kick, adding percs, a bassline, shakers, noise, pad melodies, arpeggios and FX to create a moving 8 bar loop. Chapter 2: BRINGING IN ELEMENTS IN THE INTRO Carl shares his methods of letting the track build up slowly, using automation, track stacks and musical phrasing to bring in different elements of the track as the DJ would be mixing it in. Chapter 3: TRACK BREAK AND BUILD UP. The track is now mixed in fully, all elements start to show and the kick and bass is removed to create a break. Carl touches on interesting ways to bring in main melodies of the track, and uses effects, automation and sampling to create an impactful build up. Chapter 4: REBUILDING THE SOUNDS INTO A BIGGER BREAK AND BIGGER DROP Carl talks about how to keep your arrangement session productive, using the less is more rule and focussing on the sounds already in the track. Stating that the breakdown could be the most important part of the track. Using ESX24, Alchemy, ESP for noise generation and single band EQ automation to create movement and tension in the track.
Start to Finish Production Walk-through w/ JackyWorking in Ableton, Jacky shares his insights on experimenting, arrangement and workflow tips to get tracks moving and complete. You will learn: Structure & Arrangement Working in Session View Working in Arrangement View Writing Bass Melodies Working with Vocals Chapter 1: INTRO & TRACK PLAYBACK Looking at an unreleased track from Jack, he plays the track to get the session started. Chapter 2: STRUCTURE & ARRANGEMENT Jacky states that there’s no correct way to work, for this track he worked in session view and it sped up his workflow significantly. Chapter 3: BASS Jacky implements creative ways to write bass with MIDI, using the Scale function on Ableton to ensure what he plays is in key. He then adds subtle additional notes to add to the groove. Chapter 4: VOCALS Working the melody to fit the vocals.
Writing Music for Production Libraries w/ Annie ErrezBoth a well respected DJ and producer based in Leeds, Annie Errez has been plying her trade across the North of England and around the UK for quite some time after becoming a resident at the Mint Club back in 2008 and is currently studying a masters on music production. Production libraries can be a good source of income for music producers,Production music can be used for a variety of media applications; Podcasts, Games, Radio Ads, Jingles, Sound FX, Film Scores and many more. Annie discusses the applications and how you can make money from them. You will learn: What are music libraries? How to get paid from music libraries Ways to submit music Various media applications for library music Choosing an album style Picking reference tracks Technical and Creative considerations Mixing and Mastering Metadata and Track Names Chapter 1: THE INDUSTRY Production music can be used for a variety of media applications; Podcasts, Games, Radio Ads, Jingles, Sound FX, Film Scores and many more. Annie discusses the applications and how you can make money from them. Chapter 2: LIBRARY MUSIC A fast rising music tool due to the high number of streaming applications, there is now more air time to fill than ever, hence the importance of library music. Chapter 3: GET PAID FROM LIBRARY MUSIC There are numerous ways to monetize from library music; royalties, licensing fees and more can be a good side income for music producers or a sole income for sound creators. Chapter 4: SUBMITTING DEMOS AND BEING SUCCESSFUL Annie explains how to submit demos to Music Libraries, she highlights the various points to increase your success rate within these libraries. Chapter 5: Recap & Introduction Discussing stock and production music, Annie recaps on ways you can get music onto online libraries that media professionals can browse. Chapter 6: Examples Of Library Tracks Annie shows us examples of tracks she has written for the intention of getting them onto music libraries. Chapter 7: End Stages Some high-end libraries may master your work, Royalty free libraries expect complete mixed and mastered tracks. Annie discusses these options as well as Metadata & Track Names.
Implementing Modulation into your Productions using Logic Pro w/ KreatureWorking with processes that can modulate sounds in Logic Pro, Kreature looks at how you can implement MIDI Modulation, Step FX & Remix FX and the new Step Sequencer that processes MIDI. You will learn: Implementing MIDI Modulation Using Step FX & Remix FX Using Logic’s Step Sequencer Chapter 1: INTRO Using the ABL3 Acid Emulator to create a Bassline. Kreature shows us the loop we will be implanting modulation on in this workshop. Chapter 2: MIDI MODULATION Using Logics MIDI Modulator effect, you can control multiple parameters on various effect units to create moving sounds. Chapter 3: STEP FX & REMIX FX Logics new effect units can carry out live modulation functions to any sound. The Step FX includes a Step Sequencer that works with any audio or MIDI. Chapter 4: MIDI STEP SEQUENCER Using the Arturia Prophet V3 synth, Kreature shows us how he would modulate pitch, decay and other functions to create moving sounds, using the MIDI Step Sequencer to draw notes.
Setting Up Templates & Settings w/ Aiden LavelleOver nearly 20 years Aidan has contributed to the wider context of music, film and TV, which has seen him work with some of the biggest artists in the industry. His contribution to music has seen him release work on Parlophone, Global Underground, Crosstown Rebels, Get Physical, Bedrock Records, Rebellion, My Favorite Robot, Olmeto Records, Surrender All, Culprit, Akbal Music and more. As a DJ he has seen a career that has stretched the globe and has highlights of some of the most revered slots, playing gigs at Miami Winter Conference, Amsterdams ADE, Manchester’s The Warehouse Project, Barcelona’s Sonar Festival, Mexico’s BMP Festival, The UK’s Glastonbury Festival and playing alongside on his journey such esteemed artists as Art Department, Bill Patrick, Bob Moses, Bushwaka, Carl Craig, Craig Richards, Clive Henry, Damian Lazarus, Davide Squillace, Denis Kurtel, DJ Harvey, DJ Three, Droog, Ellen Allien, Francesca Lombardo, Felix Da Housecat, Fur Coat, Ida Engberg, Infinity Ink, Kevin Saunderson, Konrad Black, Laurent Garnier, Maceo Plex, MK, Pete Tong, Mark Jenkyns, Russ Yallop, Sasha, Scuba, Subb-an, Shaun Reeves, Thugfucker, The Martinez Brothers Tiga the list goes on. Emphasising on the importance of workflow and the ability to access sounds as soon as you need them. This lesson is about templates and how they can organise your workflow and speed up your creation process. You will learn: Sample Rate & SMPTE Building A Template Saving A Template Customising Toolbar Bussing Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION Aidan shows us how he routes his hardware audio devices into the template. This avoids setting up channel strips every time you open Logic. Chapter 2: BUILDING A TEMPLATE - FUNDAMENTALS Working in a new session, Aidan shows the settings most DAWs have when it comes to preparing a session. He looks at Sample Rate, Buffer Size, MIDI Sync and more. Chapter 3: BUILDING A TEMPLATE - IN PRACTICE Setting up a sidechain trigger, assigning colours to the tracks and building your own template.
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Podcast Jingles & Workflow Hacks w/ Amber D Amber D British hard dance DJ from Staffordshire. As Amber D’Amour she plays electro, fidget, and tech house. She has been a DJ since late 2001. Her first residency was at the legendary Golden, in Hanley Stoke-on-Trent, where she used to warm up for DJs such as Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, K-Klass, Mauro Picotto, and she then DJ'd on BPM Radio and at BPM parties. In 2002, she won a DJ Competition at Fluffy, and started a residency at the club. She has released records with dance labels such as Tidy Trax, Kiddfectious, and Riot!, and has DJ'd internationally, including in Ibiza. She did an Essential Mix live on BBC Radio 1 in 2005. She was “Mixmag Future Hero” in 2004, and one of her tracks was in the top 4 at the Hard Dance Awards 2008 Highlighting that what she’s showing in this lesson can be applied to any DAW, Amber D touches on creating podcast jingles, looking at recording vocals, treating them and adding effects & background music. She then dives into the powerful XO VST by XLN Audio. You will learn: How to create a podcast jingle Workflow hacks in FL Studio Using XO VST Chapter 1: CREATING A PODCAST JINGLE Using Izotope Nectar 3, Amber explains how to treat vocals for a podcast jingle. Adding in effect sweeps and automated delay to the vox, Amber makes the podcast jingle more interesting in this chapter. Chapter 2: XO VST Looking at the plug-in XO, Amber shows us how this plugin can organise all your samples, enhance your workflow and get ideas moving. Chapter 3: EXPORTING AUDIO FROM XO VST The plugin can render individual loops in WAV format or MIDI with an easy to use drag-and-drop format.
The Making of a K&K House Edit w/ Robin (K&K) K & K are a house DJ/Production duo based in Kent UK. -Robin & Danny have spent the best part of 2 decades DJing together under different guises, gracing the decks from Ministry of Sound London to Space Ibiza and many venues in between. In 2013 having dabbled with production over the years they started to create their own music and the duo K & K were born. Since this day their music has graced the USBs of many household names and gained radio plays on Radio 1, Kiss FM and Rinse. Known for their edits in the dance music world, Robin from K&K gives us a demonstration on how he creates edits, looking at selecting the track you want to edit, and then diving into the production processes and sampling. You will learn: Sampling audio with the drum rack Writing basslines Converting audio to MIDI Writing percussion lines Chopping vocals Arrangement Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION Robin explains how he decides what track to edit, once that is done, he finds various versions of the track and pitches it down to the BPM he would like to work in. Chapter 2: SAMPLING WITH THE DRUM RACK You can sample original parts from the track using Drum Rack, selecting the audio section you want can then be triggered via MIDI. Robin then starts building a drum groove. Chapter 3: BUILDING BASSLINES Using simpler to sample an audio file, Robin shows us his techniques when it comes to writing basslines. Chapter 4: PERCUSSIONS Robin creates percussions using the drum rack and playing with MIDI. Chapter 5: VOCAL CHOPS Finding chops from the original track to add atmosphere and sonic movement. Robin fits the vocal from the original into his new groove. Chapter 6: FINAL TOUCHES With all the parts in place, Robin starts to think about the arrangement, the build up and the track as a whole. He adds a snare pattern to liven the drum group. Q/A Robin answers questions on using the drum rack as a sampler, mastering and more.
Sound Synthesis w/ Lee PenningtonThis detailed sound synthesis course by Lee Pennington covers the fundamentals of sound design and synthesis. You will learn: What is noise Types of synthesis Amplitude Envelope Generators Filter Envelope Generators Envelopers Modulation What a DAW is What a Software Sequencer is ReWiring audio engines FM Synthesis Reflecting Waves LFO’s Portamento & Velocity Oscillator syncs
Mixdown Essentials For a Better Demo w/ Carl BeeJust over 10 years ago, little known DJ & Producer Carl Bee launched the ‘Bee Expedition’ - a weekly radio show and iTunes podcast - along with a new monthly party called ‘Gringos’ at Malta’s famous open air venue ‘Uno Village’. Possessing a diverse sonic palette, each week Carl would seamlessly support the likes of Green Velvet, Dubfire, Nic Fanciulli, The Martinez Brothers, Roger Sanchez and Eats Everything with his blend of deep house, minimal, melodic house, tech-house and techno. He rapidly gained the respect of his illustrious guests, and it wasn’t long before Carl had records signed to Carl Cox’s prestigious label ‘Intec’. Since then he has gained support for his tracks from techno titans Adam Beyer, Carl Cox and Joseph Capriati. However, not one to be limited to a single genre, Carl has established himself as a talented tech-house producer too, breaking into Beatport’s Top 20 Tech House Chart and receiving plenty of airtime on BBC Radio 1 from Danny Howard, Pete Tong and Annie Mac. A badly mixed demo could be the yes/no factor for any label, having a cleaned mixdown where everything is fully audible is the best way to present your music. Carl discusses this further and shows us his mixdown process in Logic Pro. You will learn: Gain Staging Master Channel Plugins Mixing Kick & Bass Drum Processing Creative Effects Chapter 1: Mixdown Essentials & Gain Staging Discussing the importance of gain staging and the overall mixdown of a demo, Carl shows us how he organises a project to be mixed. Chapter 2: Master Channel Using the Fab Filter Pro Q to carry out mid-side processing, SPAN spectrum analyser and Fab Filter Pro Limiter to control peaks and harsh frequencies. Chapter 3: Kick and Bass Carl always starts a mix down with the kick and bass, the two core elements of any dance track. Using Logic’s EQ, CLA-3A Compressor and an API 2500 to add to the punch Carl explains how to get them to work in synergy. Chapter 4: Drums Adding stereo effects to hats and more EQ processing, this is how Carl Bee would mix his drums. Chapter 5: Mid Range Sounds Getting creative with effects to fill up space in the mix and Track Spacer for advanced sidechaining.
Dope & Dirty Grooves w/ Eddie AmadorEddie Amador is best known as an international house music producer, remixer and DJ. Most famous for the song "House Music" in 1997 and is an established icon in house music. A legendary DJ, producer, and remixer, Eddie is considered by many a house music prophet. His love for the music and his ability to create unforgettable house anthems made him a fixture in the club culture of LA, but it was “House Music” that really kicked his career into high gear. With its irrepressible groove and deep, soulful lyrics, “House Music” was championed by the best DJs on the planet, Carl Cox, Danny Teneglia, Deep Dish, Masters at Work, Frankie Knuckles, Roger Sanchez, Pete Tong, and Danny Rampling. Eddie Amador gets down to basics in his lesson taught in Ableton live. Showing us how he would start a track, get a groove going and looking into sampling melodies and basslines. Focussing on stock plug-ins and doing things in the box. In this lesson you will learn: How to develop a house groove Sidechaining bass Utilising the Gate function Stereo imaging for high frequency drums Limiting & Compressing channels Working with vocals Musical phrasing How to arrange a track Sampling melodies and bass Working with risers in arrangement Making Bass more audible Making a breakdown Chapter 1: Developing a house groove Eddie mentions he uses sample packs a lot, and how there's nothing wrong with using existing samples. Always keep it unique! Eddie touches on how you should consider how the final version of your track will sound, keeping an eye on levels and avoiding clipping. Chapter 2: Working with Bass Eddie discusses the classic New York sidechaining approach when it comes to working with bass, emphasising to keep your levels under red. Chapter 3: Gating Eddie explains the difference between sidechaining and gating. Showing us practical examples of both of these functions in use. Q/A What if you want to take elements from the loop so it’s not so repetitive? Chapter 4: Cymbals & Percs Eddie touches on how he was previously in a marching band which is why rides are so important to him. Eddie shares info on stereo imaging stating that for hi-hats, cymbals and percs it's better to have them moving in the stereo image or spread out (LR). Q/A - Why is there no low cut on your kick or bassline? Eddie shares useful info on where to cut low end frequencies. Chapter 5: Watch your levels Eddie shares his approach to having all levels under the peak threshold. Highlighting that most sample packs would be treated and mixed before you put them into your project file, so less dynamic processing would be required. Chapter 6: Working with vocals Eddie shows us a spoken word vocal take from an upcoming track, using it in the loop he’s made for this class. He touches up on the importance of other mid frequencies like open hats should not clash with the vocal. Q/A Where do you get your vocals from? Eddie says he uses vocalists from all over and sends them demos to sing on. His emphasis is to make music that DJs will play. Referencing his famous “Not Everyone Understands House Music” track and how he recorded the vocal from a homeless man. Eddie shares the story of how he got started in house music and becoming an artist. Chapter 7: Tweaking a groove Q/A - Do you take off the limiter when you send it off to be mastered? What's the ideal dB for sending your track for mastering? Eddie usually sends off his tracks with no master at -6dB, it can depend on the label and what they ask for. Chapter 8: Sampling Melodies and Bass Eddie encourages the use of sample packs. Introduces a rhode and new bass sample into the track which he side-chains to the kick. Chapter 9: Working with a spoken word vocal Eddie speaks about tips on recording spoken word vocal and letting the vocalist relax when recording. Chapter 10: Arrangement Eddie shares how he likes to start a track. Emphasising on ‘house music is a feeling’ and giving DJs time to mix in your track, keeping melodic instruments for when the track would be fully mixed in. Let it mutate slowly. Chapter 11 - Working with Percussions Eddie shares his tips on warping shakers and other percussion. He states the importance of cutting out unwanted frequencies in the low end when it comes to shakers or cabassas. Q/A Do you mainly use audio loops or do you use synths? Eddie states he does use synths a lot. Mainly using Sylenth1 - and goes on to show us the VST. Chapter 12 - Making bass more audible Eddie shares his methods of making bass sounds louder in the mid-range. Using overdrive to boost mid frequencies so it can be heard on all listening devices and not just in the club. Chapter 13: Breakdowns Finding the right clap sample to add to the groove. Eddie then shares techniques on making a breakdown and re-introducing melodies. Q/A What do you do on your mastering chain? Eddie uses the Audio Effect rack in Ableton, he finds presets under the Mixing and Mastering section. As well as a glue compressor.
Stock Plug-ins for House Music in Logic Pro w/ Ian BlandIan Bland has over 30 years’ experience in music production, he has had hits across many different labels and under many different monikers, his biggest claim to fame being Dream Frequency and Dancing Divaz. Dancing Divaz were one of the most prolific remixers of the nineties and are smashing it today with releases on Todd Terry’s: InHouse and other big names. He also runs his own label: Maison Records. His lessons are full of next level techniques and tips to up your production game. Lesson: Ian Bland shares his knowledge and offers tips and techniques for how best to use Logic Pro’s stock plugins to produce a house music track. In this lesson he uses only stock Logic Pro FX to demonstrate how you can best use the standard ‘in the box’ tools within the context of a house music track to create basses, melodic and harmonic textures and sounds. Ian also explains various techniques to enhance your sonic arsenal by using MIDI effects to create interesting melodic patterns and harmonies. You will learn: Sound design and production techniques using only Logic Pro’s stock plugins How to create bass sounds with Logic Pro’s ES1, EFM1, EXS24, Retro Synth & Alchemy How to create melodic / mid-range sounds with Logic Pro’s Bebop Organ, ES P Synth, Vintage Electric Piano & Vintage Clav How to enhance sounds using the arpeggiator, auto filter, chord trigger, chromaverb and note repeat Music production tips and tricks for creating House & Nu Disco music 1: Stock Plugins in Logic For House Music - Introduction Ian Bland introduces himself and plays through the demonstration soundbites he has composed for the purpose of explaining how to use Logic Pro’s stock plugins to create a House or Nu Disco track. 2: Stock Plugins in Logic For House Music - BASS Using Logic Pro’s stock plugins such as the ES1 and EFM1 to create a bassline. Ian explains how to modify Logic’s standard plugin parameters (e.g. ADSR, cutoff, filter envelope, amp envelope) and what type of soundwave to use in order to create your own bass sound for a house track. 3: Stock Plugins in Logic For House Music - MELODIC/MID-RANGE INSTRUMENTS How to use Logic Pro’s plugins to create mid-range instruments. Ian discusses sound design techniques and MIDI effects when using Logic’s stock plugins in order to create interesting melodic patterns and sounds typically found in House music. 4: Stock Plugins in Logic For House Music - NU DISCO EXAMPLE Ian discusses using Logic Pro’s standard in the box plugins within the context of a Nu Disco track. He shows you how to create a bass sound before explaining some sound design techniques that may be applied to melodic or harmonic instruments. Q&A Ian answers your questions on using Logic Pro’s stock plugins. Questions include what plugins would he recommend for producing a house track in Ableton Live.
Building Atmosphere For Deep Drum & Bass w/ MonrroeWith support from artists such as Etherwood, S.P.Y, Maduk, LSB and Hybrid Minds, Monrroe has been making an impact with his instantly recognisable atmospheric, deeply euphoric sound. Through his unique production techniques he manages to capture a truly organic and human feel that stands out within the heavily electronic genre of Drum and Bass. Monrroe’s collaborative track with Charlotte Haining 'Stay' was released on Liquicity's third instalment in the Escapism series and received huge praise from DJ's and punters alike. His next collaborative track with Aperio 'Rise' was featured on the RAM Records 2017 drum & bass annual. In this lesson using Ableton Live, Monrroe explains how to build atmosphere, using a variety of audio effects, sampling tools and plugins like Omnisphere to create his signature sound. You will learn: How to resample audio Making pads Using Omnisphere How to automate effects Reversing audio Creating atmosphere with vocals CHAPTER 1: CREATING ATMOSPHERE Stating his methods are mainly sample based, Monrroe goes through the various ways of sampling to obtain atmosphere sounds. Using Serato Sample to check the key of the sample, Addictive Keys and Massive to compliment it. CHAPTER 2: MAKING PADS Using Omnisphere, Monrroe shows us how he would make a pad sound to compliment the first piano sample, he then gets creative with sampling techniques and automation. Chapter 3: SAMPLING Creative Sampling (reverse, automate) Ableton OTT Pitching & Speeding a sample Autopan tip Chapter 4: TEXTURES Using Paul’s extreme sound stretch with audio sample, Monrroe shows us his techniques for creating textures to sit underneath the main body of the track. Chapter 5: VOCALS Using a famous vocal sample, Monrroe applies audio effects to create atmospheric textures to the sound to fit the rest of the instrumentation. Chapter 6: STRINGS & ARPS Using Ableton’s inbuilt string instrument to create tension in the break. Monrroe shows us his go to processes when treating string instruments and creating arpeggios. Chapter 7: BASS & FOLEY Using Massive, Monrroe demonstrates how he would make a wobble ‘drum and bass’ bassline to fit in with the atmosphere. He explains his methods with using foley sounds to add even more texture to the track. Q/A Can you tell us about your return channels?
Advanced Sidechain Techniques w/ Fry UpsSigned to major record label East West (Warner), accomplished producer Fry Ups shows us various advanced sidechain techniques you can apply to your productions. Sidechaining is one of the most common techniques applied in dance music today. You will learn: What is sidechaining Dual Sidechaining Multiband Compressors Volume Shapers Noise Gates Advanced sidechaining techniques Using the plugins: Waves R-Compressor TrackSpacer SmartComp C6 by Waves Fab Filter Pro MB Shaper Box Soothe Chapter 1: INTRO to SIDECHAINING What is sidechaining and why was it created? Fry explains this and why this tool is so useful for music in today’s world. Chapter 2: DUAL SIDECHAINING & TRACKSPACER Getting more complex, we look into sidechaining strings to a vocal to make it more present. Fry shows us this using Waves R-Compressor. He takes a look at the plug-in TrackSpacer which allows you to carry out Mid-Side processing Chapter 3: MULTIBAND & SMART COMPRESSORS Multiband compressors allow us to work on particular frequency bands of a sound. Smart compressors can help guide you towards the best settings to use. Fry demonstrates this in action using SmartComp, C6 by Waves and Fab Filter Pro MB. Chapter 4: NOISE GATE & VOLUME SHAPERS Fry explains what side-chain triggers are and how to use them to create unique sounds using this method. He gives a breakdown of transient shapers for more control over sidechaining using Shaper Box. Chapter 5: MOTHER DUCKER Fry explains a technical sidechain approach that he’s coined himself. This process involves creating a bus the source audio channel is routed to, applying an effect to the bus and sidechaining it back to the source. Chapter 6: SOOTHE HARSH FREQUENCIES & BOOST YOUR MIX Obtaining clarity in a mix is important, Fry explains how he gets rid of harsh sounding frequencies using a plug-in called Soothe. He then shares a valuable sidechain secret to help make your masters louder.
Stripping Down a track w/ SaytekHaving too many ideas in one track can be problematic, Saytek explains the importance of keeping it simple and focussing on specific parts for each track. You will learn: How to organise a project Saving various versions of a project Make your own sample pack Get an idea moving towards a finished track Chapter 1: ORGANISING YOUR PROJECT Organising your project well and grouping sounds can improve your workflow, by obtaining all our sounds clearly labelled and in sight, it’s easier to start the process of stripping down various ideas. Chapter 2: STRIPPING DOWN AND SAVING IDEAS Saving various ideas from one project into different project files. Saytek explains how he would go about organising a project full of ideas and splitting them up. Chapter 3: MAKING YOUR OWN SAMPLE PACK (S) Saytek explains how to make use of sounds that may not fit in the track by creating your own sample pack. Saving sounds in a folder you can use for future projects. Chapter 4: MOVING IDEAS FORWARD Using the stripped-down dubby chords and bass, Saytek shows us how he would now start focussing on one idea to make it into a track.
Live Arranging w/ SaytekWith the right sounds for a full track, Saytek shows us how he would live arrange a track from start to finish. Working in session view in Ableton Live. As a live performer, Saytek usually creates in session view. For part of this lesson he shows how he would take a track in arrangement view and touch it up to a finished product. You will learn: Preparing a live session Creating intros Breakdowns Recording into arrangement view Arrangement tips Using existing sounds to make new elements LFO effects Automation effects Drum fills Working with a vocal Arranging on the fly How to tell when your track is ready Chapter 1: PREPARING A SESSION Preparing for arrangement and checking musical notes, see how Saytek prepares to carry out a live arrangement. Chapter 2: THE INTRO Starting with the chords and atmospheric drums, Saytek creates the intro for this track. Using Clip Automation to create a build. Chapter 3: THE BREAKDOWN Taking out a lot of the high frequency sounds to create a low tone feeling, Saytek shows us how he’d make a breakdown, adding in new elements along the way. Chapter 4: RECORDING THE ARRANGEMENT Using visual cues and other organisation tips to help prepare the project for final arrangement. Saytek records the track into the arrangement view by triggering the scenes. Chapter 5: ADDING TO THE TRACK Creating new audio tracks and adding in vocal samples. Saytek shows us how he’d improve a track in the arrangement view, using automated delays and filters to create movement. Chapter 6: CARVING INTO THE TRACK Taking a static arrangement to an interesting, moving track. Saytek explains how he would make use of existing sounds to create different elements. Chapter 7: ADDING EFFECTS Adding the final layers of effects in the breakdowns and builds, here’s what Saytek does to create interesting sounds using LFO effects. Chapter 8: FINISHING DRUMS Additional claps to create a build feeling, the track is sounding nearly complete. Chapter 9: INTRO & RECAP Looking back at the track as a whole. This is how Saytek does his arrangement. Chapter 10: WORKING THE VOCAL Rather than having the same vocal loop play out, Saytek shows us his process of making the vocal more interesting. Chapter 11: ARRANGING ON THE FLY Taking the whole track from start to finish, Saytek shows us how we would arrange on the fly. Chapter 12: THE OUTRO & FINAL TOUCHES Listening back to the track fully and editing it as he goes along.
Logic 10.5: New Live Loops and Sampler w/ Ian BlandIan Bland talks about the new Logic Pro updates, Logic’s biggest update since version 9. He touches on brand new features like Live Loop, Sampler and Remix FX. You will learn: How to use Live Loop MIDI functions in Live Loop Sampler (Upgrade from the ESX24) Working between arrangement and live view Remix Effects Chapter 1: Introduction to Live Loop Logic Pro introduced features such as Live Loops which can help speed up workflow. Ian introduces these features and shows us how to load audio samples into the looper. Chapter 2: MIDI in Live Loop MIDI effects and tools have had a massive upgrade, Ian shows us how you can make full use of Logic’s MIDI features by using a MIDI bass. Chapter 3: Sampler Logic’s sampler hadn’t been updated since 2006, with the new 10.5, it has addressed all previous issues and become one of the most powerful samplers around. Chapter 4: Working in arrangement view Recording an on-the-fly live arrangement from the live loop into Logic’s recognisable arrangement interface. Chapter 5: Remix Effects & Logic Control A brand new effect unit added to the Logic library. This tool can be applied to your master or individual channels for a live style approach to remix effects. Ian talks about Logic Control which can be integrated onto an iPad.
Vocal FX & Audio Racks w/ Rob TisseraRob gives a class on how to treat vocals, using a completely dry acapella to start with, he shows us his method of creating, saving and implementing FX chains using stock Ableton plugins. Showing his plug-in chain with EQ, Echo, Ping-Pong Delay, Reverb, Gates and more You will learn: EQ & Saturation in the effect rack Levels & compression Using delay & reverb Gating Treating vocals Using the Audio Effect Rack Chapter 1 - EQ & SATURATION IN THE EFFECT RACK Considering the acapella being a female vox, Rob shares his EQ techniques for treating the main vocal channel. Using hints of Saturation to add warmth to the channel in parallel. Chapter 2: LEVELS & COMPRESSION Looking at the OTT Multiband Dynamic Compressor, Glue Compressor and a Peak Compressor from Ableton to create a tightened mix, Rob explains how each of the plugins he is using are applied subtly to make a greater overall impression. Chapter 3: DELAY & REVERB Using the Ping Pong Delay to add movement to the vox and Reverb to give it life. Rob highlights the importance of having the Delay before the Reverb in most situations. He uses a Hall Reverb for this vocal and takes a look at what is dubbed the “Toolroom Reverb”. Chapter 4: GATING Using Ableton's unique Cut-O-Matic in the Audio Effect Rack (under Performance & DJ Tools). This chapter is on how to use the gate in effective ways with the help of automation. Chapter 5: TREATING BAD VOCALS Using a vocal taken from a vinyl rip, Rob explains his methods to treat a badly recorded vox, using EQ, Multiband Dynamics (OTT) and Compression to make the vocal shine. Chapter 6: AUDIO EFFECT RACKS Organising your effect racks will help your workflow and organisation, keeping chains for vocals and other instruments is always useful and Rob shows us how to do this. He uses a Delay Repeater setting and plugins like Push Button Bang Mix Racks & and F9 Audio Racks. Q/A Why did you alter the gain of the whole EQ as opposed to individual bands? Is the piano sample from an M1 and what are the effects? (F9 Audio Racks Demo) What is the best place in the chain for the De-Esser?
Making Trance in Ableton w/ Rob TisseraTrance is a complex style of music to produce, for a lot of reasons, in this course Rob shows us his process of making trance in Ableton. Covering main aspects of the genre like pads, vocals, effects and MIDI patterns. You will learn: Using Spire Using Omnisphere Layering Pads Treating Vocals Making vocal builds Working with MIDI Sample packs Creating lead sounds Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION A look at the track Rob will be breaking down in this course. Chapter 2: LAYERING PADS Everything in trance tends to be quite layered, Rob breaks down how he made his pad sounds for this track, using VST Spire & Omnisphere for sound generation. He uses Kickstart for Sidechaining and the Wide Stereo Utility function from Ableton. RC24 for reverb & SSL EQ for top end. Chapter 3: VOCALS Rob shares a tip on creating build up reverbs with a vocal, using the reverse function on the wet audio file you can introduce a vocal Chapter 4: SAMPLE PACKS & MIDI Rob discusses Loopmasters, Splice, MyLoops, Prime Loops, Dance MIDI Samples and other sites that you can get samples from. Rob uses a MIDI sample file to create his lead layer. Chapter 5: LEAD SOUNDS Using Spire VST to create an acid-style riff, layered with sounds from NI Massive, Rob shows us how to create that ‘wow’ moment in a track while discussing arrangement and thinking about the various parts of the track. Chapter 6: ADDITIONAL SOUNDS & REFERENCING Looking at other important elements of dance music, percs, drums and more. Rob highlights the importance of saving samples you like for ease of access. He talks about Nexus plug-ins and Sylenth for creating trance style music, and touches on the importance of having a reference track in your project to compare to. Q/A Rob answers questions on layering, how the bass pad was made in Sylenth1, and more.
Delay Designer and Other FX w/ Ian BlandLogic 10.5 rolled out a powerful update, introducing live effects, step sequencers, new samplers and more. Looking at Logic 10’s new and classic effects, Ian Bland gives a class on how to use the following plugins and make the most use of them: Delay Designer Phat FX Step FX Remix FX Enveloper Chapter 1: Delay Designer A classic logic Plug-in, the delay designer has 5 sections you can manipulate to add interesting delay sounds to any channel. Chapter 2: Phat FX Logic 10.5 introduced live FX, one of them being Phat FX. A tool that can enhance bass, modulate, compress, filter sounds and more. Chapter 3: Step FX The step sequencer built into Logic provides a tool for creating interesting effect sequences and more. Chapter 4: Remix FX Logic Pro introduced live performance FX in the form on the Remix FX plugin. It allows you to do live delays, reverbs, wobble FX and more. Chapter 5: Enveloper Like a transient designer, Logic’s enveloper can shape sounds using the ADSR envelope.
Advanced Sound Design - Serum & Ableton w/ HadleyHadley is a Beta tester for a lot of VST companies, his knowledge on virtual instruments is extensive. In this class he dives deep into sound design with VST Serum, Massive, Reaktor - Form & Ableton to make interesting sounds. You will learn: How to use Serum Effects in Serum Ableton Audio Effect Rack How to use Massive Using automation Using Reaktor - Form CHAPTER 1: INTRO TO SERUM VST The 3 oscillator wavetable synthesiser Serum has powerful features, Hadley breaks them down and creates an exciting Drum n Bass bassline. CHAPTER 2: EFFECTS IN SERUM Effects like Hyper Dimension, Distortion, Flanger Multiband Compressor and Reverb are built into the VST, allowing an infinite amount of sonic capabilities. CHAPTER 3: AUDIO EFFECT RACK A look into how Hadley processes his audio effect rack, using plugins like Tantrum by Creative Intent, The Culture Vulture & Ableton’s EQ. CHAPTER 4: BUILDING THE LOOP Hadley makes a pluck sound to add onto the track, he uses automation to keep the sound moving and creates variations within the bass channel. CHAPTER 5: MASSIVE A look into one of Native Instrument’s most famous plugins, Massive. Hadley dives deep into sound synthesis with Massive. He uses FF Saturn to create saturation. CHAPTER 6: REAKTOR - FORM Another NI plugin, Reaktor 6 can host various sound blocks, in this chapter Hadley looks at FORM in Reaktor, a powerful audio sample editor. CHAPTER 7: OUTBOARD GEAR & RECAP Looking at his analog collection, Hadley uses a Roland SE02, Virus2i Snow. He ends the session with a listen of an upcoming track of his.
Found Sounds & Field Recordings w/ Glimpse (Dense & Pika)In a career which has spanned over 10 years, Glimpse has established himself as one of the most versatile, imaginative and talented producers that the UK has to offer today. With EPs forthcoming this year on Dense & Pika, Hotflush, Aus, & Hypercolour.. From the early days of his hugely successful, uncompromising techno ‘Black Series’ on Glimpse Recordings, through to the groove-laden techno of ‘Drifting’ on Planet E. 2010 also saw him fully pursue his deep organic take on house via his Crosstown Rebels singles and album – this musical range has gained him the respect of his peers and culminated in two successive nominations in DJ Magazine’s prestigious ‘Best British Producer’ category. In this class, Chris shares insightful knowledge on working with non-digital sounds, field recordings and found sounds that can be recorded anywhere and used creatively in numerous ways. You will learn: Using Room Noise In A Mix EQ Sweeps Making Percussions From Found Sounds EQing Field Recordings Making Pads with Field Recordings Chapter 1: Using Room Noise In The Mix Looking at artists like Four Tet and Burial who use field recordings in their tracks. Their creative way of sampling real world recordings makes their music stand out. Chapter 2: Making Percussion Out Of Found Sounds You can create toms, claps and other percs from recorded material that will be more sonically interesting than most digital sounds Chapter 3: EQing Field Recordings Sculpting recorded sounds is crucial to working with them, with a wide frequency range, Chris shows us how he would sweep the sounds to identify harsh and unnecessary frequencies. Chapter 4: Making Pads With Field Recordings Getting creative with looping recordings to create textural pad sounds. Chapter 5: Recap & MIDI Mapping Using the found sounds to enhance the groove, Chris adds MIDI mapped effects to the foley including Delay, Auto-Filter, Reverb & Sidechain Compression. Chapter 6: Recording Automation Recording live automation can take the sound from being dry to an interesting sonic sculpture with effects that are constantly moving. Chapter 7: Instrument Samples Having used his daughters drum kit, recorded on an iPhone, Chris explains that you don’t need expensive equipment to create interesting sounds, he adds in the drum sample and works it into the track. Chapter 8: Mixdown Some insightful information on how Chris would mix his tracks down, he states that makes all low-end in mono and increases the stereo image as the frequencies get higher. Chapter 9: Recap & Q/A EQ on the master Q/A Whats your master EQ? Why you should put EQ at the end of the chain. Do you use a Mid or Stereo EQ in certain channels?
Creative Use of MIDI Insert effects w/ EnyonEnyon aka SI GORDON is a formidable figure in the history of the south wests electronic music scene.As an artist he has released singles, remixes and albums on the likes of the mighty Defected records (UK), Soulfuric records (US), Hardsoul Pressings (NL), MN2S(UK), Bubblesoul music (Spain), Duffnote (UK), Maya records (NYC), Soothe Music (UK), Mutated Music (UK), Play recordings (UK), Convert recordings (UK), Casagrande(ESP) and so many more.. His artist guises include the ‘Stereo Mutants’, ‘Yoik’, ‘Cabasa’ and now his Nu Disco guise ‘Enyon’. In his 27 years as a professional DJ, Si has furnished every continent with his unique house music brand, from the US to Russia to the far east, Turkey to Serbia, Paris to Berlin and many more stops along the way. Enyon gives a masterclass on creative MIDI effects, he looks at using the new Logic Step Sequencer to program drums, Quick Sampler for tuning drums, applying creative MIDI effects like the Arpeggiator to congas & using Chord Triggers. You will learn: Logic 10.5 Step Sequencer Quick Sampler Using the Arpeggiator on percussion MIDI FX for Bass Using Chord Trigger Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION Enyon has put together a house loop for this course, in this chapter he outlines how he will break it down and gives us a playback. Chapter 2: MIDI EFFECTS FOR DRUMS Using the new Logic 10.5 step sequencer to program drums, Kick2 to tune & create kick drums, Modulator to process MIDI on the hihats and Logic’s Quick Sampler to change pitch. Enyon shows us a creative way to process congas with an Arpeggiator. Chapter 3: MIDI EFFECTS FOR BASS Using Arturias OB-XA V emulator to design the bass sound, Enyon uses the Arpeggiator MIDI effect to create a walking style bassline. Looking at the top layer for bass, Enyon uses the same arpegiattor but adds the Movement VST to the output channel. Chapter 4: CHORD TRIGGER Looking at MIDI FX that can help writing complex or simple chords, the Chord Trigger can be an aid for music theory and help you write your own chords.
Creative Use of Loops and Samples w/ Rob TisseraLooking at a house style track, Rob gives a class on creatively using loops and samples you find, working in key and sample digging. You will learn: Finding keys of sample Where to find drum samples Processing bass samples Processing drum samples Working melodic samples Chapter 1: FINDING THE FOUNDATIONS Rob finds a startpoint for the track, the key of the sample (using Mixed In Key) and starts to create the track using drum loops from Toolroom (Trademark Series by Mark Knight) and discusses where to get samples from. (Loopmasters, Splice) Chapter 2: BUILDING THE BEAT Rob picks out samples to create the groove with, then adding in a selection of bass samples. He shares tips on warping beat samples, Chapter 3: MELODIC SAMPLES Finding a stab sample and fitting it into the groove, Rob discussed his favourite sample packs and adds a disco string to the track. He sidechains it using Nicky Romero’s Kickstart and discusses using ghost snares. Chapter 4: ARRANGEMENT With all the sample selection, treatment and warping done, Rob steps into arrangement mode to start shaping the track. He fills it up with rides and snare rolls uses RC24 and SSLEQ to process the snares.
Track Deconstruction: "About Ta" w/ Kreature Looking at his EP being released by Resonance Records - La Coca EP, Kreature breaks down the track ‘About Ta’ and shows his process when creating this groovy track He highlights the importance of simplicity in dance music productions. You will learn: Production techniques Mixing kick and bass Writing bass Processing drums Writing polyrhythms Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION Kreature explains why he chose this track to breakdown, it’s a simple track and he encourages producers to keep it simple and focus on a few elements at a time. Chapter 2: KICK & BASS Starting with the fundamentals of any dance track - the kick and bass. This is how Kreature would process his low end. He uses Fab Filter Pro Q2, & the M1 Organ for bass sounds, Filter Freak, Decapitator, RBass. Bite Bitcrusher NI, SPL Transient Designer Chapter 3: THE DRUMS Working with a drum group and a total of 7 drum channels, Kreature breaks down his process of working with individual drums. He uses Nicky Romero Kickstart, Decapitator, Pan Man, SPL Transient Designer, Smack Attack, Pro Q2 Chapter 4: POLYRHYTHMS & LFO’s Polyrhthyms can make sounds move around in the mix, avoiding sticking to the 4/4 loops commonly used in dance music, Kreature explains how to create polyrhythms from scratch. Q/A Kreature answers questions about the vocoder, his favourite VSTs and more.
Minimal & Tech w/ Dexter KaneGoing off his last lesson "How to build dubby grooves and rollers" Dexter dives into the crafting of a track in the minimal and tech genre. Going off his last lesson, Dexter picks up with the track he made, building on it and adding parts to make it a full track. He gets into sampling techniques, spatial techniques and advanced filtering methods. You will learn: Adding groove to a track Sampling chords Dub Delays Working with hi-hats Processing pads Chapter 1: ADDING PERCUSSION TO THE TRACK Dexter gets groovy with percussion, an important part of all minimal style tracks. He shows his methods of creating groove and working in key. Chapter 2: WORKING WITH CHORDS Focussing on sampling, Dexter shows his methods for finding chord samples in the key of the track and making them his own. Chapter 3: SHARP HATS Bringing in hats creates a good moment in a groove based track, Dexter shows us how he would go about adding in hat samples. Chapter 4: PADS & STRINGS Pads, textures, strings can compliment a track when used well. Dexter demonstrates how we would get samples to work in his tracks using spatial and sampling techniques. Q/A - 1 Are there inbuilt grooves in Ableton? Are drums in minimal music usually pitched? Chapter 5: RECORDING INTO ARRANGEMENT VIEW With all the elements needed for a track, Dexter gets into the arrangement part. Chapter 6: INTRODUCING SOUNDS Using a break to introduce new sounds and other techniques. Watch how Dexter would use various techniques to keep the track interesting. Chapter 7: ADDING SUSPENSE Using pads to create suspense leading into the breakdown. Chapter 8: RECAP & PLAYBACK Looking at the structured track, Dexter touches on automation processes to keep the track moving. Chapter 9: THE BREAKDOWN Looking at plugins like Soundtoys Primaltap to automate and create builds, Dexter automates reverb to create more tension. Chapter 10: THE MAIN DROP Dexter shares a valuable tip on keeping the energy high in tracks by bussing the entire rhythm section Chapter 11: EFFECTS & BUILDS Dexter highlights the importance of having effects in key with your track. He adds in risers, whooshes and a snare roll to keep the track interesting. Q/A - 3 Dexter touches on automation effects, writing minimal basslines and keeping things simple.
Introduction to Live Performance w/ SaytekSaytek explains his approach to performing, having never been a DJ, he has received great acclaim for his live sets. He discusses his methods for working with live in Ableton, touching on his set up, simplifying workflow and building a live jam. He dives into his Ableton set up, focussing on how to arrange a live session to tips and tricks when it comes to building sets and transitioning from one track to another. You will learn: Ways you can perform live music with Ableton Setting up Ableton for live performance Working with drum racks Working with instrument rack Sound design for bass and chords Filter and Delay automation What controllers are in the market Mapping a controller in Ableton Launching scenes Triggering samples using a controller Mapping effects Structuring a live set in Ableton Clip automation Clip gaining Transitioning tracks on a live set Making white noise risers using Ableton’s Analog Sampling in key Types of synthesizers Modular vs Semi-Modular Functions of synths Digital hardware Groovebox and drum machines Modular racks
Kick and Bassline Pro Tips w/ Dexter KaneA lesson all about kick and bass. Known for his swinging drums and groovy basslines, Dexter dives into finding kick drums, drum samples, writing basslines and processing them all together. You will learn: Track Delay Sample selection Finding the key Processing a kick drum Writing a bassline Processing a bassline Compression & Sidechaining Chapter 1: Finding a good kick Dexter talks about finding the right samples for your tracks, start by figuring out the key of your track first, then hunt for samples in that key. He mentions using Splice, the online sample platform that puts samples in key. Chapter 2: Writing a bassline Using Roland’s SH-101 plugin, Dexter starts to write a bassline over the drums and talks about the article on resident advisor, where he learnt all his kick and bass tips: https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/1211 Chapter 3: Glue Compression A glue compressor works to tighten up instruments or to glue elements together in a mix, as opposed to compressing individual tracks. Chapter 4: Break out of the 4/4 pattern You can liven a track up by creating skips and not sticking to the same famous dance music pattern. Q/A Dexter talks about compression, sidechaining, keeping your kick and bass on the root note and more.
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Vocal Comping & Flex Pitch-Timing w/ EnyonEnyon aka SI GORDON is a formidable figure in the history of the south wests electronic music scene. This year he celebrates 27 years as a DJ and music producer. As an artist he has released singles, remixes and albums on the likes of the mighty Defected records (UK), Soulfuric records (US), Hardsoul Pressings (NL), MN2S(UK), Bubblesoul music (Spain), Duffnote (UK), Maya records (NYC), Soothe Music (UK), Mutated Music (UK), Play recordings (UK), Convert recordings (UK), Casagrande(ESP) and so many more.. His artist guises include the ‘Stereo Mutants’, ‘Yoik’, ‘Cabasa’ and now his Nu Disco guise ‘Enyon’. In his 27 years as a professional DJ, Si has furnished every continent with his unique house music brand, from the US to Russia to the far east, Turkey to Serbia, Paris to Berlin and many more stops along the way. Stereo mutants, released on the likes of defected and been in the industry over 20 years. Enyon gives a detailed class on how to treat vocals in Logic Pro. Starting off with how to get the best takes from vocalists, he then dives into comping vocals, selecting the best parts of a recording and Flex & Pitch functions. You will learn: Working with a vocalist Comping & Summing vocal takes Flex & Pitch Funtions EQing a vocal Chapter 1: WORKING WITH A VOCALIST Enyon shares tips on making vocalists feel comfortable when recording, he takes a look at the various takes and harmonies. Chapter 2: COMPING VOCALS In the verse, Enyon focuses on a minimal approach, using only the bass and drums and no other melodic instruments. He discusses creating SUM groups with the vocals and how this can help sift through audio takes and find the best parts. Chapter 3: FLEX & PITCH FUNCTIONS Looking at exporting the selected comp section, this will allow the creation of a new audio file that can then be edited using Flex & Pitch functions in Logic. Q/A Enyon answers questions on flexing audio in Ableton vs Logic, he then looks into the EQ of the vocal.
Basslines for Minimal & Tech w/ KreatureLooking at all things basslines, programming your own synths and various creative ways of doing different styles of basslines. Working in Ableton Live. You will learn: Harmonics Oscillators Types of waves for bass Using Sub Boom Bass Layering bass Writing different styles of bassline Using Monark From NI Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION Looking at his track titled “Squid” getting released on Max Chapman’s label. Kreature introduces the workshop and plays us the track. Chapter 2: SUB BOOM BASS Using Rob Papen’s signature plug-in Sub Boom Bass, Kreature dives into designing sounds in this VSI. Chapter 3: TREATING THE BASS & LAYERING Looking at EQ functions, taking out the muddiness of the bass sound designed in Sub Boom Bass. He uses Kickstart by Nicky Romero to tighten up the bass sound, and then looks onto layering the bass sound. Decapitator for adding saturation. Chapter 4: BREAKING DOWN BASSLINES Kreature goes through his various projects to show us how he created the basslines for his tracks. Chapter 5: WRITING DIFFERENT STYLES OF BASSLINES How to write dynamic basslines using various note lengths. Kreature uses ABL Bassline 3 Monark from NI, Mini V from Arturia Q/A Kreature makes a bassline from Operator, he then lists his favourite plug-ins and hardware synths.