Intro to Music Production - Cubase course

Personal workstations for every music production student		Learn professional production techniques on Cubase 4.

Summary

Introduction to Music Production gives students a thorough grounding in all of the essential music production skills in Cubase. If you are serious about becoming a producer or sound engineer, it's crucial to master these skills before you can progress further. This course is perfect for beginners, but even if you have been making music for some time you will benefit from learning professional techniques from the producers of major artists in many different styles.

Content

Introduction

How to optimise your computer for music production

System requirements & soundcards

How to use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

What is MIDI? Hardware and software instruments

Drum Programming

Learn to make beats in Cubase using LM7 and Battery 3

Tempo & style: hip hop to house, drum n bass and beyond

MIDI editing: Add groove and feel to your beats

How to use quantize, velocity and note length

Building custom drum kits: create your own sound

Music Theory: Chords & MIDI Plug-ins

The basics: Notes, Octaves, Tones & semi tones

What is a scale? Scale construction

What is a chord? Chord construction & inversion

MIDI plug-ins: Chorder, Arpache and Step Designer

Synthesizers & Sound Modules

Using VST (virtual) instruments in Cubase

Classic synthesizers: Juno 106 and Roland TB303

Editing using waveforms, oscillators, filters & envelopes

Modulation: How to give expression to your sounds

Audio Recording

Recording vocals and "live instruments" in Cubase

Microphones and their uses: mic positioning and techniques

Recording levels and monitoring

Using audio tools in Cubase: working with parts and events

Sampling

History of sampling. Classic samples and loops

Editing drum loops and other sample material

Importing samples into your sampler (Halion)

Changing tempo, pitch, creating keygroups

Mixing

Configuring the mixer in Cubase

Channel strips, balancing levels and panning

Using EQ. Cutting and boosting frequencies

Frequency ranges for various instruments and sounds

Effects & Dynamics

Learn insert and send effects in Cubase

Types of effect: How and when to use them

Delay, Reverb, Chorus, Phase, Flange, Filter, Distortion

Compression: Threshold, Ratio, Gain, Attack, Release

Arrangement Techniques

How to structure your track to hold the listeners attention

Arrangement styles from classic pop songs to club bangers

Intros, breakdowns, drops and fills. Riffs and hooks

How to create arrangement templates in Cubase

Final Mixdown

Mix down all the elements of your track and burn to CD

One to one session with your tutor to finalise your mix

Complete written OCN test

Submit your completed piece of music