Module 1 of 3: Intro to Music Production

Students work at individual workstations		Logic 8 features in this module

Summary

Intro to Music Production gives students a thorough grounding in all of the essential music production skills in Logic Pro 8. If you are serious about becoming a producer or sound engineer, then it's crucial to master these skills before you can progress further. This Logic Pro course is perfect for beginners, but even if you have been making music for some time, you will benefit from learning professional techniques from an experienced producer with major artist credits. Point Blank is an Apple Approved Training Centre for Education.

Course Content

Introduction

How to optimise your computer for music production with Logic Pro

System requirements & soundcards

How to use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

What is MIDI? Hardware and software instruments

Audio Units and MIDI programming in Logic

Drum Programming

How to make a beat in Logic Pro using Ultrabeat

Tempo & styles: Hip hop to house, drum n bass and beyond

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, Tone & Semitone

What's a scale? Scale construction

What's a chord? Chord construction & inversion

Using MIDI plug-ins: Logic's arpeggiator object

Synthesizers & Sound Modules

Using Audio Units in Logic Pro

Classic synthesizers: Juno 106 and Roland TB303

Editing using waveforms, oscillators, filters & envelope

How to modulate and give expression to your sounds

Audio Recording

Recording vocals and "live instruments" in Logic Pro

Microphones and their uses. Mic positioning and techniques

Recording levels and monitoring

Using audio tools in Logic. Working with parts and events

Sampling

History of sampling. Analysis of classic samples and loops

How to edit drum loops and other sample material

Importing samples into your sampler (EXS24)

Changing tempo and pitch. Creating keygroups

Mixing

Configuring the mixer in Logic Pro

Channel strips, balancing levels and panning

Using EQ. Cutting and boosting certain frequencies

Frequency ranges for various instruments and sounds

Effects & Dynamics

Setting up insert and send effects in Logic Pro

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 - classic pop songs to club bangers

Intros, breakdowns, drops and fills. Riffs and hooks

How to create arrangement templates in Logic

Final Mixdown

Mix down all the elements of your track in Logic Pro 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