Producing Music in the Home Studio

Overview

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With technology advancing at lighting speed in recent years, it has become possible for music makers to produce high-quality recordings right from the comfort of their own home studios. It is now commonplace for an independent artist to not just be a recording artist, but also the songwriter, the engineer, and the music producer! This course provides practical techniques for music production that can be applied in any Digital Audio Workstation software. You will start with a song idea and then develop it in the pre-production stage. As part of the pre-production stage the course introduces proven concepts in commercial music production to help you take your song idea to the next level. You will then arrange your song by adding audio and MIDI recordings. This is followed by the editing stage, an important step that is easy to overlook if you’re not careful. The last step is mixing, where you will learn about volume balance, panning, dynamic processors, equalization, and time-based effects.

Syllabus

Welcome to Producing Music in the Home Studio!

Welcome to the course! Here we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your experience.

Lesson 1: Songwriting and Pre-production

In lesson 1, we will start by discovering how the home studio has evolved over the years. Then we’ll explore the songwriting and pre-production steps you’ll need to take before you begin producing a musical piece. At the end of this lesson, you will analyze an original song of your choice and identify ways it might need to improve before it is produced.

Lesson 2: Arranging and Recording

In lesson 2, we will start to build your mix in the DAW of your choice. We will cover how to use audio or MIDI instruments, add a bass groove, program strings and synth pads, and record vocals. At the end of this lesson you will have arranged and recorded your song into your DAW.

Lesson 3: Editing and Mix Preparation

In lesson 3 we will edit your rough draft song for mixing. We will look at basic editing techniques as well as manual MIDI editing. We will also look at session organization and mix preparation to streamline your mixing process. At the end of this lesson, you will have edited your audio and MIDI tracks and your session will be ready for mixing.

Lesson 4: Mixing and Finalizing Your Song

In lesson 4 we will mix the final version of your song. We will cover techniques to create a balanced mix, including processors, panning, and equalization. At the end of this lesson, you will have a finalized song that you can bounce as an MP3.