House of Love Records - i Magazine

Follow me, as I journey into music production in the Electronic Music Production Program @ Dubspot. www.dubspot.com

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4/22/09 – Class #3

I received a call last night that the evening and afternoon classes were being combined.

Today is my first day in the afternoon class. I was a little bit late and my workstation had to be set-up when I got there because there were some students making up a class in today’s session. It was a bit weird because I was used to the evening class and the teacher. The afternoon class had more students and a new instructor as well.

Heinrich teaches the afternoon class. I had to adjust to the new teaching style, and a new musical focus in the production genre, which was good because it allowed me to go from a house approach to music production to the funk/hip-hop focus of today’s class. As I want to be able to move to, and compose in, multiple genres, I was grateful for the contrast. It will help me grow as a producer by tackling different styles of music in composition and production.

Today’s material was much more technical in its content and presentation. It would have felt like a lot had it not reinforced what I learned last Friday. I learned a lot about the functions of the software and the controls in the interface. It was a good lesson. I took the opportunity to take additional notes on what I had already covered the class before.

The exercises were great. We created a drum beat, and it turned out well. I really liked the beat that he created and the one that I created as we went through the example. It was the first arranged drum beat that I had created, and I was able to layer the rhythm and add several parts to create a groove. It inspired me to want to test out new ideas when I get home. I was surprised how quickly ideas came together as I was testing sounds in the moment. I never thought I would be able to compose. I created a few loops, from the song that I wanted to work with, and started building layers for a remix that I want to try.

When I got home, I downloaded the 14-day demo version of Ableton Live Suite 8, but I have to unlock it online. It will allow me to follow along with what we are doing in class and test more of the features than the lite version would.

4/23/09

Today, I unlocked the software and started playing with the features. I have to go online to allow it to save and export every time I open the software, but it’s worth it. I set up the library and started trying to fine-tune the loops that I was creating for the remix. I played with it for a few hours tonight. I like it. I have to get used to it but it is like I had been told. It gives you instant gratification and you can get a professional sound pretty quickly with little knowledge of the software.

I want to create my own music and will need to grow into that but the pre-made loops and grooves that come in the library are enough for a DJ to put together an entire arrangement that can serve to remix a song, even if it is not an original composition.

4/24/09 – Class #4

Michael was on hand to help as Heinrich taught today. He will be taking over the afternoon class, as of next week.

Today’s class was great for me. We learned to create our own loops. It is the part of the course that I have been most excited about. I created a few loops and I love it. I’ll need more practice to get them to fit well in the mix. Some of the loops were easy to create with a 1-2 bar loop setting. Others were too short, and triggered the vocal that I wanted, but the music didn’t match well because of the point in the measure that they were taken from. Two loops that I really wanted were like this. I’ll need to warp them to fit the music. It was hard in class because one loop stretched too much and slowed in tempo, while the other had part of a vocal that needed to be cut out and setting the warp markers to remove that piece was difficult. I’ll need to clean them up later.

We learned a few more shortcuts as well. They are helpful. I’ll have to make a list to reference.

4/25/09

I read over the last few lessons today and I’m all caught up to where we are in the class. I am struggling with another deadline and haven’t had time to work on anything new.

4/29/09 – Class #5

Today, Michael took over teaching the afternoon class and we learned how to use MIDI controllers. This is my favorite part. As you can tell, I enjoy the pieces of this program that help me compose original music. The MIDI controllers can be used in a number of other ways, such as, triggering sounds (like a drum machine), or for sequencing and arranging. We started to build our own loops and work on a remix.

A friend listened to the loops that I made and liked the rhythms that I was putting together. I’m not near where I want to be but I am getting closer.

4/30/09

I spent an hour looking up microphones and accessories to build a home studio. My starting off point will be a laptop setup. I have instruments with MIDI capabilities and can build basic tracks with Ableton. I will figure out mastering later, when I get the chance to fully produce something.

5/1/09 – Class #6

Class was amazing we learned how to build a remix. I am getting the material but it is hard to find time to practice with my other demands for my projects. During class, I felt better that I was catching things quicker than I thought I would and was able to keep up with the material.

I asked Michael about mastering audio, and if Ableton was enough, or if it required a studio to get the final product. He told me that he’s been told to always have it mastered professionally, by a studio. It’s something you can learn but it’s a little known art.

He started the class by saying that it takes 10,000 hours of doing something to reach a Master level. I’ve got a few more to go. My beats are sounding better. I want to create beats that sound like them. I like the texture of the sound and the pieces that I am putting together. The instrument sounds were a bit harsh and too acoustic for me before. The sounds that the software comes with are not the greatest, but they are good. I would imagine that using a drum machine would create a smoother and more produced sound.

A friend heard my remix from class and said that it sounded good. That meant a lot. He’s honest. He would tell me if he didn’t like it. I can make a DJ set by building remixes and blending the tracks together to mix them.

-1 2 3 4 5 6-

	Follow me, as I journey into music production in the Electronic Music Production Program @ Dubspot. www.dubspot.com -1 2 3 4 5 6- 4/22/09 – Class #3 I received a call last night that the evening and afternoon classes were being combined. Today is my first day in the afternoon class. I was a little bit late and my workstation had to be set-up when I got there because there were some students making up a class in today’s session. It was a bit weird because I was used to the evening class and the teacher. The afternoon class had more students and a new instructor as well. Heinrich teaches the afternoon class. I had to adjust to the new teaching style, and a new musical focus in the production genre, which was good because it allowed me to go from a house approach to music production to the funk/hip-hop focus of today’s class. As I want to be able to move to, and compose in, multiple genres, I was grateful for the contrast. It will help me grow as a producer by tackling different styles of music in composition and production. Today’s material was much more technical in its content and presentation. It would have felt like a lot had it not reinforced what I learned last Friday. I learned a lot about the functions of the software and the controls in the interface. It was a good lesson. I took the opportunity to take additional notes on what I had already covered the class before. The exercises were great. We created a drum beat, and it turned out well. I really liked the beat that he created and the one that I created as we went through the example. It was the first arranged drum beat that I had created, and I was able to layer the rhythm and add several parts to create a groove. It inspired me to want to test out new ideas when I get home. I was surprised how quickly ideas came together as I was testing sounds in the moment. I never thought I would be able to compose. I created a few loops, from the song that I wanted to work with, and started building layers for a remix that I want to try. When I got home, I downloaded the 14-day demo version of Ableton Live Suite 8, but I have to unlock it online. It will allow me to follow along with what we are doing in class and test more of the features than the lite version would. 4/23/09 Today, I unlocked the software and started playing with the features. I have to go online to allow it to save and export every time I open the software, but it’s worth it. I set up the library and started trying to fine-tune the loops that I was creating for the remix. I played with it for a few hours tonight. I like it. I have to get used to it but it is like I had been told. It gives you instant gratification and you can get a professional sound pretty quickly with little knowledge of the software. I want to create my own music and will need to grow into that but the pre-made loops and grooves that come in the library are enough for a DJ to put together an entire arrangement that can serve to remix a song, even if it is not an original composition. 4/24/09 – Class #4 Michael was on hand to help as Heinrich taught today. He will be taking over the afternoon class, as of next week. Today’s class was great for me. We learned to create our own loops. It is the part of the course that I have been most excited about. I created a few loops and I love it. I’ll need more practice to get them to fit well in the mix. Some of the loops were easy to create with a 1-2 bar loop setting. Others were too short, and triggered the vocal that I wanted, but the music didn’t match well because of the point in the measure that they were taken from. Two loops that I really wanted were like this. I’ll need to warp them to fit the music. It was hard in class because one loop stretched too much and slowed in tempo, while the other had part of a vocal that needed to be cut out and setting the warp markers to remove that piece was difficult. I’ll need to clean them up later. We learned a few more shortcuts as well. They are helpful. I’ll have to make a list to reference. 4/25/09 I read over the last few lessons today and I’m all caught up to where we are in the class. I am struggling with another deadline and haven’t had time to work on anything new. 4/29/09 – Class #5 Today, Michael took over teaching the afternoon class and we learned how to use MIDI controllers. This is my favorite part. As you can tell, I enjoy the pieces of this program that help me compose original music. The MIDI controllers can be used in a number of other ways, such as, triggering sounds (like a drum machine), or for sequencing and arranging. We started to build our own loops and work on a remix. A friend listened to the loops that I made and liked the rhythms that I was putting together. I’m not near where I want to be but I am getting closer. 4/30/09 I spent an hour looking up microphones and accessories to build a home studio. My starting off point will be a laptop setup. I have instruments with MIDI capabilities and can build basic tracks with Ableton. I will figure out mastering later, when I get the chance to fully produce something. 5/1/09 – Class #6 Class was amazing we learned how to build a remix. I am getting the material but it is hard to find time to practice with my other demands for my projects. During class, I felt better that I was catching things quicker than I thought I would and was able to keep up with the material. I asked Michael about mastering audio, and if Ableton was enough, or if it required a studio to get the final product. He told me that he’s been told to always have it mastered professionally, by a studio. It’s something you can learn but it’s a little known art. He started the class by saying that it takes 10,000 hours of doing something to reach a Master level. I’ve got a few more to go. My beats are sounding better. I want to create beats that sound like them. I like the texture of the sound and the pieces that I am putting together. The instrument sounds were a bit harsh and too acoustic for me before. The sounds that the software comes with are not the greatest, but they are good. I would imagine that using a drum machine would create a smoother and more produced sound. A friend heard my remix from class and said that it sounded good. That meant a lot. He’s honest. He would tell me if he didn’t like it. I can make a DJ set by building remixes and blending the tracks together to mix them. -1 2 3 4 5 6-		Available online and in stores now www.kyranbooks.com
Articles March 2009 - Issue 1, vol. 1 The Business of News The Other Woman State vs. Private College Where Have All The Newsmen Gone? OMG…I’m the Grasshopper Hype and the Improper Brand Who's Pulling The Strings? Voyeurism and the Modern World The Thinker The State of Broadway Available online and in stores now www.designsbykyran.com
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	Follow my journey into music production in the Electronic Music Production Program @ Dubspot. www.dubspot.com	Do you need some real world advice? Write with your questions to webmaster@houseofloverecords.com