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CREATE A PROJECT

You won't know what you don't know until you know it.

 

Your objective:

 

Your objective may be slightly different than my objective for you.  This is where a little trust may be needed.  If you are taking this course, you have had some experience with electronic music and have taken one of my other courses.   Many student's instincts are to just start making music.  They want to not be confined by the imposed curriculum or curricular pathways.  While that be ideal in their mind, the end result may not.  

 

In order to truly accomplish anything of worth, you need to have a plan.  This plan needs to address the goals that you have set for yourself and should be built in a manner that makes logical sense.  

 

 

Follow the outline below.  Think critically about what skills you wish to develop.  By the conclusion of this unit you want to be able to__________________________.

 

 

My objective for you is to get you to learn HOW to learn effectively.

 

 

Creating your Plan:

 

In order to truly accomplish anything of worth, you need to have a plan.  Did I say this before? This plan needs to address your goals and should be built in a manner that intelligently sequences the topics you choose to study.   Follow the outline below.  Think critically about what skills you wish to develop.  

 

By the conclusion of this semester you want to be able to__________________________.

 

Step 1:

 

Brainstorm what it is that you want to learn this unit.  Go deep with your thinking, far beyond..."I wanna make beats, or I wanna paint pictures.”  Your instructor can assist you with topics if needed.

 

Post your brainstorming list into your unit proposal.  Take some time to research topics and see what information is available for each skill or idea you listed.  Your instructor can provide you with additional resources as needed.

 

Step 2:

 

Take the brainstormed list and find a way to organize it into a potential order that you could follow. 

  • What concepts will you need to explore? 

  • What kinds of activities can you do to “play’ with your new skills and understandings?

 

Step 3:  

How will you demonstrate that your project taught you something of value? 

Have a plan of how you will share this information.

 

Find your instructor to get approval and additional resources for your idea. 

 

 

 

This project should take about a week. 

 

 When done, find your insructor.

 

 

Potential Topics:

 

Advanced Synthesis

  • Sample and Hold

  • Ring Modulation

  • Oscillator Sync

  • Pulse Width Modulation

  • Cross Modulation

 

MIDI Orchestration

 

Mixing Electronic Music

 

Advanced Logic Programming

  • Deep Drum Programming

  • Drummer Presets

  • Linear Programming Techniques

  • Using Drummer with other inst.

  • Midi Effects with Drummer

  • Ultrabeat - Riff Finder

  • Step Editor Overview

  • Comp Swiping

  • Space Designer Rhythm modes

  • Side Chaining one beat to another

 

Ableton Live for Live Performance

  • Controllers

  • Djing

  • Midi Mapping

  • DJ Techniques

  • Original Songs Live

  • Performance Techniques

 

 

Audio Processing Basics

  • Metering

  • Panning

  • EQ

  • Filters

  • Dynamic Processors

  • Compression

  • Multiband Compression

  • Limiting

  • Gating

  • Sidechaining

 

Advanced Audio Editing

  • Midi style editing for Audio

  • Beat Mapping

  • Flex Time

  • Audio Repair

  • Drum Replacement

  • Declip

  • Dereverb

 

Making Electronic Dance Music in Ableton

 

  • Kicks

  • Master Plug-in Chain

  • Drumrack

  • Adding Percussion

  • Hot-swap

  • Bassline

  • Sidechain tracks

  • Sends and Returens

  • Scenes

  • Clip Variation

  • Clip Envelopes

  • Audio Loops

  • Assigning Parameters

  • Groove Pool

  • Arranment View Fundtions

  • Buildups

  • Breaks

  • Drops

 

Mastering in the Box

 

  • EQ

  • Compression

  • Limiting

  • Dithering

  • Types of Mixdowns

  • Balance

  • Widening

  • Phase

  • Stem Mastering

 

Mixing Electronic Music

 

  • Track organization

  • Sidechains

  • Aux Tracks

  • Master Bus Setups

  • Drums Mix- Reverb and Comp.

  • Low End Theory

  • Mix Vocals

  • Synths

  • Pads and Strings

  • Effect

  • Vocal Tweaks

  • Fx Tweaks

  • Automation

 

Delay and Reverb FX

 

  • Reflection Based

  • Flanging

  • Chorusing

  • Doubling

  • Phasing

  • Leslie

  • Echo

  • Reverb Types

  • Send and Return Patching

  • Sound Fileds

  • Convolution Reverb

 

Fundamentals of Synthesizer Programming

 

Integrated Project Ideas:

 

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  • Audio samples of different techniques

  • Tutorial Creation

 

 

Final Projects:

 

  • Series of Major Compositions that use the techiques that you have explored.

 

 

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