CERTIFICATE COURSE IN MUSIC PRODUCTION - 4 Months

This is a basic to an intermediate level short-term course that trains the student in composing and producing music in Logic Pro X {though the fundamentals can apply to any other Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Whether your final goal is to be an electronic music producer, film composer, programmer, and arranger or even to be a ‘bedroom producer’ – this is the course that will set you off on your journey and teach you all the fundamentals of music production. With an exposure to Audio Engineering this course now offers more time in the studio learning the fundamentals of audio engineering, recording and mixing. 

Through compact and intensive 4-month weekend course you will learn all the ins and outs of how to operate the software and use it to create complete music tracks as well as learn the different nuances and production techniques used by the professionals (ultimately encouraging you to experiment and find your own way of doing things).

At SACAC’s newly designed Production Lab, each student will have his/her own workstation (an I Mac computer and a MIDI keyboard) and well-designed exercises and projects will ensure that at each stage you are ‘learning by doing’. You will also experience real-world scenarios faced by producers and composers like creating music for advertisements and scoring for films.

PRE – COURSE MODULES

A. Musicality

• A general music appreciation of different genres, the workings of different
  instruments.
• Rhythm
• Melody and Harmony

B. Intro to Mac Computers

Main Course

1. Fundamentals of Sound
   • Fundamentals of sound – how sound waves work.
   • Frequency, amplitude
2. The DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) Intro to Logic Pro X
   • What is a DAW
   • Intro to Logic (layout, navigation, operation, editing in logic pro X)
   • Creating a new project, saving a project, templates
   • Apple Loops
3. Signal Flow and the mixer
   • What is an analog audio signal
   • The different sources for an audio signal
   • The Mixer and Channel Strips (components, signal flow, output, buses and
     aux channels, sends, grouping)
4. MIDI Part 1 (Intro to MIDI)
   • What is MIDI?
   • Setting up your MIDI Keyboard
   • Logic’s MIDI instruments
   • Recording techniques
   • Quantizing
5. MIDI Part 2 (Programming, Editing, Beat Making)
   • Editing / Programming Midi in logics different editors
   • Beat Making – the different approaches and nuances of different genres
   • Some advanced approaches and nuances of programming midi for different
     types of instruments
   • A brief look at Logic Drum Machine Designer and Logic Drummer
   • A brief look at External MIDI operations using hardware synths
   • Subtractive Synthesis Part 1 (Oscillators, Filters)
     • What is a synthesizer?
     • Intro to Subtractive Synthesis and their components and architecture using
       the ES1 / RETRO SYNTH
     • The Oscillator section
     • The Filter section
   • Subtractive Synthesis Part 2 (Envelopes and Modulation)
     • Envelopes – Explaining ADSR (Attack, Delay, Sustain, Release)
       • Amp Envelopes
       • Filter Envelopes
     • LFO’s
     • Advanced Modulation with the ES2
     • A brief look at FM, Wavetable and Sync on the retro synth
   • Controller mapping, automation
     • Controller Mapping in Logic
     • Smart Controls, Global Controls
     • Automation
       • Recording automation (the different modes)
       • Editing automation (using the tools to draw and edit automation)
   • Arrangement Exercises
     • Many ways to start a track
     • Building from the basic idea
     • Adding dynamism and interest to the arrangement through transitions, drops
       etc
     • Collaborating with other musicians (file swapping exercises)
   • Audio Recording (In the Studio)
     • Studio acoustics
     • The layout of the studio, cabling
     • Setting up to record, setting up the headphone mix
     • Mic recording
     • Line recording
   • Audio operations in the DAW + working with audio samples
     • Working with audio files
     • Audio operations (tempo and pitch operations, time stretching, flex audio
     • Working with audio samples (Building musical arrangements using only audio
       samples)
   • Intro to Sampling : Sampler Instruments
     • How sampler instruments work
     • First look at the EXS24 sampler synth
     • Creating a sampler instrument on the EXS24
     • A brief look at some of the popular sampler plug ins in the industry : Kontakt etc
   • Creative Sampling, Re-Mixing
     • The technique of sampling as a way of making music – its history and role in
       genres like Hip Hop (the amen break etc)
     • Slicing
     • Getting more abstract with sampling
     • Re-mixing : re-mixing using sampling techniques
   • Mixing Part 1 : Setting up for the Mix
     • Organising your project, preparing for mix stage
     • Some insights into process and workflow of producers towards the mix stage
   • Mixing Part 2 : Equalisation and Filtering (EQ)
     • A deeper look at the frequency characteristics of sound (fundamental,
       overtones etc)
     • The human ear and the listening curve
     • What is an EQ?
     • Different Types of EQ
     • EQ Strategies
     • Healthy EQ habits
   • Mixing Part 3 : Effects and how to use them
     • Reverb
     • Delay
     • Modulation fx
     • Some tips and rules for using effects
   • 17. Mixing Part 4 : Dynamic Processing (Compressors, Limiters and Gates)
         • Dynamic range and human perception of ‘loudness’
         • Compressors
         • Compression strategies
         • Limiters
         • Gates
     18. Overview of mixing + advanced production techniques
     19. Course Review

     FINAL PROJECT

Eligibility

• Age: 16+ year

Attributes

• Knowledge of basic computer operations
• Interest in Music
• A creative bent of mind

Develop an in depth understanding of Logic Pro X and the world of the DAW
• Compose, record and produce your own music
• Become adept at programming and editing
• Learn to build arrangements and turn your ideas into finished songs
• Get a deeper understanding of the art and science of mixing music

The skills acquired in this course are used by music industry professionals like:
• Music Directors
• Composers
• Arrangers
• Programmers and Sequencers
• Films Scorers

• Registration Fee: INR 1200/-
• Course Fee: INR 95,000/- + Applicable  GST
• Click here to download admission form (Fill in all the sections of the form accurately, scan it and email it to [email protected])