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Introduction to Music Production - online free course

ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11894
in Studio & Recording

too late to do the assignments, but you can get to the video lectures

https://www.coursera.org/course/musicproduction

With the recent introduction of high-quality-low-cost software and hardware, the tools of music production are now available to the masses. Albums are made in bedrooms as well as studios. On the surface this is liberating. Anyone can make an album for the low cost of a couple pieces of gear and a software package. But, if you dig deeper, you will find that it is not so easy. Producing music requires knowledge, dedication, and creativity.
    
Knowledge is where this course comes in. No matter what kind of music you are making, there is a large set of tools that you will need to use.  Each lesson of this course will demonstrate a different set of music production tools, loosely following along the music production process of recording, editing, and mixing.

We will start with some background on the nature of sound and how we perceive it. We will then examine the components necessary to record audio into a computer, so that you understand the devices that sound must travel through in a music production process.
    
Once recorded, sound must be organized along a timeline, a process known as editing. It allows us to give the impression of perfect performances and create many of the sounds we hear in contemporary music. The contemporary editing tool is the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW),  a piece of software that stores and organizes all the assets of a musical project. We will focus on the editing tools that are essential in contemporary music production and that all DAWs provide.

After editing, sounds must be combined or mixed together, so we look to the mixing board—a very creative place if you know how to use it. We will explore the basic functionality of both hardware and software mixing boards, including volume, pan, mute, solo, busses, inserts, sends, and submixes. The mixing process, however, includes more tools than the mixing board provides on its own. Sound must also be processed, modified from its recorded state to fit the context of the music. We will look at compression, equalization, and delay, and examine the many audio effects that are offshoots of these devices and how they are used in a musical context.
    
We will then explore the synthesizer, a major tool within the production of contemporary music. Yes, great music can and will be created without the synthesizer, but learning how a synthesizer works will give you a language to describe sound. Music is a collaborative art form, so there is nothing more powerful than effective communication.
   
In the end, the music production process relies on your creativity. Creativity is a product of the mind and will stay there, unexpressed, until the right tools are used in the right way to share it with the world. If you have an idea in your head, it will take numerous steps, each with an important tool, to reach your audience. You bring the dedication and creativity, and this course will bring you the knowledge to make that happen.

Course Syllabus

Lesson 1: Sound and Signal Flow
Propagation, Amplitude, Frequency, Visualizing Sound, Connections Overview, Microphone as a Transducer, Microphone Types, Microphone Frequency Response, Microphone Polar Patterns, Microphone Placement, Line Level and Gain Staging, Cables, Interface, MIcrophone Connection and Gain, Analog to Digital Converter, Pickup Connections, The Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
Lesson 2: The DAW
Analog to Digital Conversion, Buffer Size, File Types, Project Folder, Project Checklist, Multitrack, Recording Audio, Trimming, Separating and Cutting, The Grid, Fades, Zooming, Cycling, Merging, Naming and Coloring, Markers, Comping, Software Instruments, MIDI Editing: Velocity, MIDI Editing: Quantization, Common MIDI Recording and Editing Functions
Lesson 3: The Mixer
The Channel Strip, The Bus Concept, Effects Categories, Inserts, The Submix, Sends, Automation
Lesson 4: Dynamic Effects
Noise, Distortion, Dynamic Range Manipulation, Dynamic Processors Overview, Dynamic Processor Parameters, Gate, Downward Compressor, Limiter
Lesson 5: Filter and Delay Effects
The Delay Concept, The Delay Spectrum, Modulated Short Delays, Filters Overview, Mixing EQ, Medium Delay: Slap Back, Long Delay, Reverb, Width in Mixing, Space in Mixing
Lesson 6: Synthesis
Oscillators, Filters, Amplifiers, LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator), A Language of Timbre

Recommended Background

You should be able to perform the following tasks in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), such as GarageBand, Pro Tools, Logic, Live, Reason, SONAR, or Digital Performer:
  • Create audio tracks
  • Add audio effects (EQ, Noise Gate, Compressor, Delay, and Reverb)
  • Create MIDI tracks
  • Add a software synthesizer to a MIDI track
  • Export an audio file
  • Create an MP3 file

In-course Textbooks

As a student enrolled in this course, you will have free access to selected chapters and content for the duration of the course. All chapters were selected by the instructor specifically for this course. You will be able to access the Coursera edition of the e-textbook via an e-reader in the class site hosted by Chegg. If you click on “Buy this book”, you will be able to purchase the full version of the textbook, rather than the limited chapter selection in the Coursera edition. This initiative is made possible by Coursera’s collaboration with textbook publishers and Chegg.

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