About this course: Explore the art of record production and how to make recordings that other people will love listening to. This course will teach you how to make emotionally moving recordings on almost any recording equipment, including your phone or laptop. The emphasis is on mastering tangible artistic concepts; the gear you use is up to you. You will learn to develop the most important tool in the recording studio: your ears. You will learn to enhance every aspect of your own productions, both sonically and musically, by employing deeper listening skills. Assignments will include posting your own recordings for peer review, and reviewing your classmates’ work by employing specific tools and strategies. If you use a digital audio workstation to record and mix, that’s great, but as long as you can record into your computer and post an MP3, you can complete the assignments. As you learn about the art of record production in this 4-week course, you will also learn about yourself and who you are as an artist and producer. It is not necessary that you read music or play an instrument to take this course.
Created by: Berklee
Taught by: Stephen Webber, Director of Music Production, Technology and Innovation
Berklee
| Basic Info | Course 1 of 4 in the Music Production Specialization |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Commitment | 4 weeks of study, 2-4 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| Hardware Req | Audio recording device (smartphone, tablet, or computer with digital audio workstation & microphone) |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Welcome to The Art of Music Production
Welcome to The Art of Music Production! Before you begin the course, we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your experience.
1 video, 7 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Welcome
- Reading: A Note From Stephen
- Reading: Connect on Facebook & Twitter
- Reading: Meet Your Teaching Assistant
- Practice Quiz: What Are Your Goals?
- Reading: Course Certificates
- Reading: Peer Review Assignments
- Reading: Technology Requirements
- Reading: Learner Support
Listening Like A Producer
By the end of this lesson, you’ll understand the concepts of listening to music emotionally and technically. Strategies for maintaining objectivity and using kinesthetic observations to discover musical effectiveness will be internalized. You’ll train yourself to make distinctions on what works and what doesn’t work, rather than just passively listening as a fan.
6 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Make It Sound Like A Record
- Video: Why Do We Listen To Music?
- Video: Listening Emotionally vs. Listening Technically
- Practice Quiz: Identifying Emotions
- Video: Kinesthetic Observation - Emotional Cues
- Video: Elements of A Compelling Musical Recording
- Reading: Elements of a Compelling Recording
- Video: Letting Go Of Prejudice
- Discussion Prompt: Letting Go Of Prejudice
- Peer Review: Active Listening
Graded: Listening Like a Producer
WEEK 2
Identity, Vision, and Intention
In this lesson, you’ll hone in on your identity as a recording artist: who are you, and what are you meaning to convey through your music? You’ll work on refining your vision and intention for the recordings you’ll make employing these skills, and record and post a “work tape” of a new piece of music.
6 videos, 2 readings, 2 practice quizzes
- Video: Identity, Vision, and Intention
- Video: Artist Comparison Exercise
- Discussion Prompt: Artist Comparisons
- Video: Artist Identity Workshop
- Reading: Artist Identity Examples
- Practice Quiz: Defining Your Artist Identity
- Video: Producer Identity Workshop
- Practice Quiz: Defining Your Producer Identity
- Reading: What is Your Artistic Vision?
- Discussion Prompt: What is Your Artistic Vision?
- Video: What is your Artistic Intention?
- Discussion Prompt: What is your Artistic Intention?
- Video: Giving and Receiving Feedback
- Peer Review: Writing and Recording with Identity, Vision, and Intention
Graded: IVI
WEEK 3
Strengthening Musical Productions: Tools & Strategies
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to employ several useful techniques for strengthening your songs and instrumental tracks. You’ll acquire skills in prosody, focus, and an intelligent approach to repetition. You’ll also learn to craft better melodies, write better lyrics, and construct a musical form that best suits the emotional contour you are trying to accomplish with your recording. You’ll understand the principles of getting the most out of feedback on your recordings, in order to gather valuable perspective to better convey your intended response. You’ll incorporate notes from your colleagues to further refine your recording and re-post an updated version.
10 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Using Prosody to Make Better Art
- Video: Form: The Structure of Your Song
- Reading: Song Form
- Video: 5 Tools for Writing Better Lyrics
- Discussion Prompt: Writing Better Lyrics
- Video: Crafting Better Melodies
- Video: Repetition
- Video: Arranging - Rule of Threes
- Practice Quiz: Arranging - The Rule of Threes
- Video: Studio Performance
- Video: Programmed Tracks
- Video: Singers: Virtuoso vs. Vibe
- Video: Producing Vocals
- Peer Review: Strengthening Your Production
Graded: Tools & Strategies
WEEK 4
Defining the Sonic Signature of your Song
By the end of this lesson, you will address the sonic signature as it relates to your intention and vision, as well as your technology resources and acoustic space. You’ll learn about microphone techniques, getting good levels, and mixing with reverb, EQ and compression. You will record your material, having made some deliberate decisions about the sound of your record, and post your recording for peer review according to specific criteria.
10 videos, 1 reading
- Video: The Sonics of Your Song
- Discussion Prompt: Sonic Signatures
- Video: Single-Source Recording
- Video: Multi-Track Recording
- Video: Sound Absorbtion vs. Sound Proofing
- Video: Acoustic Spaces & Mic Placement
- Video: Microphone Types and Pick Up Patterns
- Reading: Microphone Types and Pick Up Patterns
- Video: Layering
- Video: Guitar Micing Clinic
- Video: Application of Technology to Art
- Video: Where To Go From Here
Graded: The Sonic Signature
Graded: Defining The Sonic Signature
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Help from Your Peers
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
Berklee
Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. Berklee serves distance learners worldwide through its award-winning online extension school, Berklee Online.
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
This course is mostly about self-reflection, which is important, wether you are a beginner, or a professional. In addition it contains some practical technical advice for beginners.
The best thing about this course are the peer-graded assignments, and the way students are encouraged to discuss with each other.
Nice course - I learnt alot!
Very insightful... Every musician should take this course.
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SF
Incredible information, and very well put together. The videos are well produced, and I learned more than I initially anticipated