SUMMER SCHOOL a five-day dance music production masterclass in the heart of London
BOUTIQUE LEARNING Sample Magic Summer School is an immersive five-day course that takes you through every aspect of electronic music production from beats to bass, synths to vocals, FX to arrangement and mixdown to mastering guided by expert Sample Magic tutors and sound-designers in the awardwinning facilities of School of Sound Recording in the heart of London. Led by producer, lecturer and Future Music/Attack Magazine columnist Bruce Aisher, and with guest sessions from leading music industry professionals including mastering engineers, music lawyers, professional singers and Sample Magic co-founder Sharooz you will leave with a greater understanding of the tools and techniques used to create cutting-edge dance music, as well as insights into the wider workings of the electronic music industry, from recording contracts and publishing to copyright and business know-how. The class of 2012 There s no better way to learn how to make great music than by actually doing it. That s why Summer School allocates plenty of time to refine your skills with our expert tutors on hand to answer any questions. Not only does every attendee use their own Mac music workstation, you will also listen to commercial tracks using the finest monitors and undertake a vocal recording session. We will help you work on one of your own productions throughout the week so that you leave with a finished track ready for mastering.
THE PROGRAMME Summer School consists of five days packed with insight and learning. Day 1: Beats Day 2: Basslines Day 3: Music, melody and vocals Day 4: Arrangement, structure and preparing the mix Day 5: Mixing and mastering Each day kicks off at 9.45 and ends at between 5.30 and 7.30pm. We provide tea, coffee, water and juice throughout the day, throwing in beers for the evening sessions. A fuller outline of the programme is available later in this prospectus. Summer School students get the lowdown on mic placement in the live room for the vocal recording on Day 3.
FACILITIES Summer School takes place at the award-winning facilities of SSR London. Based in a dedicated classroom containing 12 Mac workstations and MIDI keyboards, students are also taught in the NEVE Studio (and associated recording rooms) and the S6 Studio which is based around Avid s flagship S6 M40 work surface. The flagship NEVE Studio control room venue for our recording sessions.
OUR TUTORS BRUCE AISHER Bruce is a producer, songwriter, technology journalist and university lecturer. After learning his production stripes working with dance luminary Rollo at Cheeky Records he achieved crossover success as one half of house duo Brancaccio & Aisher, reaching No.1 in the US Billboard Club Chart. Bruce s productions have featured on film soundtracks and TV programmes from Num2ers to CSI. He is head of the MSc in Music & Sound Technology at Hertfordshire University, a Sample Magic sound designer and writes regularly for Future Music and Attack magazine. SHAROOZ Sharooz is a DJ, producer, label owner and sound designer. As a producer, he has remixed some of the world s biggest artists, including Moby and Kings of Leon, as well as releasing original material on Dim Mak, Sunday Best and his own La Bombe imprint. As a sound designer he has worked with Steinberg, Korg, Propellerhead and FXpansion. He is also a songwriter signed to Universal Music and EMI, with tracks appearing in EA Games and MTV. RICHARD SALMON Richard Salmon is music lawyer, lecturer and writer, who is also an active musician. Alongside his academic activity (as Programme Leader of the Music Industry Management MA at LMU), Richard has penned numerous articles, covering all aspects of music law (from contracts to sample clearance). As a songwriter his tracks can be found in films and TV shows throughout the world.
MONDAY: BEATS Welcome and introductions Electronic music: An overview SESSION 1: Creating the beat What is rhythm? Components of a beat. Choosing sounds. Sources for sounds. Using ambience and space. SESSION 3: Beat production Compression. Introduction to parallel and bus compression. EQ. Reverb and ambience. Exercise: Beat production Exercise: The perfect kick drum. Components of the kick. Layering. Synthetic kick creation. An introduction to beats. SESSION 2: Refining the beat Groove and swing. Additional elements: the hat, clap and snare. Percussion. Using loops. Getting more from loops. Exercise: Next steps in beat programming. The white noise hat. Getting more from loops.
TUESDAY: BASSLINES SESSION 1: Basslines An overview Different kinds of basslines. Relationship to the kick drum. Source of sounds (synthesis vs samples). Exercise: Bassline programming and synthesis. YOUR PROJECT Develop a track that you ve bought to the course, or a new project, with hands-on help from three of our on-site tutors. SESSION 2: Bassline production Layering sounds. Use of filters and EQ. Compression. Side-chain compression. Stereo width. Gating. Advanced production techniques. Ideas for inspriation. SESSION 3: Industry insider We are joined by our legal and business expert for an open-panel FAQ session looking at everything from sources of income for electronic musicians and what to look out for in a contract. Your chance to ask your questions. getting to work on a mix
WEDNESDAY: MUSIC, MELODY & VOCALS SESSION 1: Sounds and synthesis Sourcing your sounds. An introduction to synthesis. Types of synthesis. Sampling. Real-world recording. Exercise: Mastering subtractive synthesis. Create a simple bass and lead line. Synth chord stabs. YOUR PROJECT Continue work on your project with our crack team of troubleshooters on hand to help. SESSION 2: Next steps in synthesis Five sounds and how they do it: Swedish House Mafia lead. Stacked Deadmau5 pads. Skrillex Basslines. PWM filter pads / advanced modulation. The ultimate build and bomb. SESSION 3: Recording vocals We head into the studio to record a vocalist. Choosing the mic. Setting up the session. Getting the most from a performer. Pre-amp or direct? How many takes? Discover the secrets behind a perfect recording. IN CONVERSATION WITH... DJ, producer and Sample Magic co-founder Sharooz answers your questions on everything from creating bigger beats to keeping your financial head above water in today s climate. We supply the beers. Vocal recording in the live room.
THURSDAY: ARRANGEMENT & MIX PREP SESSION 1: Song arragements We listen to, and dissect, three example tracks and their arrangements. Emotion and structure. The flow of a track, its highs and lows. The vocabulary of structure. The build. Exercise: Using samples, arrange a three minute radio mix using what you ve learned re arrangement to make a track. YOUR PROJECT SESSION 2: Prepping the mix Smart workflow - and why it matters. Building the arrange page. Grouping. Busing. Initial automation. Project management and beyond. SESSION 3: Vocal production Taking the vocal files recorded yesterday, we show how to work them into the mix. Comping. Re-tuning. Double tracking. Compression. EQ. De-essing. Reverb/delay. YOUR PROJECT: Group listen As a group we listen to the tracks you have been working on during the week and talk about how they might be improved. Ideas, production, arrangement and programming are all discussed in a session designed to take your track to the next level. The Sample Magic team will be on hand to feed their ideas into the mix. The class works on their projects.
FRIDAY: MIXING & MASTERING SESSION 1: Approaching the mix The theories of mixing - different approaches. The shape of the mix. Key elements. Essential tools: EQ. Reverb. Stereo enhancers. YOUR TRACK: Finishing touches Refining your track using the feedback from yesterday s evening session. Bouncing and checking the master. SESSION 2: Group listen - Top tracks We head to the Euphonix studio to take an in-depth listen to a selection of commercial dance tracks, analysing everything from the arrangement to the mix to see how the finest producers create their works. SESSION 3: Mastering in the DAW Using standard and more advanced tools common to all DAWs, we show how to get a solid master to your mix. Compression, multi-band compression, parallel compression, limiting, saturation and EQ are all discussed in the quest for the perfect master. IN CONVERSATION WITH... Matt Colton, Mastering Engineer of the Year 2012, takes us through his approaches to mastering; the kit he uses and the difficulties he confronts. We supply the beers to unwind after an intensive, interesting and highly rewarding week. Matt Colton talks mastering in 2014.
FIVE REASONS TO BOOK SMALL CLASSES... We keep class sizes down to just 12 students a year meaning you re able to ask plenty of questions of our tutors and get true one-on-one guidance. Many students from our classes end up as both friends and musical collaborators.... IN WORLD-CLASS FACILITIES SSR s facilities are equipped to the highest professional standards. From your own Mac workstation to the stunning NEVE desk, you ll be working with the kind of top equipment used by A-list dance producers. WORK ON YOUR OWN MUSIC Summer School is about offering a programme that works for you. That means plenty of time to explore new ideas or refine existing projects with our tutors on hand throughout so that you leave with your own complete track ready for mastering. NETWORKING & FEEDBACK Meet like-minded musicians, ask questions to industry professionals and mix with the pros then head into the cinema room and listen to your mixes on some of the best monitors around. Feedback is always positive and absolutely indespensable. LEARN FROM THE BEST Whether it s the finest academic tuition from Bruce Aisher or insightful Q&As from leading industry professionals, Summer School equips you with both the skills and insider knowledge you need to succeed in the contemporary music industry.