Program: Recording Connection for Hip Hop & Beat Making

Hip hop is an integral part of American pop culture, making waves in fashion, television, movies, retail sales, and literature. As such, it is a multi-billion dollar industry. The music is a multi-genre, multi-cultural experience that draws artists of other genres into its vortex. But hip hop’s beginnings were downright humble and anything but omnipotent. We look at the history of this now-powerful, iconic genre, starting with hip hop’s progenitors, through to its meteoric rise... Read more

Like vision and touch, our sonic awareness enables us to make sense of the world we live in. We examine the raw, objective characteristics of sound and how it travels through space, so we can harness our imagination and create captivating subjective experiences for our listeners. Objectives: Be able to define terms used to describe sound by the end of the course, as measured by the end of course quiz. Be able to explain how waveforms work by... Read more

You can get the best sonic results out of your productions by understanding the difference between analog and digital audio and how our digital audio workstations are actually emulations of traditional analog processes, gear, and electronics. Understanding the basics of both of these realms of audio gives us a more knowledgeable foundation for the creation of our own music. Objectives: Be able to define terms used to describe analog and digital by the end of the course,... Read more

Understanding one’s DAW or digital audio workstation is a key aspect of being a modern-day hip hop music producer who is adept at creating and communicating various song and artistic ideas to other artists and music professionals. Whether you choose to learn Pro Tools™ or Logic Pro X ® this course will enable you to understand the basic functions of your DAW and its layout, identify various tools, and demonstrate the ability to navigate its... Read more

If you find the term “music theory” a little intimidating, know this, there’s nothing to worry about. Chances are, you already intuitively know quite a bit of music theory. In Music Fundamentals I, we’ll uncover the building blocks of western music which consists of features like scales, chords, and intervals. We’ll then see how such fundamental knowledge of music theory can help you to make informed, sonically pleasing decisions for your music. Many notable hip... Read more

Building on Music Fundamentals I, we will delve into the basics of rhythm, musical notation, time is expressed in musical units of measures and bars, and numerical time notation in your DAW. Also known as meter, time signatures such as 4/4, 6/8, and 5/4, greatly impact the feel, character, and groove of your music. Developing a sophisticated ear takes time and practice. Together, we uncover the essentials of groove to better understand the magic that... Read more

Today’s hip hop producer is often much more than the person in charge of guiding a project. In the context of popular music, the producer can even be the person responsible for the entire arrangement, including the lyrics. As the professional responsible for the construction of the instrumental, you must keep certain musical considerations in mind when aimed at creating an interesting piece of music. We’ll also uncover certain key aspects such as the difference... Read more

Find out what musical elements you’ll need to consider to bring your music into the hip hop idiom! From the tight pocket, to the catchy baseline, to the hook, hip hop is a rich and varied world, full of different feels, tones, and elements of style that vary across the genre and its subgenres. We explore the various stylistic elements that work to create distinctive, signature sounds or flavors. Objectives: Be able to define what elements create a... Read more

Question: What do the best novelists and music producers have in common? Answer: Control of form. Much like a great novel, a good song requires a solid foundation to support the body of work as the listener is led along on a musical journey. We’ll learn more about the various sections of songs in western popular music, the 32-bar AABA form, sections of a song (hook, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, bridge, outro) as well as using... Read more

One of the most important things that we can do to help ourselves as hip hop producers, musicians, songwriters, and artists is to understand the work of veterans and our contemporaries. Through song analysis, we can break apart the elements that make a song successful and thereby incorporate them into our own music. Typically speaking, song analysis starts by considering key, chord changes and form. But whether you’re looking at a Baroque piece from... Read more

Since becoming a “standard protocol” in 1983, MIDI has undoubtedly revolutionized the way music gets made. Its options and flexibility allows users to create and manipulate sounds in a way that’s downright impossible with physical instruments. Together, we will explore the power of MIDI sequencing. From creating scratch tracks, to controlling FX parameters during a live performance, to assembling a virtual orchestra inside of your computer, MIDI can steal the show or be no more... Read more

Drums can emphasize a precise moment in a piece of music, they can drum a song forward to the next bar, provide a sense of space or an element of interest, and perhaps most importantly stir up the listener and rouse their emotions. Drums have probably been a staple of music since our earliest days as a species. Drums have been at the center of hip hop since before the term “hip hop” came to... Read more

Can you believe it? You’re halfway there! This chapter is all about preparing you for your midterm, so make good use of it. We’ve poured a lot of thought into the delivery of some valuable information and we want to be sure that you are retaining it. From “What is hip hop?” to the way sound works and how human ears interpret soundwaves, to the fundamentals of music theory and classic and numerical musical notation,... Read more

Big, round, and booming, the bass can be found at the foundation of western popular music across nearly all genres. As you certainly know, the bass is a huge component in hip hop production. Learning how to use it well can make all the difference between a muddy sounding low end, to one that hooks listeners with its seemingly hypnotic power. As a hip hop producer, the value of knowing how to produce a bassline... Read more

Sampling is a key part of the hip hop genre because it’s what gives the genre its unique sound. There are many ways to go about sampling from choosing what to sample, how to sample, how to use the sample, how to manipulate the sample, and the list goes on. Fortunately, many giants of the genre have walked the earth to create a path for us to follow as we create our own musical identities... Read more

Creating an instrumental with impact often requires a number of sonic touchups. Equalization and dynamic processing are two powerful tools which allow us to sonically carve out various elements so that everything has its place within the sonic spectrum. Doing this well can enable you to get the sound you’re wanting to bring to the listeners. In this course you’ll learn two of the most powerful sonic manipulation tools you have in your arsenal—equalization and dynamic... Read more

The melody makes most songs, even in hip hop. A melody is a single line progression of notes which the listener perceives as a singular part. In other words, in thinking about your song, the listener will likely hum that part of it. The melody is memorable and as such it should be simple. In a song’s arrangement, the melody is in the foreground. The accompaniment, whether it’s a solo piano or a huge, texture... Read more

Two or more notes playing simultaneously to create a chord is harmony. When harmony is used to create a series of chords, that’s called a chord progression or harmonic progression. Harmony does a whole lot of the work for us as producers of hip hop when it comes to creating a song’s overall feel and vibe. Certain harmonies create a feeling of wholeness, rightness, even completeness, while others evoke unease, indecision, trepidation, heartache or loss.... Read more

Effects processing is the act of intentionally altering a signal by sending it through an effects unit. Traditionally, this was done by routing the signal through racks of outboard gear or guitar pedals and then into the system to record. Nowadays, a large portion of effects processing is done “in the box” with high powered tools, some of which you already have pre-stocked inside your DAW. In the audio world, we producers thrive on effects processing... Read more

A good mix can take a song to the next level. It can make a song a hit by giving it a well-balanced sonic landscape, or by transporting the listener to another planet (metaphorically speaking, that is). With all the tools available inside of a digital audio workstation, the sky’s the limit on what can be done to a song. In this chapter, you will learn the basics of mixing and how to think of... Read more

Mastering is the art of sweetening the mix and preparing the mix down for duplication. Mastering often takes an elevated set of ears that can discern and hear very subtle sonic intricacies that make up certain sounds and effects. These listening skills take time to develop. In this lesson, we put you on the right path to developing your sonic tastes and mastering abilities. Your mentor is another key resource to help you become acquainted... Read more

Learn how protect your music and your brand while also creating a positive revenue stream. There are numerous ways you can make money from having a solid project. Some of them require you to embark on a process of discovery while others are long established, making it easier to understand how things work from the outset. The right licensing opportunity can bring your music significant publicity but in order to take advantage of these opportunities,... Read more

The music industry doesn’t run on handshakes alone. Because of the nature of quarterly payments and prospective success, it works on a series of agreements between parties in order to ensure that everyone gets paid what they deem is fair for the situation. What we will look at in this section are basic agreements between producer, artist, and record label. In this course we’ll get into various agreements including work for hire, collective work, side artist... Read more

Please take time to go back through your past lessons’ section reviews. They are very helpful study tools. The Final Exam contains questions from ALL past lessons, so be sure to review everything you can. Proper review of Courses 1-23 and scheduling sessions with your Academic Facilitator will help you set yourself up for a good and hopefully relatively stressless exam experience. Remember, preparation is key, so prepare yourself! Objectives: Displays a comprehensive understanding of all previous... Read more