Tips and Tricks for Modern Producers

Course details

Are you interested in taking your productions to the next level? In this course, instructor Evan Sutton shares tips, workarounds, and time-saving techniques that can help music producers work smarter in the studio and enhance their final productions. Evan dives into drum programming and processing, and discusses synth programming, including how to get from MIDI to audio. He also shares practical tips that can help audio engineers as they work with vocals and get their mixes ready for mastering. Plus, learn how to apply EQ precisely, combine additive and subtractive EQ methods, and smooth out peaks and standing resonances with multiband compression.

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Modern production

1. EQ Roundup

02 - Surgical EQ and filtering
03 - Help elements sit in the mix
04 - Tame harsh elements
05 - Different flavors of additive EQ
06 - Combining additive and subtractive EQ
07 - The smile EQ shape
08 - Additive EQ on busses and 2-mix

2. Multiband Compressor Bootcamp

09 - Multiband compressors - A breakdown
10 - Using de-essers on tracks and busses
11 - Taming peaks and resonances
12 - Sidechain multiband compression
13 - Intro to expansion or re-essing
14 - Multiband expansion

3. Workflow Bootcamp

15 - Organization and backup
16 - File management for the modern producer
17 - Stemming and prep for mixing

4. Drum Programming and Processing

18 - Tuning programmed drums
19 - An approach to layering drum sounds
20 - Parallel compression on drums
21 - The virtues of parallel distortion
22 - A mixer's guide to drum routing

5. Synthesizer Programming

23 - Rhythmic synth sounds with MIDI FX
24 - Layering synth parts with hardware
25 - Getting from MIDI to audio
26 - Tips on hardware synth processing

6. Vocals Tips and Tricks

27 - Tracking vocals for maximum impact
28 - On-the-spot tuning
29 - Quick and dirty vocal chain
30 - Quick and dirty parallel vocals

7. Mix to Master

31 - Mix buss processing - Is it necessary
32 - EQ and filtering with a multi-buss mix
33 - Gassing your mix with a limiter or two
34 - Prepping tracks for mastering

8. Compressor Bootcamp

35 - Compression basics
36 - Tasteful compression
37 - Vintage compressors and emulations
38 - VCA compression and drums
39 - FAT compression on guitars and vocals
40 - Opto compression on bass
41 - Chaining compressors on vocals
42 - Mix buss compression and glue

9. A Roll in the Dirt - Distortion and Saturation

43 - Origins of saturation
44 - Tape saturation and vintage vibe
45 - Bit stripping and low-fidelity applications
46 - Tube-style saturation and sheen
47 - Quick and dirty ITB reamping

10. Mixbuss Bootcamp

48 - Gain staging and headroom
49 - Mix buss EQ - Surgery and flavor
50 - Dialing in the mix buss compressor
51 - Applications of multiband processing
52 - Mix buss saturation
53 - Final limiting and how loud to print
54 - Transient designer overview
55 - Transient designer plugins
56 - Tweaking transients on drums

11. Transient Designer Hacks

57 - Adding punch to a drum buss
58 - Transient design vs. compression
59 - Transient designers on other instruments
60 - Creative use of transient designers
61 - Transient design across the mix buss

12. Getting The Most Out of Your Synthesizer Tracks

62 - Programming synths for optimal impact
63 - Hardware synth recording
64 - Using ITB MIDI FX with hardware synths
65 - Hardware synth treatment
66 - Synth mixing primer
67 - Synth ducking and sidechain compression
68 - Classic synth FX