Recording and Producing Music for Beginners

This hands-on music production for beginners course will teach you how to record and produce music at home. You will learn how to record with a microphone, at the appropriate levels, into a digital audio workstation (DAW) and use that software to build and shape what you record into great-sounding music. 

You will develop a solid understanding of the basic features of a DAW so that you can create tracks using functions such as solo, mute, record enable, monitor, and fader. You will also learn to edit tracks using quantize settings and take advantage of audio and MIDI loops. 

The course explores how to use effects plug-ins and mix your tracks using panning, EQ, and reverb to heighten the quality of the sound of your music. Within four weeks, you will be able to showcase your skills with a multi-track recording and mix that applies all that you learned in the course. 

What you will learn:

✔ Use the basic features of a DAW, such as inputs/outputs, inspector, edit window, zones, mixer, region, toolbar, tempo, and ruler bar 
✔ Set up to record with a microphone with proper mic levels 
✔ Demonstrate signal flow and the proper connections 
✔ Record tracks using functions such as solo, mute, record enable, monitor, and fader 
✔ Quantize and perform other editing to tracks 
✔ Use audio and MIDI loops 
✔ Mix tracks using panning, EQ, and reverb 
✔ Create a multi-track recording and mix

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What you need to participate:

• Digital Audio Workstation software. The trial version of Cubase Pro is recommended. (Note: The trial version is good for 60 days, so make sure you install it at the start of the course.)
• Computer with Internet. Make sure your computer is compatible with your DAW (see Cubase Pro requirements). You should have a minimum Internet speed of 1.5Mbps download and 800Kbps upload.
• Audio interface (Recommendation: Focusrite Scarlett Series)
• Wired headphones for the audio interface
• Recording microphone
• (Optional) Two studio monitor speakers (Recommendations: Yamaha HS5, Behringer Truth B2031A)
• (Optional) The Singer-Songwriter’s Guide to Recording in the Home Studio

How the course works:

Interlochen Online courses are designed to be inspiring and flexible with weekly learning units that combine video segments and guided instruction that you can complete on your own schedule during the week. You will interact regularly with your teacher and peers inside the learning environment. 

You can also participate in an optional weekly hour-long video class meeting, where you can learn from the teacher and interact with your classmates in real-time. At the beginning of the course, you will complete a survey indicating your preferred times for the class meeting. The teacher will make every best effort to identify a meeting time that works for everyone. The teacher will also post recordings of the meetings and you can view them when it is convenient. 

The goal is that you walk away not only with practical skills and friendships but that you are inspired and motivated to pursue your art and realize your potential.