BECOME A MUSIC PRODUCER

Meet Dominic Morley, get to know the course structure, and see how your assignments build step by step into a release-ready final project over the next six weeks.

• Instructor introduction
• Course structure
• Assignments and final project overview

Learn how professional sessions are organised, who does what in the control room, and how to choose studio gear that genuinely serves your workflow, whatever your budget.

• Studio hierarchy and roles
• Session architecture and workflow
• Stems vs. multitracks
• Strategic studio building
• Demo: Comparing a raw demo with the final production
• Workshop: Allocating £1k and £3k studio budgets

Compare East Coast and West Coast synthesis philosophies, build functional patches in VCV Rack, and trace how sampling evolved from the Mellotron and MPC60 to Kontakt.

• East Coast vs. West Coast synthesis
• Advanced modulation techniques
• Physical modelling
• Evolution of sampling
• Demo: Synth architecture in VCV Rack

Assignment #1: VCV Rack Synth Patches
Build three patches in VCV Rack, including at least one acoustic instrument emulation.

Master microphone choice, polar patterns and stereo configurations to capture clean, phase-aligned recordings of drums, guitars, bass, piano and orchestral instruments in any room.

• Miking principles
• Microphone types and behaviours
• Polar patterns for sound rejection
• Stereo miking and phase alignment
• Instrument-specific placement
• Workshop: Choosing mics for a full band setup

Prepare the studio and the singer for a great take, and learn the communication strategies that build trust and draw out emotionally honest vocal performances.

• Vocal preproduction
• Zero-latency headphone mixes
• Vocal direction and psychology
• Backing vocal stacks
• Case study: Simon Le Bon vocal session with a Telefunken 251
• Workshop: Alternative vocabulary for directing singers

Explore how to comp the perfect vocal, tune pitch while keeping the emotion intact, and use AI cleanup tools to rescue audio that once seemed unmixable.

• Comping for character
• Human groove and “Dilla time”
• Vocal breath placement
• AI bleed removal and stem extraction
• Demo: The cost of tuning

Assignment #2: Vocal Comping & Pitch Tuning
Comp and tune a provided raw vocal multitrack, with bonus points for recording your own vocals onto it.

Build a mix template that saves hours on every project, and adopt a subtractive, vocal-first approach that helps you decide exactly when a mix is finished.

• Mixing rates and deposits
• Client revision management
• Subtractive mix philosophy
• 30-minute focus bursts
• Subgroup bussing and FX sends
• Demo: Dom’s time-saving mix template

Assignment #3: Custom DAW Mix Template
Build a mix template with subgroup routing, bussing, folder structures and send FX, then submit a session screenshot.

Unpack the EQ, compression, saturation and spatial effects professional mixers rely on, then use fader automation, the craft’s real secret, to shape a punchy drum mix.

• EQ and dynamics
• Parallel compression
• Saturation and Mid-Side processing
• Reverbs and delays
• Fader and send automation

Assignment #4: Acoustic Drum Multitrack Mix
Mix a provided drum multitrack, with bonus points for layering in programmed electronic percussion.

Discover how immersive formats evolved, how Dolby Atmos compares with Apple Spatial Audio, and how to route beds and objects in your DAW for a spatial mix. The guest speaker is an Immersive Audio Specialist.

• History of surround sound
• Dolby Atmos vs. Apple Spatial Audio
• Beds vs. 3D objects
• DAW routing for Atmos
• Binaural headphone mixing

Learn how to hit LUFS loudness targets, master for consistent translation across every playback system, and deliver files mastering engineers and labels can work with. The guest speaker is a Professional Mastering Engineer.

• Mastering goals
• LUFS metering
• Multi-band compression and limiting
• Track sequencing
• Vinyl cutting specs
• Working with mastering engineers

Assignment #5: Mix vs. Master Comparison
Submit an unmastered stereo mix and a self-mastered version of one of your own tracks.

Hear your own masters critiqued live, then explore the psychology of the studio, from easing artist performance anxiety to protecting your own focus and preventing burnout.

• Workshop: Live mix and master feedback
• Artist performance anxiety
• Perfectionism and studio atmosphere
• Talkback communication
• Remote revision communication
• Burnout prevention

Experiment with creative restrictions, randomness and brain tricks that break through beat block, and see how inventive thinking solves real recording challenges.

• Science of creativity
• Artificial deadlines and restrictions
• Randomised sequencing
• Workshop: The pen exercise
• Case study: Recording strings for Back to Black at Metropolis Studios

Map out a portfolio career, from setting rates and invoicing to understanding royalties and building a brand that attracts the right clients to your studio.

• Rates and cash flow
• Producer points vs. songwriting royalties
• Collection societies
• Sync, library and streaming income
• Sonic branding and social media

Assignment #6: 3-Month Freelance Business Plan
Draft a one-page plan covering three income opportunities, why you chose them, and the first step you’ve already taken for each.