Trap

One of the most challenging aspects of electronic music production is the bottom end of the mix. When producing any styles, but especially the louder or harder ones, a thorough understanding of bass frequencies is essential if you want to deliver a track with a professional sound that packs a punch whilst sounding clean and clear. Producertech’s resident Bass Music specialist has stepped up to create a comprehensive masterclass on the subject. With 15 years plus experience as a producer, record label boss and tutor, he brings a wealth of knowledge, conveyed in an articulate manner that’s easily accessible to all. If you want to learn what the frequencies at the bottom end entail, to understand how sub frequency fundamentals and harmonics are created and managed in various styles of popular music, this course is for you! The lessons go from the very top, with an explanation and analysis of bass frequencies, combining with various sound design examples that show how to make sub and full range bass patches on 2 of today’s most popular synths: Vital and Phaseplant. (All techniques are transferrable to other synths like Serum, Massive or DAW factory instruments.) Seppa then provides a module dedicated solely to the relationship between kick and bass, showing several different approaches to making them work harmoniously in the mix. The second half of the course then moves onto genre production, looking at how bass is handled in Dubstep, House and Drum & Bass. A number of different bassline approaches are included, with sustained sub bass patterns contrasting with longer, more melodic phrases with punchy transients, to show the differences between the two. The lessons then wrap up with a summary of sub levels on the master channel in all three styles, giving a guide to the main objectives to aim for. Enrolling on the course provides instant access to 5 hours of streamed tutorials, along with the projects and stems from the lessons, so you can more closely inspect the course material if you need to. Sign up now to start learning from the best, becoming a sub bass master and tightening up your mixes today!

UK Producer El. Train has been making big waves in the Future Beats scene in recent years, with his fusion of Hip Hop, Soul, RnB and Trap landing him releases on labels like Kitsuné, Darker than Wax and Jakarta Records. On this course, he shows how to build up a quality arrangement from scratch using samples from his Loopmasters pack and working mainly with factory instruments and effects in Logic Pro, with all techniques being easily transferrable over to other DAWs. Starting with the beats, El. Train layers up various percussion sounds, sequenced using Maschine, to get his initial groove worked out. He then lays down the main chords hook, which is complemented by a subby bassline, to form the primary melodic elements of the track. A syncopated kick and snare break is then woven with the melodies to finish off the groove. El. Train then imports an acappella into Serato Sample, which he uses to slice up the vocal and create interesting chops and phrases that are sporadically sequenced into the arrangement. After processing the vocal, he starts building the song, constructing the intro, main body and outro. He ends the course with some final tips on working with bass and inverting chords to make flowing harmonies. Signing up gets you immediate access to the streamed tutorials, plus the project from the course and a bonus pack of samples from Loopmasters. Check out the sample module before signing up for an example of El. Train’s laid back and informative style, imparting valuable techniques and inspiration to kick start your own Future Beats & Soul production journey.

Following on from his beginner’s guide ‘The Art of Sampling’, which covers all of the fundamentals of how to sample, ‘Creative Sampling Techniques’ sees certified trainer Rob Jones applying different sampling methodology in original ways to produce all of the musical parts in a Glitch Electronica track within Ableton Live. Whilst the 2 courses work together well as a sequence, producers with sampling experience already may prefer to dive straight in with this set of tutorials, offering more advanced inspiration and tips to develop their workflow. Starting proceedings with a kick and snare groove, powerful drums are constructed using various layering techniques, with unusual foley incorporated to add unique textures to an otherwise simplistic break. To this, Rob adds undulating bass, created from a single sample, shaped and modulated in differing ways to show how many possibilities can arise from a basic oneshot. Similarly, a vocal is taken in several directions, with one featuring tempo-locked stuttering whilst another employs more drastic time-stretching envelopes. Multiple velocity-modulation assignments are then used to create a melodic groove from a complex orchestral sample, whilst other acoustic and synthesised samples are woven together to make pulsing pads and syncopated, arpeggiated leads. After switching to the arrangement area to start laying out parts, Rob introduces two additional samples, showing how to convert one to MIDI for stacking up other samples on top, and how to transform and resample another, for creating more experimental vocal phrases to sing along to the groove. Included with the 2 hours of streamed tutorials are the Ableton Live project from the course and a bonus 100MB pack of samples, allowing students to more closely inspect the track and try out techniques with a new collection of sounds. Before signing up, check out the free sample module from the course and listen to the arrangement on Producertech’s SoundCloud page.

Chill Trap and Future Bass is the one of the hottest styles of electronic music right now, popularised by producers such as Flume, Wave Racer and Ryan Hemsworth. In this new course from Producertech, Brighton based producer CAPSUN invites you into his studio to share the secrets behind producing a track in this style with Native Instruments Maschine. CAPSUN is a well respected figure amongst producers, known for his meticulous sound design skills which have seen him release a slew of highly successful sample packs with Loopmasters, Native Instruments and his own CAPSUN Pro Audio Label. He also has a string of successful productions under his belt, with releases on Stripes Records and electronic music giant All Trap Music. In the course, CAPSUN takes you through the construction of a chill trap and future bass track from scratch, starting off with melodic strings and dreamy arpeggios, before moving on to booming 808 bass, crisp snares, percussion, vocal chops and SFX. The course focuses on getting the best out of both the Maschine software and hardware, with CAPSUN giving you a real insight into his workflow and production methods. Available immediately after purchase, the course can be streamed 24/7/365 anywhere with an internet connection. The course also comes complete with a selection of samples from CAPSUN’s very own Chill Trap and Future Bass sample pack, as well as 4 bonus Maschine kits from Niche Audio. Make sure to check out the sample module, course trailer and completed track on the media tab.

Powerful, energetic and vibrant drums are the foundations of every great track. In this course, Brighton based producer CAPSUN invites you into his studio to share the secrets behind designing, sequencing and mixing unique catchy drum parts for a variety of styles, using Native Instruments Maschine. CAPSUN is a well respected figure amongst producers, known for his meticulous sound design skills which have seen him release a slew of highly successful sample packs with Loopmasters, Native Instruments and his own CAPSUN Pro Audio Label. He also has a string of successful productions under his belt, with releases on Stripes Records and electronic music giant All Trap Music. In the following lessons, CAPSUN takes you through the process of designing all of the percussion elements in a track. Beginning with the sound design of each individual part, CAPSUN creates each component and then demonstrates his drum and percussion processing workflow. He sequences and plays in drum patterns and finally adds a melodic part to demonstrate a starting point for a full track, using the Maschine hardware heavily throughout. Available immediately after purchase, the course can be streamed 24/7/365 anywhere with an internet connection. The course also comes complete with a selection of samples courtesy of Loopmasters for you to use in your own productions. Make sure to check out the sample module and course trailer now!