Masterclasses

Music is all around us; it is the soundtrack to moments of our lives, it accompanies our favourite movies, it sits with us at mealtime, it makes us move, it helps us to rest. But what’s behind it? Join Oscar Dawson as he teaches his process, approach and philosophy, and shares practical know-how to creating a recorded song.

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Past Masterclasses:

——— Masterclass 1: April 2022 ———

Teach Me About Music

 

Oscar breaks apart the Holy Holy song ‘Teach Me About Dying’ (YouTube | Spotify). 

This course is divided into three modules and is designed for entry-level to intermediate participants. 

Oscar will talk in broad terms about the writing process (Module 1); the recording and production approach (Module 2); and the mixing process and strategy (Module 3).

Ideally you are versed in the basics of songwriting and music, and if you are interested in production/mixing, you have some basic understanding of audio engineering. 

You can choose to attend just one module - or attend all three at a discount.

 

    • What is the goal of the release?

    • What is the genre, if any?

    • What is the writing process?

    • Is the demo important? How is it formed?

    • What is ‘tracking’?

    • Who are the parties involved?

    • What is the process?

    • What is the role of the producer?

    • What’s the best way to describe what the producer wants and needs, and what the artist wants and needs?

    • Is there a demo to this song? If so, what relevance does it have? If not, why is there no demo?

    • Does the demo require improvement?

    • What needs to be added, subtracted, augmented, diminished?

    • What is the genre, if any? And if none stated, why?

    • How should we communicate about this piece of music?

    • As mix engineer, what are these files I’ve received

    • Who am I speaking with about this mix?

    • What does the artist want out of this song?

    • What is my template, if any?

    • Is there a rough mix?

    • What can I improve, change, develop, augment?

    • Plug-ins, routing, processing, master-bus…