FAQ

Q: If I join this class, how long am I committing to?

A: You're going to love this answer. :) What I’m doing is a little unconventional. There’s no time commitment to this course. It’s self-paced as far as the lectures and exercises (but there are quite a lot). A big part of the course’s value will be in our online community, support and webinars. I welcome anyone interested to stay as long as they feel value. But there’s no commitment to stay after you worked through all the training.

Q: If I worked hard on the assignments and listened through lectures, how long do you think it would take?

A: Honestly, it would still probably take a few months of hard work. I have lots of well-thought-out challenges that requires dedication but I guarantee you’ll be thrilled with what it does for your songwriting and skill development. I think you’re going to LOVE this part of the class. Also, you may find that the community and feedback from other students is even more valuable than the lectures and exercises. So you’ll have to decide what length of time is good for you.

Q: My husband and I both want to join this course. Do we both need to pay separate memberships to this?

A: It would only need to be separate if you wanted to work though the course at different paces. If not, and you wanted to do the lectures and exercises together then just use one subscription, I’m totally fine with that! And yes, you can both join the Facebook group.

Q: Why is this class so affordable???

A: Because I want you in this class if you need help with producing. I want you to be part of the community that really wants to challenge you to get better, help develop your ears, and push you to be a better songwriter through great production. Also, I want to it to be inexpensive enough for you to afford other classes you might want to take on this or other music subjects. There’s some great stuff out there, and I know there’s no way you can learn everything here (I so wish). 🤗

Q: I have been dabbling with producing for awhile, will this class have any value for me?

A: Great question. There are a lot of lectures I give on the basics of audio and recording that you might find boring or slow to get through if you’re already experienced in these things. However, the class provides a ton of exercises and assignments you might find really beneficial to enhancing your skill sets and disciplines. We will be making a crap-ton of grooves from scratch that could lead you to all kinds of new song ideas. Also, this course is more than lectures, it’s about COMMUNITY. It’s a place to share information, challenge each other, hear from more successful producers, etc. This class welcomes anyone, especially songwriters who want to hear their ideas quickly while they write. And if you are a seasoned producer we would love to have you also, just please be respectful of other students' journey. Some people catch on quicker than others.

Q: I noticed you work in Ableton Live. Do I need to purchase that DAW or can I use my current DAW, like ProTools, Logic Pro, Studio One, Cubase, etc.

A: I craft each lecture and exercise to address production tricks and techniques for any DAW, even GarageBand (although I highly recommend you upgrade to a more advanced program). As much as I would love to show you how to work in your DAW specifically, there’s no realistic way I can address the “how-to” of each DAW (there are dozens out there now). So instead I will show you in mine, speaking in general terms as much as I can, and then send you forth to figure out the concept I’m talking about in your own DAW. Most of the time it should be very straight-forward, but a google or youtube search will probably be required every now and then.

Q: Is there any other equipment needed before I can start?

A: No, my class teaches concepts more than specific tools. So whatever is in your DAW should work well. It's helpful if you have a MIDI keyboard controller to program parts into your DAW, and of course an audio interface and Mic for vocals. But you don't have to have all of this yet. If you have a DAW then you will have built-in compressors and reverbs, EQ's, etc. already. And it's probably best to learn on these first before you ever buy any third-party plugins.

Q: Do you teach mixing techniques?

A: I do, but probably not in the way you think. I have found through my experience to constantly be mixing my production while I’m producing. I don’t view mixing as a big separate process at the end. Mixing while you record, produce, and write, are all part of the whole creative process, and shouldn’t be separated out too much. And before you ask, yes, I typically hire a mixing engineer at the very end of my own productions to polish everything up. But what I send them is already extremely close to the final product. I typically have most of the instruments dialed in, panned, EQ'd and positioned in the mix before they get it. My external mixer is just finalizing the balance of the mix, EQ’ing here and there, running things through their console (if they use one), working out reverb kinks or muddiness issues, and giving their signature to it before it gets mastered. I am a huge advocate of doing this if you can afford it. That being said, my goal is to help others to produce, mix and master well enough on their own for self-releasing their work. I’ve done it myself, so I know it can be done.

Q: What about mastering?

A: I will only teach a little bit on this for now. I will only show you what I know, and not BS you in any way. That being said, I am going to be reaching out to several mastering engineers I know to give a live webinar on this topic, so we can learn together.

Q: Do I lose access to the Facebook Group if I stop the subscription?

A: Yes, part of the value of this course is the online community and resources through feedback that the Facebook Group provides. There's no obligation or contract here, so you can quit anytime. Although we'd hate to see you leave, and will miss you!

Q: Will you teach about distribution or marketing music?

A: Nope, sorry, there are other courses for that. I may start a course on this someday, but I'm still in the learning phase. Check out Making Money in Music by Cathy Heller and Ari Hertstand, it’s dope!

Q: Will you teach lessons in sync licensing music?

A: The short answer is No. I’ll most likely direct you to the queen of Sync Licensing, Cathy Heller. She has a course called the Access Course that’s stellar. I highly recommend it! But that being said, this course is geared to artists looking to write sync music, because it's what I do. So a lot of the information I teach is tailored toward styles and production tricks that are working for sync. Cool huh? ;)