In this second video tutorial on trap drum programming we’re going to explore MIDI processing in Logic’s environment to control the hi hats in our pattern. We’ll be using Logic’s transformer object in the environment to split each MIDI note apart and process them separately in Logic’s environment.  Once the notes are split apart, we will then send those signals to different arpeggiator objects which are set to different patterns. This will allow us to hold down one note to play a 1/16th note hihat roll and another note to play 1/32nd notes.  We’re also going to add similar processing for the snares and aslo add pitch control via the modulation wheel on your MIDI controller. – Matt Shadetek

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek:

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes just started; sign-up today!

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Southern hip hop has long been one of my favorite styles of music and with the recent explosion in popularity of the new trap-influenced sounds I thought this might be a cool occasion to share some advanced techniques for programming these patterns in a more live style. In this tutorial we’re going to build a drum kit and Logic project which will help us to create these types of patterns using a MIDI controller instead of having to draw them in with a mouse.  To do this we’re going to build out some MIDI processing in Logic’s Environment to split apart the different notes we’re playing and apply different MIDI processing to them. We’re going to use an arpeggiator to play hi hat rolls at different speeds depending on which note we play, and do the same thing for snares. We’re also going to create a mapped multi-instrument that pulls multiple sound sources together into a single instrument we can play from one MIDI controller.

In this first video in the series we’ll look at building the kit in Ultrabeat using samples from the Lex Luger drum kit. We’ll also create the first hi hat arpeggiation using a transformer and arpeggiator in Logic’s environment. – Matt Shadetek

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek:

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes just started; sign-up today!

The week of April 29th in NYC – Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri – 10:15-am-1:00pm
The week of April 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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In this video, Dubspot instructors and Logic Pro gurus Matt Shadetek and Bill Lee discuss our six-level music production with Apple’s Logic Pro. Matt and Bill break down all six levels of Dubspot’s Logic Pro Producer Certificate Program, which covers the complete process of composition and production in Apple’s premier music production software. From creating loops and sketches to to mixing and arranging your songs using, this program covers the fundamentals of electronic music production as well as advanced compositional techniques.

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes just started, sign up today!

NYC COURSES
Morning Classes: April 29, 2013; Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri, 10:15am-1pm
Afternoon Classes: May 1, 2013; Wednesdays and Fridays, 3:15pm-6pm
Evening Classes: October 29, 2013; Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:15pm-9pm
Weekend Classes: May 18, 2013; Saturday & Sunday, 7:15-10:15pm

ONLINE COURSES in session with seats still available. Register today!

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

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This technique is commonly used in studios when people are recording electric guitars and they want to capture the sound of the guitar coming out of the amplifier. In this case I’m using it for a slightly non-traditional application to add some texture and noise to make my piano so it will feel more like an old sample and less like a digital instrument.  I also use this technique with amplifiers to add interest to cheap sounding Casio keyboards and other digital sources.  The basics are that we create a sound and then play it out of something, either an amplifier or a speaker, and then re-record the results. In this case I’m running it out of my speakers to add some room noise and then mixing that back in with the original clean signal.  Hopefully this inspires you to create your own interesting recordings and some life to your clean digital sounds. – Matt Shadetek

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek:

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes just started; sign-up today!

The week of April 29th in NYC – Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri – 10:15-am-1:00pm
The week of April 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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Facing The Void

Some people aren’t prepared to be artists. Skilled entertainers or crafts people, sure. But artists? No. But why?

What’s the difference?

The difference lies in the ability to think of an idea and simultaneously think ‘”this may not work” while trying it anyway.  This is to face the void and not back down, to seek new territory even though the path is unclear ahead. These are a few of the ideas that come from Seth Godin’s excellent new book The Icarus Deception. I recommend it highly if you’re someone who aspires to make art.

The Icarus Deception

In The Icarus Deception Godin stretches the definition of art to include anything which breaks new ground, takes risks, or touches people. His definition includes doctors, business people, and service providers–people we don’t usually think of as artists.  Perhaps we could use a more precise word than art to discuss this broader definition but I think that Godin’s choice is a useful one for discussing the area of creative risk-taking.  In our own discipline of making music this can also become an interesting and important conflict.

Once we get to a certain level of technical mastery with our music creation, we are able to understand what is going on in any number of commercially successful songs and we can see a way to construct something similar. But some of us want something more than commercial success. We want to create something which broadens the discussion, shines light on new territory and inspires others to go further. Creating a banging remix of the pop hit of the month in the latest dance style might get you a lot of DJ gigs but it doesn’t necessarily expand the musical discussion. It doesn’t lead us off into uncharted territory and inspire us to challenge ourselves and do more interesting work. This is fine if your goal is to have a good time and make some money.  But these people are entertainers, not artists.

Having a Conversation About Intentions

This is an important conversation to have with yourself or with your musical collaborators: what are we trying to do? Are we making art to receive approval from others? Applause? Money? Panties thrown on stage? Or are you trying to create something original?

Although it may seem that I have a clear answer to this question, I do not.  I want ALL of the above things, not just one or two, and I think many of us feel the same way.

This is why the conversation is important–because your own answers may surprise you. Or you may realize that you are trying to move towards two conflicting goals and therefore making little progress. And if you find that you really want one of those things more than the others, then your answers may help you to move more consciously towards that idea.

The answer to the question is personal. There are rewards and risks that go along with each choice. No path is the easy path; each will be difficult in its own way. I suggest that you attempt to have this conversation regularly with yourself and your music partners to become conscious about the goals you want to reach.  Good luck.

- Matt Shadetek

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek:

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes are starting April 21st at Dubspot Online – Sign up today!

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In this example we’re going to use Logic’s Environment to set up an arpeggiator with large buttons that toggle between different resolutions or arpeggiator rates. We’ll learn how to map MIDI control change data to the arpeggiator in the Environment and how to create large visual controls to send that data. We’ll take a look at using the button object in the Environment to send MIDI control change data, a technique which could be applied to many different workflows. The goal of the video, beyond the specific application, is to get you thinking creatively about ways to manipulate MIDI data in Logic’s Environment to create unique musical tools and customize your own setup. – Matt Shadetek

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek:

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes just started; sign-up today!

The week of April 29th in NYC – Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri – 10:15-am-1:00pm
The week of April 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek:

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro

NYC COURSES
Morning Classes: April 29, 2013; Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri, 10:15-1pm (Seats still available. Register today!)
Evening Classes: April 30, 2013; Tuesdays and Thursdays, Fri 6:15pm-9pm

The week of April 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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In this video we’ll learn how to set up an iPad for use as a second monitor with Logic Pro and explore how to get the most out of this setup. The software we’ll use for this is called Air Display (available via the App Store) and it allows us to turn the iPad into a touchscreen monitor using a WiFi connection.

There are a few ways I’ve used this and I’m sure you’ll think of others. I like to use a second view of the mixer while working in the arrangement, and vice versa when mixing. Another fun use of this where you can get more creative is to control custom control setups in Logic’s Environment view.

In part two of this series I’ll show how to control an arpeggiator using this setup. – Matt Shadetek

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek:

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes just started; sign-up today!

The week of February 27th in NYC – Wednesdays & Fridays, 6:15-am-9:00pm
The week of April 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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The sound we’re going to create here has been in use for years in many styles of electronic dance music, but somehow people keep returning to it: the rave stab. Rave stabs are made by layering a pair of highly detuned saw waves with one another and then using something to animate the pitch and cause it to bend. In this example we’ll do this with the ES2 synth in Logic and an envelope but there are many ways to create this type of sound. All you need is a synthesizer that can layer saw waves and create pitch movement. For extra credit I’ve set up the envelope modulating the pitch to be velocity-sensitive, so when this patch is played from a controller we get some additional variation depending on how the instrument is played. – Matt Shadetek

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek:

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes just started; sign-up today!

The week of February 27th in NYC – Wednesdays & Fridays, 6:15-am-9:00pm
The week of April 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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In this tutorial we’re going to do something a little more experimental than we usually do and explore the concept of polyrhythms.  I thought this would be a good topic since a lot of people throw this term around without completely understanding the meaning.

A polyrhythm is not any rhythm with a lot going on in it, for example a busy percussion part. A polyrhythm is when we have multiple rhythms existing simultaneously.  An example of this would be if a DJ took two songs, one in 6/8 time signature and one in 4/4 and layered them over each other.  Overtly polyrhythmic music is not something which we find in a lot of electronic music and in western music in general and so to the untrained ear it can seem quite complex.  A way that I find it can be interesting to introduce polyrhythms is to use them on ’soft’ rhythmic elements, like changes in timbre or pitch.  In this example I set up a one note acid-like synth line over a four on the floor beat and then create two patterns. One pattern contains a pitch bend and is five beats long and the other contains a filter tweak and is three beats long.  These rhythms loop on their own cycle and create interesting shifting patterns.  The 4 beat line and the 5 beat pitch bend coincide every 20 beats (or 5 bars in our drum/acid time signature of 4/4) and the filter tweak coincide every 12 beats (or 3 bars).  The entire piece repeats every 15 bars with the first beat of each pattern lining up and restarting. To understand the length of the repetition cycle in a polyrhythmic system you can multiply the length of each cycle by each other, so in this case a 3 and 5 bar cycle create a 15 bar pattern.

Using these kind of simple looping pieces we can create what we call emergent complexity, where simple rules give rise to complex results.  What I like about this approach is that although at times the changes may seem unexpected or even random they are being created by a system which can be understood and controlled. – Matt Shadetek

Matt Shadetek is a DJ, producer and teacher based in Brooklyn, New York. He runs the Dutty Artz label with DJ /Rupture and will be releasing his second solo album The Empire Never Ended on March 26th 2013. Hear his music at mattshadetek.com

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek. In this course (whether at our online school or our physical school in New York City), students will learn to create a four-track EP, starting with a set of musical sketches and developing them over the course of six levels, refining their craft as they advance.

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes just started; sign-up today!:

January 30th in NYC – Wednesdays & Fridays, 6:15-am-9:00pm
The week of April 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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A lot of artists struggle with procrastination and getting work finished. This is a common issue and can be pretty damaging in itself, but in today’s post I want to talk about something that comes after the work is finally done: the endless postponement of sharing finished work with the public. This is something which affects many artists including even the most well-known and prolific.

For me personally this is a bigger problem than actually getting the work done. I love making music and being in the studio is easily my favorite part of the process, but for me the problem starts when it’s time to actually take that finished product and share it with the world. There’s a lot of vague anxiety involved but it mainly comes down to fear of being criticized.

For many of us this fear slips us into a self-destructive pattern of pain avoidance: if I never release anything, no one can criticize me. Whether we clearly articulate this thought as an excuse to ourselves or we just drag our feet endlessly without reflecting on why, the results are the same. What has happened to me in the past is that I’ll sit on songs so long that they start to sound old and stale to me. Once that happens, even if no one else has ever heard them, I can’t bring myself to release them, and so they die a silent death on my hard drive. I call this making secret songs.

It’s important to distinguish between quality control and artistic cowardice.

I believe in not releasing every single piece of music you make. I try to make more tracks than I need for every release, and then whittle down the list until I am left with only those that I really feel strongly about and that hang together as a cohesive whole. Once that part of the process is done, though, it’s important to get that work out as quickly as possible.

It’s important to understand that taking the time and effort to actually get your work released on a regular basis is a critical part of being an artist. Creating art is about communication, sharing the feeling we put into the music with an audience. It’s pretty obvious that if you are making secret songs, this kind of artistic communication is completely impossible.

This not only prevents you from communicating with an audience but also keeps you from developing as an artist. By protecting yourself from criticism you are also protecting yourself from the opportunity to grow. You might as well be making music for the palm trees on a desert island.

It’s also important to realize that while criticism can be painful sometimes, it also contains something incredibly valuable: feedback.

Feedback can come in many forms.  Some of these hurt, like when people call you names and say you’re a bad person for making this record. Or worse ignore your record completely. Some of these can be incredibly fulfilling, like when someone lets you know that your record was meaningful to them and played some positive role in their life.

The most important thing about feedback, though, is that it allows you to evolve as an artist. If you release a record that is absolutely ignored or that nobody seems to like at all, you have a choice: you can stick to your guns and keep pursuing your own direction, or you can adjust course and see if by making tweaks to your formula you can make something that connects with more people. Feedback is an opportunity for learning and can help you figure out where you want to go.

Once you engage in this process, the next challenge is to use the feedback you receive in a constructive way. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by both positive and negative feedback and to allow it to control you. The balance we have to strike is to use the feedback we receive as a guide to make decisions which fulfill our own artistic needs.  This largely stems from whether your artistic goal is to be a radical and uncompromising artistic revolutionary, a crowd-pleasing entertainer, or somewhere in between.

Think of it this way: releasing finished work is like a muscle. It’s something you practice and build up your ability to do.  The longer you do it the easier it gets, although it will never be completely anxiety-free if you care at all about the outcome.  Start now and practice finishing and releasing your work regularly.  You will find that although there may be painful moments, it feels wonderful to know that you have reached an audience and connected with them. – Matt Shadetek

Matt Shadetek is a DJ, producer and teacher based in Brooklyn, New York. He runs the Dutty Artz label with DJ /Rupture and will be releasing his second solo album The Empire Never Ended on March 26th 2013. Here his music at mattshadetek.com

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Live Streaming Logic Pro Course Preview with Matt Shadetek

Curriculum designer and instructor Matt Shadetek will discuss our six-level Logic Pro program, which covers the complete composition and production process in Logic. Please RSVP on the Facebook event page to attend.

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In the first installment of this two part video tutorial, we set up a system that allowed us to resample parts of our track in Logic, process them live using the Travelizer instrument in Reaktor, and record that performance as an audio file. (If you haven’t seen that video please watch that first as this video is a continuation of that one.) With our instrument prepared and our routing ready to go now we can focus on the granular synthesis controls inside Travelizer.

The first thing that I find useful is to turn off many of the additional modulations which are going on so we can get to the heart of the sound. Travelizer gives us an X/Y coordinate controller that we can use to adjust the sample playback position and the grain size in real time. In addition to that we have a resonator and two LFOs, one that modulates the pitch of the grains and another that modulates the playback position. The Travelizer also contains a delay and an envelope.

In the video I show how to turn each of these additional functions off and get down to the basic functionality, and then slowly add them back one at a time in order to hear and understand what each one does. I also record a short improvisation with some samples from my track, which I can then use as resampled material to cut into my track as audio. – Matt Shadetek

Related Dubspot Courses

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek. In this course (whether at our online school or our physical school in New York City), students will learn to create a four-track EP, starting with a set of musical sketches and developing them over the course of six levels, refining their craft as they advance.

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro start dates:

January 30th in NYC – Wednesdays & Fridays, 6:15-am-9:00pm
The week of January 20th DUBSPOT ONLINE

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Resampling can be a creative way to create new parts which are texturally related to your original elements and feel like part of the same sound palette. In my previous video on creating resampled pads, we took a look at this concept using Logic’s EXS24 sampler and if you’re new to these ideas that’s a great place to start.

For this tutorial we’re going to get a little more adventurous and combine the technique of granular synthesis with resampling using the Reaktor instrument Travelizer. Granular synthesis is a process in which we take a sound and slice it into thousands of tiny pieces called grains, and then manipulate those grains by making choices about their duration and pitch as well as the order in which they are played. Using this technique, we can transform a standard sine wave-based synth line into a swirling cloud of sound.

Travelizer is one of the standard instruments which comes with Native Instruments’ Reaktor, and it allows us to do some serious processing on our original audio source using granular synthesis techniques. In this example we’re going to take a piece of our track, generate new sounds by running it through Travelizer and manipulating the controls, and then record those variations.

Because Travelizer has a number of controls and we want to improvise with many of them, we are going to avoid using automation because this might become cumbersome quickly. Instead we’re going to record our performance directly as audio by bussing the Reaktor signal to an audio track and recording it in real time.

In this first episode we’ll cover the basics of creating the audio files, setting up the routing and loading them into Reaktor. In part two we’ll explore the actual granular synthesis tools. – Matt Shadetek

Related Dubspot Courses

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek. In this course (whether at our online school or our physical school in New York City), students will learn to create a four-track EP, starting with a set of musical sketches and developing them over the course of six levels, refining their craft as they advance.

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro start dates:

January 30th in NYC – Wednesdays & Fridays, 6:15-am-9:00pm
The week of January 20th DUBSPOT ONLINE

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Secret Knowledge Pt. 1 – Using Maschine w/ Logic Pro: Standalone Mode

Using Native Instruments’ Maschine with Logic Pro in standalone mode and syncing with Logic.

Secret Knowledge Pt. 2 – Using Maschine w/ Logic Pro: Plug-in Mode

Using Native Instruments’ Maschine as a plug-in inside of Apple’s Logic Pro.

Secret Knowledge Pt. 3 – Layering Drums in Ultrabeat

Layering drums and other techniques to create unique and dynamic drum sounds with Logic Pro’s Ultrabeat device.

Secret Knowledge Pt. 4 – Creating Melodies from Chord Progressions

Learn a compositional technique for creating fresh new melodies, basslines, and chord progressions quickly and effectively.

Secret Knowledge Pt. 5 – Logic Video Tutorial: Sidechaining the ES2 Synthesizer

Using the sidechain inputs in Apple’s Logic ES2 synthesizer to creatively modulate a basic synth sound.

Secret Knowledge Pt. 6 – How to Create Classic House Sounds

How to create two classic house sounds including the organ bass sound found in Robin S.’s “Show Me Love.”

Secret Knowledge Pt. 7 – Resampling Pads Using EXS24 + Sculpture

Resampling using Logic’s EXS24 and Sculpture.

Related Dubspot Courses

For further exploration of Logic check out Dubspot’s six-level Logic Pro Producer program, designed by Matt Shadetek. In this course (whether at our online school or our physical school in New York City), students will learn to create a four-track EP, starting with a set of musical sketches and developing them over the course of six levels, refining their craft as they advance.

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro start dates:

January 30th in NYC – Wednesdays & Fridays, 6:15-am-9:00pm
The week of January 20th DUBSPOT ONLINE

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In this tutorial we introduce the concept of resampling: we’ll take an existing part of our track, in this case a synth chord played on Sculpture, and convert it to audio so that we can manipulate it further using Logic’s EXS24 sampler. Our goal in this example is to create a sound I associate with old school underground dance music including 90s house, hardcore and jungle: take a chord, put it into a sampler and then repitch the chord it by playing on a keyboard. The parallel harmonic movement that results can create an interesting, slightly dark feeling.

The next step is to make those chords sustain by using the looping functions in the sampler. This will produce looping artifacts in some cases, one problem being that the loop will playback faster if we play it at a higher pitch. We might not always want this, but in this case it adds an interesting uneven rhythmic feeling to our resampled sounds and completes the sound. This technique can be used for all kinds of sounds and was a popular technique in creating some of the best early drum and bass ‘hoover’ style basslines. Use your imagination and experiment! – Matt Shadetek

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro start dates:

January 30th in NYC – Wednesdays & Fridays, 6:15-am-9:00pm
The week of January 20th DUBSPOT ONLINE

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This tutorial is a little simpler with a bit of a beginner focus, I mainly wanted to share it because I know so many people want to know how to make these two sounds. The first is the classic house organ bass that we hear in songs like Robin S. “Show Me Love” from 1993. This one is really simple and is actually included as a preset in Logic but is a little bit hidden so many people don’t find it.  The second sound is a classic looping, filtered vocal sample. For this one you’ll need to find a vocal sample you like, there are actually a few in the Apple Loops that come with Logic if you don’t have anything else handy.  Then we’ll use the autofilter to come up with the sweeping filter movement. In this case I’ll show you how to create the movement with an LFO instead of automation but that’s another good option.  The secondary point of the tutorial is about using sounds outside of the genre’s they’re popular in.  I’ve created these examples in the context of a hip hop beat instead of a classic house style track and find that this can be a simple starting point for new ideas, in this case: “What if I made an 80 bpm hip hop track using classic house sounds? How would I create the house-y feeling in this different rhythm pattern?”  Hopefully this can serve as a creative jumping off point for you as well.

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro start dates:

January 30th in NYC – Wednesdays & Fridays, 6:15-am-9:00pm
The week of January 20th DUBSPOT ONLINE

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In this video we will explore using the side chain input of the ES2 synthesizer to add synchronized movement to our synth patches. Many people think “compression” when sidechaining is mentioned, but there are many other effects and instruments which have a side chain input. Used properly these inputs can add a multitude of fresh sonic possibilities to your sound design palette.  In this demonstration we use the amplitude signal that is routed into the side chain input to control the cutoff of the low pass filter in the ES2 synth and create filter movement which responds to the kick drum pattern in our beat.  I’ve also routed it to bend the pitch as well based on the same input.  These are just two examples of some of the creative possibilities that this type of modulation setup opens up.  Use your imagination and leave a comment with anything cool you come up with! – Matt Shadetek

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro start dates:

October 29th in NYC – Mondays & Wednesdays, 10:15-am-1:00pm
October 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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In this tutorial we are going to explore a basic technique for creating melodic and harmonic material: writing from chord progressions. This is a technique I personally use a lot and I feel it has helped me to write more quickly although I don’t have a strong music theory background.  The basic idea is that we start with a three- or four-chord progression and use that to create all of our other parts.  I find that this allows me to keep moving forward and eliminates some of the guesswork in writing lead melodies, basslines and other supporting parts. Starting with the chord progression creates a harmonic framework for us to move around in and limits some of the choices we have to make at any given moment. This can free up some of our writing energy to focus on things like rhythm, instrumentation and structure.

If you are having a hard time coming up with basic chord progressions, I recommend checking out sites like musictheory.net which has a simple chord calculator and can display notation on a keyboard for those of us who aren’t too great with standard notation. - Matt Shadetek

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro start dates:

October 29th in NYC – Mondays & Wednesdays, 10:15-am-1:00pm
October 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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Layering drums is something I often find misunderstood by students.  If we layer two copies of the exact same sound, they will double in volume.  The same is true when we layer similar sounds, even if they are not exactly the same. Because people often think that louder sounds better, punchier, or more powerful, it can be easy to get confused. What we should really think about when we’re layering things is the unique contribution of each layer.

There are two things should evaluate about sounds we are layering. One is the textural contribution of each layer: is it a noisy acoustic sample or something smooth and synthetic? The second is the frequency contribution: is this sound contributing bass, midrange or treble to the overall mix? Generally speaking we want each layer to contribute something unique or different. For example there is not much point in layering two smooth subbass kick sounds together; in fact this will often create more problems than it solves. Once we learn to evaluate the contribution each sound is making like this, we’ll be able to come up with much stronger drum sounds. - Matt Shadetek

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro start dates:

October 29th in NYC – Mondays & Wednedays, 10:15-am-1:00pm
October 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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In our last tutorial we looked at using Maschine in standalone mode in conjunction with Logic. In this tutorial we will look at the more typical scenario, loading it as a plug-in inside of Logic instead.  One advantage of this approach is that we can run multiple outputs out of Maschine and apply Logic’s effects directly to the Maschine outputs.  We can also overcome the synchronization issues that we saw with the standalone approach. The decision to use standalone or plug-in mode is really a question of personal preference as each has its pros and cons. I recommend you try both and discover what works for you. – Matt Shadetek

Master Logic with our complete program of courses. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro start dates:

October 29th in NYC – Mondays & Wednesdays, 10:15-am-1:00pm
October 21st ONLINE

Native Instruments’ Maschine redefines the intersection of hardware and software, performance and production. With Dubspot’s Maschine program for performers and producers, you will go from shaking hands with this cutting-edge music platform to making full tracks and performing your music live over the course of three levels. The future of performance and production is here, and there is no time for the future like today.

What’s Included

• Maschine Level 1: Programming and Beat Making Basics
• Maschine Level 2: Sampling, Slicing and Composing
• Maschine Level 3: Advanced Production and Performance Techniques

Music Production with Native Instruments Maschine start dates:

September 26th in NYC – Wednedays, 3:15-6pm
October 21st in NYC – Time and Day(s) TBA

More start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

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