Music Production and More...

Win £50 worth of Juno Download vouchers!

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:14:00 +0000

It’s Competition Time!

Being the generous bunch that we are, we have decided to give our Facebook faithful the opportunity to win an online music gift voucher worth £50! All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is leave a comment on our wall telling us your favourite genre of music… simple as that! If you are not already part of our Facebook following, you will have to click the like button on our page before you can post your comment.

Head this way to enter: facebook.com/pointblankcollege

The winner will be picked at random from all of the entries made before 6.00pm, 31st September.

Good luck!

Dubstep for the Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:09:00 +0000

During the 4th and 5th September, Point Blank continues its Pro Producer Weekend series from their studios in London; this time with a focus on Dubstep production, using Ableton Live. Whether you want to devastate dancefloors with the classic filthy wobble style of major players such as Skream, Benga and Rusko; or hone in on the moodier heads-down approach of techno/garage crossover artists like Martyn, Kode 9, 2562 and the Hessle Audio crew, Point Blank’s Dubstep weekend course will guide you the steps you need to take to achieve your desired sound.

Course tutor Jonny Miller has made an impressive stamp on the Dubstep scene hosting Manchester’s legendary Dub Spot nights alongside Zed Bias, as well as DJing as, and producing under his Joshua Black alias. With Jonny’s vast knowledge of Dubstep production and the worldwide bass scene, students can rest assured they will garner all the knowledge they need throughout this intensive weekend course.

right, poster from the legendary Dub Spot parties. below, Exclusive track produced for Point Blank by Course tutor Jonny Miller AKA Joshua Black

Joshua Black - Terra Firma by Point Blank

The Dubstep course is aimed towards producers at all skill levels, but with experience of using Ableton Live, and will be taught in small, intimate classes... so don't hesitate in booking your place for this exclusive one-off masterclass with an industry pro.

Here's a taster of past tunes from some of our bass heavy students:

Pip Williams - Girls In Hooded Tops by Point Blank

R.E.P.L.I.C.A - Plains of Existence by Point Blank

Point Blank Teams Up with SoundCloud

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0000

We are proud to announce our new partnership with the leading online audio platform, SoundCloud.

We are offering everyone who enrols at Point Blank's music college in London or online music production school a free SoundCloud Lite account for the entire duration of your course. This means you get a raft of extra features that aren’t available with the free account, including customizable artwork players, private sharing features such as the secret link, more stats, and increased audio storage of up to 4 hours.

SoundCloud is the perfect solution for bands, artists and music professionals who want to receive, send and distribute their music. The service helps musicians throughout the lifetime of a song, from collaborating on unfinished tracks direct from the studio to promoting finished releases across the web. SoundCloud allows you to share your music privately to colleagues and industry contacts. Or to millions of fans via Facebook, Twitter, social networks, music blogs or your own website. Profile users include artists such as Smashing Pumpkins, Four Tet and Moby, to labels like Warp, Domino and Point Blank partners, Universal.

We also have some exciting competitions in collaboration with SoundCloud coming up in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled for more news on those!

Ben Westbeech to Give Music Industry Masterclass at Point Blank

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:52:00 +0000

The latest in our series of VIP Masterclasses comes from man of the moment Ben Westbeech. Ben will be joining us here at the college on Tuesday 17th August at 5pm to answer your questions.

Ben is a DJ, musician, producer, and vocalist whose musical output spans hip-hop, house, drum'n'bass and everything in between. His track 'So Good Today' was the first single on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings. He’s currently recording an album for Strictly Rhythm and has collaborated with a host of artists including Rusko, Professor Green, Jazzanova, DJ Marky, Henrick Schwarz, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Pezzner and more.

His exciting live sets, showcase his impressive array of talents and are definitely not to be missed! You can check him out performing on "Later with Jools Holland' in the video below.

The masterclasses are open to all current and past students. Places are strictly limited and on a first come first serve basis so don't delay. Email us at luke@pointblanklondon.com now to book!

Danny J Lewis Music Production Seminar at Vocal Booth Weekender

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:32:00 +0000

If you fancy a bit of late summer sun, sangria and sonic delights at the same time, then we have the event for you!

The Vocal Booth Weekender 2010 takes place on 17th, 18th and 19th September in La Dehesa de Campoamor, Alicante - a beautiful village on the south of the Costa Blanca.

The event will showcase some of the best Deep & Soulful DJs in the world, including our very own Danny J Lewis as well as two former students, Miles Numan and Logistix. Follow the links to find out more about the gorgeous coastal setting and to check the full line-up.

Danny will be representing Point Blank, by giving an exclusive music production seminar and Q&A session based upon our ever-popular Deep and Soulful House Pro Producer Course. This is a rare opportunity to see Danny in action outside of the Point Blank courses and for his ex-students, the perfect chance to meet your tutor in person.

With lecturing experience of over 8 years and numerous releases on Defected, 4th Floor, Masters at Work Records, and his own imprint Enzyme Black, this is definitely one sunny adventure not to be missed!

Youtube Subscriber Competition Winner Announced!

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:27:00 +0000

Earlier this month we posted a competition to win a free music production course at Point Blank. All you had to do was subscribe to our YouTube channel. Easy!

We had literally 100s of entries - thank you to everyone who got involved. But there can only be one winner, so… drum roll please… the lucky subscriber, picked by our random number generator, is…

'djlawnboy' - Congratulations to you!

We have sent you a private message on YouTube. Please get in touch with luke@pointblanklondon.com quoting the password we provided to arrange your free course.

To all those who missed out, don't despair because we are giving you another chance to win… This time all you need to do is get one or more of your friends to subscribe to our channel. For each friend you get to subscribe, both you and the friend will be entered into the next draw. So if you get, say, 3 friends to sign up you have 3 times the chance of winning!

To enter, simply email your youtube usernames to nick@pointblanklondon.com

The winner will be able to choose a 4 week Pro Producer course online or attend one of our London based weekend courses - for FREE!

All our YouTube subscribers can enjoy exciting series of free weekly tutorials. Taken from Point Blank's acclaimed range of genre-based Pro Producer courses, each tutorial will reveal production techniques as used by the pro's.

The current series is: Dubstep with Jonny Miller (Joshua Black/Dubspot/Sidestepper Recordings) - a series of 5 in-depth tutorials from a professional dubstep producer. Watch the latest video here.

In addition we will be running a series of monthly Celebrity Masterclasses and Q & A sessions starting with:

Tommy D (Jay Z, Kanye West)
Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, Katie Melua)
Paul Epworth (Kate Nash, Florence & The Machine)

With plenty more exciting videos to come. Stay tuned!

Just a Few Days Remaining on the July 20% Discount Offer

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 11:49:00 +0000

SAVE CASH WHEN YOU TAKE A LONGER COURSE

Until the end of July only we are offering serious music production students the chance to save 20% off our flagship course programme, Music Production and Sound Design

That's a saving of over £300 or $450!!! What you get is 9 months of interactive online tuition over 3 modules. With weekly video feedback on your assignements, that is a whole lot of learning from top class music producers with industry respect and who have worked with artists like Bjork, Sugababes and Portishead, and with combined record sales in the millions.

Sign up now! But to take advantage of this offer we have to receive your booking by July 31st

If you want to take advantage of this offer get in touch on 0207 729 4884 or luke@pointblanklondon.com and quote July Offer.

Remix Pro Producer Course Launches in August!

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:49:00 +0000

Remixes have always been a crucial part of a producer's armoury, and they often hold the key to the first major breakthrough into mainstream conciousness for underground artists. The music industry has become awash with remix competitions, and remix swap opportunities over the last few years. Competitions make sense for all parties involved; labels get to pick the best out of hundreds of remixes at little or no cost to themselves and producers have the chance to get their music released and heard by a whole new audience. Remix swaps are seen as a cheap way to add credibility to releases, and again, for the artists to gain exposure to a fresh set of listeners.

So how can you make your remixes stand out above the crowd? Well Point Blank is here to help...

We are proud to announce our latest online Pro Producer Course: Remixing in Logic.

On the Remix course we will break down the essential tricks and techniques that producers use to transform a track. It features 2 exclusive downloadable remix packs from Reelgroove records and also 1 from course tutor Danny J Lewis' Imprint Enzyme Black Recordings. After watching exactly how Danny goes about creating a remix from these tracks you will have the opportunity to download the audio parts and have a go your self! Have a listen to the tracks here.

The course also features over 80 quicktime tutorial videos as well as exclusive interviews from the following professional remixers:

CJ Mackintosh
Phil Asher
Ben Medcalf
Grant Nelson
Gareth Wyn
Mike Koglin

On top of these course materials, each week students get the opportunity to upload their own tracks for professional 1-2-1 video feedback from Danny himself (Direct Video Response™).

The first course starts on August 2nd and will be enrolling every 4 weeks thereafter. There are still a few places left for the first month so get in touch now to enrol!

Point Blank is Looking for Talented Singer/Songwriters

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:41:00 +0000

Point Blank management and Jonny Rockstar (who has written and produced for the likes of Sugababes and Amy Winehouse) are looking for talented singer/songwriters to sign up to their artist mentoring initiative.

If you think you have got what it takes to be considered, please send your demo CDs to Candace McArthur, Point Blank, 23-28 Penn Street, London, N1 5DL or a link to your myspace or soundcloud to candace@pointblanklondon.com

Please follow the links to find out more about our singing courses and songwriting courses.

We look forward to hearing what you've got in store for us!

Win a Free Course at Point Blank by Subscribing to our YouTube Channel

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:11:00 +0000

To win a free music production course at Point Blank just subscribe to our YouTube Channel and you'll be automatically entered into our prize draw.

The winner will be able to choose a 4 week pro producer course online or attend one of our London based weekend courses - for FREE!

All YouTube subscribers will be treated to an exciting series of free weekly tutorials. Taken from Point Blank's acclaimed range of genre based Pro Producer courses, each tutorial will reveal production techniques as used by the pro's, kicking off with:

Dubstep Tutorial Series: Jonny Miller (Joshua Black / Dubspot /Sidestepper Recordings) - A series of 5 in-depth tutorials from a professional dubstep producer.

In addition we will be running a series of monthly celebrity masterclasses and Q & A sessions starting with:

Tommy D (Jay Z, Kanye West, Kylie Minogue)
Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams, Katie Melua and many more)
Paul Epworth (Kate Nash, Florence & The Machine, Bloc Party)

And there are plenty more exciting videos to come.....
To enter into the Point Blank prize draw, subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

Then email us at nick@pointblanklondon.com with your YouTube user name, the closing date for the competition is the 26th July, so get subscribing now for your chance to win!

Introducing the Intensive 1 Year Music Production Diploma

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:26:00 +0000

For many of us, music is an important part of our lives. The idea of making a living through it though is something not too many people are prepared to take a chance on as it is so competitive - what are the chances of getting through and succeeding? Which is where Point Blank's new Intensive Music Production and Sound Engineering Diploma comes in.

Previously available as a 2-year part-time qualification, the 1 Year Diploma is full-time and comes with as much practice time as you can handle in Point Blank's state of the art studios. To enrol, students will need to demonstrate their suitability to this type of intensive course of study.

Along the way there will be plenty of industry connections being brought in to advise the students on how to achieve their potential. Recent visitors to the studios include Mark Ronson, Louie Vega, Felix from Basement Jaxx, Kylie producer Tommy D and Robbie Williams' songwriting partner Guy Chambers.

Former Point Blank students include Leona Lewis, BBC 1Xtra/Channel 4 presenter Gemma Cairney, Armand Van Helden remixer DJ Jahawi, Universal Records A&R man Ben Scarr who signed Tynchy Stryder and Beyonce remixer Gareth Wynn.

Gareth says:

"This was the course that brought everything together for me and gave me the kick start I needed".

Gareth has remixed Beyonce's last two singles and Leona Lewis' recent comeback single 'Happy' for Sony and his own tracks have been released on Maelstrom, CR2 and Ministry of Sound, winning acclaim from the likes of Paul van Dyk, Pete Tong and BT.

The 1 Year Intensive Music Production and Sound Engineering Diploma is enrolling now for September 2010. Please call for details or to check out Point Blank's facilities on the studio tour which takes place every Wednesday at 3pm. Call first to book a place on 0207 729 4884. Places are strictly limited so don't sleep!

Secrets of House Music Course - This Weekend!!

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:22:00 +0000

Calling all house music producers! You still have time to enrol on our 'Secrets of House Music' course in association with Sample Magic.

The intensive weekend course which is taking place on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th of July will be led by expert music producers Bruce Aisher and Sharooz, all at the Point Blank studios in London.

Plus, every participant will leave with an exclusive goodie bag worth over £300 including a copy of Sample Magic's 'Secrets of House Music Production' book, sample packs and a Point Blank T shirt.

Find out the full course breakdown and booking information here: music production course

Get in touch with a course advisor on 0207 729 4884 or luke@pointblanklondon.com to book your place.

The Point Blank Forum is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:47:00 +0000

The forum has always been a crucial feature of the learning process for music production students at our online music school; A place where they can interact with their fellow students, share their latest tracks and probe their tutors for any extra nuggets of knowledge not covered in the course material. Until now however the only people with access to the forum have been the paying students. We figured that this was going against the raison d’etre of a forum… they should be open to all, encouraging as many as possible to interact with each other, and in doing so build up a buzzing community of people who share the same passion.

So we are excited to announce the Point Blank forum. It works just like any other forum out there, you can embed content from youtube and soundcloud, and add a unique signature which appears after all your posts (an ideal place to put your myspace details or your latest tune from soundcloud). It may be slightly slow going to begin with as we spread the word and let all our students, past and present know it exists but please stick with it. With your help this will hopefully become one of the liveliest and of course friendliest music forums out there.

So come along, introduce yourself and get chatting. Feel free to suggest any categories that you feel would benefit the forum too… the forum is all about you and we are always open to ideas!

What Genre Next? You can Help us Decide

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:11:00 +0000

Since their launch in 2009, we have been overwhelmed by the popularity of the Pro Producer courses here at Point Blank Online. The genres have spanned from Minimal Tech, Deep and Soulful House, Trance, Electro House, and most recently Dubstep and Hip Hop.

Developed with the more experienced producer in mind, they are perfect for anyone who wants to raise their music above the competition and focus their sound by learning advanced techniques typical to that genre. These are no means painting by numbers courses though; we encourage students to take the techniques learned and apply them to other styles of music to create their own unique style. You can hear some of the best student tracks created on the courses here, or by subscribing to the Point Blank Podcast on iTunes.

We are currently deciding on which genre to develop next and we want your help!

Our shortlist is:

Nu-Disco
Chillout
Drum n Bass
Progressive House
R&B
IDM
Dub/Reggae
Death Metal!

Head to our online music school to enter your vote in the official poll or if you have a different suggestion that we haven’t thought up then feel free to post a comment here.

Fancy DJing at this years Lollapalooza? Then read on...

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:28:00 +0000

It’s safe to say that the summer season has well and truly arrived, and to us passionate music lovers that means one thing: an overwhelming amount of festivals. Ah, the thought of basking in the hot sun surrounded quirky stalls and decorations, days gone by without a shower, eating tinned food and the occasional over-priced meal when the hangover is a little too much to bare, dancing to great music, meeting strange and beautiful people, DJing in front of a massive crowd… Whoa there! Roll back a bit. No that wasn’t a typo; this years Chicago-based alt fest, Lollapalooza, is running its annual remix contest, aptly titled the Lolla Remix Throwdown. Music producers the world over have until 25th June to submit either an original tune or remixed piece, and the winner in return not only lands the opening slot in Perry’s dance stage at this years Lollapalooza, but also bags themselves a huge array of prizes not witnessed since the days of the Generation Game: two Pioneer CDJ900’s, a pair of Shure SE535 sound isolating earphones, a $250 gift certificate for SatelliteRecords.com, their tune/remix featured as a free download on SatelliteRecords.com homepage for one week, $1,000 cash, a Lollapalooza artist pass and artist guest pass, and a hotel for the duration of the Lollapalooza weekend. Runners up won’t be left forgotten though, as the three remaining finalists will receive Pioneer HDJ2000 headphones, a $150 gift certificate to SatelliteRecords.com, two three-day passes to Lollapalooza and $750 cash.

Don’t hesitate in submitting tunes though, as the winning track will be based on public votes so, quite naturally, the quicker you get your music on the site, the more time in which people can vote. Bare in mind you’ll also need to get your self-promotion hat on too if you want to crank up the numbers as there’s a lot of competition already. Just imagine all those prizes rolling by on a conveyor belt if you need a little incentive.

Also on the bill at this years Lollapalooza are 2ManyDJs, Erol Alkan, Digitalism, Tiga, Rusko, Caspa, Felix Da Housecat and much more. Going to be a surefire banger! For full details on the contest click here. Good luck and Godspeed!

Point Blank At IMS Ibiza

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:22:00 +0000

Point Blank's very own Rob Cowan is currently sunnning himself on the beautiful island of Ibiza, but it's not simply a holiday, in fact Rob is visiting in order to take part in the annual International Music Summit hosted in Ibiza.

The IMS have pulled out all the stops, assembling an eclectic array of talent and bringing together a uniquely different festival line-up to Ibiza. Underlining the IMS mantra of being forward-thinking in everything they do. Artists in attendence this year include; Sasha, Buraka Som Sistema, Pete Tong, David Guetta, Annie Mac, Busy P and a whole lot more. The summit contains a mixture of panel talks with Q & A's and discussions, as well as live performances and DJ sets.

So with all this in mind, Point Blank's Rob Cowan has just been in a studio located within the IMS to see Hip Hop DJ extrodanire Mark Ronson and Dubstep pioneer Skream record a show for Ibizian station, Sonic Radio. It turns out that before the show kicked off there was some kind of technical difficulty which coulp have possibly meant the show wouldn't have gone ahead, however, luckily Rob was on hand to save the day! After some technical wizardry he managed to get the equipment working again and the radio show was back on track with just a minor delay.

We're all eagerly awaiting Rob's return with more stories of all the goings on at IMS Ibiza, in the meantime you can check out the photo above taken with Rob, Mark Ronson and Skream at the Sonic Radio Studios.

Techno, Techno, Techno...

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:39:00 +0000

Belgian music festival I Love Techno is looking for a young up coming producer to create a track to become the soundtrack to this years festival. So if you Love Techno and want to be a part of one of the best international electronic music festivals of the year then read on...

"Do you eat Fruity Loops for breakfast at your Cubase? Are you Ableton to make an awesome track? Does this sound Logic or make any Reason? But most of all... Do you LOVE Techno?

Then you are the one we are looking for!

Grab all the vocoders, grooveboxes, MIDI Keyboards, triggerfingers, distortion units & compressors you can find. Launch your favorite production software and start building the most awesome track you have ever built. Maybe your track will become an official track for this year's edition of ILOVETECHNO.

The selected track will be featured on our official ILT promotional cd and will be distributed digitally on iTunes & Beatport by the record company News.

And, as a bonus, you + 10 of your best friends will be invited as a VIP on the next ILT edition.

So what are you waiting for?

This song starts now!"

This is an amazing opportunity for you to get your music out there and heard by a whole host of people, not to mention the fact that you and 10 mates get VIP festival access! Entries for the comp must be in by 15th June, so don't delay...get involved now by following the link.

Hip Hop Course to Feature TK Wonder

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Fri, 21 May 2010 09:10:00 +0000

We are excited to reveal that Point Blank's newest pro producer course, the Hip Hop Course, features New York vocalist TK Wonder! We’ve partnered up with TK, who has opened for artists such as Nas, Erykah Badu, Duffy and Talib Kweli, to offer students exclusive course materials including vocals, track parts and other resources for use on your tracks!

So when you enrol now on the Hip Hop Course you not only have access to 93 video tutorials totalling 8 hours of viewing, 1-2-1 tutorial videos from a pro producer, exclusive MIDI files for you to download and use in your own tracks, Beat Analysis tutorials with tracks from Dr Dre, Timbaland and more, but you also get access to the new amazing production tools from TK Wonder! With such a load of impressive resources it's clear that this course is definitely What You Want. To enrol now, read on.

I'm sure all the Hip Hop heads reading this will be just as excited as us about the prospect of fast tracking your music to the level of a professional producer. With such a high standard of tuition and a massive library of tools at your disposal, students will have their tracks sounding like industry standard Hip Hop tunes in just a matter of four weeks!

You can check out the full details for the course here, and you'll also want to check out the video below from course collaborator TK Wonder and get a taster of the superb vocal parts you can expect when you enrol on this premier Hip Hop Course.

Hip Hop Course with Pro Producer Paul Waller

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Each and every tutor here at Point Blank is an experienced music industry professional. Among them are Grammy Award winning songwriters, platinum selling producers and sound engineers who have worked with some of the biggest names in the game. We pride ourselves on providing our students with expert tuition from people who understand what it takes to succeed in the music industry.

Continuing this trend, we are excited to announce the new Hip Hop Pro Producer Course which will be taught by producer/remixer/engineer, Paul Waller. Among the many acclaimed urban artists he has worked with are De La Soul, Gang Starr, Soul II Soul and All Saints as well as legends Gil Scott Heron and BB King. He has credits on several million selling records including Massive Attacks' "Unfinished Sympathy" and Bjork's "Debut" album. Here he is to tell you a bit about the course:

On the course you get to download the project file of a track produced exclusively by Paul for the course and find out exactly how it was created using only the instruments and plug-ins in Logic. You will also benefit from Direct Video Response (DVR) - weekly 1-2-1 video feedback on your own tracks from Paul himself.

Other new developments specifically for this course include our 'Beat Analysis' video tutorials in which we deconstruct classic Hip Hop beats by the likes of Dr. Dre, J Dilla, Timbaland, RZA and The Neptunes. You will then learn how to extract the groove templates and apply them to your own beats. You can see a sample of one of our Beat Analysis videos below where we look at ODB's 'Got Your Money' beat:

The Hip Hop music production course launches on Monday 3rd May and is enrolling now. Please click here for more information. Places are strictly limited and filling up fast so get in there quick!

Refer A Friend To Point Blank And Earn Cash Rewards

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:39:00 +0000

We’ve received so much positive feedback on our online music courses from students around the world. It's great to hear that so many of you have had such an enjoyable experience and inspiring to hear how much your music has improved as a result of taking a course with us.

We want to continue growing our thriving global community of music producers so we have put together an incentive scheme to encourage you to spread the word.

For every person that you refer to a course at Point Blank, you earn £25 (Around $40 US!)

It's simple. You can tell your friends in person or via any of the social media that you use. You can blog about us, write a post on Facebook, Tweet it...it's up to you. But to claim your referral fee you must ensure that your friend namechecks you when they book the course. For every single person that does so and completes their course, you earn £25 (check this amount in your currency).

The scheme is up and running right now, so spread the word and start earning today!

Terms & Conditions

• Point Blank agrees to pay £25 to any current or former student who successfully refers a friend to enrol on a course at Point Blank Online

• Payment will only be credited once the referred student has paid in full and completed their course

• At this time all payments due will be credited onto the referrers nominated debit or credit card

• Students can refer multiple friends and receive £25 per friend referred

• When completing the enrolment form, the referred student must select “Referred By A Friend” in the section titled “How Did You Hear About Us?” and insert the name of the friend in the text box provided

• If this information is not submitted at the time of enrolment, no payment will be made to the referrer

• Point Blank reserves the right to suspend or cancel this scheme at any time. Any referral payments due at this time will be honoured

Grab Yourself a Free Point Blank T-Shirt!

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:11:00 +0000

Yes one of these stylish and much in demand t-shirts could be yours. All we ask is that you place a link from your blog, website, Myspace or Facebook profile back to www.pointblanklondon.com.

Once the link is in place, email us the url/web address to view the link and the T-shirt will be sent to you absolutely nothing!

Please send your emails to nick@pointblanklondon.com

Mixing Tutorial with The Rogue Element

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:51:00 +0000

All the tutors here at Point Blank are experienced music industry professionals. They include Grammy Award winning songwriters, platinum selling producers and sound engineers who have worked with some of the biggest names in the game. If you choose to study here, you will be getting expert tuition from people who understand what it takes to succeed in the music industry.

The following video gives you a taster of life as a Point Blank student. Watch adward winning DJ/producer Ben Medcalf (aka The Rogue Element) guide students through the process of mixing down one of the tracks from his latest album, Lumina.

The video is taken from the Introduction to Logic Pro Course

In the final week of the music production course each student has the opportunity to bring in their own track for a 1-2-1 mixing session with the tutor. So on completion of your course, you will have a whole track that has been professionally mixed down.

Click here to meet more of the pro producers who teach here at Point Blank.

Mixing Dance Music Course - Preview Video

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:06:00 +0000

Being able to properly mix-down your tracks is often the difference between amateur producers with potential and producers who are releasing their records. A track may sound good in your bedroom, but big club sound systems can be a lot more unforgiving, amplifying any imperfections in the mix.

Mixing techniques such as EQ, compression, effects, sidechaining and automation are vital to adding the necessary professional sheen to your tracks however they are by no means easy to comprehend, and this is usually the stage in the music production learning curve where people come un-stuck.

So as you’ve probably guessed, we at Point Blank have come up with a comprehensive 4 week course focussed on mixing electronic music. The course includes over 100 Quicktime tutorial videos and 40 Logic projects, and features music from pro producers Danny J. Lewis (Defected/Enzyme Blank), Mike Koglin (Noys), and Ben Medcalf (Rogue Element/Disco of Doom). They will demonstrate how to achieve a punchy professional mix that is guaranteed to detonate the dancefloor

Each week you can upload your projects and you will receive tailor-made, personalised video feedback from a professional producer on your music. On top of all this, you also get access to the student forums where you can share tips and advice, as well as a weekly web-chat with your tutor. The techniques covered can be applied to a wide range of electronic music genres.

The video below is a preview of the course. It gives a great overview of our style of teaching as well as the types of techniques and processes you can expect to cover.

If you like the look of it, you can check out the full course brochure and enrolment information by clicking on the following link:

Mixing Dance Music Course

A Guide to DIY Recording and Home Production

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:30:00 +0000

One of the tutors from our audio engineering courses Ian Button has recently been scribing an in-depth guide to DIY recording and home production. Below you can find part 1... for parts 2-4 head over to Thee Awkward Silences blog where it was originally posted.

Like all of the Point Blank tutors, Ian has a wealth of experience as a musician and producer. Not only does he teach the Music Production HNC Course but he is also the guitarist for Death in Vegas, drummer and producer for Thee Awkward Silences, as well as having sessioned for Pete Doherty and many other well-known artists. Clearly a chap who likes to keep himself busy then!

DIY Record Production – Part 1: A View – by Ian Button July 2009

Absent-mindedly scanning the 2009 Mercury Prize nominees in the paper the other morning, I noticed that one of the contenders’ biog/blurb seemed to be making a big point about their album being recorded ‘on a laptop in a shed’.

While on the one hand I’m glad to see that Sweet Billy Pilgrim are proud of their work and how it was made, I was frankly surprised that in 2009 their ‘DIY’ approach was worthy of such note (it was practically the only thing the feature mentioned about them). People have been making records ‘at home’ for many years if you think about it – from Les Paul’s early multitracking experiments in his garage, to Joe Meek’s hit-factory flat in Holloway Rd, to Daniel Johnston’s cassette recordings – artists and producers have been putting so-called ‘professional’ production values into perspective by doing it themselves. Some are being subversive, some are just being practical.

Over the years, a variety of acts have occasionally surprised/annoyed the traditionalists with releases that weren’t recorded…er… ‘properly’: Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska was recorded on a 4-track portastudio; The Cowboy Junkies’ Trinity Sessions used a single microphone and no overdubs. Ok, it was quite an expert/expensive microphone, but it made a point; Baby Bird was hailed as a bedroom genius; White Town got to No.1…the list goes on, with Bon Iver being one of the most recent artists to become famous for locking himself away in a hut with some simple equipment and coming out with an acclaimed album. I myself can vouch for the fact that much of Death In Vegas’ first album Dead Elvis was made in a bedroom, using some fairly non-standard approaches to recording guitars, editing, mixer controls way beyond safe settings etc etc.

But the point is that it’s the content on these recordings that matters – they were all accepted on their own particular terms. I’d like to think the same applies to the production I do now, for Paul’s stuff, Extradition Order, David Cronenberg’s Wife, Deep Cut and all the others (of which more in a future article).

No one took Springsteen’s album back to the shop because he hadn’t used enough tracks. Thankfully Radio 1 didn’t send Thee Awkward Silences stuff back and tell us to record it again.

Sure, there are nerds like myself who like to go on about how albums are made, and as producers/artists pride ourselves on attention to detail and doing what we think is right to make the best of the project, but the fundamental point and goal of any production, DIY or otherwise, is that we are able to make something convincing with whatever resources we have, or choose to use, and the consumer/listener either likes the result or doesn’t, but accepts it as a record alongside all the other records that have ever been made.

That attitude has always been there – I’ve had it myself for over 20 years, at the same time as working in countless projects that – for whatever reasons – had to do it the textbook (i.e. expensive, studio) way. I’m talking about making DIY ‘rock’ records (e.g. The Anthony Anderson Project), but anyone who’s been involved in making electronic/dance music will have been aware of that same production ethic for just as long.

The main difference between home and studio recording used to be sound quality (tape width, number of tracks etc). That issue is no longer there. Today’s technology and the accessibility of recording/production tools means it’s even more feasible to make a musical product independently/at home/cheaply/in any style, and send it out there into the big wide world and no one will know (or care) how you recorded it – they will judge it, of course, but it will be about how good your lyrics/chorus/haircut/bandname are, not your mics or reverb settings or whether you used Protools (thousands of pounds) or Audacity (free). There’s another issue here too: the current music consumer ethic and sales trends are going to mean that expensive recordings won’t make any sense for any but the most massive artists. It’s going to be no bad thing for us all to learn how to create our art quickly, cheaply and realistically.

Basically, the same thing applies to production as it does to playing/writing/performing – if you are confident about what you can do, and honest about what you can’t do, you will find a sound, an approach, and a way of working that will fit.

In the next article I’m going to go into a bit more detail about how I record Paul’s and all the other bands’ stuff, with a few suggestions for what you are going to need if you want to get started yourself.

Radio One Star Annie Mac Reveals The Secrets Behind Her Success

noreply@blogger.com (Pointblankonline) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:06:00 +0000

We were delighted to welcome BBC Radio One DJ Annie Mac to Point Blank Music School this week as the next instalment in our series of celebrity guest lectures. Studio 8 was packed to the rafters with students lucky enough to get a spot in the audience, all eager to hear the story of how she rose through the ranks at Radio One to become one of the nation’s most in demand club DJs.

Annie has just taken over Pete Tong’s prime-time Friday 7-9pm slot on Radio One. As well as this being significant for her own career (Pete had held that slot for almost 20 years!), it also has a wider cultural significance; the popularity of her eclectic tastes representing the new breed of producers who are blurring the boundaries between genres, and a generation of dance music fans who will happily embrace a club-night that showcases dubstep alongside techno.

So the chance for students to quiz Annie about her take on the current music scene was undoubtedly one of our most exciting guest lecture offerings yet.

She spent over an hour taking questions from students on everything from how to build a successful music industry career, to her current favourite artists, to insider tips on how to get your music featured on her show! She happily accepted demo CD's from students and assured us that each and every one gets listened to.
The video of the lecture will be available very soon so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Annie, Tayo and the PB Students gettin' gangsta

We'd like to extend a massive "thank you" to Annie for being so generous with her time. If you want to see her in action behind the decks then she will be playing just down the street from Point Blank at MODA at The Macbeth on Thursday 3rd December.

If you fancy following in Annie's footsteps check out our radio courses