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.
Showing posts with label music school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music school. Show all posts
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
Monday, 18 January 2010
A Guide to DIY Recording and Home Production
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.
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.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Radio One Star Annie Mac Reveals The Secrets Behind Her Success
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
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
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Pete Tong Says Point Blank is THE Place to Be
Recently we posted about dance music legend and BBC Radio 1 DJ, Pete Tong visiting the Point Blank studios to do some recording and meet some of the students.
Now you can watch the videos of him talking about the Point Blank courses:
Check out the entire catalogue of courses Pete talks about by following the links below:
London Music Production Courses
Online Music Production Courses
Now you can watch the videos of him talking about the Point Blank courses:
Check out the entire catalogue of courses Pete talks about by following the links below:
London Music Production Courses
Online Music Production Courses
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Tutor Interview - J.C. Concato
Second up in our series of tutor interviews is Head of the College J.C. Concato.. (he's the one on the right)
How long have you been working at Point Blank?
Since 2003
Which classes do/did you teach?
I started out writing a couple of courses for Point Blank and also taught Advanced music production, then the Mixing and Mastering course.
Do you remember a specific moment or period of time when you were first infected with the production bug?
It was at a very early age as my old man was a musician and I used to go on tour with him during school holidays. I used to listen to music on headphones (very loudly which I wouldn’t recommend doing now) and try to understand how those records were being made. But it’s really when I got my first 4 track recorder and drum machine that I really got into production (this was in the mid 80's).
… and can you briefly describe the path that lead you from there to where you are now?
I arrived in London in early 90's and got a training placement as a sound engineer in a recording studio. Then I moved to a bigger recording studio (Matrix), then became freelance and started production work.
What production project in the past has given you the most satisfaction?
Actually one of my first albums, it was a live funk band called Big Cheese All Stars in the early 90's (around the time of Acid Jazz). We recorded all live using only vintage analogue gear. Not a single digital device was used. This project was the most fun to do on many levels, and that definitely came through on the record.
Who is the most talented/ inspiring producer you have worked alongside?
It would be hard to pinpoint one person as many producers had different approaches and qualities, but the people I remember the most and was the most impressed with would be Stephen Street and Tommy D.
Do you prefer the creative freedom of music production or the more technical aspects of sound engineering?
I find both equally exciting and rewarding on different levels. The production provides an opportunity to have a creative input in shaping the sound of an artist, whereas sound engineering appeals to my geeky side I guess.
Being the head of a music college I imagine you have to be aware of all the latest technological advancements… How do you keep up when technology moves so fast?
Specialist magazines, on the web, via our tutors.... It is pretty easy nowadays to keep informed about latest technology and as I mentioned previously I can be a bit of a geek, so I quite enjoy that aspect anyway.
What recent advancements in particular do you believe have helped to push the music scene forward?
Digital technology becoming more affordable. Professional tools have become available to more people than ever before, allowing them to be creative and make music.
What benefits do you think people get from coming to a place like Point Blank?
It's an incredible shortcut - being taught production techniques by professionals. I did demo's for several years on my 4 track, then 8 track recordings etc.... And it wasn’t until I eventually started working in a professional recording studio that I began to learn the professional techniques for recording and production. Whereas by coming to Point Blank you start to learn the essential techniques right away, which I believe helps you to gain several years.
If you could give just one tip to an aspiring producer what would it be? (apart from “come to Point Blank” of course!)
Do it for the right reason!
Thanks to JC for taking the time out to talk to us. His many years of recording and mixing experience have been crucial in the development of the courses at Point Blank. If your music would benefit from expert feedback from professional music producers and sound engineers then check out the courses on offer in London: www.pointblanklondon.com and online
www.pointblankonline.net
How long have you been working at Point Blank?
Since 2003
Which classes do/did you teach?
I started out writing a couple of courses for Point Blank and also taught Advanced music production, then the Mixing and Mastering course.
Do you remember a specific moment or period of time when you were first infected with the production bug?
It was at a very early age as my old man was a musician and I used to go on tour with him during school holidays. I used to listen to music on headphones (very loudly which I wouldn’t recommend doing now) and try to understand how those records were being made. But it’s really when I got my first 4 track recorder and drum machine that I really got into production (this was in the mid 80's).
… and can you briefly describe the path that lead you from there to where you are now?
I arrived in London in early 90's and got a training placement as a sound engineer in a recording studio. Then I moved to a bigger recording studio (Matrix), then became freelance and started production work.
What production project in the past has given you the most satisfaction?
Actually one of my first albums, it was a live funk band called Big Cheese All Stars in the early 90's (around the time of Acid Jazz). We recorded all live using only vintage analogue gear. Not a single digital device was used. This project was the most fun to do on many levels, and that definitely came through on the record.
Who is the most talented/ inspiring producer you have worked alongside?
It would be hard to pinpoint one person as many producers had different approaches and qualities, but the people I remember the most and was the most impressed with would be Stephen Street and Tommy D.
Do you prefer the creative freedom of music production or the more technical aspects of sound engineering?
I find both equally exciting and rewarding on different levels. The production provides an opportunity to have a creative input in shaping the sound of an artist, whereas sound engineering appeals to my geeky side I guess.
Being the head of a music college I imagine you have to be aware of all the latest technological advancements… How do you keep up when technology moves so fast?
Specialist magazines, on the web, via our tutors.... It is pretty easy nowadays to keep informed about latest technology and as I mentioned previously I can be a bit of a geek, so I quite enjoy that aspect anyway.
What recent advancements in particular do you believe have helped to push the music scene forward?
Digital technology becoming more affordable. Professional tools have become available to more people than ever before, allowing them to be creative and make music.
What benefits do you think people get from coming to a place like Point Blank?
It's an incredible shortcut - being taught production techniques by professionals. I did demo's for several years on my 4 track, then 8 track recordings etc.... And it wasn’t until I eventually started working in a professional recording studio that I began to learn the professional techniques for recording and production. Whereas by coming to Point Blank you start to learn the essential techniques right away, which I believe helps you to gain several years.
If you could give just one tip to an aspiring producer what would it be? (apart from “come to Point Blank” of course!)
Do it for the right reason!
Thanks to JC for taking the time out to talk to us. His many years of recording and mixing experience have been crucial in the development of the courses at Point Blank. If your music would benefit from expert feedback from professional music producers and sound engineers then check out the courses on offer in London: www.pointblanklondon.com and online
www.pointblankonline.net
Friday, 1 May 2009
Work Experience at Point Blank
This week we have had the pleasure of 14 Year old Noa Krikler's company here at Point Blank Towers. Swapping the classrooms of Highgate Wood School for the studios she came to do some work experience and get a feel for life in the working world of the music industry. Whilst here we tried to give her a taste of all the different departments that keep Point Blank running smoothly and this is her blog of her experience:
Monday
I had a really fun day on Monday. After being introduced to everyone and shown around, I went to sit in a Sound Engineering class where we looked at all the types of microphones and the situations when they would be used. I then went into the recording studio and sang through each microphone so the students could hear the differences. This was really useful as, since I am interested in singing, it gave me some experience and knowledge in the topic.
Then, after lunch, I went to a vocals class. Here we practised a song a few times before passing a microphone round and took a chorus or verse each. This was really good because it gave the teacher a chance to give us direct improvements we can make on our singing. This helped a lot and also I wasn’t shy or embarrassed about singing because the teacher was really inclusive and gave us a lot of compliments.
Tuesday
On Tuesday I saw a different side of Point Blank. In the morning I was asked to look at a couple of introductions to the courses on the Point Blank website and see if there was anything I wanted to change on it. I felt really important when my views were taken into account. Then after lunch, I shadowed a college assistant who looked after the leads and helped the students out when they needed. This was really fun because I learned cool skills like how to coil leads properly, a couple of tricks with the computer and also some knowledge on the music industry in general which I found really interesting.
Wednesday
Wednesday was a lot of fun. At first I helped out in the office, photocopying and doing some paperwork (which I actually really enjoyed!). I'd never done any paper work or anything before so it was cool to give it a go. Afterwards, I went to a class of web design students aimed at making a new website for the Hackney Youth site. Here I learned about all the steps to making my own website and all the ideas I could include. I found it really useful because I know that in the future I might want to create a website for my music and the class has given me some basic skills to put towards that. It's just a shame we didn't have longer!
Thursday
I learnt so much today! I started off in a Music Production course where we looked at structures of songs and the top ten songs in the chart this week. After, we looked at different types of bass lines, their effects and examples of them in songs. I didn't realise there was so many! I googled the tutor of the Music Production class,a guy called Jos Jorgenson, and found out that he wrote the theme music for the X Factor and America's Got Talent! He knows all about the professional side of song writing and how to use all the equipment – and there's a lot of equipment in Point Blank! I'’s much better than the school stuff and there's so much of it. After lunch, I learnt about the marketing side of Point Blank and what they do to spread the word about Point Blank. I brainstormed a few ideas on different ways to market the business and they were really interested in a young person's view and opinion. I can't believe it's my last day tomorrow!
Friday
I really enjoyed today. I worked with Nick, the online marketing executive, who showed me the different social networking sites Point Blank uses for promotion like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Youtube etc. Social networking is important because it provides a way to reach out to new audiences who might not have heard of Point Blank and creates a community for current and past Point Blank students to network with each other.
This week has given me a real insight into the different types of jobs and opportunities the music industry has to offer as well as what it is like working full-time in an office. The courses Point Blank run not only teach the students technical skills and theory, but they also prepare them for finding their ideal jobs. Thanks to everyone there and hopefully I’ll be back one day soon.
Noa
Monday
I had a really fun day on Monday. After being introduced to everyone and shown around, I went to sit in a Sound Engineering class where we looked at all the types of microphones and the situations when they would be used. I then went into the recording studio and sang through each microphone so the students could hear the differences. This was really useful as, since I am interested in singing, it gave me some experience and knowledge in the topic.
Then, after lunch, I went to a vocals class. Here we practised a song a few times before passing a microphone round and took a chorus or verse each. This was really good because it gave the teacher a chance to give us direct improvements we can make on our singing. This helped a lot and also I wasn’t shy or embarrassed about singing because the teacher was really inclusive and gave us a lot of compliments.
Tuesday
On Tuesday I saw a different side of Point Blank. In the morning I was asked to look at a couple of introductions to the courses on the Point Blank website and see if there was anything I wanted to change on it. I felt really important when my views were taken into account. Then after lunch, I shadowed a college assistant who looked after the leads and helped the students out when they needed. This was really fun because I learned cool skills like how to coil leads properly, a couple of tricks with the computer and also some knowledge on the music industry in general which I found really interesting.
Wednesday
Wednesday was a lot of fun. At first I helped out in the office, photocopying and doing some paperwork (which I actually really enjoyed!). I'd never done any paper work or anything before so it was cool to give it a go. Afterwards, I went to a class of web design students aimed at making a new website for the Hackney Youth site. Here I learned about all the steps to making my own website and all the ideas I could include. I found it really useful because I know that in the future I might want to create a website for my music and the class has given me some basic skills to put towards that. It's just a shame we didn't have longer!
Thursday
I learnt so much today! I started off in a Music Production course where we looked at structures of songs and the top ten songs in the chart this week. After, we looked at different types of bass lines, their effects and examples of them in songs. I didn't realise there was so many! I googled the tutor of the Music Production class,a guy called Jos Jorgenson, and found out that he wrote the theme music for the X Factor and America's Got Talent! He knows all about the professional side of song writing and how to use all the equipment – and there's a lot of equipment in Point Blank! I'’s much better than the school stuff and there's so much of it. After lunch, I learnt about the marketing side of Point Blank and what they do to spread the word about Point Blank. I brainstormed a few ideas on different ways to market the business and they were really interested in a young person's view and opinion. I can't believe it's my last day tomorrow!
Friday
I really enjoyed today. I worked with Nick, the online marketing executive, who showed me the different social networking sites Point Blank uses for promotion like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Youtube etc. Social networking is important because it provides a way to reach out to new audiences who might not have heard of Point Blank and creates a community for current and past Point Blank students to network with each other.
This week has given me a real insight into the different types of jobs and opportunities the music industry has to offer as well as what it is like working full-time in an office. The courses Point Blank run not only teach the students technical skills and theory, but they also prepare them for finding their ideal jobs. Thanks to everyone there and hopefully I’ll be back one day soon.
Noa
Friday, 17 April 2009
Music Industry Careers: Island Records' A&R Tells All
5 Years ago Ben Scarr was just like thousands of other people his age, determined to carve out a career for himself in the music industry but not sure of his exact calling.
In 2004 he enrolled on the Music Production Merit Course here at Point Blank in the knowledge that the techniques he would learn and the contacts that he would make could help him realise his dreams. 5 years on and he has worked his way up to the enviable position of A&R Man at Island records where it is now his job to find the music stars of the future.
Kind enough to re-visit Point Blank to as a guest lecturer this is an overview of his story and the advice he gave to the on-looking students packed into studio 8:
How did he work his way up the industry ladder?
• Whilst studying at Point Blank, Ben approached his favourite club nights to offer to help with the flyer distribution and earned a 6 month part time internship at a professional studio in Brixton. Standing in the rain outside clubs at 2 am and going on endless coffee runs was by no means glamorous, lucrative or much fun but it is so important to be proactive in gaining additional experience and contacts at that early stage, as well as demonstrating your desire to succeed.
• Once he finished the Merit Course he earned some extra cash as a DJ and Production tutor for the Point Blank community projects, and at the same time he had progressed to head up the street team that handled flyer distribution.
• He decided it was time to try and get a job at a label so sent off lots of applications, but with little success.
• However his networking paid off as one of his contacts, who he worked with for Hip Hop night 'Jump-Off', gave him a phone number for a record executive at Mercury Records. Having nervously enquired, Ben was delighted to be offered 1 month's work experience in the marketing department.
• Realising he needed to seize this opportunity, he showed real dedication, dropping all his other commitments, arriving early and leaving late every day. It worked and they extended his work experience to 3 months.
• Unfortunately when this came to an end there were no jobs at Mercury but they were so impressed that they helped him land a role in marketing at Island Records.
• Once there he made an impression on the A&R department by arranging for his music producer contacts to do some remixes on spec. (ie if the label don't use them then there is no fee).
• In passing, he also mentioned to his boss the idea of Girls Aloud and Sugababes covering the Aerosmith vs. Run DMC classic 'Walk This Way' for Comic Relief. Having assumed they hadn't liked the idea he was surprised but delighted to open a box full of new 'Walk This Way' promo singles a month later.
• He was offered the role as assistant in A&R where he patiently watched and learned for 6 months.
• His next major break came when he introduced his colleagues to a young unknown synth-pop artist named Frankmusik (now signed to Island and with over a million hits on his Myspace). This put his name on the map within Island records and he began to get more acknowledgement for his ideas.
• His tip-off that Wiley’s tune ‘Rolex Sweep’ was set to be a smash hit was snubbed by his boss.
• With egg on his face after it reached number 2 in the charts on another label, the boss realised Ben's talent for urban music and sent him out to unearth some other unsigned gems. He quickly hooked up with Tinchy Stryder and has been the driving force behind his success – his second single 'Take Me Back' charted at number 3 in the UK after Ben shrewdly drafted in Taio Cruz for the vocals.
• Most recently he signed the hit tune 'Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes' which became a viral sensation via Youtube.
Questions from the floor:
• What does your typical day consist of?
"It is very varied. I spend a lot of time listening to new music that I am sent. We might meet about a potential new artist and talk about which sonic direction they should go. Much time is spent sourcing producers and writers who will suit our artist's style... Often I will visit the studio to give my thoughts on the artist's work in progress, The producer and artist can be in the eye of the storm when they have been listening to the same thing all day so it helps for someone to come and give their thoughts from a fresh perspective at the end of a session."
• What is your advice for aspiring producers and musicians from an A&R man's perspective?
"Don't hold back on sending your music to labels, get as much feedback as possible; you don’t want to spend years on an album only to be told that the sound doesn't work"
"Target the labels that suit your sound and try to develop some kind of relationship with them. It's a good idea to find a contact name to address your mail to otherwise it is likely not to get opened. You will always find an A&R contact in an artist's album sleeve so look at an artist with a similar style to your own."
"On your demos send in no more than 2 tracks... include a short note about your act and make sure you write your contact details on the actual CD."
"Talk to people and tell them what you are aiming for. You may get laughed off by some but one time you will meet someone who can help you"
"Work on your look. Style is a crucial factor when labels are considering an artist"
• What are some of the hotspots for getting spotted by A&R people?
"In London: Hoxton Bar & Grill, Yo Yos, Troubadour, Camden Barfly, Water Rats. Depending on the style of music there are different ways of getting spotted... bands tend to be discovered at gigs whereas urban acts tend to make their name on the underground scene and virally through sites like Youtube"
• Do you deal with publishing deals?
"No, publishing deals are separate to record deals but every artist will have one. They are important as alternate forms of income to pure record sales... Your publisher will try to get your music on television programmes and commercials or in computer games... and if your tune is ever sampled on a hit record you will be in for a big pay day if you own the publishing rights of that sample."
Thanks to Ben for sparing his time and providing inspiration and insight for the Point Blank students who attended. Look out for more masterclasses, free for all students, coming in the near future.
Thursday, 27 November 2008
Ableton Courses - A New Way of Making Music
If you are into music technology and already making music at home using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) then I am sure this scenario will be familiar. You sit down to start making some music but faced with a blank timeline, inspiration deserts you and you are left feeling creatively uninspired. Music software packages such as Cubase, Logic or Sonar have all evolved along similar lines and operate in a similar way. Unfortunately they offer only one approach to the music making process which doesn’t necessarily encourage experimentation and spontaneity.
The good news is that Ableton Live has been designed to offer a genuine alternative way to work and is growing in popularity amongst those of us who are bored of working in the traditional way. Interestingly Live takes a similar approach to the old hardware sequencers that were popular with live electronic acts such as Orbital and Underworld. These sequencers used looped sections of a track (see Ableton Courses info for more detail) which would be triggered by the acts on stage and manipulated via FX and EQ to provide the audience with a live, spontaneous remix of tracks they already know and love.
Ableton Live has two modes or “views” in which to compose your music. The arrangement view will be familiar to anyone who has used some of the traditional sequencer packages mentioned above. But where Live really comes into its own is the Session View. The Session is used to organize and trigger sets of sounds, called clips. Think of it as a kind of musical sketch pad where you can experiment with audio loops, samples and MIDI sequences before arranging them into a track.
Another unique feature in Live is its ability to manipulate audio as if it was elastic. Live's Time Warp feature can be used to either correct or adjust the timing of any piece of audio from a sample to an entire track. This means that tempo becomes completely fluid and you can fit any audio sample to the tempo that you are working at. “Warp Markers” allow you to push and pull individual beats to correct (or destroy) the timing and create unique effects. You can choose from several Warp Modes depending upon materials you work with.
Ableton Live also features an array of built–in instruments and effects:
Impulse is a basic drum sequencer instrument Simpler is a relatively easy to use sampling instrument.
There are a number of additional instruments which can be purchased separately or as part of the Ableton Suite package:
Sampler is an enhanced sampler
Operator is an FM synthesizer.
Electric is an electric piano instrument.
Tension is a string physical modelling synthesiser.
Analog simulates an analog synthesizer.
Drum Machines is a collection of emulators for classic drum machines.
Session Drums is a collection of sampled drum and percussion instruments.
Essential Instruments Collection is a large collection of acoustic and electric instrument samples. Orchestral Instrument Collection is a collection of four different orchestral libraries, which can be purchased individually or as a bundle.
Audio effects included in the package include:
Auto Filter
Auto Pan
Beat Repeat
Chorus Compressor I
Compressor II
Dynamic Tube
EQ Eight
EQ Three
Erosion Filter
Delay Flanger
Gate Grain Delay
Phaser
Ping Pong Delay
Saturator
Simple Delay
Redux Resonators
Reverb Utility
Additionally there are a handful of MIDI-only effects including arpeggiator, chord, pitch, random, scale, and velocity. Live is also compatible with VST and AU plug-ins so you can utilise additional software instruments and effects.
The good news is that Ableton Live has been designed to offer a genuine alternative way to work and is growing in popularity amongst those of us who are bored of working in the traditional way. Interestingly Live takes a similar approach to the old hardware sequencers that were popular with live electronic acts such as Orbital and Underworld. These sequencers used looped sections of a track (see Ableton Courses info for more detail) which would be triggered by the acts on stage and manipulated via FX and EQ to provide the audience with a live, spontaneous remix of tracks they already know and love.
Ableton Live has two modes or “views” in which to compose your music. The arrangement view will be familiar to anyone who has used some of the traditional sequencer packages mentioned above. But where Live really comes into its own is the Session View. The Session is used to organize and trigger sets of sounds, called clips. Think of it as a kind of musical sketch pad where you can experiment with audio loops, samples and MIDI sequences before arranging them into a track.
Another unique feature in Live is its ability to manipulate audio as if it was elastic. Live's Time Warp feature can be used to either correct or adjust the timing of any piece of audio from a sample to an entire track. This means that tempo becomes completely fluid and you can fit any audio sample to the tempo that you are working at. “Warp Markers” allow you to push and pull individual beats to correct (or destroy) the timing and create unique effects. You can choose from several Warp Modes depending upon materials you work with.
Ableton Live also features an array of built–in instruments and effects:
Impulse is a basic drum sequencer instrument Simpler is a relatively easy to use sampling instrument.
There are a number of additional instruments which can be purchased separately or as part of the Ableton Suite package:
Sampler is an enhanced sampler
Operator is an FM synthesizer.
Electric is an electric piano instrument.
Tension is a string physical modelling synthesiser.
Analog simulates an analog synthesizer.
Drum Machines is a collection of emulators for classic drum machines.
Session Drums is a collection of sampled drum and percussion instruments.
Essential Instruments Collection is a large collection of acoustic and electric instrument samples. Orchestral Instrument Collection is a collection of four different orchestral libraries, which can be purchased individually or as a bundle.
Audio effects included in the package include:
Auto Filter
Auto Pan
Beat Repeat
Chorus Compressor I
Compressor II
Dynamic Tube
EQ Eight
EQ Three
Erosion Filter
Delay Flanger
Gate Grain Delay
Phaser
Ping Pong Delay
Saturator
Simple Delay
Redux Resonators
Reverb Utility
Additionally there are a handful of MIDI-only effects including arpeggiator, chord, pitch, random, scale, and velocity. Live is also compatible with VST and AU plug-ins so you can utilise additional software instruments and effects.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Making Music with Logic Pro
Welcome to part 2 of making music with Logic Pro. In this article we will cover getting started with your MIDI keyboard in Logic including set up for your audio card and drivers, latency and buffer size.
Once you have installed your MIDI keyboard and audio card, you will need to make sure that Logic communicates with them.
For Logic to communicate with external MIDI devices, first you will to configure the Audio MIDI Setup. The Audio MIDI setup is an application located within the Utilities folder (in Applications folder). You can quickly access it in the Apple menu bar: Go >Utilities (or press Command Shift U).
Once in the Utilities folder, open the Application Audio MIDI Setup, and click on the MIDI Devices button. You should see an IAC driver button, a network button and buttons for other MIDI devices connected to your computer. Please note that if you use a multi port MIDI interface with external MIDI devices (Synth, drum machine, etc...), you will need to make the connection manually.
Drivers for Audio Cards
To use a sound card with a computer, the operating system typically requires a specific device driver which you will have installed in the previous steps.
There are a few different driver formats available depending on the computer, the operating system and the sound card itself. Apple mac OS X uses Core Audio This driver for Mac OSX is tightly integrated into the operating system. It works with external sound cards as well as the Mac's integrated sound card (known as built-in). Nowadays, many soundcards support Core Audio out of the box, you simply 'plug & play'.
Set Up Your Audio Card with Logic
Now you have to make sure that Logic communicates with your audio card. In Preferences, select Audio > Devices > Core Audio.
Now you need to select the correct driver for your audio card. Use the drop down menu Device in order to select the appropriate driver.
Common Problems:
What Is Latency? When making music using software, the computer has a huge amount of information to process before being able to output the sound to your speakers.
This means that when you press a key on your MIDI keyboard to trigger a sound from a software synth for example, there will be a delay before you hear the sound. This delay is known as the latency.
As you can imagine, if the latency is too pronounced it will become extremely difficult to play any musical part, which is why it is important to use the best driver you can with your sound card. Furthermore there are certain parameters that you can adjust in order to improve your latency.
Buffer Size
You can reduce the latency by adjusting the audio buffer size. A small buffer size will reduce the latency, where a bigger value will increase the delay time considerably. So why not have the buffer size to the minimum value all the time to make the system more playable? Well, it is not as simple as that.
There are several parameters that directly affect each other. If the buffer size affects the latency, it also affects the processing power available to the software. Software instruments need processing power (CPU), so that the more CPU you have, the more software instruments you can load at one given time. Basically a small buffer size will put more strain on your computer in order to get a smaller latency (delay), thus using more CPU.
If you would like to learn more about Logic view our Logic Courses section on the Pointblank website.
Once you have installed your MIDI keyboard and audio card, you will need to make sure that Logic communicates with them.
For Logic to communicate with external MIDI devices, first you will to configure the Audio MIDI Setup. The Audio MIDI setup is an application located within the Utilities folder (in Applications folder). You can quickly access it in the Apple menu bar: Go >Utilities (or press Command Shift U).
Once in the Utilities folder, open the Application Audio MIDI Setup, and click on the MIDI Devices button. You should see an IAC driver button, a network button and buttons for other MIDI devices connected to your computer. Please note that if you use a multi port MIDI interface with external MIDI devices (Synth, drum machine, etc...), you will need to make the connection manually.
Drivers for Audio Cards
To use a sound card with a computer, the operating system typically requires a specific device driver which you will have installed in the previous steps.
There are a few different driver formats available depending on the computer, the operating system and the sound card itself. Apple mac OS X uses Core Audio This driver for Mac OSX is tightly integrated into the operating system. It works with external sound cards as well as the Mac's integrated sound card (known as built-in). Nowadays, many soundcards support Core Audio out of the box, you simply 'plug & play'.
Set Up Your Audio Card with Logic
Now you have to make sure that Logic communicates with your audio card. In Preferences, select Audio > Devices > Core Audio.
Now you need to select the correct driver for your audio card. Use the drop down menu Device in order to select the appropriate driver.
Common Problems:
What Is Latency? When making music using software, the computer has a huge amount of information to process before being able to output the sound to your speakers.
This means that when you press a key on your MIDI keyboard to trigger a sound from a software synth for example, there will be a delay before you hear the sound. This delay is known as the latency.
As you can imagine, if the latency is too pronounced it will become extremely difficult to play any musical part, which is why it is important to use the best driver you can with your sound card. Furthermore there are certain parameters that you can adjust in order to improve your latency.
Buffer Size
You can reduce the latency by adjusting the audio buffer size. A small buffer size will reduce the latency, where a bigger value will increase the delay time considerably. So why not have the buffer size to the minimum value all the time to make the system more playable? Well, it is not as simple as that.
There are several parameters that directly affect each other. If the buffer size affects the latency, it also affects the processing power available to the software. Software instruments need processing power (CPU), so that the more CPU you have, the more software instruments you can load at one given time. Basically a small buffer size will put more strain on your computer in order to get a smaller latency (delay), thus using more CPU.
If you would like to learn more about Logic view our Logic Courses section on the Pointblank website.
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Making Music with Logic Pro. Beginners Guide Part 1
Making Music with Logic Pro. Beginners Guide Part 1
Logic Pro is a powerful digital audio workstation (or DAW) which allows you to record and edit both MIDI and audio to a professional standard. Whatever style of music you wish to create, Logic has the tools for the job. Included with Logic Studio is a range of instruments and effects including a drum machine (Ultrabeat), a powerful sampler (EXS24) and an impressive range of synthesizers. You will also find emulations of classic instruments such as the Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes pianos. To complete your track you can call upon a wide range of audio effects including reverbs, delays, distortion effects, compressors and much more. All in all, Logic Pro represents a complete music production package for your Mac.
What else do I need?
Well as you can see, Logic is a pretty comprehensive package, but to get the most from it you are most likely going to need a couple of additional pieces of kit. Firstly a sound card or audio interface. Most computers come with a built-in sound card to listen to your mp3s, watch DVDs, play video games, etc... This sound card, if equipped with audio inputs & outputs, can also be used (if compatible) with your software. However, if you plan to do a lot of recording and mixing, you really should invest in a dedicated sound card.
Secondly a MIDI keyboard. This will enable you to “play” all of the instruments within Logic. Again this is not an expensive purchase. But it will be invaluable in terms of creating musical ideas – even if you don’t play piano. Otherwise you will have to resort to programming in each individual note or sound step by step which is not only laborious but also creatively stifling. Remember the great thing about software like Logic is that you can go in and edit what you’ve played at any time so you don’t need to be a great keyboard player to start making music.
In our next lesson we will cover midi keyboards, audio cards, latency and buffer size. In the meantime there's plenty more useful information to be had in our our free lesson excerpts in Point Blank's logic courses.
Friday, 31 October 2008
Making Music with Ableton Live
Ableton Live is a little different from some of the other music software packages. The program is set up to encourage a more improvisational approach to making music. In addition to the traditional timeline based approach we saw in Reason, Logic and Cubase, Ableton Live also features a unique "Session View".
The session view is a kind of musical sketch pad that allows you try out lots of different ideas before adding them to your track. This approach is particularly appealing if you are performing onstage, or using Ableton as a DJ tool.
Ableton Live is increasingly popular with music producers and is widely used by DJ's, because it allows you to produce remixes, re-edits and mashups very quickly. Check the video clip below to see how:
To learn more about producing with Ableton Live check out our Ableton Live Courses here.
To learn more about DJing with Ableton Live check out our Ableton Live Courses here.
The session view is a kind of musical sketch pad that allows you try out lots of different ideas before adding them to your track. This approach is particularly appealing if you are performing onstage, or using Ableton as a DJ tool.
Ableton Live is increasingly popular with music producers and is widely used by DJ's, because it allows you to produce remixes, re-edits and mashups very quickly. Check the video clip below to see how:
To learn more about producing with Ableton Live check out our Ableton Live Courses here.
To learn more about DJing with Ableton Live check out our Ableton Live Courses here.
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Learning Reason 4
This time round we'll take a look at Reason. Like I said before this is a good choice if you are new to music production because it's reasonably easy to pick up and features all of the synths, samplers, drum machines and instruments you need right out of the box.
In fact it behaves very much like a hardware studio as you can see in the video below. You connect up the various instruments and route them into the mxing desk in exactly the same way that you would with a "real" studio. You can even flip the rack around and see how everything is connected behind the scenes as demonstrated here:
Want to know more? Learn Reason on our Reason courses.
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
What's The Difference Between Logic & Cubase?
And here's Danny again with a quick guided tour of Logic 8:
All of the sounds featured in this track are contained in Logic itself. In other words there are none of those third-party "plug-ins" we were talking about in previous posts. These are all instruments that come bundled with Logic 8. Within Logic you will find synthesizers, a drum machine, a sampler and so on. As you can see, there are lots of sounds to explore and plenty to keep you busy here if you are new to music production.
You can learn more about making music with Logic here:
Logic Courses
Friday, 22 August 2008
How To Make a Track in Cubase
OK - so let's take a look at some of these DAW's that we were talking about in yesterdays post.
Here's an insight into how a track is put together in CUBASE. Acclaimed producer and Point Blank Tutor Danny J Lewis demonstrates how the various elements in a tune work together and how they are arranged within Cubase.
You'll notice that Danny has used software synths (or VST's as they are sometimes called) along with audio tracks and various effects.
If you like the sound of this then the track is called "I Can See The Light". It's by Enzyme Black and is available to download here:
http://www.traxsource.com/index.php?act=show&fc=tpage&cr=titles&cv=20587
If you would like to learn more about making music with Cubase then head for:
Cubase Courses
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Introducing Point Blank's Music Production Blog
Hi and thanks for checking us out.
The purpose of this blog is to offer professional insights into music production, sound engineering, DJ skills and a variety of other music business subjects. The contributors are all on the teaching staff at Point Blank which is a music school based in London, UK.
If you have not come across Point Blank before then let us introduce ourselves...
Point Blank has been voted “Best Music Production & DJ School” for the last six consecutive years by the readers of DJ magazine.
Why? Well, the school prides itself on small classes and personalised teaching from music industry pro’s. Among the teaching staff are Grammy winners and songwriters with record sales in the millions. Plus producers and remixers who’ve worked alongside the likes of Bjork, Massive Attack, New Order, Leftfield, Portishead and many others. These guys will be sharing their experience and expertise right here with a variety of tutorials, tips and occasional rants.
The school welcomes students from all over the world each term. You can find out more about the courses on offer in London at http://www.pointblanklondon.com/
And for those of you who don't live in the UK we have a range of online music courses which attract music makers from all over the world. You can check them out at http://www.pointblankonline.net/
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