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Learner Reviews & Feedback for The Technology of Music Production by Berklee

4.8
stars
1,057 ratings

About the Course

Learn about the music production process—including recording, editing, and mixing—and the tools available to you to create contemporary music on your computer. With the recent introduction of high-quality-low-cost software and hardware, the tools of music production are now available to the masses. Albums are made in bedrooms as well as studios. On the surface this is liberating. Anyone can make an album for the low cost of a couple pieces of gear and a software package. But, if you dig deeper, you will find that it is not so easy. Producing music requires knowledge, dedication, and creativity. Knowledge is where this course comes in. No matter what kind of music you are making, there is a large set of tools that you will need to use. Each lesson of this course will demonstrate a different set of music production tools, loosely following along the music production process of recording, editing, and mixing. We will start with some background on the nature of sound and how we perceive it. We will then examine the components necessary to record audio into a computer, so that you understand the devices that sound must travel through in a music production process. Once recorded, sound must be organized along a timeline, a process known as editing. It allows us to give the impression of perfect performances and create many of the sounds we hear in contemporary music. The contemporary editing tool is the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), a piece of software that stores and organizes all the assets of a musical project. We will focus on the editing tools that are essential in contemporary music production and that all DAWs provide. After editing, sounds must be combined or mixed together, so we look to the mixing board—a very creative place if you know how to use it. We will explore the basic functionality of both hardware and software mixing boards, including volume, pan, mute, solo, busses, inserts, sends, and submixes. The mixing process, however, includes more tools than the mixing board provides on its own. Sound must also be processed, modified from its recorded state to fit the context of the music. We will look at compression, equalization, and delay, and examine the many audio effects that are offshoots of these devices and how they are used in a musical context. In the end, the music production process relies on your creativity. Creativity is a product of the mind and will stay there, unexpressed, until the right tools are used in the right way to share it with the world. If you have an idea in your head, it will take numerous steps, each with an important tool, to reach your audience. You bring the dedication and creativity, and this course will bring you the knowledge to make that happen....

Top reviews

JJ

Feb 7, 2021

This course gave me a working knowledge of the many parameters of a DAW. I really have a base knowledge to continue my studies and not get frustrated with mental blocks in navigation of the software.

NV

Aug 18, 2022

everything is clearly mentioned, good overall couese. i think it would be better addtional materials are given for various DAW's, because sometimes finding options in daw's were little bit difficult

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51 - 75 of 343 Reviews for The Technology of Music Production

By Ivonne c

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Oct 31, 2016

It is a really good course that covers the basics of music production and a lot of the lessons involve a lot of further practice to learn them thoroughly. The material is something that you can keep coming back to until you understand how to apply it to your work.

By Kecco R

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Jul 20, 2020

A very interesting introduction to the technology of Music Production. Loudon Stearns will guide you very wisely through a very diversified path giving an exhaustive overview talking about from the nature of sound to the final mix in a recording process. Boss!

By Daniel W

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Jan 11, 2018

From the start it's all the main points you need and have to know. Coursera & Berklee have taken what usually costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and years to accomplish and gave the rest of us that same chance. This class is absolutely killer!

By Diego B

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Sep 5, 2019

I'm just finishing week 2, and I can see this is what I was missing to advance in my production.

Covering from the simplest hardware, passing thourgh all of the relevant configurations of DAW software, this completes all the pieces I was missing.

By Samuel K

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Sep 3, 2020

Loudon Stearns is an excellent teacher and the videos are high quality. This course would probably fill in some knowledge gaps for producers at any level. It does a great job of getting the point across without watering down the material.

By Carlos A P

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Apr 2, 2018

It is a wonderful course. The instructor has a complete understanding of all the topics and a fluid way of transmitting the knowledge. I learned a lot about Technology and clarified doubts about what I already knew. Thank you very much!!

By Todd C

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Jan 8, 2017

This course is packed with information about the basics of many of the musical elements you need to consider when producing. I think even experts would learn a thing or two from this course because it covers such a wide range of topics.

By Heather V

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Apr 4, 2022

I've heard so many people in online forums ask for a general beginner's course to production and mixing. This is it! I will definitely recommend to people. Thanks for putting so much effort and love into developing this detailed course

By John F

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Jul 26, 2020

Simply the best recording course online. I’ve watched countless YouTube videos and this just can’t be beat. It puts all the basics together in such a perfect way. I feel prepared to go as far as I want to go with music production now.

By Don Q

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Feb 14, 2022

Done several other on-line courses in EMP. The great thing about this course is it takes you back to the basics of sound, DAW, Synths, mixing and understanding of the essentials in ( Electronic ) Music Production. Very educational.

By Amena F

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Feb 14, 2018

Super course, very informative, dives deep into lots of techniques and the science behind them to give a full understanding of the concepts - perfect for people starting out and also those with some experience in music production.

By Carolyna L

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Aug 23, 2018

Great course! Fabulous instruction. Taught in such detail and in a way that is easily understood. Thank you for demystifying much of what I thought I'd need a house engineer to assist me with for all time.

Cheers,

Carolyna Lovely

By Steven S

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Dec 12, 2017

I was able to learn technical concepts such as filters and compressors and be challenged by very specific quizzes! I liked being able to showcase beats in the class and see how classmates reviewed concepts as well. Nice!

By Darrell T

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May 9, 2021

As an 'oldie', I found some of this work hard. However, the course was so well-designed and presented that I could navigate the difficulties with confidence and could review frequently. Great presenter, great course!

By Jaison C

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Feb 18, 2020

Loudin is very easy to follow, he seems naturally conversational so it seems less daunting to approach so much information. There is enough in this one course to get someone off to a great start in making music.

By Katie S

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Jun 1, 2020

Loved this class! Filled up my notebook from all the information that was given in this course! Amazing class I've finished this 6 week class in less than 2 weeks I wanted to learn more about Music Production.

By Robert J B E

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Aug 23, 2017

Loudon Stearns at First Impression Seems like a person Rushing You through a course. But In Contrast; He's a very hard Teacher to Please. Which is good because You Learn More. I've Learned a lot. ThankYou

By Amitangsu D

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Dec 9, 2020

Really enjoyed the course and it was fun learning many things which were unknown or unclear to me. Thanks to Berklee and sir Loudon Stearns. Will definitely recommend this course to learning producers.

By N.D.M.P. V

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Aug 19, 2022

everything is clearly mentioned, good overall couese. i think it would be better addtional materials are given for various DAW's, because sometimes finding options in daw's were little bit difficult

By Marc

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Apr 13, 2017

This is everything I've ever dreamed of

This course is all you need to listen to song mixes and be able to replicate everything you hear in a DAW, if you can listen closely enough

Highly recommend

By María J E G

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Apr 13, 2021

Hace algo muy importante para cualquier amante de música, hace que te sepas referir a la música en su lenguaje físico, no solo el emocional humano muchas veces subjetivo, excelente curso.

By James S

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Sep 11, 2023

It is a great overall introduction and, fills in those missing gaps, and covers a lot of the many different areas, giving you a solid foundation concerning music production technology.

By Dominic V

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Apr 3, 2023

The ability to learn at your own pace is a game-changer. Incredibly knowledgable professor who helps fill in all those gaps in your understanding of the topic. Highly recommend.

By Prasanna S J

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Feb 14, 2022

From the basic concepts of sound, interface of DAW to mixing and sound design. This course is well tought lecture series for anyone who is new to the field of Music Production.

By michael o

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Mar 12, 2022

This course is taught clearly in incredible detail. The communication is good and expectations are clear. The collaborative tool for reviewing one another works well, too.