Electronic Music Production Fundamentals – BASS

This course aims to teach you all of the fundamental knowledge you will need to know when implementing a bass element into your track.

This course has been split up so each video will take an in-depth look at key topics, such as monitoring, composition, synthesis, processing. This is the one stop answer for electronic music producers wishing to perfect their skills and get their basses sounding clear, loud and punchy in the mix.

COURSE OVERVIEW

In this 14-part, 5.5 hour video course, Studio Slave shows you how to synthesise and work with bass elements in the context of electronic music.

In this course you will touch on all the key aspects of the bass using typical examples that you will be able to apply to your own productions immediately.

From composition and sound design right the way through to processing and mixing this course gives you the fundamental skills you need to improve your music making today!

Learn the intricacies of bass synthesis and how to make it the centre piece of your track.

COURSE FEATURES

• Watch, Listen and Learn – our easy to follow video instruction shows you exactly how to use the hardware
• Just under 5.5 hours of practical video instruction.
• 14 walkthrough videos each demonstrating specific features of creating bass
  • Bass Monitoring
  • Keys & Scales
  • Rhythm & Groove
  • Tuning
  • Pitch & Melody
  • Embellishments & Advanced Techniques
  • Modes & Accidentals
  • Bass Synthesis – Tech House Basses
  • Bass Synthesis – General Basses
  • Bass Synthesis – Acid Basses
  • Bass Processing & Mixing 1
  • Bass Processing & Mixing 2
• Learn at your own pace, watch as many times as you need to learn the lessons

COURSE DETAIL:
Parts 0-3

0 – INTRO
A quick intro highlighting the structure of the course, topics covered, and why its so important to understand bass fundamentals from a compositional, sound design and mixing perspective.

1 – BASS MONITORING
In this first video in the EMP – Bass fundamentals course we cover all aspects of bass monitoring. In the first part of the video we cover the different monitor types such as headphones and nearfield monitors and their pros and cons. We then take a look at how to best utilise the space you are working in, such as how to align your speakers and ensure you are keeping the affect of room modes to a minimum.  

We then expand on this knowledge with further information on how to combat other underlying acoustic issues through the use of acoustic treatment panels and bass traps.

The final part of this video covers setting your listening levels correctly to reduce your ears natural bias and allow you to work for longer without experiencing ear fatigue. Finally we will cover methods to reference and make accurate and instant A/B comparisons in Ableton Live.

2 – KEYS & SCALES
In this video we will cover the basics of the keyboard, starting off with the chromatic scale and then covering the major and minor western scales and their formulas. We will then explain what an interval is and explain the terminology used when talking about scale degrees.

3 – RHYTHM & GROOVE
This video explains the push and pull concept that defines rhythm in an otherwise quantised piece of music. we then cover the need for syncopation and explain how it crosses the natural rhythm to create a more bouncy groove. Finally we cover the affect of the ADSR envelope on the groove and how this can be manipulated to alter the feel of a drum pattern.

COURSE DETAIL:
Parts 4-6

4 – TUNING
In this video we will cover a range of methods to tune entire songs, single tracks and individual samples. Firstly, how to find the root key of a record using a spectrum analyser, then some alternative methods such as using a sine wave device from Ableton operator, or simply by humming or whistling and matching this with notes played on the keyboard. You’ll also walk through some techniques to double check that you have the right key.
In the second part of the video we move on to tuning samples such as kick drums and finally we explain micro-tuning and how we can do this to get our samples pitch perfect in Ableton.
We finish this video with an explanation of the beating effect between two sounds that are similar in frequency. Useful for tuning parts but and predominantly used as a creative LFO effect for basses.

5 – PITCH & MELODY
In this video we will cover the fundamental theory that goes into writing bass melodies. The three main methods we cover are:

• writing a bass melody that underpins chords or lead melody
• writing an independant bass melody or one that works in contrast
• writing a bass part as a leading instrument

In the second part of the video we explain these theories in great detail. covering:

• space, rhythm & harmony
• harmonic & melodic intervals
• scale degrees & tendency tones to create tension & resolution
• chord tones & non chord tones when building a bass from chords

In the final part of the video we demonstrate the steps to write a bass melody.

6 – EMBELLISHMENTS & ADVANCED TECHNIQUES
In this video we focus on the energy area of the ‘space, rhythm, harmony, energy’ concept.
by the end of this video you will understand the more advanced bassline embellishment techniques such as: octaves, call & response, paired phrasing & cadences, harmonic & rhythmic cells & contours.