music production

Music ProductionDAN OPREA

Begin

Welcome to Music Production Basics

Let’s Get Started

Take Quiz

Learn About Compression

Learn About Digital Audio Workstations

(DAWs)

What would you like to do?

FL StudioLogic Pro Ableton Live

Digital Audio Workstations (or DAW for short) are softwares that let you create

and record music electronically.

The three DAWs we will learn about are:

Click on a DAW to learn about it then after you are done take the Pre-Quiz

Take Pre-Quiz Main Menu

Logic ProThis is Logic Pro X, the latest version of Logic Pro. Logic Pro is only available for Mac.

Next

Logic Pro

Logic image

Logic Pro is made up of four components.

Next

Logic ProFirst we have the track arrangement. This is where you arrange the parts of your song.

Next

Logic ProNext, we have the explorer. This is a toolbar that lets you search through your samples.

Next

Logic ProNext, we have the mixer. This controls the volume of each track in the track arrangement.

Next

Logic ProFinally, we have the clip editor. This is where you can edit a waveform that’s in the track arrangement.

Finish

Ableton LiveThis is Ableton Live 9, the latest version of Ableton Live. Ableton is available for both Mac and windows DAW.

Next

Ableton LiveAbleton Live has 4 major components.

Next

Ableton LiveFirst, we have the explorer. In Ableton, not only can you search for your samples in the explorer, but you can also search for plugins.Next

Ableton LiveNext, we have the track arrangement. This is where you arrange the parts of your songs.

Next

Ableton LiveUnique to Ableton Live is the session view. This view is a combo of Ableton’s mixer and a layout that allows you to create loops and play them independently.

Next

Ableton LiveFinally, and also unique to Ableton, is the plugin arrangement viewer. This viewer allows you to drag in and organize plugins that you are using on a track. Finish

FL StudioThis is FL Studio 11, the latest version of FL Studio. FL Studio is only available for Windows but there is a Mac version currently in Beta testing.

Next

FL StudioFL Studio is made up of 4 components.

Next

FL StudioFirst, we have the explorer. You can use it to browse through both samples and plugins.

Next

FL StudioNext, we have the track arrangement. This is where you arrange your song.

Next

FL StudioNext, we have the mixer. This is used to control the volume of the tracks in the song.

Next

FL StudioFinally, we have the pattern maker, which is unique to FL Studio. You can use the pattern maker to create a basic beat or a midi pattern then drag it into your track arrangement.

Finish

Pre-quiz – Question 1

Image of ableton with session view circled

What component of Ableton is circled here?

A

B

C

Explorer

Session ViewArrangement View

Pre-quiz – Question 1Sorry, A is the wrong

answer.If you want to go back

and review AbletonClick Hereor else

Try Again

Pre-quiz – Question 1Sorry, C is the wrong


and review AbletonClick Hereor else

Try Again


Good Job! B was the right answer!

Next Question

Pre-quiz – Question 2Which DAW is this?

A

B

C

Logic Pro

Ableton Live

FL Studio

Pre-quiz – Question 2Sorry, B is the wrong


and review DAWsClick Hereor else

Try Again

Pre-quiz – Question 2Sorry, C is the wrong


and review DAWsClick Hereor else

Try Again


Good Job! A was the right answer!

Next Question

Pre-quiz – Question 3Which component of FL Studio is circled?A

B

C

Mixer

Plugin Viewer

Pattern Maker

Pre-quiz – Question 3Sorry, A is the wrong

answer.If you want to go back and review FL Studio

Click Hereor else

Try Again

Pre-quiz – Question 3Sorry, B is the wrong

answer.If you want to go back and review FL Studio

Click Hereor else

Try Again


Good Job! C was the right answer!

Finish

Good Job!

Congratulations! You’ve completed the DAW

portion of this activity!To go back to the main

menuClick Here

Compression

In this section you’ll learn about compression

including what it is, what it does, and how to use it.

Begin

CompressionCompression is a plugin that you can use on an audio track to quiet down the loud parts of the audio signal to make it balance better with the rest of the track.

Next

CompressionCompressors have 7 major components. These components are:

Next

AttackReleaseRatio

Makeup GainKneeDry/Wet

Threshold

CompressionClick on a compressor component to learn about it. When you are finished, take the Pre-quiz. NOTE: It is recommended to do ratio last, as it requires knowledge of other components first.

Pre-Quiz Main Menu

Threshold

Threshold is how loud your audio signal can be before it begins to be compressed.

Back

Attack

Attack is how fast the compressor will start working after the audio signal goes above the threshold.

Back

Release

Release is how fast the compressor stops after the audio signal goes below the threshold.

Back

Knee

Knee sets how hard the compressor will compress the audio. Choose hard knee for a very abrupt compression or soft knee for a gentle compression.

Back

Makeup GainMakeup Gain allows you to boost the compressed audio incase the compression reduces your volume a little more than you would like. Back

Back

Dry/WetDry/Wet sets how much of the signal will be compressed. It can range from no compression (0%) to completely compressed (100%).

RatioRatio sets how much compression is applied. Ratio can be a little hard to comprehend, so we’ll give you an example to help make it easier to grasp. Next

RatioFirst, study the waveform on top. Let’s say it peaks at -5db, while the quiet parts play around -13db, so we want to have a more balanced audio signal without drastic peaks.

Next

-5db

-13db

RatioTo do this, we first set the threshold to -15db. Any audio signal above this will be compressed.

Next

RatioNow we have to choose a ratio. Since there is a 10db difference between the peaks and the threshold, we pick something that easily divides 10, in this case we pick a 5:1 Ratio.

Next

-5db-5db – (-15db) = 10db

RatioThe way the ratio works is we divide the 10db difference by 5, then multiply the result by 1, giving us 2db. We then add this 2db to the -15db threshold giving us a final audio signal that peaks at -13db instead of -5db. That’s how ratio works.Back

-13db

10db/5 = 2db


The Attack in a compressor controls how fast the compressor turns on after the audio signal passes the threshold.

A

B

True

False


Sorry, False is the wrong answer.

If you want to review AttackClick Here

Try Againor else


Good Job! True was the right answer.

Next Question

A

Pre-quiz – Question 2If you had an audio file with

peaks at -5db and a threshold of -20db, what ratio would you

choose to get a final audio signal of -15db?

B5:1 10:1 C 3:1


Sorry, A is the wrong answer.

If you want to review RatioClick Here

Try Againor else


Sorry, B is the wrong answer.

If you want to review RatioClick Here

Try Againor else


Good Job! C was the right answer.

Finish

Good Job!

Congratulations! You’ve completed the Compression

part of this activity.To go back to the Main Menu

Click Here

QuizTime to take the final Quiz over all the

material! If you’re ready to proceed click “Begin” to start. If you want to review more, click “Go Back”. You

won’t be given the option to review when you get a question wrong.

Begin Go Back

Quiz – Question 1

Image of FL studio

Which DAW is shown here?

A

B

C

FL Studio

Logic Pro

Ableton Live

Quiz – Question 1


Try Again

Quiz – Question 1

Sorry, C is the wrong answer.

Try Again

Quiz – Question 1

Good Job! A was the right answer.

Next Question

Quiz – Question 2

What does threshold do on a compressor? A

B

C

Any audio below the threshold is compressedAny audio above the audio compressed

Nothing

Quiz – Question 2


Try Again

Quiz – Question 2

Good Job! B was the right answer.

Next Question

Quiz – Question 3What part of Logic is shown here?

A

B

C

Mixer

Explorer

Clip Editor

Quiz – Question 3


Try Again

Quiz – Question 3

Good Job! A was the right answer.

Next Question

Quiz – Question 4If you had an audio file with

peaks at 0db and a threshold of -20db, what ratio would you

choose to get a final audio signal of -16db?

A B4:1 5:1 C 10:1

Quiz – Question 4


Try Again

Quiz – Question 4

Good Job! B was the right answer.

Next Question

Quiz – Question 5What component of Ableton is this?

A

B

C

Explorer

Session View

Plugin Viewer

Quiz – Question 5


Try Again

Quiz – Question 5

Good Job! C was the right answer.

Next Question

Good Job!

Congratulations! You’ve finished the music production activity! I

hope you learned something, and now you’ll be well on your way to learning more about the world of

music production.

music production

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