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

4.8
stars
1,049 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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26 - 50 of 341 Reviews for The Technology of Music Production

By Del N

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Dec 23, 2022

This course was a bit challenging. Being an educated Engineer and 40+ years building technology) maybe I wanted a little more in form of deeper detailed explanation at times. But given time constraints, and format (this isn't college) maybe this is in line. and a BUNCH of the students here aren't Eng. either. All the same forced me to dig deeper on my own to understand the deeper reasons behind how a lot of how this works.

Thank You Mr. Loudon

By YaÅŸar U

•

Feb 28, 2024

The DAW that should be used in a music production, how all the Amps, dynamics, filters and all other plugins used in this application should be used and directed, the rules that should be followed in miking, acoustics and all other recording methods, in short, the music is made in the most technologically sensitive, highest quality and We learned all the production stages step by step by paying attention to their timbre, thank you.

By Milos

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Aug 16, 2020

Such a great course, all information is coherent and well presented. The teacher was amazing also, I will definitely get more courses from him. I like that the course is about concepts and not about a specific DAW or plugin. Going through this course is really much better then searching around for tutorials - you will much faster get to the point where you confidently can do production in any DAW.

By Yang H

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Sep 10, 2016

This course is great! As a beginner interested in music production, this course taught me many basics that I had no opportunity to learn! I gained a basic understanding of music production without paying a single dollar! Thank you cousera and Berklee for offering the opportunity! I recommended this course to my friend and any one interested in music should definitely try this course.

By Teng L W E

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Jan 29, 2021

There is a lot of knowledge oacked into this course, These basic concepts are all essential for someone who wants to know and perhaps start a career in sound engineering. I find this course very enlightening. I like that it is e-learning and I can complete this at my own pace. Loudon Stearns covered a lot of grounds and shared his experience and expertise. Thank you.

By Karl K

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Nov 29, 2016

Loudon was a very good instructor and was able to explain technically complex concepts in easy to understand language. I have learnt so much about the technical aspects of music production and been able to apply these in my DAW environment. The fortnightly presentation exercises were a very useful tool to demonstrate understanding of certain topics. I would highl

By Suryadeep D

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Dec 25, 2019

Covers a lot of ground on the basics of music production tech in a methodical manner. I've been a self-taught producer and been using DAWs for 10+ yrs now, but still found quite a few new insights, and this course still helped me cover a lot of gaps in my learning. Would have been great had it included a bit on Mastering as well. Overall, HIGHLY recommended!

By Gabriel C

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Jun 30, 2017

This course is incredible. It really brings the student much closer to a good headstart by teaching the fundamental information about the DAW and the fundaments of sound, so that a student doesn't get lost like it often happens to beginners who go start by downloading a DAW and watching a couple of punctual youtube videos. I recommend it to EVERY beginner.

By Noelle G

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Mar 24, 2021

Excellent visuals and explanations. I came into this course completely lost when it comes to Technology and music. But this course made it easy to find answers, connect with people who know more than you, and to level up in both practical application and knowledge of the programs involved. I highly recommend this course!

By An V

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Jun 29, 2020

It was extremely interesting - to plunge into the world of technology and science related to sound processing. You should have some understanding of how sound recording works before you start this course. However, this course has a lot of additional materials, and you can always ask a question on the topic on the forum.

By Mark F

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Oct 10, 2021

This was a great course. The curriculum flows from topic to topic so that it builds on itself and you walk away with a great high-level understanding of the core aspects of working in a DAW. I really look forward to applying what I learned in this course with the Ableton Live class next in the specialization.

By Tamer A

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Aug 14, 2016

amazing..it is the right start for anyone who wants to pursue a career in recording, production, sound engineering..I was lost in many resources earlier, but I always had the feeling that they start from the mid-point..this one felt like starting from scratch..excellent work..thanks Berklee and coursera

By Ray C

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Jan 26, 2021

This is a great course to get started with a deep overview of music production. The six weeks cover a broad range of material, from understanding sound itself to applying these principles in electronic musical contexts. I really feel that I took big steps forward into learning how to make my own music!

By Boni Y

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Nov 18, 2019

Great course laying out the foundations on the technology of music production. I am really happy to have taken this course and I believe the knowledge provided and suggestions for further research is unparalleled. It is a great start of your development as a music producer. Highly recommended.

By Taif I

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Jan 4, 2020

I really don't know where to start and i want to be brief , but what i am going to say or actually do , is take every course from berklee , right now i'm taking a course in basic music theory.

Thank you Loudon , you are great and you put your heart into this , i enjoyed every video you made .

By Santosh D

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Sep 10, 2020

I studied by myself, but I could still not find the suitable group for study & for discussions. But I am very happy with the result. Though my weakness prevails, there is still a hope that I could find a suitable group so that I don't face any problem in my communication while doing jobs.

By Gustavo S d S

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Jul 29, 2020

O curso apresenta conteúdo sobre tecnologia de produção musical, desde ligação de equipamentos, básicos relacionados ao som, até softwares de edição/produção (DAWs). Os testes são interessantes e há material complementar, com atividades de avaliação em grupo (peer assignment). Recomendado!

By Matteo T

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Jan 11, 2017

I would like to thank Coursera, Berklee and Mr. Loudon Stearns for this really informative course on the technology of music production. I enjoyed the course a lot and I learned a ton of things about the fundamentals of sound, of the mixing process and on synthesis. Highly recommended!

By Crimson R

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Jul 22, 2022

Everything was explained clearly and very nicely, altough I would appreciate if a course about audio production had higher quality videos, both in regards to their visuals and sound. I did learn plenty of stuff I was not aware of before and I am glad to move on to the next course!

By Dan C

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Jul 7, 2018

This is a great course! Loudon is a great teacher and speaker. He has great pacing in his lessons. Ton's of great information packed into this one course! I also really like the idea of the assignments making us teach a topic back to the class. It is a great way to master a topic.

By Zachary M

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Oct 19, 2016

This is the course to take if you don't know what phantom power is, how attack on a compressor works, or what a high-pass filter does. It gives a solid overview on all the major recording mixing components, and explains why you'd use them, and shows you examples of how.

By Balaji G

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Apr 25, 2022

Professor. Thank you. Extremely thorough. Perfect for seasoned musicians. Very in-depth discussions on theory and application. After 25 years of guitar practice and experience of live performances, this course was exactly what I required to relearn. Very satisfactory.

By Joshua A

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Nov 30, 2023

If you're looking for a course to learn all about music production right from the cables used to the software and types of equipment, then this is the right course. It's very well laid out and gave me every information to get started with my music production journey.

By Arturo F C F

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May 4, 2019

I found the technical info really useful, especially because understanding what's going on physically while recording, gives you a more accurate sense of what needs to be done to improve the settings timing, leaving you with more time of fun instead of frustration.

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.