Teach me how to unce unce

August 28, 2008 3:13 PM

I want to learn, from a teacher face-to-face, to use the various tools in an electronic (as in "dance," including hip-hop) music producer's arsenal. Do classes/lessons exist? How about in Chicago?

Drum machines, synthesizers, sequencers, samplers, etc -- you know the drill. I want to learn how to learn how to use these tools properly to create music.

I've used a number of different pieces of software that mimic popular pieces of hardware (Reason, for instance), but I really want to work hands-on with hardware, from a musician who knows how to use these instruments.

Do classes or lessons exist, like they do for guitar and other instruments? How about in the Chicago area? The Google isn't being very helpful in this department.

posted by nitsuj to media & arts (5 answers total)

My friend is a house/hip hop DJ in Chicago. He either can teach you or he will know who to contact. He's a good guy and professional. I'll let you know when I hear from him.
posted by sandmanwv at 3:36 PM on August 28, 2008

If you have a particular producer in mind and know how to contact him or her, perhaps you can ask for a few minutes of his time to pick his brain. Then you can ask some of your questions and ask for his advice. Maybe he or somebody he knows is looking for someone to do some easy studio maintenance like fixing cables, plug jacks or patch points (do you know how to properly solder XLRs and other common connectors) in exchange for tips or tutorials. Or just ask somebody you know that uses a particular peace of gear you are interested in if you can watch over his shoulder while he works. "Oh you use the MPC 2000? I've been interested in working with that. Could I check out how you work with it in order to pick up some pointers and see how I can incorporate it into my workflow?"
posted by chillmost at 3:41 PM on August 28, 2008

Columbia College has some classes.
posted by lee at 3:43 PM on August 28, 2008

I'd just like to point out that the vast majority of "producers" (musicians who sequence music) are self taught. When you learn a musical instrument you have to be careful to not ingrain bad technique (by ignoring the accrued knowledge of your instrument's users). Not quite the same with production.

I've never known anyone to get much out of courses like these that couldn't be had in manual form.

Just mess around, if you like it, it's not wrong.
posted by phrontist at 10:31 PM on August 28, 2008

Tulane used to teach a course in ProTools and digital media. The prof left after Katrina, he's at Stanford now.
posted by radioamy at 9:19 PM on August 29, 2008