Jamie Ellis

Vocal Production (end-to-end)

This is an end-to-end flagship lesson which starts with vocal performance/capture, all the way through to mixing it into your track. We will look at vocal performance (style, voice/character, backing vocals, harmonies, phrasing, diction, lyrical message). We will then look at capture/recording (mic techniques, gain structure, getting the best from your setup, how many takes is right?, vocal burnout, DAW setup). Next is the editing process (comping the take that feels most emotionally connected, fixing timing and any tuning). Then we will look at mixing (blending layers/stacks, EQ, compression, saturation, parallel processing, auto-tune delays, reverbs, overall tone). This class is for anyone who wants to really up their vocal game. In 99% of songs, the vocal is THE most important part. All you need is a topline and a microphone....I will show you how to get the best from your voice and recording setup to ensure the vocals feel authentic and connect with your intended audience. I will show you different approaches for mixing vocals: in many cases people tend to smother their voice with plugins and this can be quite a destructive approach. Letting the song, genre and overall feel guide you is the only way to produce vocals that feel appropriate, expansive, professional and meet your aims as an artist. This flagship lesson aims to leave you much more confident in your approach to capturing great vocals, every time.

Mixing Low End

This flagship lesson will show you approaches to mix that often-elusive part of your track: the low end. From trap to UK rap, EDM, drum n bass and more: there has never been more low end in music than now. With kick drums, bass guitar, subs, 808s, pianos and cellos - there can be a lot going on down there. But there often isn't much space to accommodate everything from an spectral and mix bus perspective. I will show you how to get the best from your listening environment (monitor setup, acoustic treatment, room ergonomics, listening level). We will then move on to the arrangement itself (are there too many bass layers? Could the kick sit 'under' or 'over' the bass? Would a different kick sample help the bass part? Would a different bass patch get closer to what you're hearing?). We will then look at special mixing techniques including multiband compression, side-chain dynamic EQ and sidechain compression. We will learn about fundamental frequency and using this to your advantage as a mixer. We will discuss EQ, compression, fader balance, saturation, headroom, 'roughing up' the bass midrange, small speaker translatability, artificial bass widening and phase coherency. We will also look at the implications on the mix bus overall, including headroom, bus compression and EQ. We will finally consider what Mastering might do for the low end and how to pre-empt this important part of the process. This flagship lesson will give you clarity over how you approach your low end as both a mixer and producer/beat-maker.

Sound Design

So many songs in the modern era feature sound design: from overt celestial worldbuilding to subtle layers tucked back in the mix. Sensitive sound design can make the difference between a recording and a record, subliminally signposting the listener towards a deeper emotional connection. This flagship lesson will broaden your creative horizon and show you several approaches and techniques around innovative sound design. Sound design is nothing new. The Musique Concrète movement emerged over 80 years ago. But the technology has changed immeasurably. Sound design gives producers a moment to be completely unbridled, briefly existing in a dream-like state where anything can be sonically possible. We will look at sound mangling, digital artefacts, reverse spatial effects, recording plugin sweeps, time stretching, manipulating samples, weird plugins, abusing convolution reverb, vocal modification, granular effects and some synthesis. We will also discuss placement of sound design, taste and approaches to mixing what you have created. This flagship lesson will empower you to create sounds that no one else has ever heard.