Music Production Mentoring

PRODUCTION GYM — 862 words across 2 speakers (14 wpm). Insufficient instructional content for a summary.

Worked through the phase rotation control on the custom additive synthesizer plugin — traced its origin in the commit history, diagnosed why it behaves differently on the left half of its bipolar range, and discussed whether to keep or remove it. Also covered automation and MIDI mapping of plugin parameters in Logic Pro, and talked through strategies for organizing a sync-licensing music website, including keyword taxonomy, slider-based filtering UIs, and using AI mastering for catalog preparation.

Covered music distribution strategy, with a focus on artist-friendly and cooperative streaming platforms as alternatives to major streaming services. Discussed physical vs. digital releasing, Bandcamp Friday scheduling, and platforms including AmpWall and Resonate. Also touched on unconventional microphone techniques drawn from the book *Recording Unhinged* by Sylvia Massey.

We covered mic technique and placement. John was struggling with how to get rid of plosives in his recordings. So we did a mic placement exercise, pop filter up, and talked about the de-esser in the mix down.

"The Rose," open 5ths, Pedal tone scale degree 5 becomes 3rd of iii, becomes 9 of IV, becomes 1 of V, etc. iii - IV progression in "The Rose" and James Horner's "If We Hold on Together." Listening to inner voices— Am is one note away from FM7—7th in inner voice in "The Rose."

Covered EQ fundamentals in depth — including frequency sweep technique, the "basket" method for fitting vocals into a production, and the scoop-and-boost approach for separating competing instruments. Also addressed latency troubleshooting for audio interfaces, drum programming concepts including panning perspective and dynamic arrangement, and monitoring/listening environment setup. Discussed how active listening and reference tracks apply to developing a reliable mixing environment.