FAQ
IS THIS A REAL SCHOOL?
Yes. In the sense that there is learning and teaching. But we do not give grades, we do not keep transcripts, and we do not want to have to conform to the rigid structure and requirements that come with accreditation. Beat Kitchen is not a vocational school. Our primary mission is to offer a creative space for musicians to grow and share.
WHICH CLASS/BUNDLE IS RIGHT FOR ME?
Please chat with us now and we will gladly help place you. We are also in the process of creating a short quiz which will also help. Feel free to check back here.
WHAT IF I DON'T USE LOGIC, ABLETON, FL STUDIO, PRO TOOLS?
Can I join the program using <fill in the blank here>. As long as you are on solid footing in a DAW that supports the tools, techniques, and plugins we supply, you will have no trouble in our program. Right now we discourage entry level platforms like GarageBand and mobile apps because they are not robust enough to demo the concepts we teach. But that may change in the future.
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Platforms like Reaper, Cubase, Nuendo, Studio One, and Luna are all fantastic. We don't necessarily teach them on their own (Core Skills Classes), but as long as you have mastered the basics of workflow and usage in those platforms, you will feel right at home in our program.
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Beat Kitchen classes strive to be as relevant in 20 years as they are today. We believe that most things worth teaching are evergreen and therefore we do not stress any particular platform. You'll find most of our instructors are comfortable in more than one DAW and we encourage you to develop that sort of fluidity as well. Collaboration is the name of the game in music, and we are all about supporting that.
WHAT KINDS OF STUDENTS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?
We are looking for students that match the values of our school and its instructors.
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We are looking for people from all backgrounds, who are curious, generous and open. Anyone with a passion to explore the craft of producing music is invited, and we are looking for diversity in all its forms. Our only expectation is that you are eager to experiment, can learn from failure, and come fully dedicated to the learning experience. It is our expectation that we can all, ultimately, learn from each other.
IS THERE HOMEWORK?
Not exactly. We aren't a traditional school. We are more like a lab for you to work through your ideas and learn necessary skills. We don't give grades, we don't have transcripts, and we don't typically give homework. Many of our members are only able to dedicate the in-class hours and we think that should be okay.
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Now, that being said, you are probably doing this because you love it, and we fully expect you will want to spend time working on the things you have learned outside of class. We generally provide one or two exercises for you to try so that you can test out your skills. But nobody is going to scold you if you don't have time to do them.
DO YOU OFFER FINANCIAL AID OR PAYMENT PLANS?
We have a small number of scholarship seats that we set aside each year. Our team has an active policy whereby we donate time to fund it. Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit, with special consideration given to members of our community that have been under-represented in our industry. We want all these voices to contribute to our culture.
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We do not offer financial aid, however we feel that with a membership (or even without), our prices are low enough that beatmakers can purchase classes one at at time. We do not charge an additional fee to do this, although each purchase will incur a new registration fee. We think this offers the best value and flexibility.
HOW DO CLASSES WORK?
Most of our classes meet remotely. In every other way they are exactly like classes you attend in a classroom. They are discussion-centric and small enough that you can (and should) ask questions if you get stuck.
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Nearly all the principals and techniques that we teach lend themselves to being presented on a screen. Your recording platform and your software effects are already on your computer. By studying with us from your setup at home, you needn't worry if your skills will translate to your home environment.
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Some parts of the program such as Recording Studio Masterclass are the opposite. They take place in our partner studios where you can touch, hear, and use professional equipment. This is why these classes are significantly more expensive. We also host classes sometimes at these locations. If you are a member and live in one of those cities, you are welcome to join for those days.
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But we don't think you should have to pay for a space you don't need, and for the bulk of the program, we are confident that you will benefit just as well by attending the classes remotely.
DO I NEED A COMPUTER?
Yes.
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You may not use it as much in courses like the Keyboard Skills Elective, Digital Marketplace, Songwriting Masterclass, etc., but this is a software based program. You will need a professional grade digital audio workstation that runs on Mac or Windows OS. Some students attend classes using their mobile devices, but you will find mobile platforms such as GarageBand to be too limiting for our courses.
WILL THIS SCHOOL HELP ME GET A JOB?
We are not a vocational school. In our experience, music industry jobs simply don't work that way.
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As industry veterans, all of us will tell you that you need to be scrappy, motivated, and sometimes a little lucky to find work. Work comes in places we don't always expect it, and we believe we can help train you to recognize and be prepared for those opportunities when they arise.
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But this is a school to develop your music production skills, the language and concepts we use, and to bolster your ability to create, communicate, and collaborate. We can absolutely help you with that!
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Incidentally, we feel that these are skills that employers value as well. But ultimately, the person who will help you get a job is going to be you!
DO YOU OFFER DJ COURSES?
Not yet.
But if you want to DJ professionally, you are going to have to learn to produce tracks eventually. Our courses will help you understand the skills DJs need to mix. Our classes will help you understand things like transitions, key matching, tempo matching, effects as well as song form. For this reason, we think many of our classes are very well suited to teaching you to become a DJ. Your experience with Beat Kitchen will greatly accelerate your learning to become a DJ using CDJs, Turntables, or software like Ableton Live.
IS THIS AN AUDIO ENGINEERING SCHOOL?
We teach all the important concepts of audio engineering: signal flow, microphone polar patters, speakers, cables, acoustics, mixing, mastering, effects processing, recording, etc. But our focus is not vocational. Our students tend to be creatives who are not looking to work for other people. Our students are typically making music on their own. They often have home studio setups (and often quite elaborate ones). But you don't need a massive recording studio to produce music anymore. That doesn't mean you can't learn those skills. Those skills are important, but our focus is on teaching you to produce and collaborate at a high level with the tools you have at your disposal.
WHAT DO I NEED TO GET STARTED?
Obviously, you need to bring yourself and your desire to take chances, make something new, and to be engaged. As for equipment, the requirements are actually pretty modest. Most everything we teach, can be demonstrated (at a very high level) with just a computer and a DAW like Ableton, Logic, Pro Tools, or FL Studio.
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This isn’t to say you aren’t going to probably want some other stuff down the road, but we’d rather get to know you and recommend something that’s just right for you. Bear in mind, your needs may change as you learn. For the full program, there isn’t anything that you can’t live without for the first class or two.
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But we know you are excited, so with that in mind, read our article listing a few inexpensive starters that we also don’t think you’ll outgrow.
WHO STARTED BEAT KITCHEN?
I'm Nathan Rosenberg and I started Beat Kitchen.
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I'm a 'recovering' New York City jazz musician turned composer, producer, and studio owner. I currently live in Seattle.
Amongst the things for which I am proudest are that I've worked, performed with, and produced some of my own heroes. My background spans many genres and I've produced media for all sorts of stuff like records, picture, commercials and video games.
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Back in 2014, faced with a quickly changing landscape in music production, I began the process of closing my beloved New York City studio, the Doghouse NYC. Desperate to stay creative and eager to innovate, I joined a revolutionary school: SFPC, The School for Poetic Computation. Here, I began a process of deconstructing the way in which creatives approach technical learning. Although I always continued to make music professionally, for nearly 10 years, I have been working on this problem.
I have taught at some of the most prestigious audio training institutions in the world, and I have designed their curricula. I have listened to students, I have spoken with teachers, I have watched the industry evolve and grow. But it became clear to me that I would never truly be satisfied until I built something from the ground up — a place steeped in community, mastery, innovation, and the joy that can only come when one has the freedom to make mistakes along the path to creating something beautiful. That was my kitchen, and what I created — I hope — will be yours.