Full Week Schedule

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  Wed, Jun 24 Production Gym Start your day at the 'gym' with a production breakdown of your favorite songs w/ Jam · 5am (PT) | 8am (ET) | 1pm (UK)
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  Wed, Jun 24 Weekly Beat Challenge Gather and listen to anyone's Beat Challenge song ideas -- just for fun w/ Nathan · 6pm (PT) | 9pm (ET) | 2am (UK)
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  Wed, Jun 24 Office Hours Ask questions, get help, and connect. w/ Jon Mattox · 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
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  Thu, Jun 25 Instrument Gym Practice and workout on instruments! w/ Scott Hampton · 5am (PT) | 8am (ET) | 1pm (UK)
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  Thu, Jun 25 Office Hours Ask questions, get help, and connect. w/ Nathan · 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
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  Thu, Jun 25 Office Hours Ask questions, get help, and connect. w/ Jam · 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
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  Sun, Jun 28 Office Hours Ask questions, get help, and connect. w/ Cinnamon · 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
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  Mon, Jun 29 Weekly Beat Challenge Gather and listen to anyone's Beat Challenge song ideas -- just for fun w/ Nathan · 6pm (PT) | 9pm (ET) | 2am (UK)
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  Mon, Jun 29 Office Hours Ask questions, get help, and connect. w/ Cato Zane · 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
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  Mon, Jun 29 Ear Training Test your ears and discuss - Music, Mixing and more! w/ Nathan · 7am (PT) | 10am (ET) | 3pm (UK)
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  Tue, Jun 30 Theory Gym Start your day at the 'gym' with a morning music theory workout w/ Nathan · 5pm (PT) | 8pm (ET) | 1am (UK)
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  Tue, Jun 30 Office Hours Ask questions, get help, and connect. w/ Jam · 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
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  Tue, Jun 30 Production Gym Start your day at the 'gym' with a production breakdown of your favorite songs w/ Jam · 5am (PT) | 8am (ET) | 1pm (UK)
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  Wed, Jul 1 Instrument Gym Practice and workout on instruments! w/ Kallie · 5am (PT) | 8am (ET) | 1pm (UK)
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  Wed, Jul 1 Weekly Beat Challenge Gather and listen to anyone's Beat Challenge song ideas -- just for fun w/ Nathan · 6pm (PT) | 9pm (ET) | 2am (UK)
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  Wed, Jul 1 Office Hours Ask questions, get help, and connect. w/ Jon Mattox · 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)

What We Covered Recently

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  PRODUCTION-GYM Covered the production of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" by the Temptations (1972) using the original multitracks in Pro Tools. Examined how the arrangement — a single-chord structure, no snare drum, sparse bass, and dynamically placed hand claps — directly mirrors the emotional content of the lyrics. Discussed the trumpet delay effect, a muted conga track, and a nearly imperceptible kick drum pattern reversal in the final verse as specific examples of production decisions that serve the story.
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  WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE Reviewed submitted beats from multiple students, covering bossa nova arrangements, cinematic Rhodes-driven compositions, and experimental scale work. Discussed the limitations of MIDI bass instruments versus live bass performance, including programming nuance required to make virtual instruments compelling. Introduced the upcoming tetrachord mode in the Harmony Wheel tool and walked through how tetrachords combine to form scales and modes.
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  OFFICE HOURS Covered drum phase alignment during mixing — specifically how to check and correct phase on kick and snare channels using an EQ phase flip, and how to prioritize which drum elements to address when full phase correction isn't achievable. Also addressed questions about music industry structure for independent artists, including the practical and legal considerations around registering music and setting up a record label entity.
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  OFFICE HOURS Covered the Neapolitan sixth cadence in depth, tracing its relationship to the Andalusian cadence, the circle of fourths, Picardy thirds, and secondary subdominants. Walked through a tempo change workflow in Logic Pro, demonstrating how to insert and verify a BPM change on a MIDI session. Also reviewed a student's first mixing attempt on a vocal track, addressing EQ gain staging, high-frequency rolloff, low-end management, and the principle of using faders before EQ before compression.
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  THEORY-GYM We worked through the chord progression of "Morning Has Broken," identifying how each chord functions harmonically in the key of C. Covered predominant function (IV and ii), deceptive cadences, secondary dominants (V/V), modal interchange, and the particular quality of the iii chord (E minor) and how it recontextualizes what came before it. The session was largely demonstration-led, walking through the process of identifying chords by ear using bass motion, cadential feel, and process of elimination rather than instrument verification.

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