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Orchestral Kitchen

6 sessions · Tuesdays, Thursdays · 2hr each

Cheesy strings ends here

Great orchestral libraries won’t save poor programming. The best sample libraries in the world sound terrible when played like a keyboard — because orchestral instruments don’t behave like keyboards. This course teaches you how the orchestra actually works, and how to translate that knowledge into realistic, expressive productions.

12 chapters of ground covered

The orchestral template — setting up a session that mirrors how an orchestra is organized
Reading the orchestra — understanding the score, the sections, and how they interact
Writing for strings — voice leading, articulations, divisi, and the techniques that make string parts sound performed rather than programmed
Programming strings — translating written parts into MIDI that sounds real. Velocity, expression, legato transitions
Writing for woodwinds and brass — range, doubling, section writing, and the characteristics that define each instrument family
Programming woodwinds and brass — articulation keyswitches, dynamics, and expression mapping. The MIDI side of making wind and brass patches respond like instruments
Percussion and the full score — orchestral percussion writing, and assembling a full orchestral arrangement
Orchestral mixing — reverb, spatial positioning, balancing sections, and making sample-based orchestral productions sound like they were recorded in a real space

Prerequisites: DAW Core Skills or equivalent. Music Theory is helpful but not required.

Building This Class

Share your availability and we'll build the next cohort around it.

The more times you select, the more likely we are to build a class that works for you.

What's a residency?

Residency is your Beat Kitchen membership —$85/mo or $700/yr. It includes office hours, gyms, beat challenges, and a community of producers on Discord.

Non-residents can take any class — residency months are bundled into the price. If you're already a resident, check the box above and you'll see the lower class-only price.

Learn more about residency →

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What students say

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Had an Awesome class about Music Theory! It was short but sweet! Being only a music enthusiast and curious on what the class has to offer, Nathan (Instructor) was able to explain it so well and had me captivated on what it is all about. Pretty sure I’ll be attending more classes and just expand my knowledge for sure! -Timothy

—Timmy, San Francisco, CA

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I studied with a couple of these teachers before they started this school. They were really inspiring and knew exactly how to help me push my music production skills to the next level. It’s great that they are starting this music community!

—Caleb, Detroit, MI

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Very kind and helpful!

—Izzy

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Nathan is one of the great few teachers that care. As a graduate of a prestigious music school, I was whisked through a massive amount of knowledge, with many teachers. None of them stood up to parr as Nathan does, simply due to the quality and dedication he takes into account when explaining even the simplest of concepts. Amazing.

—Maxwell, Reno, NV

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Awesome interactive/ accessable class, Nathan really cares and has a great way of teaching.

—Em, Portland, OR

Explore Classes

Office Hours Weekly. Ask questions, get help, and connect. Included with residency. Production Gym Weekly. Production breakdown of your favorite songs. Included with residency. Theory Gym Weekly. Morning music theory workout. Included with residency. Ear Training Weekly. Test your ears and discuss — music, mixing, and more. Included with residency. Instrument Gym Weekly. Practice and workout on instruments. Included with residency. Weekly Beat Review Weekly. Listen to Beat Challenge song ideas together. Included with residency.

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Beat Kitchen At-A-Glance

Beat Ktichen Calendar

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Recent Resident Gyms
- THEORY-GYM: We used "Strawberry Fields Forever" as a full analysis vehicle, working through its unusual pitch center, the opening line cliché, and the chord-by-chord breakdown of the intro progression. Concepts covered included passing tones versus functional harmony, borrowed chords, chromatic median motion, secondary dominants, and the historical context of the Mellotron as an early sampler. We also discussed songwriting process — specifically whether melody or chords tend to come first, and how the song's harmonic choices serve its lyrical theme.
- OFFICE HOURS: Covered streaming loudness targets and master fader signal chain in Pro Tools, walking through EQ, compression, hardware compressor, limiting, and metering in sequence. Discussed studio acoustic treatment — bass traps, early reflections, diffusion, and material choices — with reference to a specific room setup shared by a student. Also addressed the current state of commercial recording studios, the shift toward home-based production, and how that has affected mentorship pipelines in the industry.
- OFFICE HOURS: Covered bass line construction in the context of Afrobeat and Afrobeats production, including how to conform bass notes to chord roots and the relationship between bass lines and chord progressions. Introduced funklet.com as a resource for studying classic drum patterns and groove analysis. Also discussed Afrobeat vs. Afrobeats as distinct genres, with reference to key artists and historical context.
- OFFICE HOURS: general audio and time signature questions. Talked about signing up for upcoming classes as waitlist
- THEORY-GYM: We used "Hotel California" by the Eagles as a case study in harmonic minor usage, modal interchange, and cadential function. Covered the role of the raised seventh (G-sharp) in producing a dominant E chord over an A minor tonic, the distinction between functional and notational chord identity (e.g., the flat-six versus an inverted F chord), and how the song's chord progression generates a repeating sense of plagal motion. Also discussed the song's rhythmic feel and its relationship to reggae and the one-drop pattern.
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: non-sequential scale exercises on guitar, picking patterns, use of hybrid picking, switching positions when playing through more than one octave
- EAR-TRAINING-GYM: Covered the difference between saturation and distortion, with live demonstrations on kick drum, bass, and vocals using the Abbey Road Saturator and a virtual guitar amp. Worked through multi-stage compression on a vocal chain — three compressors in sequence for peak reduction and makeup gain — and explained why reverb belongs on an auxiliary bus rather than directly on a track, including how to EQ and automate the reverb tail independently. Also addressed gain staging, headroom management, microphone selection for noisy rooms, and tracking levels for vocals.
- PRODUCTION-GYM: PRODUCTION GYM — 862 words across 2 speakers (14 wpm). Insufficient instructional content for a summary.
- OFFICE HOURS: 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.
- OFFICE HOURS: 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.
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Resident Events
- Theory Gym: Scott Hampton
  May. 20, 8am (PT) | 11am (ET) | 4pm (UK)
- Weekly Beat Challenge: Nathan
  May. 20, 6pm (PT) | 9pm (ET) | 2am (UK)
- Office Hours: Jon Mattox
  May. 20, 8pm (PT) | 11pm (ET) | 4am (UK)
- Production Gym: Kallie
  May. 21, 5am (PT) | 8am (ET) | 1pm (UK)
- Office Hours: Ben Krueger
  May. 21, 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
- Office Hours: Nathan
  May. 21, 5pm (PT) | 8pm (ET) | 1am (UK)
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Courses
- Apr 19, 2026 Theory: Musician Basics
- Apr 22, 2026 Mixing: Effects, Synths & Tools
- Apr 27, 2026 DAW Core Skills
- Apr 27, 2026 FL Studio
- May 23, 2026 Logic Pro 1-Day Intensive
- Jun 10, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Jul 8, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Jul 12, 2026 DAW Core Skills
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