Next Event: Loading...

00: 00: 00: 00 Get Started

Session Player Kitchen

What does it take to be a professional musician? First, learn to program like one

In this course you will learn to make your programmed instruments sound like they were played by human hands. To this end, your instructor will show what is expected of a session player, and what tools and techniques you will need to record a perfect take every time. Learn how to communicate with engineers and artists to save yourself unnecessary time and frustration.

In this course you will learn to make your programmed instruments sound like they were played by human hands. To this end, your instructor will show what is expected of a session player, and what tools and techniques you will need to record a perfect take every time. Learn how to communicate with engineers and artists to save yourself unnecessary time and frustration.

Only then can you approach programming these instruments in a realistic manner.

Key Topics

Communication/Vocabulary
Drums
Drum Programming
Fills
Understanding Stringed Instruments
Programming Guitars and Bass
Expression
Rhythm Section
Mixing Considerations

Prerequisites: DAW Core Skills or equivalent proficiency in your platform.

Building This Class

Seats aren't on sale yet. Raise your hand to request enrollment and we'll build the next cohort around your availability.

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

Related videos

What students say

★
★
★
★
★

I took the “FX, Synthesis, and Mix Primer” class, and it was amazing! This class covers all types of effects, such as EQ, reverb, delay, compression, tremolos, phasers, etc. Not only does the class teach what the effects are and how to use

—Eric, Wisconsin

★
★
★
★
★

I was drawn to Beat Kitchen after coming across their videos on social media.

—Jason, California

★
★
★
★
★

Excellent at explaining and going through the process of helping one understand music and it’s many intricacies.

—Michael, Brooklyn, NY

★
★
★
★
★

I’ve been wanting to learn music production for a while and am so happy I found Beat Kitchen. The professors involved in this project are amazing - so talented, thoughtful and supportive. The classes help you develop the foundation and

—Belén, Los Angeles, CA

★
★
★
★
★

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

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.

Logic Pro X Core Live Logic Pro course in small groups — navigation, recording, editing, signal flow, and production workflow with a real … Ableton Core Live Ableton course in small groups — learn navigation, recording, effects, synthesis, mixing, and automation with a … Pro Tools Core Master Pro Tools, the industry standard DAW for recording and production. Learn essential operations, workflow, signal … FL Studio Core Master FL Studio with expert instruction. Learn navigation, workflow, MIDI programming, loop building, session …

Music Theory Learn fundamental musician skills including music theory, performance basics, and foundational concepts essential for … Mixing and Synthesis Tools Live course covering EQ, compression, reverb, delay, subtractive synthesis, gain staging, signal chain, and mastering — … Hardware & Recording Live recording course: microphones, audio interfaces, studio acoustics, stereo technique, and session workflow — …

Logic Pro 1-Day Intensive Full-day Logic Pro workshop for producers. Master navigation, recording workflow, editing, signal flow, and session … Ableton 1-Day Intensive THE TEN CHORDS WORKSHOP Master chord function and write instantly better music in one day. Unlock advanced harmony using the 10-Chord Toolkit … Orchestral 1-Day Intensive

Electronic Music Kitchen Master electronic music production fundamentals. Learn trance, bass music, EDM composition techniques, MIDI programming, … Hip Hop Kitchen Learn to create unique hip hop beats with professional structure, sound design, and mixing techniques. Master looping, … Orchestral Kitchen Master orchestral production techniques including articulation, arrangement, and realistic programming for brass, …

Session Player Kitchen Learn professional session player techniques and realistic instrument programming. Master drums, guitars, bass …

Vocal Kitchen Learn professional vocal recording, production, and processing techniques. Master microphone placement, vocal chains, …

Beat Building Jam Workshop ideas into songs. Peer feedback. Instructor support. Prep for production Mix Incubator Workshop your mixes. Peer feedback, instructor support, and problem-solving for tracks in progress. Production Incubator Workshop your productions. Peer feedback, instructor support, and problem-solving for tracks in progress. Recording Incubator Songwriting Incubator Workshop ideas into songs. Peer feedback. Instructor support. Prep for production

Mixing & Mixcraft Advanced live mixing course: parallel compression, sidechain, vocal chains, drum mixing, stereo imaging, automation, and … Recording Studio Masterclass Hands-on recording studio masterclass with professional equipment. Learn large format consoles, studio etiquette, and … Songwriter Masterclass Master songwriting techniques with professional composers. Learn melody writing, chord progressions, song structure, … Synthesist Masterclass Advanced synthesis masterclass covering wavetable, granular, FM synthesis, and sound design. Learn professional …

Beat Kitchen At-A-Glance

Beat Ktichen Calendar

See the full calendar
Recent Resident Gyms
- OFFICE HOURS: We talked about giving yourself grace when learning mixing and production, we hunted down a few reference tracks for Jon, We also talked about saturation and how to achieve a specific sound Jon was going for.
- PRODUCTION-GYM: We explored the songwriting and production craft of Tori Amos through three songs — "Silent All These Years" (1992), the new single "Shush," and "Cornflake Girl" — analyzing lyric writing, arrangement choices, frequency management in piano-driven production, and the relationship between a producer's frequency awareness and the mix engineer's workload.
- OFFICE HOURS: Checked in with students during open office hours, touched on the Beat Challenge leaderboard standings and encouraged continued participation. Discussed the Harmony Wheel app's new Android release and noted that testing on personal devices has been limited. Briefly explored the philosophy of choosing cover songs and the value of crowd-sourced input for that decision.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: Reviewed two submitted beats — one a polymetric rap piece built on a 9/8 sample with vocal phrasing that moves between 6 and 9, and one a piano-driven instrumental developed from the inchworm exercise, featuring arpeggiated chord progressions. Co-prime sequences came up as a theoretical framework for understanding the metric layering in both pieces, and the session extended into a broader discussion of generative songwriting practice, limitations-based writing, and the value of reps over output targets.
- THEORY-GYM: Covered the limitations of traditional music theory when applied to contemporary rock and songwriting, using chord quality recognition and ear training as a practical entry point. Discussed how borrowing chords outside a key's diatonic set is common and useful, and why chasing what sounds good often matters more than fitting strict theoretical rules. Offered guidance on learning songs by ear, alternate guitar tunings, guitar setup and maintenance, and using a DAW to capture and develop ideas.
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: We worked through the Hanon exercise as a harmonic training tool, running it in tenths across all keys via the circle of fourths and fifths. The focus was on using the melodic structure of the exercise to train the ear to catch wrong notes rather than watching the fingers navigate key changes. We also explored adapting the exercise to natural minor and attempted harmonic minor, which revealed the augmented second in that scale and introduced the Phrygian dominant scale as a related concept.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: We reviewed beats submitted by Christian and worked through feedback on mixing for multiple playback environments, arrangement choices under harmonic constraints, and the challenge of writing instrumental music in vocal-centered genres. We also touched on diminished chord symmetry as it relates to key rotation, and discussed the studio versus performance relationship as a broader creative framework.
- OFFICE HOURS: Covered approaches to managing sibilance on vocals recorded through cassette tape, including de-essing, multiband compression, frequency balancing, and saturation-based tape emulation techniques. Discussed snare replacement and sample triggering workflows in the context of a current mix project, including how to preserve a drummer's intentional dynamics. Reviewed two tracks brought by a student and gave detailed feedback on mix translation, and spatial decisions.
- THEORY-GYM: We explored secondary dominants using a real-world example: the chord progression from "Hush" by The Marias (A minor 9 – D7 – G major 7 – G7). The central question was how to identify and label non-diatonic dominant seventh chords in a progression whose key center is itself ambiguous. Discussion moved through multiple analytical lenses — five-of-five, five-of-four, modal interchange, and 2-5-1 in a relative major — without settling on a single definitive answer, which itself became part of the lesson.
- OFFICE HOURS: Covered foundational house music production concepts including beat structure, syncopation, bass line writing, sidechain compression, and basic mixing/mastering in FL Studio. Worked through a live build of a simple house beat from percussion patterns through bass layering, chord movement, and final limiting. Also reviewed a student's Ableton project built from hardware effects and discussed next steps for arrangement and sound design.
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Resident Events
- Weekly Beat Challenge: Nathan
  Jun. 29, 6pm (PT) | 9pm (ET) | 2am (UK)
- Office Hours: Cato Zane
  Jun. 29, 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
- Ear Training: Nathan
  Jun. 29, 7am (PT) | 10am (ET) | 3pm (UK)
- Theory Gym: Nathan
  Jun. 30, 5pm (PT) | 8pm (ET) | 1am (UK)
- Office Hours: Jam
  Jun. 30, 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
- Production Gym: Jam
  Jun. 30, 5am (PT) | 8am (ET) | 1pm (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
See All Courses
Request a Gym Topic

Helpful Links

Our Socials