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.
WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE:Reviewed beat submissions from the Weekly Beat Challenge queue, including work from John and Paul, with extended discussion around first-listen perception, pattern recognition, and how the brain constructs rhythmic meaning from ambiguous audio. Covered practical techniques for writing to picture, including the concept of "Mickey Mousing," and discussed how asymmetric loop lengths can reduce predictability in ambient and loop-based music. Paul was confirmed as the current Beat Challenge winner; the points reset policy was addressed and resolved.
OFFICE HOURS:We discussed staying motivated, thoughts about creativity and how to not be too constrictive in our work ethos- allowing for staying on task, but also room to reflect on life and be creative. Later Alee shared a work in progress with the group, and we also talked briefly about mastering, and how to think of digital signal processing order/structure.
OFFICE HOURS: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.
