What's this course about?
I get asked about it all the time, so I made a video course breaking down all the basics you need to know to get started making beats. Reverse engineering techniques you hear in popular tracks, and detailing how to use them to do your own music.
We look at time stretching, sampling, drum programming, melodies, mixing, audio effects, recommended starting equipment, and more.
What do I need? Who's this for?
This class is for anyone interested in making beats. You don't have to have any musical experience. If you do have some, there's still something here for you to learn new perspectives and approaches.
I’ll be teaching in a program called Ableton Live, but the techniques are applicable to all software and genres. Ableton has a free 90-day trial that would be plenty enough for people to do the course and see if they like it before deciding whether or not to purchase the program.
You don't need any hardware equipment, but you do need a functioning computer or laptop.
Course Curriculum
(click the arrow to view the entire list)
- Example of Great Drum Beat: Grindin'
- How to Create a Drum Rack (2:42)
- Choosing Your Drum Sounds (3:38)
- Metronome, Tempo, and BPM (2:12)
- Using the Piano Roll to Program Drums (4:28)
- Changing Your Drum Sounds Later (2:53)
- Extending and Varying the Pattern (1:52)
- Midi Melodies, Chords, and Instruments (3:26)
- Benefits of Session View Approach (1:30)
- MIDI vs Audio (3:02)
- How to Record Audio (0:57)
- Intro to sampling (2:10)
- The two main types of sampling (2:24)
- Sample Example #1 (0:14)
- Sample Example #2 (0:29)
- Sample Example #3 (0:32)
- Loop-Based Sampling & Warp Modes (7:36)
- Slice-Based Sampling (5:40)
- Slicing in drum rack (2:51)
- Record your own drums (2:12)
- Fades (2:23)
- Reverse. (2:39)
- Double-Time & Half-Time (1:07)
- Changing the Pitch of a Sample (2:59)
Your Instructor:
I’m Dr. Marcus Norris, PhD.
I teach musicians how to Make, Market, and Monetize their music, using practical, no-fluff strategies.
I’ve taught or tutored at four accredited institutions, including teaching at UCLA, which is the #1 Public University in the country, and FIU, which is in the top 5 largest universities in the country.
I've had dozens of students and loved making a difference on their career journey. Even as a grad student at those universities, I was responsible for creating my lesson plans and designing curriculums.
The only downside was that I could only teach subjects that the university chose, which included topics like music theory from a time that predates the discovery of electricity. (No joke!)
I personally love these subjects and "nerd out" about them, but they aren’t always immediately useful in the real world for building an artist's career. Sometimes the world that Academia is preparing you for isn’t exactly the world that you’re competing in when you leave campus. I made this site to be able to teach topics that have practical value in today's market.
And also... just to teach things that I, and my students, find fun! I hope you enjoy. Send me an email if there's something you'd like to see covered here.