Music Production In Cubase

Module 1 - Getting Started In Cubase With A Drum Beat

The course begins with a quick check of the settings before diving right in and bringing in our first sounds. This gives your students the first opportunity to explore the interface, which allows them to bring media into the project, arrange it and manipulate it using the various tools available. They're going to make a basic drum sequence using Cubase stock audio samples that they will modify and edit to make their own unique beats. A bit later on in the course they will use the in-built drum machine Groove Agent to create extra fills and patterns, to make the drums more professional and learn about virtual instruments.

You can watch this lesson below.

Module 2 - Creating A Melody In Cubase

So they have a basic drum pattern but we now need to add the soul of our track; the melody. This is very easily done, even if your students don't have any music theory knowledge, as Cubase comes with some great tools to help them. The melody of the track is super important as it will spike a listener's interest, and if done right will keep them pulled in to your music. Students will use 'Chord Pads' in Cubase to help them come up with a basic chord progression, and with a bit of guidance they can learn to make this more complex and interesting by using simple and easy to repeat techniques.

You can watch this lesson below.

Module 3 - Audio & MIDI Editing

Throughout this course your students will be learning how to manipulate and edit MIDI and audio to bring their music to life. This course also explains how MIDI works, it's benefits and draw backs and how it differs from using audio using simple ideas and definitions.

They'll learn various techniques such as modifying chords, creating a lead melody out of an existing chord structure and learning how to adapt a drum pattern from Groove Agent to fit the needs of the track. Although this is a basic course for total newbies, your students will gain enough knowledge to produce their own basic tracks in Cubase.

Module 4 - Song Structure & Automation

After all the content for the track has been created, it's time to arrange it all into a structure that tells a great story. Your students are going to become familiar with what a good arrangement is and why the energy levels of each section are so important. They'll be able to choose the right elements for each section and be able to make each section stand out. A great story/song has ups and downs, it has tension and release and it generates an emotional connection with the listener. They'll learn how to do all of this with various techniques whilst getting to grips with basic automation in Cubase.

Module 5 - Recording In Cubase

Recording in Cubase can be a fun, creative and really rewarding experience. It can also be incredibly frustrating if you don't know what to do and how to setup for it. In this module your students will learn how to setup to record a microphone for a singer. Once we have dealt with the external setup we'll dive into Cubase to make sure we have the correct recording modes set up. If you don't have access to a singer, or your students don't fancy giving it a go, don't worry! We supply the final, polished audio for you to drop into your project. They will then apply EQ and compression to give the vocal a professional mix.

Module 6 - Mixing In Cubase

This is the final stage where it all comes together. Mixing can be one of the most difficult things to get right when you are new to making music. Here students will learn how to approach it and how to avoid common mistakes that other producers make. The key to a good mix is balance, but they need to understand what that means and how to achieve it. They're going to mix their track using most of the tools available in Cubase. We start with volume mixing and then using EQ and compression to clean and tighten. The goal here is to create a balanced mix with crystal clear separation between the elements. Finally they will export their work.

Lesson 1 - Getting Started

Cubase is a powerful DAW for any genre but just like any other DAW it has it's own unique quirks and workflow to master. Our graded courses make this simple for you, the teacher.

After a quick setup, Lesson 1 of this Grade 1 tutorial will ensure that your students start making a drum beat almost straight away. They'll start to explore facets of this massive and very powerful DAW as they bring in their first sounds and get used to the interface and main functions of Cubase.