Cubase Beginner To Pro TUTORiAL
P2P | 14 December 2022 | 3.09 GB
Follow along step by step in Cubase, and transform a beginner level mix into a professional level mix, from start to finish. Along the way you will learn all the techniques and skills you need to be able to transform your own tracks to be release ready.
Watch the course overview for more details, and to listen to the MASSIVE difference between the starting mix and what you will end up with.
Everything you need (Cubase projects, MIDI, presets, and audio) is provided in the workfiles, so please download them when you start the course.
PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE WORKFILES ATTACHED TO LESSON 03 (RESOURSES)
This is an in depth course that will take you step by step through the process of transforming a beginner level track. As you progress through the course you will learn everything from how to build on existing ideas, and create new elements for the mix, improve the song structure, how to develop those ideas, how to make your music more emotive (you don’t need to play an instrument or have any prior music theory knowledge), all the way through to arranging, mixing and mastering.
Here are more details on what you will get out of the course.
Module 1 – Creating More Emotion
After a quick intro to make sure everyone is on the same page, you’ll jump right into changing the piano, using an incredible free instrument and programming a more emotive performance.
We’ll expand the arrangement to make a proper radio edit, discussing the theory of how to keep listeners engaged with your music, by using various techniques, like teasing the chorus and creating tension & release for maximum impact. You’ll also be using more advanced, and effective filtering automation to help create contrast between the sections of the track.
Module 2 – Additional Elements
Building on our basic arrangement, you’ll learn to layer some of the existing elements with other synth or organic instruments to subtly enhance them, making them fuller and more lush. You’ll also add additional music parts based on the original chord progression, to add variation and excitement to the mix.
We’ll then add some completely new elements to help the progression of the song and build up the energy.
Furthermore, we’ll be revisiting the original vocal recording project to find extra vocals to use in the track.
Module 3 – A Better Chorus
The chorus is the linchpin of the entire track. If your chorus is weak, the track will be weak. You’ll learn to enhance the chorus section in various ways; by adding new vocals, and using automated formant shifting to create an impactful and energetic hook line. You’ll also use doubled vocal takes, and stereo widening/unison to make the chorus vocals stand out.
Then you’ll learn to add another layer to the synth to help thicken it up and make the chorus fuller. By the time we’re done, the chorus will have a stark, but fitting contrast from the rest of the track.
We’ll also make changes to the second chorus to keep the track interesting.
Module 4 – Mixing & Tightening
Before we get into mixing, you’ll learn the most fundamental mixing skills, and why they are so important to keep in mind as you work; a ‘mixing map’ that will help you in all your projects. We’ll also have a deep dive into the ESSENTIAL art of ‘how’ to use reference tracks to get pro results in your own mixes.
We’ll then get into tightening the entire mix, learning what can, and should be tightened, to make the mix cleaner and more open.
Module 5 – Drums & Low End Mixing
The kick and the bassline are the foundation of any good electronic track, so it is imperative that you get this right. If you have a weak foundation, the rest of the elements will be unstable. You’ll learn to create a big amount of space in your mix by shortening the kick drum and applying processing to really make it ‘thump’. The kick also has a grounding effect on the other elements of the track, which is fundamentally important to the energy of the track.
We’ll then work on the bassline, tightening and reducing unwanted reverb to give a tighter sound, and layering with a dedicated sub bass + processing, to make it as fat as possible.
Module 6 – Leads & Vocal Mixing
The leads and piano are a focal point of the track, and play an important role in providing the texture and energy of the mids and high frequencies. However, they share some of the frequencies with the vocal, so you’ll learn how to make the leads and piano fatter, but also maintain a big sounding vocal.
You’ll learn to process the leads with more advanced multiband compression to get that ultra modern pro sound (single band is shown for Elements users) + other processing.
The vocals will be treated with more advanced EQ and compression settings, to help match it to the reference track and give it more dynamic impact. You’ll also learn how to use reverb correctly on ALL the elements of your track, which done correctly will enable you to get that big vocal sound.