About this course: This course addresses recorded vocal performances and the technologies used to highlight and support them in modern record production and mixes. Most of us know that vocals serve as the focal point of modern recordings but many do not know the tools used or when the tools are used best in modern record production. The course begins with simple vocal placement in a mix, where you will also learn the fundamentals of compression and equalization. You’ll further study delays and reverbs before moving to advanced concepts in audio editing, synthetic processing, automatic & graphic pitch correction, time compression, time expansion, flex and elastic audio. Through analysis and/or hands on projects that the students will post for peer review, the student will gain an understanding of the many choices available to modern record producers as they record and mix with a modern tool set. You’ll see, in action, the Vocoder, Auto Tune, Melodyne, Elastic Audio, Flex Time, Vocalign, tempo based editing and a host of other file modification protocols that are readily available on most Digital Audio Workstations. This course gives students a thorough look at the expanded choices that have risen in the art of vocal production as a result of these modern tools. The goal of the course is to help interested novices understand the recordings they are listening to, performers find an expanded language for their recorded voices and for vocal producers to be able to create musically artistic visualizations using singers as their paintbrushes.
Who is this class for: No prior songwriting or music production experience is necessary, although it is helpful. You should have a keen interest in music production, and a desire to share your music with others.
Taught by: Prince Charles Alexander, Professor
Music Production and Engineering
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/ week |
| Language | English |
| Hardware Req | You'll need to have a built-in or external microphone and basic audio recording software |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
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This course is amazing and offers you a lot of tools for vocal production, and Prince Charles Alexander is a great teacher!. My only suggestion will be to have a different final assignment. It was surprising to me that the final assignment was to do an essay, since the clases were pretty much all about applying the tools in your DAW, I really thought we were going to summit an audio vocal recording using some of the tools we learned during the course. But overall was great, thank you so much for bringing this to us!
Just Great :)
I audited this course. Had I been more serious on the music side, I would have done the specialization or completion certificate. The videos were great breakdowns of effects common to most DAWs. The walk through of using the effects made me more comfortable with exploring different settings other than what is in the defaults.
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Outstanding vocal production overview! Prince Charles Alexander is a multi-Grammy winning vocal mixer and producer. This course will greatly help those of us, like me, producing pop vocals. From here, students can explore pop vocal strategies in their future songs, using these ideas to think from.
I would only recommend that prince Charles Alexander's impressive credentials be featured more prominently in the introduction and course name, that the week 2 quiz be a little more relevant and harder, and that students should seek out techniques to bring out the best vocal production. A great vocal production starts with a great performance, not covered in this short class.