Music Production w/ Pro Tools Vol 1 - Pop
Kenny Gioia is a multi-platinum producer and engineer who has worked with countless name acts. In this exciting series, he shows you his method for creating a professional, radio-ready Pop music production, out of nothing more than a rough guide vocal take.
Videos
• The Working Demo (03:37) - Kenny plays the vocal that the track will be produced around, as well as lays down some guide tracks.
• Song Setup (06:41) - Kenny's shows you how to map out the song's arrangement using markers and setting up some key plug-ins.
• Getting in the Groove (12:33) - Kenny demonstrates how to create a groove using one-shot samples, loops and effects to build a beat that further inspires you to work on the track.
• Adding Percussion (13:02) - Kenny now builds on top of the drum beat with percussion elements that take the song's groove to the next level.
• Keys Please (16:49) - Kenny now lays down the keyboards and synths. See him utilize many Pro Tools virtual instruments and MIDI features while creating foot tapping keyboard and synth parts.
• Acoustic Guitars (04:30) - Kenny puts down some real acoustic guitars to add depth and dimension to the song. He then better sits them in the track using EQ.
• Electric Guitars (06:08) - Kenny plugs in and rocks the song proper. He also shares his methods for better fitting and effecting the electronic guitar in the track by utilizing numerous plug-ins.
• Arrangement Tweaks (20:28) - Kenny starts to remove different elements from the song to create better dynamics and movement for the song.
• Give the Drummer Some (17:06) - Kenny now overdubs real, live drums into the production which elevates the song to new heights. He then uses Elastic Audio to fine tune the live drum groove so it fits perfectly with the programmed drums.
• Extra Samples (25:49) - Kenny now goes back and adds extra samples such as crashes, reverse crashes and synth effects to create excitement and impact to the song. Cool automation tricks are also shown.
• More Keys Please (14:36) - Kenny Rewires in Propellerhead Reason to add some uplifting piano, string and synth parts to the song. An effected tremolo guitar is then added for even more depth.
• Printing VIs (06:48) - Kenny shows you how to print all of your virtual instruments to individual audio tracks in order to save computer power and not have Reason running in the background real-time. He also goes over how to duplicate the send effects on the original VI tracks onto the newly printed audio tracks preserving the effect sound.
• Power Guitar (04:30) - Kenny decides to add some heavy electric guitar to the song to make the chorus even more rock sounding, while still preserving the other chorus section elements.
• Guitar Special FX (17:52) - See how Kenny creates guitar swells and stuttering filter effects to add even more dynamics to the song.
• Percussive Guitar (04:59) - Kenny lays down the 'chick' guitar sound to make the song groove harder.
• Live Bass (08:45) - Kenny busts out the bass to give the song a harder edge and groove. He then explores different plug-ins and settings that make up a killer bass tone. He then arranges the live bass into the perfect bass track.
• Octave Guitar (10:29) - Kenny creates a thick octave guitar sound to complement the chorus lead vocal line and drive the melody home.
• Track Grouping (07:48) - Kenny explains and demonstrates how to manage all of your tracks so you can better navigate and produce your song.
• Lead Vocals (07:10) - Kenny is now ready to cut the 'keeper' vocal tracks. He has the singer in the vocal booth and records all the takes and comps the ultimate lead vocal. Auto-Tune is also featured to make the vocals pitch perfect.
• Vocal Doubling (06:19) - Kenny demonstrates how he likes to track doubled vocals to make specific parts fatter and more powerful sounding.
• Harmonies (08:13) - Kenny breaks down the main vocal harmonies going over their arrangement, panning and placement in the song.
• Bridge Vocals (04:46) - See how Kenny treats just the bridge vocals to give them more weight and forward motion as they move into the chorus section.
• Vocal Special FX (16:56) - Kenny now creates an interesting vocal break down effect to make the transition into the last chorus more powerful and exciting.
• Reverse Vocal FX (09:47) - Discover how Kenny adds a cool reverse vocal reverb effect during different parts of the song to create more forward motion.
• Automating Vocals FX (17:44) - Kenny fine tunes the vocal delay effect and dials in the perfect repeat amount and tone on select vocal phrases.
• One Last Thing (06:18) - Kenny adds the final percussive element, different hi-hats on the upbeat of the different parts of the song. This really makes an impact on the groove and results in a world-class production.
• The End (04:41) - Kenny says some final words and plays the final 'board mix' from beginning to end. This pro-production is now ready to be mixed and mastered!