Downtempo for Beginners

Production guru Josh Bess delivers an in-depth Downtempo production video tutorial series! See how to make your first beat in this popular genre, including sound design, editing, mixing and mastering for a polished, professional sounding track. These videos are designed for beginner producers looking to make their first Downtempo beat.

Song Writing & Arranging

• Introduction (01:40) - In this lesson, Josh introduces you to the Downtempo for Beginners course.

• Getting Started with Ableton Live 10 (02:28) - In this video, you will learn how to get started with Ableton Live 10.

• Starting with a Recorded Guitar (04:55) - See and hear why this guitar recording is perfect for the main foundation of this Downtempo song.

• Choosing the Best Drum Loop (08:03) - In this lesson, learn how to add a recorded drum part to your music.

• Humanizing a Drum Hit with Warping (01:58) - In this video, you will learn how to manipulate the rhythm of a drum recording with warping in Live 10.

• Transforming a Clock into a Percussion Part (02:43) - See how to turn a recording of a clock into a cool percussive instrument.

• Enhance the Backbeat with Claps (04:17) - In this lesson, you'll learn how to arrange a backbeat clap pattern.

• Create an Atmospheric Background Effect (04:35) - Discover how to create a spatial effect with with a Vocal and Frozen Reverb in Live 10.

• Bass Notes with a Frequency Visualizer (05:59) - In this video, you'll explore how to visualize the notes of your music with a frequency visualizer.

• Humanizing a MIDI Bass Part (02:07) - Learn how to manipulate the rhythm of your MIDI bass part, giving it a more humanized feel, as well as make it fit better with an existing Guitar part.

Sound Design & Recording

• Adjusting Pitch with a Frequency Shifter (02:23) - See how to adjust the pitch of non-tonal instruments with frequency shifter in Live 10.

• Humanizing a MIDI Synthesized Bass Part (04:08) - In this video, you'll learn how to humanize the tone of your MIDI instruments with sound design.

Mixing & Mastering

• Volume Balancing & Metering (10:32) - Learn all about how to start the mixing process with track level balancing.

• Mixing with EQ (11:05) - In this lesson, you will learn how to mix frequency levels with EQ.

• Stereo Width & Panning (03:41) - Josh now shows you how to widen the stereo image of your song with track pan in Live 10.

• Adjusting Stereo Width with Auto Pan (02:09) - In this lesson, you will learn how to automate the panning of a track with Auto Pan in Live 10.

• Adjusting Stereo Width with Utility (01:56) - Explore how to adjust the stereo width of a track with Utility in Live 10.

• Creating Space for Drums with Sidechain Compression (06:30) - In this video, see how to use Sidechain Compression to create space for your drums in the mix.

• Balancing Levels with a Multi-Band Compressor (04:54) - Josh now shows you how to balance levels of specific frequency spectrums in your song with multi-band compression.

• Increasing Volume & Managing Dynamic Range (05:19) - In this lesson, see how to boost and maintain the dB level of your master track with FabFilter Pro-L 2 limiter.

• Exporting Music with a Volume Fadeout (01:56) - Discover how to export a master audio file of your final song including a classic fade out effect.