Pro Tools Intro: Producing a Song

If you're just getting started with the free Pro Tools Intro software and are ready to produce your first song, this Pro Tools video course is for you! Pro Tools expert Thomas Cochran takes you through the process of producing a song from start to finish, incorporating drum loops, synth bass, percussion, guitars, vocals, and more, using only Pro Tools Intro. You'll also learn about other valuable skills along the way, including music theory, arranging, and mixing. These videos are for those with a basic familiarity of Pro Tools and want to produce their first song.

Intro

• Song Play-Through (02:25) - Hear the song we'll be working with in this course so you know where we'll be heading.

Starting the Track

• Drums Pt. 1 (07:27) - Discover how to program a drum loop to use as the rhythmic foundation for the track. We can then write our melodies around our drums to give the song more groove.

• Drums Pt. 2 (10:20) - Learn how to fill out the rhythm of the track by adding in some claps and percussion parts.

• Percussion Loop (09:58) - See how intricate percussion patterns can be used to make simple songs more engaging. This video flips a loop from the built-in library to make a pattern.

• Synth Bass Pt. 1 (08:37) - Watch how to modify a bass patch on Xpand!2 to create a bass sound for our song. This video covers basic arrangement and music theory for making more interesting bass progressions.

• Synth Bass Pt. 2 (10:43) - Next we wrap up our discussion of the main bass patch by making several different parts for the chorus section.

• Reese Bass (05:48) - Discover how to take a simple lead synth patch and turn it into a Reese bass for the verse. This will be used to fill out the track and to add variation.

Melodic Elements

• Keys & Pad (15:31) - Now that the foundation for the song is laid out, Thomas creates some chords to go along with the track. This videos also shows how to take the chord progression and use it to make a simple synth pad.

• Guitar (08:39) - Next we move on to a guitar loop and show how to quantize and process the recording. This guitar will be used to add an ambient element to the main section of the song.

• Vocal Sample & Vocal Chops (13:58) - This video uses a vocal melody and background vocals to add some more elements to the arrangement. It also covers simple processing for the vocal.

Mixing & Arrangement

• Song Arrangement (05:05) - Next, we arrange the production, turning the various sections into a full song.

• Simple Mix (08:42) - Finally, Thomas builds a simple mix for the track to give it a more blended sound.