Erika: Online Mentorship (II)

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Session 1 - Introduction

LIVE - Group Session - 19th October [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 00am CET]
Homework Week 1
Handouts Session 2

The introduction is an extra session to the complete programme, it is not mandatary to attend. However this is where you will get the opportunity to introduce yourself to the group and hear a little about the other participants. Sebastian will also go over some frameworks for the course, these will also be emailed to everyone after the session.

Frank will talk you through his studio set up, what decisions lead him to his current set up. Specific talk about several topics such as cabling, workflow, software and hardware and “real instruments” and acoustics.

Hardware set up, cabling and workflow
Software set up and configuration
Analog synths, drum modules and drum machines
Effect units and Pedals
Hardware vs. Software
Preamps and Converters
“Real“ instruments
Some thoughts about monitors and acoustics

Erika will introduce the course and platform, share with you her experience and background, and discuss the concept of making live music.

Welcome!
Housekeeping
What is playing live?
From pure improve to live playback
Alone or together?
Content that isn’t music

Neel will talk you through his studio, explaining how it evolved over the years, what does the studio represent in his life and what decisions lead him to his current setup. In this session we will have specific talks on different topics such as the importance of our listening environment, speaker positions, hardware and digital setup, AD/DA conversion.

Setting up a studio: what is important to know
What does a studio represent to us?
Listening position
Home studio, considerations, pros and cons
Introduction to my music production workflow. Hardware and digital configuration, my instruments, DAW, effects
AD/DA conversion, sound card
Matching the signals, avoiding ground loop, latency issues

Meet your instructor Alma. In your first session you'll get to know her background in the music industry and take a first look at how her expertise can help to advance your music career. She will also get to know you better and understand your current status as an Artist.

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Session 2 - Gear 1: Instruments

LIVE - Group Session - 26th October [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 00am CET]
Homework Week 2
Handouts Session 3

Improvisation as the core of Sebastian's approach to music, a philosophical introduction to the concept and its importance to tapping into your creativity.

We look at improvisation & creativity as something innate within human nature:

Improvisation is to listen; what is listening?
Sebastian's approach to improvisation
Similarities between improvisation and meditation.
Improvisation; the creative expression
Improvisation; openness and awareness
The importance of improvisation - healing and acceptance
Different improvisation exercises
Improvisation with Circle of Live
Let improvisation flow into your general life; Is improvisation our natural expression?

Frank will discuss the different mechanisms (pre-sets, tools, tricks) that he uses to help him improvise, capture valuable moments, condense the material, arrange his ideas, and finishing a song.

How to start creating a song
How to start a remix
Some tricks I use
Finding ideas through experimenting
Recording a good signal
Jamming in the studio
Sequencing

During these 3 gear sessions, Erika will walk you through her setup, discuss the roles that different machines play, and show how they work together. She will also address options and ideas beyond her current build, and provide a framework for planning your setup to keep track of cabling and connections.

Sound Design
Synthesizers & drum machines
Recorded sound
Effects
Sequencers
Looping & live playing

The second session will be focused on different aspects of music production. Neel will show you his approach to music creation, the different techniques he uses and how his setup is important for his workflow. Moreover, he will talk you through his inspirations, methods and expressive intentions that lead him into making music.

The importance of having a ready-to-go setup (are you able to quickly record a musical idea?)
How to get inspired when we feel we are not
How to make the sound we have in mind
Exploiting the most from our instruments, the importance of limiting and disciplining ourselves
Experimenting with tools (Unconventional ways of making sounds)
Making movement in a sound (How to avoid flattened sounds)
Hardware synthetisers and drum machines; which ones do I use the most and why I love them.

Success in the music industry requires a pragmatic approach to creativity. Learn how to estimate your value, what to consider when approaching an agency, and how best to utilise social media and your creative output.

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Session 3 - Gear 2: Power, MIDI & CV

LIVE - Group Session - 2nd November [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 5pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 11pm CET]
Homework Week 3
Handouts Session 4

The topic of improvisation naturally leads to the idea of collaborations, their role in the creative process (and of improvisation), listening and paying attention to other artists.

Improvising alone vs with others
Openness / inspire & get inspired
Different collaborations / unlocking different things.
Invite / sharing your ideas
Temporary roles
Listen
Non violent communication

In the first session of the second week. Frank will lead you through his live-set-up. When you have watched this video, he will go into further details on the set-up, introduce you to his workflow on stage and answer further questions you may have.

Planning a live set and initial thoughts
What equipment I use and why I choose it
Bringing your own gear vs. renting
Centerpieces: Computer and Mixing desk
My workflow on stage
About travelling with gear

In the second gear session, Erika will show you how to connect your instruments with MIDI and CV, and discuss the intricacies of sync, programming and control. She will also explain power and electricity, to keep your gear safe at home and on the road.

Electricity: powering your gear at home and on stage
Power cabling
Keeping time with MIDI sync, clock & transport
Playing music with MIDI channels, notes, PC and CC
Backup, restore and update with MIDI SYSEX
MIDI & CV cabling

This session will be entirely focused on mixing concepts and techniques. Neel will treat this key topic from both theoretical and practical sides. He will share his experience in the field with tips and demonstrations, and help you with any doubts or questions.

What does mixing mean, what is your final goal
How to start a mixdown, how to prepare yourself for a mixdown
Mixing fundamentals, principles and tools that will always be valid
Different ranges of frequencies, how to make the best choices and find the right balance
Dynamic processing: how to treat your sound properly
Spatialisation: the importance of creating a sound's image and its depth
Differences between an analog and digital mixdown, & the power of combining the two
Final test, master chain, general considerations and tips

In this session Alma digs deeper into the structure, agenda, and priorities of booking request. Understand how and when to pitch to festivals, who to involve in the process and what to expect of them, as well as developing the intuition to navigate these challenges confidently.

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Session 4 - Gear 3: Computers, mixers and audio

LIVE - Group Session - 9th November [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 00am CET]
Homework Week 4

Discover how reconnecting with nature and meditation can be used as tools to unlock your own creativity.

Meditation:

Different meditation techniques and exercises.
Daily practice / retreat
Meditation - non state
Reminding, not teaching. presence is not something you learn, it's you!

Nature:

The natural expression of the wild
Just be in nature, no activity.
Different exercises in nature.

In the second part of Frank’s introduction to his live-set, he will share more of his experiences on stage. He will give you background information on his approaches and solving issues on stage

Song selection
How i create a live version of a song
Jamming and improvisation
Reacting on problems, dropouts etc
Attaching to the room and audience
Respecting the people playing with you

In the third and final gear session, Erika will talk through using computers and audio mixers in the studio and on stage.

Using computers for jamming and live performance
Considerations for taking a laptop on stage vs using a computer in your studio
Review different styles of mixers
Choosing a mixer for studio and for live
Audio cabling: different cable types and making the right connections
Gain staging

It's been now more than ten years that Neel started his professional activity with mastering, working and contributing to define the sound of some of the best labels and artists in the scene. This session will be fully dedicated to mastering both from the conceptual and the technical point of view. Neel will treat all the main topics of it, sharing his direct experience on field and showing some of his favourite techniques and methods of work.

What is important to understand when you listen to someone's music. What is the purpose of a mastering engineer.
Critical listening: why it is a main step of the mastering process
Enisslab: The beginnings, how Neel built it's identity and improved it
Being a music producer and a mastering engineer at the same time: the challenges and benefits
Outboards and plugins: my setup
What is the difference between a professional mastering and a self made/software/algorithms mastering
How to understand the right hardware or plugins to use for our purpose
Mastering chain. Aspects to consider.
Multiband compressing: what it is and why is it used on mastering.
Loudness protocols
Differences between digital, vinyl/tape and streaming platforms

Missed your flight? Reckless promoter not responding? Technical meltdown on stage? In this final session Alma will take you through the horror stories of being a touring artist and how to deal with difficult situations. You’ll learn the skills needed to be diplomatic, how to negotiate, and how to prepare for the road ahead.

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Session 5 - Jamming

LIVE - Group Session - 16th November [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 00am CET]

Sebastian will talk through his studio set up, what decisions lead him to his current set up and his advice. Specific talk about several topics such as Software, Hardware, Soundcards etc.

Software set up and configuration
Hardware configuration
Soundcards
Tape Machine (and why would you consider using it?)
Midi controllers / control surface
Loopers
Issues of noise and hum, how to avoid and how to live with it
Stomp boxes and pedal trains
Cables
Sequencers

Touring as a solo-act is one part of Frank. However the integral part of collaboration has been present and vital to Frank also before his electronic music career. He will introduce to the different forms and aspects of his collaborations and how you can grow / develop through these team efforts.

Opening up for making music with others
Improvising
Sharing
The importance of listening
Studio collaborations
Collaborations on stage
About touring with a band

Erika will talk about her creative process, which begins with live jamming, and show you some techniques and ideas for writing music that will ultimately become part of your live performance.

What is jamming?
What do you get out of jamming?
Jamming solo vs jamming with others
Being ready to jam
Ideas and exercises
Listening

Playing live has always been an important part of Neel's musical life. During this session he will show you how his live setup works and how it changed and evolved in the years. Additionally, he will share with you some of the experience he gained over the years through practical tips and anecdotes from his shows. Last part of the session will be dedicated to a live improvisation where Neel will show you and explain progressively all the decisions he takes.

Different approaches and possibilities when you build a live session
Being able to improvise, listening what we do, feeling confortable with it
My personal way to approach live performances. Why I keep on changing my setup.
Modular synthesizer: how I use it to perform and how I combine it with other machines
Technical issues and problem solving: before or while playing.
Circle of Live: Setup, interaction. How it works, why every time it's different.
Live jamming

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Session 6 - Preparing A Set

LIVE - Group Session - 23rd November [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 00am CET]
Homework Week 6

With improvisation as a technical aspect, Sebastian will discuss the different mechanisms (pre-sets, tools, tricks) that he uses to help him maintain a clear mind and therefore more open to the flow of creativity.

Express and write without a specific purpose
What is your intention with making music? Allow that intension, don’t work against it
Meditation as a tool, why does it help your studio work?
Spend time with an instrument without recording, just for the pleasure of playing/feeling music.
Different angles to approach the expression. Layering / free improvisation / arranging / looping /
Use your feelings as a starting point
Define your temporary frame and express from that
Accept yourself, honour yourself, allow all feelings also the ones that are harder to accept

In this last episode Frank will give you an insight of how his story went so far. Here you will learn about his thoughts on communicating and relations, mistakes and decisions.

Building a team
Travelling
Treating people
My way
Motivation and goals
My way / your way
Mapping
Push & Midi looping

Molding jams into a solid live performance requires both intention and organization. Erika will show you the tools and techniques she's developed for turning sounds and sequences into a set that flows well.

What to prepare and why
Jamming and practice as preparation
Organizing sounds and sequences
Making backups
Creating notes or a set list
Being mentally prepared

During this session Neel will talk you through his life experiences in making music with others artists. How he approached it from the creative and technical side, how the different projects evolved in the years and what do they represent to him.

What does collaborating with another artist means? The importance of sharing.
How to merge two different artistic personalities into one
My collaboration experiences (Voices From The Lake, LF58)

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Session 7 - Practice

LIVE - Group Session - 30th November [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 00am CET]
Homework Week 7

Sebastian will talk you through the various software programmes he uses, plugins and software synths (and why).

Computer
Ableton
What software synths and plug ins
Soundcard
Midi controllers & control surfaces
My template
Mapping
Push & Midi looping

Practicing is how you grow from being capable to being excellent. Becoming ready to perform at a gig is about practicing more than just your music. Erika will discuss many methods of practicing to become ready for the stage.

Practicing your music
Structuring your music practice
How I practice for different types of sets
Dealing with creative blocks
Simulating the real world
Practicing recovery
What you can't practice

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Session 8 - Recording

LIVE - Group Session - 7th December [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 00am CET]

In this second module focusing on playing live, Sebastian will follow up on the topic by discussing the hardware aspect of his live set up and help you with any doubts or questions you may have to build your own.

Mixer
Synths
Drummachines
Midi interface
Midi keyboard
Outboard effects
Signal mergers
Bags and travel recommendations (to protect your gear on the road)

There are several reasons to record your full live sets, or live versions of individual tracks, and many ways to make recordings. Erika will talk through how, why and when to record, and show you how she makes both studio and gig recordings.

Recording as a part of jamming and practice
Recording with the intent to publish or release
Two-track vs multitrack recording
Audio fidelity: bit rates, disk space and file types
You've made a recording. Now what?

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Session 9 - Performance

LIVE - Group Session - 14th December [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 00am CET]

Sebastian will share his tricks about finding peace and presence on stage. These include pragmatic solutions to finding your creative flow, and a more holistic approach to touring (for e.g. monitoring and sleep).

Your live set up is your trampoline and your parachute
Your presence is your inner trampoline and parachute
What are your intentions for playing live? Recognise them and honour them.
Do it! Learn by doing and accepting ”failure”

Practical things to think about:

Technical rider and advancing
Monitoring
Renting equipment VS bring everything yourself
Pre-connected vs connect on sound check
Having a tour manager (or do I need one?)
Cases, bags etc.
Rest & meditation

While each performance is different, there is a basic structure to a performance day. Erika will take you through the details of what should happen on the day of a show, including everything that could go wrong, and what to do when things don't go as planned.

Before a show: tech and hospitality riders
Arrival, setup, and soundcheck
Returning to the venue, linecheck, and performing
Teardown
Aftershow

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Session 10 - Business & Travel

LIVE - Group Session - 21st December [Group 1: 12pm EDT / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EDT/ 00am CET]

Sebastian uses freestyle live looping as well as prepared sketches, both when he plays live and when he improvises in the studio. This episode gives a deeper insight into these two approaches and in what way you can combine them for better creative flow.

Looping

Looping / improvisation / meditation
Looping in the studio
Boss RC-505
Midi looping with Push
Duo Looping

Sketches

Sketches built on 12 sounds
How to record sketches from scratch
How to make a sketch from an existing song/track of your own

The final session is about the gig business and traveling, two topics that are incredibly important to live performance, but can be difficult to tackle as a creative person. Erika will share with you her understanding of how these things work, including the ways they can go right and wrong. She will also show you her packing and gear protection system.

Getting gigs, on your own or with an agent
Fielding inquiries and offers/li>
Turning offers into signed contracts
Planning travel: more than just bookings
Packing and traveling with your gear
Self-caret

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Session 11 - Follow-up Q&A session

LIVE - Group Session - Date TBD [Group 1: 12pm EST / 6pm CET] [Group 2: 6pm EST/ 00am CET]

As a final chapter, we will look at the misconception there is around having a team for underground electronic music artists. The importance of finding the right people to work with, who share your values and can cultivate their knowledge to bring your creative ideas to fruition.

Working with a team VS doing everything yourself
Your voice and intentions
Allowing a creative flow within the team
Establish ways of communication / Non Violent communication
Manager
Booking Agent / Subagent
Record Label
Publicist / Press agent
Social media manager
Tour manager

Two months after the course concludes, join an optional follow-up session to share your progress and thoughts, and to ask questions of Erika and the group at large. There is no formal agenda for this meeting, it's simply an opportunity to reconnect, check in, and address anything that comes up after a period of working on and growing your musical practice.