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Music school in toronto Canada

hey my names peter , i posted on here i think a couple of times... I was just wondering where can i go to learn this music stuff. I live in toronto Canada, I know theres a place trebass institute but i think you have to have a high school diploma which i dunt have yet because im only 17 and im going to finish school in one more semester --

anyways i just want to learn basically how to make a song and master it with effects and everything. One thing im havin alot of trouble is when i make a song and i put my speaker loud theres to much hissing, but whenm its low, it sounds perfect. I need to learn how to use a compressor and what not. I dont want to wait untill im done high school to start so please can someone help me thanks

heres a sample of a song i remade for fun, Ian van dahl - castles in the sky.

http://s16.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2MQBAUEDLTS7G2Q3C4GO6M7VW8

Re: Music school in toronto Canada

quote:

Originally posted by unleashed_gino1 One thing im havin alot of trouble is when i make a song and i put my speaker loud theres to much hissing, but whenm its low, it sounds perfect. http://s16.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=...7G2Q3C4GO6M7VW8

thats what headphones are for.

as for your track, it sounds good but ur vocals seem to go off beat or something. Other than that it sounds good.

i'm in trebas, and no highschool, but you have to be +19 if you dont have highschool, which i am.

The only accredited school in Ontario to learn recording engineering is Fanshawe College in London. But, it's not the type of place you go to learn "this music stuff". It's the type of place you go if you want to make a career out of living and breathing music production and recording engineering of all types and genres. It's also next to impossible to get into as you have to be a somewhat accomplished musician (and not just electronic music).

soo i guess the best thing for me is to wait untill i get my diploma and get into trebass i guess

Depends on what your goal is. If you want to work in a recording studio for a living, don't waste your time and money at Trebas. Institutes like that are considered a bit of a joke by most people who work in the industry, the same way the International Academy of Design (in Toronto) is looked down on by professional graphic designers (apologies to anyone who attends either of those "schools" but it's true). I worked at a studio for a few years and the engineers would laugh when they received an application with Trebas listed. If you really want to work as a recording engineer, my advice would be to find a small local studio and see if you can get a job as a lackey. It won't pay much but it will get you in the environment and if you're lucky and express enough interest they'll hopefully let you start getting in on some of the recording sessions or teaching you about the process and equipment in general. Alternatively, go through your highschool and try and find a studio that you could do a co-op program with (this is what I did). Given your age, that might be your best option as it's a very difficult industry to get into with little or no experience.

If you just want to produce electronic music and aren't interested in working in a studio with other genres of music and other people's music, teach yourself. Save up and get some gear (hardware and software), learn it inside out, and read everything you can about recording techniques, synthesis etc...
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here's some good places to start: www.soundonsound.com and www.futureproducers.com
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i would second that trebas isnt a wise choice

i would recommend speakin to Drale about Harris Institute (think thats it) and also like xls suggested about bein a recording studio as a lacky...but racism seems to be an issue...i.e. my history with Green House (choclairs label...apparently there not to kind with italians)

as for jus EDM...i would suggest checking out

www.serious-sounds.net and reading there forums...they have a well done list of how to create melodies for every genre of edm along with tips on basslines percs build-ups wooshes etc.

there is also my site www.alphazen.com (switch the ph to a f)were i provide links to free samples n vst's to start off

sebasano

gl with this journey bro...u got to have alot of patience with this along with an open-mind

P.S. i do not recommendusing hardphones to produce...alot of shit happens where the sounds might be too high...or high pitched which could seriously damage ur hearing...i would be very cautious with headphones...i dont use'em

hey yeah someone mentioned something about co op - i did do that actually i was going to some guys apartment where he has a studio setup in downtown toronto, i went there a couple of times. The reason for this is because he was really busy and he was making an album. I only went like 4 weekends in a row, he tried to assign me to work with his oher buddys but that didnt work out either. I just couldnt waste 3 hours going and comin back. thats like the biggest mission u can pull. I couldnt even write down those 3 hours as my hours to pass Co op.

Some guy on the net told me to get this book called The Dance Music Manual ...it has 500 pages , and it teachs u alot. I can order one from chapters book store.

Should i buy that book and learn from it.

and im also thinking about buying a access virus c, a pair of monitors, and a mixer maybe.

If i put this book to test i think it would be a good idea wut do u think ?

oh yah and im thinkin of getin a sample cd with one shot samples and alot of loops....maybe even a couple of cds. cuz my samples are really bad.

im against loops...cuz there a waste

Sebasano

ummm okk?

but do u think wut i said is a good idea lol

quote:

Originally posted by unleashed_gino1 hey yeah someone mentioned something about co op - i did do that actually i was going to some guys apartment where he has a studio setup in downtown toronto, i went there a couple of times. The reason for this is because he was really busy and he was making an album. I only went like 4 weekends in a row, he tried to assign me to work with his oher buddys but that didnt work out either. I just couldnt waste 3 hours going and comin back. thats like the biggest mission u can pull. I couldnt even write down those 3 hours as my hours to pass Co op. Some guy on the net told me to get this book called The Dance Music Manual ...it has 500 pages , and it teachs u alot. I can order one from chapters book store. Should i buy that book and learn from it. and im also thinking about buying a access virus c, a pair of monitors, and a mixer maybe. If i put this book to test i think it would be a good idea wut do u think ? oh yah and im thinkin of getin a sample cd with one shot samples and alot of loops....maybe even a couple of cds. cuz my samples are really bad.

3 hours going and coming back? Where are you going/coming from? There's bound to be something closer to you!

Books are an excellent place to start. There's also a ton of info on the net. For best results, don't just narrow your focus to Dance Music. Recording Engineering has basic rules and techniques that apply to every genre. Learn about how more advanced effects like compressors and gates work and when to use them. Learn those basics first and then specialize to particular genres by learning the tips and tricks. The book you mentioned looks pretty good on first glance, but it might not have the absolute basics you need to learn first.

As for buying some gear, the virus is an excellent synth, very flexible. It's fairly easy to use but you will need the manual. Decent monitors and a good mixer are a must as well. What are you planning to use as a sequencer? I recommend Cubase but others will argue to no end about Reason, Fruity Loops, Cakewalk, etc... I like Cubase because it's MIDI implementation is amazing and I find the mixer closely emulates a hardware mixer as far as routing capabilities etc... But I've been using it since the early 90s and have never used anything else so I'm obviously biased.

Sample CDs are good - you'll need a good sample library (and a decent software sampler). As for the comments about loops being a waste - that's bullshit. As long as you don't build entire tracks out of pre-canned loops, they're very useful. Just make sure you process them enough that you've got something original and you're set.

Above all else, don't expect overnight results. I started producing as a hobby in 92-93ish and didn't have my first label release until 2000. Gear, software and presets have improved a lot since then, so you should be able to get decent results in a shorter time than that, but you will still need to be patient.

hey thanks alot man i love wut u said and i agree to that - this place is the best ,and thanks to all of u..

this is wut im planning to do. i am going to buy soem books maybe 3 or 4 and learn the basics of everything. i do have some connections here with producers but i dunt know them my self my friends know themn. After i have read those books i will go to those guys and maybe put wut i know to work and ill even pay them to teach me wut they know and basic studio stuff.

after that i want to get a pair of monitors. and a synth ( access virus )....I dunt know about the mixer , can i go mixerless...wut exactly is soo good about mixer, am i just able to controll the volumes and pans - cuz i can do that in my sequencer ( sonar )...

Thanks

If you have multiple hardware synths (or one synth with multiple outs, like the Virus and most other multi-timbral synths) you'll want a way to combine all the sounds before sending them to an amp or to your PC input. Unless you have a multi-input soundcard, which can be pricey if you're just starting out, you'll need a mixer. All I use it for is to get a rough mix on my hardware synths, and then route each one to my computer input individually on my mixer's alternate outputs. Once I've got all the synth parts in Cubase as individual audio files, I use the Cubase mixer to apply effects and get a final mix. Behringer makes affordable little mixers that are OK, but Mackie is a much better product as far as durability and sound quality go.

why even start with an access virus c? apart from the fact it still costs a bomb, its much harder to program than many softsynths and even a lot of hardware synths. nord lead 2x was the easiest hardware synth to program that ive used. my virus b has many modulation options. many variables which are dependant on the action of another variable. therefore if you start fiddling without thinking what you are doing and understanding the effect of what you are doing, you will, 90% of the time end up with a bassy sludgy mess of a patch at the end. even after a year of solid production i dont feel very comfortable with it. i still feel i make better patches in vanguard.

the learning curve on the virus, combined with having to learn studio rigging, MIDI *and* the steep leaning curve of cubase on top of all that is just...wow...i cant even begin to imagine how i would cope with that all at once.

gino you would definitely benefit from a pair of monitors straight away. + a matching amp to go with it (or just get active monitors) - theres alot of good advice around here regarding this. as for the dance music manual. its more of an industry resource. its full of contact addresses, phone numbers for various organisations and people within and around the music business. whilst you can benefit from that immensly you have to ask yourself is it the right time to think about marketing your music when its still very much a process in development. there are better tutorial based material that are specifically written for (as an example) understanding subtractive synthesis, learning how to use cubase. or theres plenty of great tutorials on the net written by people gracious enough to spend some time helping all of us.

you can go mixerless and use the internal mixer in alot of host applications if need be. i dont see it as a prerequisite. i use floops. the industry standards seem to be cubase and logic so if you can get to grips with those then that may look better on paper saying you are proficient with those. i just use whatever im comfortable with (as i think any producer should but thats just my opinion). as ive said before you really dont need the virus right off. if you are determined to have a hardware VA then a nord lead would be my choice for a starter although it wont make your productions better having one. it wont fix all the problems in the mixes you are currently making. this is often a common mistake that people make when going out and buying an expensive peice of kit. it is commonly known as wishful thinking.

bottom line is - you can make amazing productions with free and cheap software. as with anything though, it takes time and effort and alot of patience to make it seem effortless. but its a ride im still near the beginning of and so far im not regretting it one bit.

hey ur right man, i dunt need the virus i guess if u think bout it, im gona be honest im just buyin wut ever people are buyin thinkin my stuff is gona souind beter ive thought bout it, and ur right it wont. I just want those sounds soo badd. but anyways Im up for those monitors,and mixer. Wut does the amp do. I need more info on that cuz i styll dont understand it thanks

the amp powers the monitors. except in the case of active monitors which have amplifiers built into them. if you get passive monitors you need to power them though.

example in question. i think tannoy reveals are popular around here. the passive version is red and retails for about �150 for the pair. the amp will probably cost alot more. around �200 minimum. with the active tannoy reveals (greenish blueish colour) you dont need an amp. they cost around �350 though.

the thing with monitors though is that the defnition is high and you notice alot more detail in the sound that is playing back from them. absolutely essential. the biggest jump i had in my production quality was ditching the sony fontopia headphones and monitoring on hifi speakers. i seek monitors too but im very broke. i have considered selling on my virus b for a pair of tannoy reveals.

i think i found out about the whole virus thing the hard way. i bought one but owing to a number of factors and problems i have with my soundcard i rarely use it. its a great sounding synth dont get me wrong. but it wasnt the all out miracle i thought it would be and i was a bit stupid for thinking that it would be to be honest. im in two minds of whether i should sell it on. part of me says 'keep it and work with it to see what happens - rome werent built in a day.'...

Derivative makes a good point. Gear isn't going to fix your problems if you don't know the basics of recording, and if you don't know how to use that gear. That being said, if you don't get the gear, you'll never learn how to use it. If I were going to recommend a good starter synth for learning the basics of subtractive synthesis (the easiest and probably most common type), I would say go with a Juno 106, a classic analog synth. All the options are clearly laid out on the front panel - moving a fader gives you basically instant results in the sound, so you can learn how certain things affect the sound. It's not the most versatile synth, as it's not multi-timbral (it can only play one sound at a time), but it can give you nice thick analog basses and nice bright leads as well. You should be able to pick one up for somewhere between $400-$600 CAD. If you go that route, you'll need to do some reading about subtractive synthesis, because it's not likely that you'll find a Juno from someone who has the manual still intact (they stopped making them in about '86). You should be able to find it online though if you look...

This isnt some technical field were if u know the formula...ur gunna succeed and create the best sounding tracks...

most of what is said is true...but the fact that the ability to make music for people to dance too doesnt come from a book.

I've read books and sites...and that only gives u the technical aspect of this...when this is really a creative field...i.e. musician.

The basics u should know is music theory...pretty much it...trance i smade of layers of sounds...and yet doesnt have to be...

i would have to say how i learned is from using my ear to figure out how my favorite tracks are built along with making my own tracks and collabing...

making music is done my experience...and using ur ear to develop the sound u want...try looking at midi files...along with collabing

Sebasano

thanks so much all of u , i really appreciate it

quote:

Gear isn't going to fix your problems if you don't know the basics of recording, and if you don't know how to use that gear. That being said, if you don't get the gear, you'll never learn how to use it.

absolutely. heheh. we should call this 'producer's dillema' and have it trademarked under the tranceaddict forums.

oh yea gino, the added benefit of having a set of powerful, high definition speakers is that you can have stonking dorm/house parties.

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