12 Weeks
Level 6
The Culminating Experience 2 is the final phase of your Master of Music in Music Production journey at Berklee Online. Building upon the foundation established in Culminating Experience 1, this course is dedicated to guiding you through the completion and realization of your capstone project—a four-song EP that stands as the highest expression of your artistic and professional development at the graduate level.
In this course, you will transition from initial demos to fully realized masters, working closely with your instructor to refine, polish, and finalize your creative vision. This is your opportunity to synthesize everything you have learned throughout the program, applying your expertise in production, engineering, editing, and mixing to deliver a project that is both uniquely your own and competitive within today’s music industry.
Throughout this process, you will:
- Complete your culminating experience project, bringing your EP to professional release standards that meet current-day industry expectations
- Produce a body of work that reflects your technical mastery, artistic identity, and creative ambition
- Critically evaluate your project’s impact, considering its contribution to the field of music production and its relevance within your chosen genre
- Reflect on your growth as an artist, professional, and individual, articulating the ways in which this experience has shaped your creative and career trajectory
- Develop and demonstrate advanced written and oral communication skills as you present your work to your peers, and the broader Berklee community
- Identify potential next steps for your project, exploring avenues for further development, release, or professional engagement
As you approach the culmination of your graduate studies, you are encouraged to embrace this experience with the same ambition, integrity, and commitment to excellence that have brought you to this point. Your work here not only marks the completion of your degree, but also serves as a launching pad for your future contributions to the world of music production. Read Less
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Art vs. Commerce
- Art vs. Commerce-Basic Concepts
- The History of Art and the Music Business
- Hit-Maker, Hack, or Rebel?
- The Pursuit of Hits: Successes and Failures
- Assignment 1: Rough Mixes of Further Basic Sessions Submissions
Lesson 2: Managing the Artist
- The Producer as Psychologist: "Staying Positive" and other Strategies
- Working with the Recalcitrant Artist
- Who Has the "Final Say”: Your Role in Leading the Session
- Conflict Resolution: Good Ideas vs. Bad Ideas, Who Decides?
- Assignment 2: Submit Rough Mixes
Lesson 3: The Vocalist
- The Singer Not the Song
- Strategies for Recording Vocalists/Tips for Singers
- Singers and Non-Singers
- Tips for Compiling and Editing Vocal Tracks
- Assignment 3: Submit Rough Mixes with Vocals
Lesson 4: Principles of Orchestration/Arrangement
- The History of Arrangement
- Band as Arranger, and the Producer as Composer/Arranger
- Arrangement Does Not Equal Production
- How a Song Can be Produced in Different Genres
- Assignment 4: Weekly Recording Rough Mixes Submissions and Discussion
Lesson 5: Alternative Engineering Strategies
- Learning the Rules of Engineering to Break Them/Hi-Fi vs. Lo-Fi
- Cheap Equipment
- "Recording Unhinged" with Sylvia Massy (Discussion/Video)
- Having Fun with Pro Tools Key Commands with Engineer Benny Grotto
- Assignment 5: Weekly Recording Rough Mixes Submissions and Discussion
Lesson 6: One Band/Two Producers
- The One Band/Two Producer Exercise
- One Band/Two Producers: The Foo Fighters
- One Band/Two Producers: Taylor Swift
- One Band/Two Producers: Perfume Genius
- Assignment 6: One Band/Two Producers Essay
Lesson 7: The Making of the Record
- Warren Zevon
- Radiohead
- Hole
- Album Project Disasters
- Assignment 7: Rough Mixes of Final Tracks Submission and Discussion
Lesson 8: Preparing for the Mix/Final Edits
- Organizing your Tracks
- The 24-Track Paradigm
- Compilation Tips
- Making Decisions Now, Not Later/Less Is More
- The DAW Cannot Perform Music
- Assignment 8: Final Mixes Submission (Round One)
Lesson 9: The Mix
- The Balance Engineer
- The Pareto Principle (The 80/20 Rule)
- Determining the Best Lead Vocal Level
- When is the Mix Finished?
- Assignment 9: Final Mixes Submission (Round Two)
Lesson 10: Mix Effects as Emotions
- Echo
- Reverb
- Compression
- Distortion
- Assignment 10: Finished Mixes (Unmastered) and Mastered Mixes Submissions
Lesson 11: Mastering and Current Musical/Business Trends
- Professional Mastering vs. Amateur Mastering
- Two Professionals Master the Same Mix
- Music Business Past
- What Is the Future of the Music Business?
- Assignment 11: Final Mixes/Remixes in Sequence Submission and Experience of Recording a Four-Song EP
Lesson 12: The Finished Record, and the Culminating Experience
- Sequencing Your Four Songs
- Learning from Experience
- Success vs. Failure
- What Is Next? How Do I Become a Professional Record Producer?
- "Know Thyself": Producing Records Your Way
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
Completion of Culminating Experience in Music Production 1 is required.
Textbook(s)
- No textbooks required
Recording
- Students are required to produce, engineer, and mix a 4 song EP over the course of both Culminating Experience in Music Production courses. Students will focus on pre-production in CE 1, then produce and mix their EP in CE 2.
Software
- Full-featured Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), such as Pro Tools (Studio or Ultimate), Logic Pro, Cubase Pro, Ableton Live (Suite or Standard), or Reaper
Hardware
- MIDI controller
- Audio interface, with a minimum of 8 mic preamps
- One of the following combinations of 8 XLR microphones:
- Option 1:
- 4 dynamics (one of these should be appropriate for kick drum and bass, such as the Shure Beta 52A)
- 2 matched pairs of condensers (4 total)
- Option 2:
- 5 dynamics (one of these should be appropriate for kick drum and bass, such as the Shure Beta 52A)
- Matched pair of condensers (2 total)
- 1 ribbon
- Option 1:
- Professional-quality studio monitors (pair), such as Dynaudio's or Focal's, as well as necessary cables
- Professional over-ear studio headphones, such as Sennheiser HD 600, beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, etc.
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author & Instructor
Sean Slade is an associate professor in the Music Production and Engineering (MP&E) Department at Berklee College of Music. After graduating from Yale University in 1978, he moved to Boston, playing guitar and saxophone in various beat combos before co-founding Fort Apache Studios in 1985.
Slade has produced, engineered, and mixed records for Radiohead, Hole, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Warren Zevon, Lou Reed, Joe Jackson, the Dresden Dolls, and many more artists. When not teaching at Berklee, he can be found recording music at Quarry Recorders, his studio in rural Maine. Read Less
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
