After successfully completing the nine prerequisite courses for the Online Music Production undergraduate degree, the capstone course is the culmination of the music production program, and it allows students to demonstrate their talent and accumulated skills to produce a three-song master recording of the artist of their choice.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Plan and execute a multi-song recording project, managing budgets, schedules, and studio logistics to meet professional production standards
- Lead artists and musicians through high-pressure recording sessions to capture confident, emotionally compelling performances
- Make informed production decisions for the average listener, balancing artistic intent, genre expectations, and commercial viability
- Deliver a cohesive three-song master recording suitable for professional presentation and portfolio use
Course Description
After successfully completing the nine pre-requisite courses for the Online Music Production degree, the capstone course is the culmination of the production program, and it allows students to demonstrate their talent and accumulated skills to produce a three-song master recording of the artist of their choice.
Students will review the essentials of record production by outlining the Four Basic Responsibilities of the Record Producer:
- Organizing a schedule and budget
- “Shaping the music” and selecting material in collaboration with the artist
- Supervising performances in the studio
- Balancing the "Work vs. Play" in the Recording Studio to remain creative and productive
Other concepts critical to making successful records, such as editing, mixing, editing, and mastering will be covered in detail. Throughout the course emphasis will be placed on how to produce a recording for the average listener, and understanding the realities (as opposed to the theories) of running a recording session. By the end of these 12 weeks, you will gain a new, more advanced level of knowledge and understanding of the practice and philosophy of record production, in order to launch a career as a professional music producer.
By the end of this course, course you will be able to:
- Select and shape songs for a three-track project using principles of repertoire balance, sequencing, and audience impact
- Design arrangements and sonic palettes that communicate emotional intent clearly and directly
- Apply advanced editing and mixing techniques to achieve a polished, release-ready final product
- Guide artists through creative, psychological, and interpersonal challenges to maintain momentum and trust throughout a project
- Evaluate completed recordings critically to identify strengths, limitations, and growth opportunities for future professional work
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Record Production
- Four Basic Responsibilities of the Professional Record Maker
- Production vs. Engineering: The Division of Labor
- The Project: Recording a Three-Song Master/Theory Behind an Extended Play (EP)
- Choosing an Artist and Getting the Gig
- Assignment 1: Reflecting on Your One-Song Master
Lesson 2: Budget and Schedule
- Producer Responsibility #1: Budget and Schedule
- Creating a Schedule for your 12 Week, Three-Song Project
- Be Realistic: Anticipating Possible Pitfalls in Your Progress
- Assignment 2: Submit a Schedule/Budget and Possible Artist/Music Choices
Lesson 3: Shaping the Music
- Producer Responsibility #2: Shape the Music
- The Three Elements Heard by an Average Listener
- Producing a Song for the Average Listener
- Genre
- Assignment 3: Artistic Vision for Your Project
Lesson 4: The Songs
- Choosing Songs, and the Ingredients of a “Hit Record”
- Three-Song EP: A-side, B-side, and “Wild Card”
- The Producer as “Arbiter of Taste” and Other Concepts
- Some Stories Behind Hit Songs
- Assignment 4: Submit Rough Demos
Lesson 5: Pre-Production Techniques
- Goals for a Successful Pre-Production
- Pre-Production Checklist
- Creating a Blueprint for Each Song With a Lyric Sheet
- Demo to Master Illustrations
- Assignment 5: Submit Finished Three-Song Demo and Lyric Sheets
Lesson 6: Supervising Performances in the Studio
- Producer Responsibility #3: Obtain the Best Performances
- Production Approaches: A Brief Historical Overview
- Define Your Recording Aesthetic
- Strategies for Recording Basic Tracks
- What is a Finished Basic? Judging “Feel”
- Principles of Creating an Effective Rough Mix
- How to Make a Good Rough Mix
- Assignment 6: Submit a Rough Mix of Your Basic Session
Lesson 7: Work vs. Play
- Producer Responsibility #4: Work vs. Play
- Embracing Chance: Brian Eno’s “Oblique Strategies”
- Strategies for Coaxing Uninhibited Performances from Musicians and Singers
- Tips for Vocal Performance and Editing
- Compiling a Vocal
- Assignment 7: Submit a Rough of Your Tracks with Finished Lead Vocals
Lesson 8: Managing the Artist
- Producer as Psychologist
- Who Has the “Final Say”? Your Role as Leader
- Good Ideas vs. Bad Ideas: Who Decides?
- Ideas For Parts That Have Nothing To Do With The Song
- Needless Percussion
- "Overdub Hell"
- Trying to Imitate Other Records
- So once again we need to ask: Who Decides?
- The Wit and Wisdom of Jim Dickinson
- Different Producer Styles
- Assignment 8: Submit Rough Mixes
Lesson 9: Arrangement Techniques
- Vocal and Background Vocal Harmonies
- Close Harmony
- Lead Singer Sings Harmony
- High Falsetto Harmonies
- Melodyne Generated Harmonies
- Principles of Stacking Vocals
- Electric Guitar Tones and Techniques
- The Joy of Low-Wattage Amplifiers
- Digital Amp Modeling vs. Micing Amplifiers
- Background Drones
- Invisible Keyboards
- Deciding When The Track Is Complete
- Assignment 9: Rough Mixes Before Final Edit
Lesson 10: Preparing for the Mix and Final Edits
- Organizing your Tracks
- Quantity is Quality?
- Stereo
- Plug-Ins
- Two Professionals Join the Discussion
- Paul Kolderie
- More Organizational Strategies and Thoughts on Mixing
- Assignment 10: Rough Mixes with Mix Session Forms
Lesson 11: Mix Strategies
- General Principles of a Good Mix
- The 80/20 Rule
- Good Mixes
- The Best Lead Vocal Level
- Some Thoughts on Compression
- Enrique Gonzalez-Mull
- Mix Pros Weigh In
- Assignment 11: Submit Final Mixes
Lesson 12: The Finished Record
- Sequencing and Mastering
- Learning from Experience
- Becoming a Professional
- Quotations From Chairman Eno
- Assignment 12: Submit Final Mixes/Remixes and Summary Essay
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
You must be a Music Production major to take this course and have completed OMPRD-210, OMPRD-355, OMPRD-365, OMPRD-420, and OMPRD-475.
Textbook(s)
- The Art of Music Production by Richard James Burgess (Omnibus Press, 2005)
Software
- Full-featured Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), such as Pro Tools (Studio or Ultimate), Logic Pro, Cubase Pro, Ableton Live (Suite or Standard), Reaper, Reason, or FL Studio (Producer or Signature). Note that GarageBand is not acceptable.
Hardware
- Audio interface with at least 4 mic preamps
- At least 4 XLR microphones and cables
- Studio monitors (pair), as well as necessary cables
- A multi-channel headphone amplifier or system that can accommodate headphones for at least 3 performers (and a producer/engineer, if they are in the same room), as well as the necessary closed-back headphones.
Important Technical/System Considerations
- At least 3 storage drives for backing up projects
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
- macOS Monterey 12.0 or later
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
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
Instructor
Matthew Ellard is an Associate Professor in the Music Production and Engineering Department at Berklee College of Music. Over the course of his 25-year career in the music industry as an independent record producer, engineer and mixer based in London, Los Angeles, Boston, he has produced, engineered, and/or mixed well over 250 albums. This includes many world famous and popular artists at world-class studios, where the level of expectation and performance is extremely high. He brings that experience and those standards to Berklee. He has extensive experience with not only guitar driven rock, indie rock, metal, punk, hardcore, and power pop bands, but also with programmed and sequenced, beat based pop, hip hop, remixes and dance music. In addition, he utilizes both “old school” analogue recording and the latest digital recording techniques and formats, bringing a depth of technical and creative knowledge in both the analog and digital realms and a wide breadth of professional music industry experience to the instruction of music production and engineering.
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.
