Chops & Chords with Manatee Commune
Led by Manatee Commune (Grant Eadie), this 5-day course will explore the Bastard Jazz alum’s approach to cross-genre music making. Learn to make your own samples, veer into vocal production, and gain a deeper understanding of how to craft compelling melodies and chord progressions. Classes will be conducted in Ableton and Logic. Each class will be followed by a Q&A with Grant. Classes are recorded and sent out daily.
About Manatee Commune:
Since 2014, Grant has released three full-length albums, three EPs, and over a dozen remixes under the monicker Manatee Commune. Having toured nationally with acts such as Emancipator, Blockhead, ODESZA, Bishop Briggs, SHAED, and Shallou, performed at most major music festivals including Sasquatch!, Shambhala, Lightning in a Bottle, Electric Forest, Bonnaroo, and Bumbershoot, Grant has developed a good understanding of what makes a unique sound and what captures an audience.
Course Outline:
DAY 1 - Essentials to making music
- Samples
- Plugins
- Instruments
- Starting a song
- Patience and the Skill to Taste ratio
DAY 2 - Percussion and Ambience
- Sampling Drums
- Foley and Effects for Inspiration
- Tempo and Genre discussion
- Beat patterns and Groove
- Relationship to Bass Syncopation
DAY 3 - Vocal Chops, Chords, Melody, and Bass
- Why you shouldn’t start with chords
- Finding a melody you love
- Vocals, chopping, and melodies
- Chords in relation to the mix
- Creating Complexity
- Bass movement
- Arpeggiation
DAY 4 - Synthesis, Atmosphere, and Sound design
- Basic synthesis
- Analog synthesis
- Tones for pads, plucks, basses, and leads
- Unique sampling for chords and leads
- Limitless Creativity
DAY 5 - Mix buses for Drums, Vocals, and Four Part Arrangement
- Organization
- Basic EQ and compression
- Saturation
- Color and Warmth
- Quick Master
- Moving On
