Spirit +.

Ahead of their second homecoming show, we got the opportunity to see Blossoms’ soundcheck, speak to their tour manager and learn from the Front of House engineer. We had the unique experience chatting to the bands FOH engineer, Chris Pearce. He talked us through a day in the life on tour, covering everything from loading times, technical specs, soundchecks and the actual performance. This was a truly inspiring insight into the world of live sound. Find out more about our trip here.

House and techno producer, DJ, label owner and audio engineer Jozef K joined us in the studios for an intimate masterclass where he deep dived into his creative and technical processes of making a track. Signed to the labels Last Night on Earth, Anjunadeep, and more, he has a rich and diverse history in the industry and so was an insightful addition to our masterclass series. He touched on topics such as drum programming, melody writing, bassline writing, vocals, atmosphere layers, individual fx chains, mixdowns, the use of spatial fx to create movement, and track arrangement using Ableton. To close the session he also discussed the process of getting a track signed, offering practical tips in a follow-up Q&A.

Ableton Certified Trainer, DJ, vocalist and production guru, Poppy Roberts joined us for an in-depth look into Ableton’s latest piece of equipment. The masterclass covered Push 2 creative techniques, such as beat-making and sampling tips, as well as a writing demo and a deep-dive into her workflow methods. She then showcased her process for creating a freestyle track and the performance tools she finds most useful.

In the working world, equipment fails. It’s our job to ensure students leave us able to overcome basic equipment failures, no matter their discipline. To prepare students for this gritty side of working in the music industry, our in-house tech team hosted a hands-on cable soldering sessions. During the workshop students learned how to prepare and repair commonly used audio cables for studio use, as well as how to troubleshoot their own equipment.

In this session, students got to work on a commercial mix for an acoustic singer/songwriter. Not only did they get to put their mixing skills to the test, students also gained an insight into the various processes involved in sourcing and completing commercial work. The masterclass covered everything from what to do when you’re approached by a client, how to properly invoice for your work and how to set up a successful session. The group then stuck to the client’s brief by using specific mixing techniques to create a brilliant final track.