Go Pro Sign In
Sign Up
X
Sign Up
X

How to Remix a Disco Track w/ Lenny Fontana

How to Remix a Disco Track w/ Lenny Fontana

X

Course Lessons

Course Preview

Introduction

Track Deconstruction Advice

Production Techniques

Live Q&A

Live Q&A

About This Course

This course is a track deconstruction and was used as a remix competition for Mixmasters members where 2 of our members were signed to Lenny’s label.

Lenny shares his thoughts on how best to remix his track ‘On His Mind’; The tools he uses to process vocals and what elements of his track should be retained in order to remix the track whilst paying respect to the original sounds.

You will learn  :

  • How to enter the Mixmasters Lenny Fontana remix competition
  • How Lenny Fontana would approach remixing a track
  • How to process vocals
  • Which plugins Lenny uses when producing disco and house records
  • Why a track’s mixdown is vital when remixing

Lessons:

1. Introduction

Lenny introduces himself and reveals the details about his remix competition.

2. Track Deconstruction & Advice

Lenny talks us through the track he is offering up for remixing. He shares his personal ideas on how he would remix the track. He discusses why using reference tracks, asking for feedback and the mixdown will be crucial to help your chances of winning the competition.

3. Production Techniques

What are Lenny Fontana’s favourite plugins? Learn which plugins Lenny uses and how he might apply compression, EQ and reverb when working with vocals. Gain further insight into how Lenny would approach remixing the STEMS himself. Plugins discussed include: Waves’ DBX vocal compressor, API 550B equaliser, H-Delay and Slate Digital’s VerbSuite Classics.

4. Live Q&A

Lenny answers questions on his Mixmasters remix competition. He also discusses what are the different types of delays, how and when to use each type of delay.

  • If the vocal is already compressed why would you compress it again?
  • Is that 1/16th delay providing a doubling effect? Can you use it to make a synth stronger?
  • What is the best way of adding some warmth if the vocal is sitting a bit proud after EQ and you've already ridden the fader or does this happen in the mastering process?
  • Are you a fan of the spatial analyzer ?

Meet Your Teacher

Lenny Fontana

The internationally renowned New York native, Lenny Fontana, can boast an impressive catalogue of musical productions, with numerous chart entries and collaborations with superstars David Morales, Duane Harden, D-Train to name a few. His work with Duane Harden to produce the song ‘What You Need’ was rewarded by hitting #1 on the US Dance charts. 

Lenny’s discography includes releasing on hugely respected labels FFRR and Strictly Rhythm alongside founding his own label in 2013, Karmic Power Records, with the premise of releasing Disco, Nu Disco, Dance, House, Funky House, Soulful House, Deep, Tech House and Vocal Anthems. With over 30 years worth of experience DJing and producing, he certainly has a lot of knowledge and advice to share.

Discussions

Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!

Discussions

Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!

About This Class 

Dream of finally finishing that draft or launching that side-hustle? Make your next creative project your best yet, with simple steps from creative superstar Emma Gannon!

In this new class, Emma shares the framework that allowed her to overcome self-doubt and carve her own path as an author, broadcaster, and podcast host. The secret to her success? Fed up with feeling afraid—of failure, of not being good enough, even of success—Emma dug into the science behind self-sabotage and learned exactly how to get out of her own way.

Now, Emma is sharing what she’s learned so that you can do the same: unlock your creative potential while feeling energized and empowered! 

Together with Emma, you will:

  • Identify the patterns in your life, and let go of habits that don’t serve you
  • Cut out comparison to figure out what you really want and need
  • Silence your inner critic by talking back to negative beliefs and behaviors
  • Own your success and vulnerability—both go hand-in-hand with creativity

Packed with insights and examples from Emma’s personal journey, this class is designed for every creative who needs a pep-talk or extra push to get started—and includes five exclusive downloadable worksheets to support you along the way.

Whether you’re looking to break through block, remove self-imposed pressure, or simply approach each new project with intention, this 45-minute class will unlock your confidence as a creative. Get started and celebrate taking the first step!

______________________________

All you need to follow along is a pen and paper. Download the worksheets to follow along with Emma’s exercises, or jot your thoughts in a notebook.

Resources

  • Introduction
  • Week one

Why Join Mixmasters?

Live, weekly Zoom classes with industry experts

Unlimited production & marketing coaching with track feedback

Access hundreds of expert-led courses, instantly

Download thousands of exclusive royalty-free samples

Get Started For Free
X

Other Courses You Might Like...

GBA ArchivesThis is where you can find all our previous training videos and interviews that haven't been made into a course
Procrastination, Productivity & Personal Branding w/ Dan MeredithAbout This Course Dan Meredith life coach, author of Amazon no 1 best selling book “How To Be Fucking Awesome”, and successful high-level business strategist, gives key skills that help combat procrastination, advises on goal setting tips and gives ideas on how to progress your own personal brand. You will learn: Ultimate Sales Machine -Chet Homes What to do when it’s your turn, and it's always your turn -Seth Goding (sp?) Eat That Frog (author?) Think and Grow Rich Training DJ Goals Book Lessons: 1. How to combat Procrastination Dan begins by discussing why we often don’t do what we say we will do; he goes on to talk about how easy it is to lie to yourself, to allow things to slide, and how accepting these lies or versions of the truth that suit us, facilitates conditioning yourself to accept mediocrity. Dan highlights that this is the pathway to setting yourself up for failure. He explains this see internal and external in terms of pressures we experience for example: work pressure, deadlines, family, wealth, and the internal would be procrastination negative self-talk; he strongly suggests that people should stop that negative self chat. Dan then explains that speed of implementation is a great way of tackling procrastination. Just do it, stop self-doubt if you start doubting yourself you’re undermining yourself … and then you won’t do it- ACT! 3 second rule… if you see an opportunity just take action. 2. Do you Really want it bad enough? Dan discusses how hard he had to work in order to get to where he was because he wanted it badly enough! He suggests writing an achievement wishlist setting a set of goals and targets. Then he advises that you just start writing it down everywhere! He suggests not getting caught up with too much detail- it doesn't have to be perfect just do it! 3. What is your big why The Big Why: what underpins your motivation? What is driving you to act, what is driving your target and desire? It’s imperative to understand what you want and why you want it so badly. In Dan’s case his motivating factor was his sister who needed extra care and he wanted to ensure he could provide private care for her needs, though your motivation doesn't need to be altruistic, and it can be multifaceted, you need to have a clear understanding of it. 4. Write it down everywhere (R.A.S) Dan talks about RAS- the part of your brain that filters - he suggests that you write your goals down absolutely everywhere: let your brain sees the goal everywhere: put it on your lock screen on your phone, the first page of your diary daily, on your fridge etc your brain will start to filter to it! Dan says we are presented with opportunities daily and we have to have an antenna open to these opportunities, and then take action. 5. BHAG Goals BHAG = big hairy audacious goals - put what you want to achieve in a year in a list. Then, decide on a 90-day plan and break that down into actions to make the end goals. Then break it down into a 30-day plan and make actions, then break down into a weekly, daily etc. 6. Set Goals That Leverage He then advises that you set goals that leverage social pressure, but with emotional detachment. Specificity- a big challenge but not one that crushes you! By telling people about it you’re therefore accountable and under social pressure, use it- harness that pressure to motivate you. Think of the emotional attachment to the feeling of successfully gaining that goal, but not to the actual outcome! Specificity with your goal: ie if your goal is to DJ in a well known club- get specific- which Club? Which room? Which time-slot, by what date? Etc 7. Brain Dumping Brain dump- write down everything - then rank it- 1,2,3, etc ranking system: 1 urgent, 3 doesn’t matter. Realistically 20-30 matters that need dealing with maximum. Get a day planner- write 3-5 key actions a day to keep moving forward. They write a daily, weekly, monthly and 90 Day review. 8. Daily, Weekly & 90 day reviews Health wealth productivity and connectivity: Start writing down under these subheadings where you stand ie your mental and physical health, with your wealth - what you have in the bank etc With productivity -how much do you need done? Rank your tasks. With connectivity- how are your relations, are you making friends, networking, family relations? 9. How to grow your brand on social media Personal Branding: next he discusses the fastest way to grow in the social world, personal branding, being authentically you. He suggests leverage with your story, talk about what you like, share your thoughts & feelings, what you stand for, and against and tell the world! Next pick a platform, and hammer it -consistency is key: so for DJs - SoundCloud, Mix cloud & Spotify for music and for socials its Instagram and Facebook, get cool images of you doing your craft, using stories, record insta tv, upload to insta - do it daily: ie 3-5 post FB, 5 insta posts, podcasts 2 per week, 2-4 livestreams p/w. 10. Infotaining Share your content in a way that people can engage with, add your story, and be funny. Present your stuff on social media in a way that people will connect with. 11. Enjoy Life Make a decision - enjoy your life! Hard graft- have a go! 12. Live Q&A Due to personal life choices on the way I party; I have noticed now that I'm getting invited less to parties. What should I do to get invited back into the scene? What was your turning point? When did you know this was it and there was no turning back? How do you manage your inner Saboteur?
Think & Grow Rich: Danny SavageA condensed version of the trailblazing book by Napoleon Hill, who was commissioned to carry out a case study of the most successful men of his time (1920s) to understand the common threads of success that underpinned all of their careers.
Effective Networking To Gain Influence w/ Danny SavageThe importance of networking and social networks in conjunction with your business and career is explained. Danny talks through his accomplishments to date, and how so many of his career achievements are due to the networks he has developed. Danny breaks down How To Win Friends and Influence People into 10 easy steps. Danny gives DJs a fully comprehensive guide to attending music industry events, how to prepare, handle the event and organise post-event follow-ups and how to utilise social media for effective networking.
Overcoming Fear & Building a brand /w Bradley Gunn RaverBradley Gunn Raver’s dancing/Raving career spans 3 years to date. This webinar addresses how he managed to create his profile in its current form, gives great tips on branding and what to do (and what not to do!) when it comes to social media, and ideas on building your personal brand. They additionally look at how to overcome your fear and the fear of saying no is also discussed. They also cover advice on how to get noticed and get ahead in the music industry.
Music Industry Hustle in a Digital Age w/ Roger SanchezHow to identify your brand, your style, your KSP’s. Roger discusses his own career path and stresses that essentially the importance of understanding who you are and then creating and pushing out your own brand, is key to starting out. Then creating as much relevant content and consistently getting it out there on your social platforms to create your own following. The bottom line is that these days you can be your own radio station and record label. Use these platforms to create your own social media presence, following and establish your brand. But you must be prepared to put in hard work. Roger mainly focuses on Instagram as the main social media platform to use to engage with your fans.
DGL @ Brighton Music Conference 2018
Get Heard & Get Signed w/ SaytekSaytek gives you the knowledge to build your profile to get noticed by labels, how to self-release and start your own label, how to expand and get noticed by the bigger labels, your presence online and how to make good contacts in the industry. Key words: profile, labels, distribution, mastering, artwork, PR, signed, released, music, impact, print, digital, radio, expand, vinyl, records, longevity, presence, facebook, Instagram, youtube, engagement, following, contacts, A&R
How To Make Money From Your Music w/ Mark LawrenceTeaching you about publishing, Mark Lawrence is the Spokesperson for Association For Electronic Music, and he runs Black Rock publishing - In this course, he gives you advice on how to make money from your music. With 10 years experience at PRS, an organisation that manages copyrights of writers & publisher in UK & worldwide. He became aware of a lack of focus on electronic music artists & producers rights. That's when Mark set up Black Rock publishing & label. He started the campaign Get Played Get Paid. Mark explains that you can only get paid if you are registered with all the associations and have a publishing deal and he thinks around 70% of the artists in electronic music do not have a deal… What is publishing, why do you need to get your material published, what benefit is it to you as a DJ or a Producer?
How to Pitch Bookers & Labels: Danny SavageDanny gives a masterclass on how to approach bookers & labels.