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Production Techniques & Sound Design for Balearics & Disco w/ Alessandro Doretto

 

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Production Techniques & Sound Design for Balearics & Disco w/ Alessandro Doretto

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Course Lessons

Course Preview

Less than 1 minute

Introduction

5 minutes

The drums

13 minutes

Melodies

23 minutes

Arpeggios

18 minutes

Transitional effects & arrangement

18 minutes

The rhythm section (new track)

12 minutes

Bass & chords

17 minutes

Strings & guitars

13 minutes

Arpeggiators

9 minutes

Vocal sampling

10 minutes

Live Q & A

Q & A

2 minutes

Q & A - 2

13 minutes

About This Course

Looking into a slower genre of dance music, Ballearics, Alessandro shows us his process in crafting sounds to fit the track, making drums groove, transitional effects and working with a choir vocal

You will learn:

  • MIDI Drum Patterns
  • Writing Melodies
  • Creating Arpeggios
  • Sampling a vocal
  • Transitional Effects
  • Sampling guitars
  • Arrangement
  • Writing bass notes
  • Creating rhythm sections
  • Layering bass and chords
  • Sampling strings

Lessons: 

1. Introduction

Working at 105BPM, Alessandro goes through the 2 variations of the track he will be going through for this session.

2. The Drums

Looking into creating live sounding drums, Alessandro shares his tips for creating MIDI drum patterns.

3. Melodies

Creating pads and using a Fender Rhodes sample, this is how Alessandro created the melody and chord structure for this Balearic track.

4. Arpeggios

Using Operator and Ableton’s Arpeggiator effect for MIDI, Alessandro creates emotive arps to fill up the track.

5. Transitional Effects & Arrangement

How to fill up space with transitional effects and introduce new sections into the track.

6. The Rhythm Section

Looking at a different track to the previous chapter, Alessandro breaks down the rhythm section he created for this track .

7. Bass & Chords 

Looking at a sub-bass he wrote using 16th notes and 3/16th notes. The chords follow the root note and melody of the bass. He then looks at adding groove to the chord pattern (via the groove pool) to make it more human.

8. Strings & Guitars 

Using the “String Female Voice” preset from Ableton, Alessandro creates a moving string pattern to sit in the background of the track. He looks at automating the MIDI clip in session view.

9. Apreggiators

Creating movement using arpeggiators, initial sound created with Ableton’s Operator instrument.

10. Vocal Sampling

Using a Maasai vocal pack to create a choir-like dreamy vocal channel, Alessandro talks about the final stages of the track.

11. Live Q&A

A look into Mid-side EQing, effect chains for the vocal, drum channels, Analog instrument and more.

Meet Your Teacher

Alessandra Doretto

Italian native Alessandro Doretto is a music producer living in Ibiza. He's been involved in music all his life, playing trumpet, bass, guitars, keyboards and being a professional sound engineer. He started his career in the surrounding of Venice DJing and playing in local clubs. Moved to London in 2007, he begun discovering the UK capital underground and afterparty scene. That's where he really got in love with the deeper side of the 4 on the floor beats. He performed in club as Cafe' 1001, Crash, T-Bar, and on his night Mistake which was hosted in the warehouse pop-up clubs in East London.

He released under the name Ale Doretto, 13 tracks in between 2008 and 2015. In 2014 he decides to move to Ibiza in search for sun and open spaces. Uses some time to go back to study music theory and mixing music. Works on the production of the show of the Ibiza House Orchestra, performing in 2016 in Space Ibiza and Zero Gravity in Dubai in 2017. He recently started releasing again as Doretto. Defining a more grown up deep house sound, with ethnic touches and a connection with nature and musical harmony.

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

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