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Synthesis and Sound Design

Synthesis and Sound Design

Synthesis and Sound Design
Los Angeles & Live Online

Ready to take the next step in achieving your goals as an Electronic Artist or Music Producer? Our 36 hr Express Course in Synthesis and Sound Design is for you! With no more than 8 students per class this hands-on course will help you create the sounds from your head or favorite records in your DAW.

 

 

Who is this course for?

  • Aspiring or established Artists wanting to develop their sonic signature by learning from Multi-Platinum Producers
  • DJs looking to learn the language of Sound Design and Reverse Engineer sounds from their favorite records
  • Musicians who want a complete course in Synthesizers and get well versed in all forms of Synthesis – Subtractive, Wavetable, FM, Granular etc
  • Producers looking for creative inspiration in Sampling and learn advanced audio manipulation techniques, thereby making memorable beats
  • Aspiring or established Sound Designers who wants to dive into the world of Video Games, Film, TV & VR or fill their gaps in workflow

 

 

Apply Now

Course Highlights
• 36 hours of world-class training in Synthesis (Subtractive, Wavetable, Granular & FM).
• Sampling, Looping, Slicing, Warping, Creating Instruments and Effects as unique inspirations for your next hit.
• Billboard and International chart topping instructors teach in smaller groups (not more than 8) facilitating individual attention.
• Reverse Engineering sounds from your favorite records & Mentoring using our vintage & boutique hardware synth collection for your projects.
• Exclusive Garnish Sample Libraries & Discounted software from our partners like Arturia and Sound Particles.

Prerequisites
• Laptop with DAW software installed
• This is not a beginner course and requires a solid understanding of your DAW or completion of one of our DAW courses.
Contact us if you have any questions. This class is also included in our comprehensive Ableton or Logic Music Producer Programs and also in our 360 Garnish Academy.

Meet Instructor Matt Engst
Why study Synthesis & Sound Design with us?

We teach in Professional studios and sound treated class rooms in Los Angeles with a superior roster of instructors including Grammy-winners. You will have access to their practical tips and advice . Interacting with your like-minded class gives you advantage over anyone trying to teach themselves with books, online courses or tutorial videos. Learning music should be FUN – not tedious! If you missed a few classes during your course cycle and would like to catch up later or simply want to repeat some or all of your course, we offer a complimentary admission to the next available cycle. Our doors are always open to alums.

*Our ever growing studio synth collection includes Roland Juno 106, Juno 60, JX3P, Sequential Prophet Rev 2, Mellotron M4000D, Moog Subphatty, Poly D, RD8, Korg MS20, Arturia MatrixBrute, Triton Studio, Yamaha DX7 etc. More exotic pieces like the Formanta Polivoks, EMS-01, Sequential Prophet 10, Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 and other semi modular pieces and effects pedals available upon request in selected classes!

36 Hours

$1799 Tuition + $200 Registration Fee

(15 % off Early Bird Special $300 discount if booked 14 days before start!)

Get in touch and our placement experts will follow up with information.

For one-to-one lessons, connect with us on Private Instruction

Schedule and Book 

Meet Our World-Class Instructors

Our instructor roster ranges from Multi-Platinum Songwriters and Producers to rising LA Hitmakers and Artists. Have a look!

Need some help on a Project or Topic from class? No Problem. Our instructors can work with you 1-on-1 in Focus Hours

 

Book 1-on-1 Focus Hours

Cameron Colley Music

Cameron Colley

Ableton
,
Engineering
,
Media Sound Design
,
Projects
,
Sound Design

Zhou

Ableton
,
Songwriting
,
Sound Design

Sound Lab: Synthesis & Sound Design Syllabus

Intro to Sound Design & Overview

Definitions and applications in Music, Film Scoring, Video Games and UI/UX

Overview of tools: Synthesizers in DAWs -Ableton Live / Logic Pro, 3rd Party- Serum

Core concepts: Subtractive Synthesis, Oscillators, Filters, Envelopes, and LFOs

Signal flow in a Subtractive Synthesizer architecture

Synthesis Fundamentals

VCO & DCO

Oscillator Tuning, Mixing and Unison

Waveforms: Sin, Triangle, Square/Pulse, Sawtooth, Noise

Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)

VCF, Filter types: Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass, Band Reject/Notch

Filter Cutoff, Resonance/Peak, Slope

VCA

Portamento / Glide

Envelope Destinations, ADSR, Multi Stage Envelopes and Looping

LFO Destinations, Rate (Free/Sync), LFO Delay

More Waveforms- Reverse Saw, Sample & Hold, Supersaw

MIDI Controller Data, Velocity, Aftertouch, Pitch, Mod, Macros, Mod Matrix

Creating synth patches from scratch demonstrating fundamental concepts

Advanced Synthesis Techniques

Frequency Modulation (FM), Famous DX7

Operators, Algorithms, FM Matrix

Creating Metallic sounds (Bells, Percs), Organic Instruments (Organ, Woodwinds, Strings, EPs)

FM Distortion

Wavetable Synthesis

WT Position, Modulation, Importing your own Wave Tables

Ring Modulation, Amplitude Modulation

Creating Patches using Advanced techniques

Drums & Perc Sound Design

Anatomy and Design of Kicks, Toms, Snares, Percs and Hi hats

Pitch Envelope, Shaping Transients, Body, and Texture

Using Filter Drive (Distortion) and other audio effects for enhancement

Creating unique drum loops using custom designed sounds

Bass Sound Design

808s

Sub Bass, Mid Bass & Lead Bass creation

Bass Envelopes & LFOs, Automation

SideChain

Layering techniques for depth & clarity, Stereo Field for Bass

Applications in various genres

Leads, Plucks, Stabs, Arpeggios, Pads, Textures

Plucks- Using Filter Envelopes

Stabs- Using Layers

Layering Leads, Modulation and Glide

Arpeggios & Step Sequences- Gates & Note Length, Octaves, Hold, Random

Pads- Designing atmospheric pads and evolving soundscapes.

Creating textures using Reverb and Delay (Shimmer etc)

Applications for above sounds in Music & Background Scoring / Ambient Music

Creative Sampling & Granular Synthesis

Techniques for sampling and resampling

Granular synthesis

Creating Instruments from audio clips

Manipulating sounds for unique effects

Modulation & Automation

Advanced uses of LFO& Envelopes

MPE compatible synths & controllers

Parameter Automation for Evolving Sounds

Combining Multiple Modulation layers for complexity

Transitions & Special FX

Risers, Impacts & Ambient FX

Advanced use of Noise & Distortion

Applications in Electronic Music & Cinematic Effects

Mixing & Finalizing Sounds, Portfolios

Mixing techniques for Clarity, Enhancement & Cohesion

Using EQ, Compression & Spacial Effects to elevate your work

Export formats & Project integration

Sound Design Portfolios

Reverse Engineering Sounds & Mentoring with Hardware Synths, Closing Notes

Reverse Engineering popular sounds in records using Software Synths.

Reverse Engineering and comparing Hardware Synths.

Using Hardware Synths in projects.

Layering and using Audio Processing to enhance sounds.

Peer & Instructor Feedback

Tips & next steps

 

GARNISH LA STUDIO A GEARLIST

 

Studio set up- Pro Tools HDX with Apogee Dual Set up

Convertor- Lynx Aurora 8

Speakers- Adam S3V with Adam Sub 12, Yamaha NS10s with Bryston 4B Amp

Monitor Control- Dangerous D Box

Microphone- Manley Reference Cardioid, Shure SM57s

Pre Amps- Chandler Limited TG2, Heritage Audio 1073

Reverb- Bricasti Design M7

Compressors- Teletronix LA2A, Urei (Universal Audio) 1176, SSL XLogic G-series Compressor, Empirical Labs EL-8 Distressor

Piano- Yamaha U3

Universal Audio Satellite

Synthesizers & Drum Machines- Roland Juno 60 (with MIDI), Juno 106, JX3P, Sequential Prophet Rev 2, Mellotron M4000D, Korg MS20, Triton Studio, Moog Subphatty, Yamaha DX7, YS200, Behringer Poly D, RD-8, Neutron, Arturia Matrix Brute

 

*More exotic pieces like the Formanta Polivoks, EMS 01, Sequential Prophet 10, Erica Synths Perkons HD-01 and other semi modular pieces available upon request in selected classes!

 

All synths are MIDI connected for DAW use via iconnectivity MIO and Clever Audio MXM 12 Synth switcher.

We also have a guitar pedal collection for sonic experiments in studio.

Music Technology & Business are constantly evolving. Our curriculums are routinely updated to give you the best experience.

Our Students Say. . .

 

“Everything went really well in Ibiza this
time and I had so much fun! I am so
glad you taught me, you’re the best
xoxo”

Paris Hilton
Garnish DJ Program

I wouldn't change a thing about this course. It was ten times better than I expected it to be. The instructor was incredibly informative and kept things fun. I've played with software for a couple of years and thought I got most of the basics down but I definitely was wrong. Great course! I would definitely recommend this course to anybody wanting to learn the production side of music. It was incredibly helpful and left me inspired to make tracks 24/7.

Kristina Bialkowski

I went from knowing pretty much nothing about Logic to knowing how to built loops, work with midi, mix, and actually be able to record the music I write and and arrange on the computer. I'm really excited because Logic Pro X has opened up a new world for me as a singer songwriter!

Dawn Red Sun

I am a lot better off than I was months ago blindly watching Youtube tutorials and not knowing what I was doing. The teacher was a great, very patient and understanding, with all skill levels in the room.

Abraham Perrotta

The small class size allowed the instructor time to give us individual attention/feedback. The teaching style was easily adjusted according to the levels in the class. As a very new producer, I never felt left behind. I never would have thought I could make this much progress in just 6 weeks!

Andie Arbogast

This class was great. I've been wanting to learn digital music production and was warned that Logic was one of the most complex and difficult to learn DAW. In only 6 days I think I've learned the program well enough to start producing my own tracks. Not only that but I've left the class with enough excitement to get busy and make some music with my new found knowledge.

Paul Vachier

It was very hands on. the teacher knew a vast amount about this topic and is very informative and clear. He has methods of utilizing teachings that enable us to relate to better understand in what circumstances these methods would be used for productions.

Raymond Casarez

This class was tough for me, as I'm a beginner (and am 48 with not a ton of technical or DAW experience). I wanted to immerse myself, so I could learn as much as possible, but much of the class was still a bit too advanced for me. Darren was fantastic, and I REALLY appreciated the offer to come back and stand in future classes. That makes me feel like I'll definitely get my moneys worth!

William 'John' Bragg

I came into the program with no idea how to work Logic, and after the intensive week, I worked out programming beats, using loops and samples…I feel like I can take my music to the next level now. Thanks 🙂

Christy Thompson

Great teacher who leaves no stone unturned! After Garnish, I feel that I have the tools to build a strong foundation and begin a career in the music industry.

Daniel Cobos

Contact Admissions

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    More Testimonials

    Both instructors were extremely knowledgeable, and quickly adapted to the areas which I needed the most work. There's also no substitute for being face to face with an instructor, to immediately address any logjams in the workflow.

    CJ DeLeo

    The course throughly covers the fundamentals of synthesis and has helped me understand concepts that go beyond the everyday Youtube tutorial. The course has made Youtube tutorials and other concepts of sound design easily understood.

    Daniel Tran

    The EMP course is a good time and super informative. I've been writing and producing music for the past year in Logic. There was so much I wanted to transcribe from my mind to my DAW, I just didn't fully know how. Fortunately, the EMP course changed that in just a few short weeks. Very exciting. Not to mention the Garnish LA folks are super cool.

    Patricia Seely

    If you're looking for in-depth knowledge about electronic music and how to create sounds using 3rd party software through Ableton or Logic then this course will definitely help you! Beginners can follow along but if you're a more advanced producer, then this will definitely show you more advanced techniques to apply to your productions! Extremely happy I found and attended this course!

    DJ WIED

    If you are trying to establish connections with local artists that have made a name for themselves in LA (the instructors) than this is a great program to join. You get to talk with them about their personal experiences and get a lot of really good inside tips about production from a professional point of view. Highly recommended not just to learn but to make industry connections.

    Zach Klein

    Garnish instructors do a great job at being in depth and detailed with everything so that no question or misunderstanding is left unsolved.

    Austen Greene

    Contact Admissions

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