WHAT THE LESSONS ARE NOT
SOLELY INTENDED FOR
My music production lessons are intended to help people create and enhance their music. Inevitably, this can cover a wide range of topics. And while I help in MANY different areas, occasionally this takes me into skills / disciplines that I don't spend a lot of time in. So although I'm happy to help where I can...
There ARE several topics that the lessons are not SOLELY intended for.
I DO get into ALL of the following topics with people very often.
But I would NOT recommend my music production lessons if you are ONLY looking for:
TECHNICAL SUPPORT - TROUBLE SHOOTING / PROBLEM SOLVING:
I am not tech support.
I DO help people VERY often to navigate through different issues with their setups - both hardware & software.
But the lessons are for teaching and NOT solely intended to solve technical issues.
STUDIO CONFIGURATION:
I am not a studio technician.
Again, much like the previous topic, I explain / assist with studio configuration very often. I've built (and re-built) my own studio (numerous times) as well as helped others to construct and configure their studios. But this is really not my area of specialty. I'm happy to assist. But if you are ONLY looking for help setting up your studio, my music production lessons are not the best option.
EVERY SINGLE FUNCTION OF YOUR DAW:
I am not an instructional manual.
This is a tricky one... because I DO help people VERY often to make sense of most everything in their DAW / plug-ins. I am constantly showing people different functions and shortcuts and capabilities of their software (whatever they use - that's part of the nature of what I offer). ...usually I move through MOST of these with people if they are new to the software and need a tour. Or we will get into specific parameters as needed, to perform a certain task. And, depending on the program, I know many of the ins & outs of all the features (you can see a pie chart on my homepage of the programs I teach the most in).
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But naturally I don't know EVERYTHING about ALL the programs. I do what I can. But if you are ONLY looking for an exhaustive list / explanation of each and every function of your software, these sessions are not ideal.
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...it's worth pointing out that you don't need to address every single available parameter to make songs.
MUSIC THEORY:
I am not a music theory teacher.
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Depending on people's need and interest, the sessions do involve music theory very frequently - to varying degrees. But the aim of the lessons is to produce music, not to be fully versed in music theory. I'm happy to get into theory if you are interested. But if your main goal is only to learn music theory, my lessons are not the best resource for you.
TRACKING:
I am not a recording engineer.
While I certainly have experience recording performances, I do not focus on this exclusively. More specifically, I do not help people with multitrack recording or "tracking". Since the sessions are done remotely (and I'm not there in your room, with your instruments and equipment), these sessions are not an ideal solution for help with microphone placement and working with the acoustics of your recording space.
MASTERING:
I am not a mastering engineer.
All of the songs that I have had released have been mastered by others (so that the song or remix sounds like it belongs with the other work on a single, album, or compilation). I DO address the mastering process with people often. But it is not something that I spend a lot of time doing, personally. So if mastering your songs is the ONLY thing you are interested in, these sessions are not ideal.
Disclaimer - Having said all that, I feel like I have to point out...
Many people seem to THINK they need help with "mastering", when that is not actually the case.
I've had a lot of people contact me, saying, "I need to learn mastering". But in almost every situation, after a short conversation, it quickly becomes clear that the issues / challenges they are facing are NOT something that mastering will fix. ...usually people are talking about some kind of issue that can be addressed in the mixing process.
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...I think it's unfortunate that the procedure for creating a master copy of your song, which all other reproductions are made from, is called "mastering", because it implies some kind of mystical trickery (...to be the master). But this does not magically fix or make up for insufficiencies in your work. You are creating a "master".
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ALL the other steps of the process should be addressed and fully completed before you are concerned with creating a master (or "mastering" your song): writing engaging / interesting song ideas, composing functional tracks / notation, choosing / synthesizing sounds that work well with each other, recording / editing clean takes, producing polished / intentional tracks, structuring an effective arrangement, creating a balanced mixdown... mastering is not a replacement / solution for any of these.
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I am happy to help you move through these steps and also create a master of your work to post online (...soundcloud, youtube, etc.). But if you are ONLY looking for professional mastering assistance, I don't spend enough time mastering material for the lessons to be the best fit.
Again, I DO help people with ALL of these things, as they come up in sessions (usually on an as needed basis, with the aim of moving through them so we can produce music). But if any of these areas are the ONLY thing you want to focus on, my service is not the best match for you.
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It's not a good use of our time, your money, or my experience to try and make my music production lessons focus solely on these topics.