Dean gives you the tools to traverse one of the internet’s most daunting websites – Youtube – and discover hidden vocal gems in unlikely places. We look at at more ‘leftfield’ sources of vocal samples to make your productions truly stand out in one of the world’s most competitive genres. You’ll see how videos on spoken poetry, memes, interviews, film clips, found footage and much more, can lead to interesting and unique vocal samples.
Minimal Deep Tech is all about the space between the words, and producers in this genre will often create interesting patters, rhythms and grooves out of otherwise ‘standard’ vocal ideas. In this chapter, we venture further within Youtube, find some RnB vocals, and explore how to implement those within a minimal structure. We make a mind-map of ideas, chops, atmospherics, and get creative with Ableton’s Samplers, to build a fun and engaging arrangement.
Delving into Driving Techno gives an opportunity to explore spoken, less melodic, and ‘darker’ vocals. In this chapter, Dean records his own vocal part, taking you from a blank page to a full lyric book. We look at unique sources of creative inspiration for lyric writing, and secret tools used by professionals to devise brooding, trippy and deep vocal lines. We explore creative mixing processes to make thick, tight vocal lines.
In this ground-breaking chapter, be part of a real-world recording session between an artist and a singer. Dean records an energetic, party-starting original vocal with a renowned singer. Starting from the song-writing stage, all the way through to a finished track, we explore the psychology of a vocal session, plus tips on how to encourage the best performance from a vocalist.
Progressive House is all about melodic complexity and taking the listener on an emotional journey – which is exactly what we want from our vocal. In this chapter, Dean looks for accapellas on Youtube, showing you how to get any vocal in time with Ableton. He builds a palette of ideas and fleshes out a complex arrangement with lush atmospheric pads, creative EFX processing and hypnotic musical elements to create a powerful, melodic progressive house track.
Piano House is a vocal-lead genre, drawing from elements of pop music and Italo, and getting the vocal hook right is absolutely paramount. One of a producer’s hardest jobs is working with multi-track vocals, and Dean demystifies the process entirely – showing you all the tips to turn ten recordings into one cohesive and powerful vocal hook. Using professional tools like Melodyne, he will show you how to create inspiring harmonies that will stay in your head for days.
Raw Classic House is all about funky samples overlaid on chunky beats. They might not fit the grid, but they will make the crowd move. In this chapter we explore the history of House music, and how to use the world’s largest royalty-free sample library, Splice. You’ll minimise your search time on this vast platform, and learn how to find exactly the right vocals for Classic House. Dean gets creative with samplers to make arrangements that are sure to lift the roof off.
Vocals are often what the A&R team are looking for when signing music.
It doesn’t have to be a full verse/chorus – it can be a simple one-line, or even a vocal texture. Because no matter how good the track is, without a vocal, it can feel like something is missing. Vocals offer a human connection to the music.
The Toolroom Academy and D.Ramirez are proud to present part one of the industry-leading Master Series: ‘Vocal Hooks’. This is the world’s most complete, affordable and in-depth programme tackling the full spectrum of vocal production across all of House music.
By the end of the course, you will have the skills and the confidence to be able to produce any vocal you want, in any style of House music.
Key Features:
We didn’t want to make a programme that served some house producers, and not others. That’s why every single chapter is centred around a different sub-genre. These include Tech House, Minimal, Driving Techno, Disco House, Progressive, Piano House and Classic House.
