Ryan Tedder’s Monthly.

com Class Notes

V1.0

Table of Contents
Table of Contents

Forward

Should I Take this Course?

Advice Before Starting the Course?

Potential FAQs

Effects Plugins

Instrument Plugins

Gear (not all used, some recommended)

Part 1 - Starting Points and Finding a Vibe

Part 2 - Writing the Melody

Part 3 - Finding Concept and Writing Lyrics

Part 4 - Finalizing the Song and Lite Production

Part 5 - Recording and Producing Vocals

Part 6 - Final Touches + Mastering

Part 7 - Exploring New Sounds and Creating a Vibe

Part 8 - Writing and Arranging the Song

Part 9 - First Full Production Pass

Part 10 - Final Drum Production

Part 11 - Final Instrument Production and Polish

Part 12 - Collaboration Part 1: Getting Started

Part 13 - Collaboration Part 2: Writing the Song

Part 14 - Collaboration Part 3: Production and Arrangement

Part 15 - Collaboration Part 4: Vocals and Final Production

Part 16 - How to Keep Learning

How to Get into the Industry
Forward
These notes are in no way endorsed or influenced by monthly.com. I wrote this document
primarily for myself to reinforce what I learned and to have something to reference in the future.

All links are directly to the plugin and gear developers’ websites. No affiliate links are used.

The 30 day class was split up into 3 sections:

1. Write a basic song (Parts 1 through 6)
2. Write another song focusing much more on production (Parts 7 through 11)
3. Write a song collaborating with another musician (Parts 12 through 16)
a. In this case Ryan collaborates with Cautious Clay.

I’ve put the most important takeaways in bold to make it easy to get the gist of the course.
Plugins and gear are in bold underline.

To jump to where Ryan used each plugin, search for #plugins in the document. For gear, use
#gear.

Some of the notes are a bit disjointed, as Ryan is teaching as he goes. I found the collaboration
videos to be the most difficult to take notes for, as there is very little instruction and mostly
watching Cautious Clay interact with Ryan. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the course.
Should I Take this Course?
In my opinion, yes, if:
● You’re able to part with $279.
● You have at least 10 hours a week to dedicate to the course (I ended up spending
more time).
● You know your way around your DAW of choice.
○ I used Ableton Live, which I know well, but I couldn’t follow along exactly as Ryan
uses ProTools. If you need that level of detail, ProTools’ 30 day trial may be for
you.
● You’ve written a song before.
● Can play an instrument at some level of proficiency (recommended) or can use the
piano roll in your DAW.
● Have the necessary gear (computer, audio interface, microphone and DAW).
● You want to get better at songwriting and production, not performance.

No, if:
● You expect Ryan to listen to your song and give you notes. Didn’t happen to anyone
in my 20+ person class.
● You want a teacher to guide you. There’s no teacher in the course, only peer
feedback. I was fortunate enough to get some useful feedback, but YMMV.

Advice Before Starting the Course?

1. Make sure you’re ready for the time commitment. There’s a maximum of 6 hours
(roughly 4 minimum) of video for each 10 day section. In addition, you’ll be spending a
lot of time writing, producing and recording your song. The more time you put in the
more you’ll get out of the class.
2. Find a collaborator ASAP. I waited until the third section began to find a collaborator
and ended up doing 99% of the song myself. Could have gotten more out of the course
had I started looking sooner.
Potential FAQs
● Is the class really worth $279?
○ In my opinion (and situation), yes. It drastically helped my songwriting, and I had
a lot of time to put into the course.
○ The class only works if you write songs alongside the class. You’re practicing
each step of the process, getting feedback along the way, which is very helpful to
reinforce what you’re learning. Notes can’t do the course justice, but they are a
good way to get an overview of what you’d be learning.

● Why should I take the class if you’ve documented the whole thing?
○ You learn by doing.
○ If you want to see how Ryan uses ProTools to get a better handle on your
DAW, you’ll need to watch the videos.
○ Since the collaboration section is really about watching how Cautious Clay and
Ryan interact, you’re better off skipping my notes and watching the videos.
○ The deadlines coupled with peer feedback push you to do your best work.
Effects Plugins
Antares
● Antares Auto-tune Live

Celemony
● Celemony Melodyne

Universal Audio
● UAD EMT 140 Reverb (referenced, but not used)
● UAD Fairchild
● UAD LA-2A
● UAD Ocean Way Studios

Soundtoys
● SoundToys Decapitator
● Soundtoys Echoboy
● Soundtoys EchoBoy Jr
● Soundtoys FilterFreak
● Soundtoys Little Alterboy
● SoundToys Microshift

ValhallaDSP
● ValhallaDSP ValhallaShimmer
● Valhalla DSP ValhallaSupermassive
● ValhallaDSP ValhallaVintageVerb

ProTools / Avid
● ProTools Air Reverb
● ProTools EQ3
● ProTools Lo-Fi
● ProTools Mono to Stereo
● ProTools PitchShift Legacy
● ProTools Pro Subharmonic 2
● ProTools X-form

Serato
● Serato Pitch ‘n Time

XLN Audio
● XLN Audio RC-20 Retro Color
Waves
● Waves CLA Gate
● Waves CLA Vocals
● Waves CLA 2A
● Waves GTR
● Waves GTR Stomp 2
● Waves L2 Ultramaximizer
● Waves L3 Ultramaximizer
● Waves Maserati GRP
● Waves MetaFlanger
● Waves OneKnob Pumper
● Waves S1 Imager
Instrument Plugins
XLN Audio
● Addictive Drums FXpansion (most realistic, according to Ryan)

BFD
● BFD BFD Drums

Native Instruments
● Native Instruments Battery
● Native Instruments Kontakt - Alicia’s Keys
● Native Instruments Kontakt - The Maverick Piano
Gear (not all used, some recommended)
DAW
● Avid ProTools (recommended)
● Ableton Live

Everything that follows is listed in the class as “nice to have” but I’d recommend having
headphones, an audio interface and a mic at the bare minimum.

MIDI Keyboards (from high end to low end)

● Arturia KeyStep (high end)
● Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol A49 (this is what I used)
● AKAI Professional LPK25

Headphones (from high end to low end)

● Audio-Technica ATH-M50xWH
● Bose QuietComfort Noise-Canceling
● Sony MDR7506
● Off brand garbage from Amazon (what I used)

Microphone (from high end to low end)

● AKG
○ AKG C414EB Silverface
● Neumann
○ Neumann U67 (high end)
○ Neumann U87 - $800 to $1000
● Shure
○ Shure SM7B
○ Shure SM57 (not listed or recommended, but what I used)

Audio Interface (from high end to low end)

● Universal Audio Apollo x4
● Universal Audio Apollo Solo Heritage Edition
● Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (what I used)

Studio Monitors (from high end to low end)

● Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor
● M-Audio BX3 Studio Monitors
● Kali LP-6 (not listed or recommended, but what I used)
Room Treatment (all professional grade)
● Foam Bass Trap
● Acoustic Sound Blankets
● Pyramid Acoustic Foam

Misc
● Pop Filter
Part 1 - Starting Points and Finding a Vibe
If writing with an artist:
1. Just talk for 45 - 60 minutes listening for poetry / phrases that stand out or something
going on in their life.
2. Pay attention to phrases everywhere (on the news, social media, etc) and write them
down. They could be concepts for a song
3. Write the song in the best key for the artist you’re working with / pitching to, but if you
sound terrible in that key, pick the best key for you.
4. Suck just enough to get the idea across, as in don’t go all out on production and a million
layers, just get the basic idea across and make the artist want to cut it.

Starting Points
Taste > Musical ability
Ryan uses Waves GTR (#plugins) for line-in guitar.

Steal other people’s ideas (not plagiarism, but melodies, chord progressions, arrangement, etc)
Memorize hit song chord progressions (I-IV-V, etc). Saves time.

Tempo is your starting place.

Chord Progressions
1. Start with what feels right
2. Only so many chord progressions sound good to the human ear

Common Chord Progressions

a. 1 6 5 4
b. 1 4 5 6
c. 1 2 5 6
d. 1 6 4 5 major (easy to write melodies over)

OneRepublic’s “Apologize” used a common hit progression

If you want a 90’s sound, use a 90’s chord progression

Guitar Effects Chain #plugins

1. Waves GTR -> Spring Reverb -> ValhallaDSP ValhallaVintageVerb

Aside - UAD EMT 140 Reverb (#plugins) used all over Adele’s music, sounds vintage

“The wrong thing on the right part could make a unique sound”
Ryan’s Song
● 90 bpm, D A Bmin G

Starting to Write
● All that matters is that what you’re writing inspires you
● Avoid referencing songs before you write, you may unintentionally rip someone off
● You can write over a loop from someone else’s song, then delete that loop (again, being
careful not to accidentally plagiarize when writing the rest of the song)
● Don’t be ahead of the beat, makes the listener feel anxious
● If the artist is consistently ahead of the beat, you can shift the recording in the DAW on
to the beat
● You should be on or behind the beat (that is, you come in after the 1, 2, etc) but never
ahead

Tempo
Common Tempo’s
● Hip-hop: 90 - 95 bpm
● Trap: 140 bpm
● Pop: 90 - 130 bpm ?

Tempo’s are like fads.

Asides
Everything you layer into a song should sound hooky by itself and doesn’t wear you out.

If anything isn’t in the pocket you’re a no go. (In the pocket means aligned to the grid).

Vocal Settings
ProTools EQ3 (#plugins) - Settings for Vocals?
● Low shelf at 150 Hz, -6dB
● Boost at 1.8kHz, 4dB

More Asides
When writing, Ryan’s nemesis is anything that impedes the flow.

As of the class’s recording (2020), bedroom recording / lo-fi sound is in fashion.

Biggest killer in terms of frequency range is 900 to 4kHz

● Makes things sound shrill and hurts your ears
● Unable to listen to it repeatedly
● Prominent in voice, guitars, sax, etc,...
● Can be automated on and off

XLN Audio RC-20 Retro Color #plugins - Can be used to make it sound vintage
Ryan added a field recording layer to the track, and used Kashmir percussion vol 3 snap 08
from Splice

SoundToys Microshift #plugins

● Stereo spread, guitar is more engaging
● Reverb can hide ambience baked into a sample
● Reverb can act as glue (see UAD Ocean Way Studios #plugins)

Snaps
Ryan randomly pitched each snap over 16 bars. This is typically done in pop music to make the
claps sound more organic. Not done as much in hip-hop as you typically want the drum machine
sound. We can tell when a sample isn’t pitched.

You can split the snaps across three different tracks, each with their own reverb to differentiate
them.

Make the sounds not distract you.

Don’t over add sounds when you’re trying to write.

For Ryan, Splice is inspiring.

What Matters
● Does it inspire you?
● Does the movement work?
● Does an artist want to cut it?

Pick a tempo, find a vibe, pick an instrument.

Part 2 - Writing the Melody
Waves CLA Vocals - (#plugins)
● Face 2 Face Dry Preset (used everytime in the course)
● Automate the delay parameter

Finding the Melody

● Sing gibberish into the mic, trying to beat your last take
● According to Ryan, 4 out of 5 songwriters he works with use this technique
● Switch up your patterns between verse, pre-chorus and chorus
○ If the melody is a pickup (comes before the first beat) in the verse, make it start
on or after the beat in the pre-chorus, etc,...

Soundtoys Little Alterboy - (#plugins)

● Ryan uses formant between -1.5 and 1.5
● Can use to make voice sound female if you’re male pitching to a female artist and vice
versa

Pitching Song
Make vocals like the artists voice but stay away from parody or direct imitation
Delivery of vocal implies the genre

Soundtoys FilterFreak - (#plugins) - on guitar, lowpassed

Added an 808 sub in Kontakt (not sure which library this was, sorry)
Gate at end of vocals (#plugins) - Waves I think

Guitar FX Chain (#plugins)

ValhallaDSP ValhallaVintageVerb with low cut
ValhallaDSP ValhallaShimmer with low cut
Bounced to new track
Clip off attack
ProTools PitchShift Legacy up an octave

Songwriting Notes
● Write Chorus First
● Verse, Prechorus, Chorus, Verse, Prechorus, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus is a common
arrangement
● Go down rabbit holes, could make the song a hit
Part 3 - Finding Concept and Writing Lyrics
Start with the Chorus First!

If you have a dark instrumental, try poppy, upbeat lyrics. It’s about contrast.

Chorus
● Balanced shape
● Complete story
● Unexpected but satisfying

Lyrics
● Should read like a story top to bottom and sound conversational, like something two
people would naturally say to one another
● Subconscious kicks in when singing gibberish
● Lean away from generic lyrics
● Find chorus and tag, should tell complete story
● Pickup vocal definition - starts before the 1 of the next bar

Ryan made an Intro / Intro Chorus / Half Chorus, using the melody of the chorus in the intro

Keep notes in your phone of quotes you can pull from when writing

Every melody, first phrase is telling the listener what the melody is. It’s an error to NOT repeat
that melody.

Use a different melody in the 2nd verse (as if there was a featured artist)

Best length of song in 2020 is 2:15 - 2:45

Hit pop songs don’t have bridges anymore

Intro Chorus removes need for bridge / middle 8

Ryan’s first song’s structure
1. Intro Chorus
2. Verse
3. Pre-chorus
4. Chorus
5. Verse
6. Pre-chorus
7. Chorus
8. Chorus Out

1st verse - fast delivery to make 90 bpm song sound fast

Pre-chorus - long notes (release, as in tension and release)
Chorus - halfway in between

Don’t give the note away - save one note to only be used in the chorus, brings something new

Start with hard rhymes then work backwards

Be your worst critic

In this song the bridge is overlaid on the chorus

Part 4 - Finalizing the Song and Lite Production
Fresh ears are key
If you spend more than 5 - 10 minutes on a line, walk away and come back
That line will always come up when you’re not looking for it
The more your sounds are the right sounds, the less sounds you need

Ryan’s Songwriting Process

1. Tempo
2. Chord Progression
3. Melody (vocal)
4. Arrangement
5. Concept and Lyric
6. Walk away
7. Fresh ears
8. Final edits
9. Production to sell the song
a. Some artists just prefer piano and vocal or guitar and vocal
Part 5 - Recording and Producing Vocals
● Don’t clip while recording
● When singing stand straight up with good posture
● Make sure the room is as quiet as possible
● Mouth about 6 - 8 inches away from the mic
● Use Waves CLA Gate (#plugins) to remove ambient noise
a. Don’t set threshold greater than -20db EVER
● Get rid of empty segments of vocals
● No carbonated beverages 1 hr before recording
● Avoid hot foods and foods high in acid 12 hours before recording
● If using a demo vocalist, ask them to come in already warmed up to save time
● Very few vocalists nail a song the same day they’ve heard it; send the song the day
before - saves time and stress
● Nuances of a performance make the song
● Critical to get a good vocal performance
● Need
a. Decent mic (#gear)
i. Neumann U67 (high end)
ii. Neumann U87 - $800 to $1000
iii. AKG C414EB Silverface
1. Travel mic, no tube
2. Chris Martin (from Coldplay) uses this mic
b. Pop Filter (#gear)
c. Shure SM7B (#gear)
i. Includes pop filter
ii. Can EQ it to make it sound like a $10k mic
1. Record SM7B and expensive mic at same time
2. Can use EQ, De-essers and Compressors to match mic tone,
body and frequency
iii. Adele used it
● Stand up
● Mouth 6 to 8 inches from mic
● Rooms have bad echo
a. Use microphone sound proofer, or prop up pillows around the mic
● Use Waves CLA Vocals (#plugins) - Face 2 Face Dry preset
a. Top or roof, bright vocals
b. Pitch - Stereo or Wide Spread
c. Quarter note delay
● Antares Auto-tune Live (#plugins)
● Artists have producers they use all the time
a. If you want your song placed, use very little production
 b. If also trying to get gig as producer / co-producer spend a few more hours to get
it to feel like the last 2 records that artist put out
● Don’t be afraid to fail
a. You’ve got all the time in the world to make as many songs as you need until the
world’s ready to hear them
● Starting is the only thing that matters
Part 6 - Final Touches + Mastering
● Master bus needs glue
● Don’t write with master bus FX on
● Master Bus (#plugins)
○ Waves L2 Ultramaximizer OR
○ Waves L3 Ultramaximizer OR
○ Waves Maserati GRP (preferred, what Ryan used on all 3 songs)
● Writing the song should take 1 day
● Producing
○ Listen to rough mix in car, on phone, etc
○ After 6 hours of production you’ll see diminishing returns
○ Don’t kill yourself trying to finish, take breaks
Part 7 - Exploring New Sounds and Creating a Vibe
Fundamentals
1. Only so much frequency range available
a. Don’t have things fighting for some frequency
b. A song is like a layer cake
2. Drum pattern and bass must be dancing in unison
3. Momentum
a. Every 4 or 8 bars there must be a new piece of information
b. Utilize the sounds you introduce through the song
c. Remember, it’s about Tension and Release. It glues the listener to the song.
d. Lyric and melody keep the listener listening, but production does it the most
4. Write song so at least 3 different artists could cut it
a. “Would Halsey like this vibe?” etc
b. BUT also make it sound like nothing they’ve done before

Production
● Always start drums on the 1 count
● Timbaland never quantized his drums
● Match key of song to that of the artist you’re writing for
● Separate tracks for each type of drum hit (kick, snare, etc)
● Ryan added UAD LL-2A (#plugins) to the kick sample in the track he wrote
● You can auto tune drums to get them in the key of the song
● Make sure it sounds good in speakers AND headphones
● Creating stacks from recordings (in this case, a snap)
○ Record 4 bars of snaps
○ Move each snap to its own layer and line them up
● Ryan aggregates lots of sounds he likes
○ May only use 1 out of 10
○ Don’t need to stack sounds once you’ve found the right sound
● 1 style of production is stacking sounds
● The current trend (in 2020) is to find the right sounds

Arrangement
● Verse is AABA
● Don’t bore us, get to the chorus
● Getting to the chorus in less than 30 seconds = WIN
● For this track, Ryan used Soundtoys Little AlterBoy (#plugins) to make his voice
sound female (by adjusting formant)
● In Ryan’s song he stayed on the E note for the entire verse section (Hip Hop)
● Verses can stay on 1 or 2 chords, builds tensions
● In ProTools printing MIDI to audio can add latency
● Ryan didn’t use a chord chart, simply went off of “feel”
● The song Bleeding Love used drums from Native Instruments Battery
● Tuning in MIDI avoids stretching samples
● Pitching Audio
○ Tune all drums to the same key
○ Serato Pitch ‘n Time (#plugins) to slide down pitch
○ ProTools X-form (#plugins) also used for adjusting pitch
○ Ableton Live allows pitching without artifacts
○ ProTools built in pitch shift can do time correction with loss in quality
● If you’re going to spend money on plugins invest in
○ Vocals
○ Pitch Correction
● If you can only buy 1 physical synth get one the following
○ MiniMoog Voyager (#gear)
○ Roland Juno-106 (#gear)
○ Sequential Prophet (#gear) - Not sure what version
● Ryan played a bass riff on the MiniMoog with glide on
○ Double tracked it
○ Sends both tracks to an AUX track
○ Added UAD LL-2A (#plugins) to AUX track
● Ryan needed a haunting sound in the chorus
● Ryan imported acoustic drum sounds
● Understand what frequency range is being taken up by instruments
○ Don’t overcrowd any 1 frequency range
● Every time you import a clip, always keep a duplicate backup in case you mess up
processing it
● Ryan used Valhalla DSP ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins) on vocal pad
● Lots of time spent tuning drums to match chord progression
● Throw a bunch of samples in the first chorus then separate it out to fit the rest of the
song
● Sound selection is crucial
● Ryan used Valhalla DSP ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins) on the snare as well
● Ryan added snaps (low passed with reverb) to 2nd chorus
○ Dry clap on 4th beat, claps offset on each layer
○ Hard pans each layer left and right
○ Buses claps to clap track
○ Added UAD LL-2A (#plugins) to this track
○ High passes at 160Hz
○ Mid boost at 1.5k
○ High boost at 2.2k
○ Flams snaps so they don’t fight frequency-wise with the snare
● Don’t introduce more than 2 things at once every 4 to 8 bars
● Ryan introduced the sound of a closing of hi hat (using the foot) after 1st 4 bars
○ Naturally what a drummer would do
○ Could also add it on the 2’s and 4’s
 ○ Ryan stacked 2 samples of the hi hat
● Live Drum Sounds
○ Addictive Drums FXpansion (#plugins) - most realistic
○ BFD BFD Drums (#plugins)
Part 8 - Writing and Arranging the Song
● Song > Production
● Song must justify finishing production
● Sounds should be unique and not abrasive
● In Ryan’s song the verse is AABA
● Simplify - less is more
● Little moments can make or break a song
● Ryan added a stereo effect on the snap sample, but later removed it
○ Adjusted formant using Soundtoys Little AlterBoy (#plugins) on 1 snap
○ Offset other snaps to create a flam
● Flip between headphones and speakers often
● Producer stays up long after the songwriter has headed home
● Lyrics should read as natural conversation
● Cut (record) vocals as you’re writing them
● Ryan’s vocal effects in this song
○ Valhalla DSP’s ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins) on vocals
■ Low cut 760Hz
■ Adjusted Decay and Mix to taste
● Vocals HAVE to be in the pocket (aligned to grid / beats)
● Tag = the theme in your post chorus
● Keep trying to beat your best vocal take
● First take is usually the keeper
● Waves Maserati GRP (#plugins) on master bus
● Lyrics must be clear
● Ryan:
○ Automated reverb and delay on and off for variation between verse and chorus
○ Layered ton of vocal harmonies, especially on second verse
○ Turned off reverb on the snaps until the chorus
○ Added Roland Juno 106 (#gear) to beef up the bassline in the chorus
○ Added flam to snares (alternating)
○ Could have added a bridge but opted not to
○ Hi passed the vocal sample at 192Hz
● 2:45 to 2:50 is the perfect length for a song (in 2020)
● Made sure Moog synths are playing well with the 808 bass
● The only parts Ryan needed were verse, chorus, post-chorus and bridge?
Part 9 - First Full Production Pass
● Get in conversation with someone to distract you
● Take breaks, leave room
● You’ll come back and hear problems you didn’t hear before
● You can only be productive for 5 to 6 hours
● Remember: Tension and Release
● Ryan
○ Used Vahalla DSP ValhallaSupermassive (#plugins) to create a pad
○ Used Waves OneKnob Pumper (#plugins) to sidechain bass to kick
● “ProTools guitar” - record a bunch of ideas then edit and reassemble the perfect take
● Ryan
○ pocketed (quantized) a guitar riff
○ Used Vahalla DSP ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins) on direct in guitar
● Add one layer at a time
● Keep adding and removing, adding and removing
● What stays in the track the longest should probably be kept
Part 10 - Final Drum Production
It’s not about coming up with unlimited options

What Ryan did on this song:

1. Pulled hi hat sample out of a drum break
a. Used “tab to transient” in ProTools to find it
2. Gets right to the point of what he needs from the break
3. “Throw stuff in and see what works”
4. Chops break, builds loop
5. Aligns break to ‘master’ drum programming tracks
6. There was distortion in drums
a. Tried to use Celemony Melodyne (#plugins) to remove it, but didn’t work
b. Tried to bandpass it, also didn’t work
c. Removed hi hats, faded out clips to remove sustained (worked)
7. Hi hats don’t have to be on grid, goes by feel
8. Tries adding another snare and hi hat in the chorus
9. Hi passed hi hat
10. Checkerboards hi hat samples (each hi hat sample overlaps the previous and next
sample) - each line below is a sample on a track
a. —------- —-------- —-------
b. —------- —------
11. The harder the high hat hit the higher the frequency
12. If you want a live feel / pocket but you don’t have the sounds you want you can fake
intensity with pitch shifting
13. Don’t go more than a half step
14. Can get really close to recorded drums with
a. Addictive Drums FXpansion (#plugins) - most realistic
b. BFD BFD Drums (#plugins)
15. Once you introduce a sound for more than 4 bars or so you must use that sound
continuously
16. Can’t introduce new parts that never happen again
17. Nail down the sounds you’re using
18. If a sound isn’t adding anything to the mix, remove it
19. Whatever you introduce in the verse and pre-chorus sonically is what you need in the
chorus
20. What’s in a chorus doesn’t need to repeat
21. Be mindful of what you take in and out
a. Melody
b. Snare
c. Kick, etc
22. Rough example of how you’re adding and removing information throughout a song
a. Each x is an sound or element in your song
 b. In the table we’re introducing 2 more items in the first chorus, then removing 1 for
verse 2, then bringing back everything from chorus 1 and adding a new element..
Verse 1 Chorus 1 Verse 2 Chorus 2

x x x x

x x x

x x

x
23. Ryan used a drum break sample for drum fill.
24. Don’t program drum patterns that a drummer wouldn’t or couldn’t play
25. Can’t play hi hats and toms at the same time
26. Ryan established a trap drum pattern every 8 bars
27. Tried to move drum pattern to every 4 bars in the chorus
28. “If it doesn’t distract me, keep it”
29. New elements / information every 4 bars in the final chorus
30. Last chorus should be the end of a fireworks display
31. Ryan’s goto sound for any organic song is filtered cowbell, tuned to the correct key
(more cowbell? huh?)
Part 11 - Final Instrument Production and Polish
● This bounce is the demo / pitch bounce
● If an artist wanted to cut it, Ryan would change the production to suit that artist
● Bounce it when you’re 98% there, the last 2% is for the artist
● Narrative could change for the artist, the goal is that that doesn’t happen
● Don't repeat a word when they’re near each other
● EZdrummer Addictive Drums (#plugins) - Black Velvet preset for Tom fill with an added
UAD LA-2A (#plugins) compressor
● Avid Pro Subharmonic 2 (#plugins) after the UAD LA-2A (#plugins) to boost 60 - 80 Hz
● Added a Waves C1 Gate (#plugins) on flammed Tom
● Avid Air Reverb (#plugins) on normal toms
● Waves C1 Gate (#plugins) after reverb
● Waves Maserati GRP (#plugins) on the master bus
○ Makes sure he’s not clipping
○ Makes sure the LED in the UI is barely hitting red in the loudest part of the song
○ Do that by adjusting meter fader on master bus
● Native Instruments Kontakt - The Maverick Piano (#plugins)
○ Makes it sound muffled
○ Records it quietly (low velocity), then boosts volume
○ Sets sustain to max
○ Adds UAD Fairchild (#plugins) - compress the hell out of it
○ Adjust velocity in ProTools’ midi editor
○ Adds UAD Ocean Waves Studios (#plugins) piano preset
■ Reduces harsh frequencies
○ Adds ValhallaDSP ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins) Concert hall preset
○ Adds Waves OneKnob Pumper (#plugins) to get piano to sit in the mix
○ Adds SoundToys Decapitator (#plugins) to remove sustain at end of each
phrase (automation)
○ Adds SoundToys FilterFreak (#plugins)
■ Resonance all the way down
■ Bypass automation during intro
■ Frequency - filters it down after intro
● Duplicate the melody up an octave every 4 bars
● Artists put their soul into the verse
● Ryan will write a record (song) with a bulletproof chorus and vocal melody (singing
gibberish for vocal melodies)
● Only writes a verse, pre-chorus with no second verse OR melodies and full chorus
● Guitar riff
○ Waves GTR Stomp 2 (#plugins) with DriveDelay preset
○ High passes using ProTools EQ3 (#plugins)
○ Adds Soundtoys Echoboy (#plugins) - uses default setting, adds more wet and
feedback
 ○ Puts guitar riff in first verse
○ Comps guitar from improv recording
○ Leaning toward keeping guitar and removing piano
○ Ryan pockets each layer of guitar
○ He says he may sidechain the guitar to the kick
● Depending on the artist he may lean towards electronic drums / production
● All artists want to be cooler than they are
● Aiming toward making an artist go outside their comfort zone is enticing
● May put the piano in the 2nd half of the 2nd verse
● Punches in to change the lyric “glass hearted” to “black hearted”
○ Changing 1 word can completely change a song
● Automated reverb (ValhallaDSP ValhallaVintageVerb) (#plugins) on lead vocals
● Records vocals for left and right doubles
Part 12 - Collaboration Part 1: Getting Started
First Steps
● Bedside manor - reading their energy is crucial
● Be encouraging as possible
● Know when to push back
● Delicate dance
● Ask questions, get them talking (this should be the first 30 - 90 minutes of the session)
● Writing is vulnerable, like going on a date
● Can ask “What are you in the mood for?”
● Can ask “Where’s your head at?”
● How can I add value to you?
● Act in confidence
● They’re potentially as nervous as you
● Conversation creates rapport
● Can ask “Do you have any ideas?” Melody, track, progressions,...
● Try out different loops to start from
● Ask collaborator to “create melody just with your voice”

In Session
● Ryan matched posture with Cautious Clay (legs crossed, likely to build rapport)
● They chopped up drums in Ableton Live, threw in some snaps and then revisited it
● Picked a kick sample
● Recorded vocal melody (singing gibberish) and looped it, adding reverb
● Moved over to ProTools from Ableton Live
● Created a dense verse with a drop chorus
○ 808, sub and vocals, that’s it
● Don’t flip between writing and producing, you’ll end up with nothing
● If the song isn’t great the production doesn’t matter
● Start with the chorus
● Ryan moved the melody higher in pitch in the verse
● Throw in placeholder sounds, it’s a 50 / 50 change you’ll keep them
● What’s the least amount of sounds we can add
● Ryan used a dry clap with a tambourine (recorded live)
● Anytime Ryan find a loop that is the rhythm he’s looking for he adds it in
● Pitched 808’s to match the bassline melody
● Used Soundtoys’ Little AlterBoy (#plugins) on the backing vocal (-3.8 formant)
● Ryan added an organ riff
● Pitch shifted a copy of the backing melody up an octave, added Valhalla DSP’s
ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins) and Soundtoys’ Little AlterBoy (#plugins) (0.2
formant)
● Cautious Clay freestyles with a soft amount of autotune (which they later disabled)
● Added Valhalla DSP’s ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins) on clap sample
● Added Waves CLA-2A (#plugins) on vocal (using vox preset) and Waves CLA Vocals
(#plugins) (Face 2 Face Dry Preset)
● Automated pitch down at the end of an 808 sample
● Bypassed autotune in places where pitch changes quickly
● “I always love a different perspective” - Cautious Clay
● Ryan’s vocal track chain (#plugins)
○ Soundtoys Little AlterBoy (-2 formant)
○ Antares Auto-tune Live
○ Waves CLA Vocals
○ ValhallaDSP’s ValhallaVintageVerb
● Ryan freestyles
● Ryan matches the humor and laughter of Cautious, references the earlier “Call me
maybe” joke to keep Cautious engaged
● More pitch shifting of the 808 to match the bassline melody
● Pitch the bass notes up an octave to tune them to the correct note, then shift them
down into the correct octave
● Ryan again references the “Call me maybe” joke
● Recorded scratch vocals
● Double checked Cautious’ freestyle take for useful parts
● Ryan tries fake rapping
Part 13 - Collaboration Part 2: Writing the Song
● Ryan makes a callback to the “Call me maybe” joke
● Cautious’ suggested beat doesn’t work with the chorus but makes the chorus move more
● You can always write the best lyrics outside the studio when you hear the music
through a wall - so Ryan low pass filters the entire track when writing lyrics
● Lyrics should be conversational - what one person would casually say to someone
else
● Ryan uses ‘wave’ in conversation, which Cautious used first in conversation (rapport?)
● ProTools Lo-Fi (#plugins) on 808 kick
● Waves CLA Vocals (#plugins) on backing vocals
● Added vinyl texture sample high passed
● Imported 808 dancehall hi hat samples
○ Ryan says this makes the track sound more modern (in 2020)
● They discuss removing the first half of the second verse
● Ryan stressed vocal harmonies
● Work backwards from chorus
● First drum pattern introduced is drum pattern for the song
● Needs more layers in chorus
● Ryan compliments Cautious on what he adds to his tracks
● Balance modernity with current (popular top 100) sounds
Part 14 - Collaboration Part 3: Production and
Arrangement
● Ryan and Cautious go with the “Call me maybe” lyric
● Ryan punches in new lyrics / vocal takes
● Native Instruments Battery (#plugins) 808 kit
● Ryan is blunt about Cautious’ 808 beat (not good enough) and ups the track’s tempo
● Serato Pitch n’ Time (#plugins) pitches down the end of the 808 sample to make it drop
● ProTools X-form (#plugins) to transpose 808 kicks
● Cautious proposes a drum sample, Ryan uses it and pockets it
● ProTools EQ3 (#plugins) on drum break
○ High cut
○ High mid cut
○ Low cut
● Waves MetaFlanger (#plugins) and Soundtoys EchoBoy Jr (#plugins) default settings,
lowered feedback, increased mix
● Ryan keeps Cautious focused on the process
● ProTools Lo-Fi (#plugins) Bitcrushed live tambourine
● Ryan compliments Cautious on playing the tambourine in the pocket and the take’s
uniform volume
● Adds vocal swell into final chorus
● Cautious tries an adlib on the second verse
● Soundtoys FilterFreak (#plugins) to lowpass the tambourine
● Ryan records a piano riff, duplicates it up and octave and adds Valhalla DSP’s
ValhallaVintageVerb
● Native Instruments’ Kontakt - Alicia’s Keys - 30% mix
● Ryan says a trap hat transition and using snaps is a nod to what’s popular now (2020)
● Ryan uses a Jupiter synth (#gear) to add analog texture, plays a bass note
● Ryan says “What needs to be said to push the story forward? That’s what
matters.”
● Ryan edits piano MIDI in instrumental part (adds notes, adjusts timing)
Part 15 - Collaboration Part 4: Vocals and Final
Production
● Cautious records 1st verse line by line (2nd verse already done)
● Ryan pitches vocal segment by cents between Cautious recording vocals
● Ryan sings melodies to prime Cautious for each line
● Ryan compliments Cautious after each take: “Fire man!” and “So good”
● Ryan gave note sing that “more assertive” on one line
● Ryan adjusts timing of chorus, specifically the line “You’ve got problems” (it was
dragging)
● Vocal Stacks
○ Ryan doubled the word “air” and pitched it up an octave
○ Increases mix in Valhalla DSP ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins) on the backing
vocal stack
○ Ryan pitch shifts a syllable in the vocal stack, as well as pocketing and panning
the stack center
● Ryan reduces the gain of the normal vocals in the chorus
● Adlibs - Cautious records some amazing vocal harmonies
● Ryan used volume automation to cut off piano in and out of solo / bridge section
● Cautious recorded more adlibs
● Ryan adjusts extra snares’ volume
● Ryan added a hi hat foot sample with hi pass filter, panned left, to add hi frequency
content
● Ryan widened the backing vocal harmony using Waves S1 Imager (#plugins)
● Ryan added more reverb on backing vocal harmony - Valhalla DSP
ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins)
● Ryan emphasizes the hi hats on the 1 and the 3
● Ryan adds a drop halfway through the second verse
● Ryan records a bass on the Roland Juno-106 (#gear)
○ Adds 60% mix and adjusts decay in Valhalla DSP ValhallaVintageVerb
(#plugins) on sustained note, low in mix
● Ryan attempts 1 take on a Jupiter-8 (#gear), a flute-like patch writing a background
arpeggio
○ Adds Valhalla DSP ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins)
● Ryan adds Valhalla DSP ValhallaVintageVerb (#plugins) on backing stereo vocals
(flattened / rendered)
● Ryan also uses an organ patch on the Jupiter-8 (#gear)
○ Adds ProTools Mono to Stereo (#plugins)
○ Adds Soundtoys MicroShift (#plugins) using default settings
● Ryan records live bass halfway through verse 2
○ Adds UAD LA-2A (#plugins), Major compression preset
○ Plays octaves mainly, chopped up and punched in a bit
● Ryan adds Waves Maserati GRP (#plugins) to the master bus
○ He adjusts master bus gain until level light barely touches red
● Makes a final bounce (48k)
Part 16 - How to Keep Learning

How to Get into the Industry

● Collaborate with your classmates (who have different skill sets) immediately
○ Push each other to be better
● Zoom sessions are the standard
● Get the bad songs out of your system
● Move to a music hot spot (LA, Nashville, New York (to an extent))
○ Competition will make you better
● Pitch to recording artists
○ Contact them via Twitter, Soundcloud, etc
● Ryan’s team looks to social media for writers and artists, so a social media presence is
important