Eddie Amador – Dope & Dirty Grooves

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Exploring the Essential Features of “Eddie Amador – Dope & Dirty Grooves”

Course Lessons 

• Course Preview
• Developing a house groove
• Working with bass
• Gating
• Cymbals & Percs
• Watch your levels
• Working with vocals
• Tweaking a groove
• Sampling Melodies and Bass
• Working with a spoken word vocal
• Arrangement
• Working with percussions
• Making bass more audible
• Breakdowns
• Live Q & A  (Part)

About This Course

Eddie Amador gets down to basics in his lesson taught in Ableton live. Showing us how he would start a track, get a groove going and looking into sampling melodies and basslines. Focussing on stock plug-ins and doing things in the box.

You will learn:

• How to develop a house groove
• Sidechaining bass 
• Utilising the Gate function
• Stereo imaging for high frequency drums
• Limiting & Compressing channels
• Working with vocals
• Musical phrasing
• How to arrange a track
• Sampling melodies and bass
• Working with risers in arrangement
• Making Bass more audible
• Making a breakdown 

Lessons: 

1. Developing a House Groove

Eddie mentions he uses sample packs a lot, and how there’s nothing wrong with using existing samples. Always keep it unique! Eddie touches on how you should consider how the final version of your track will sound, keeping an eye on levels and avoiding clipping.

• Finding a kick loop
• Add a compressor on every channel
• Add a limiter to your master channel
• Tightening up a kick loop
• EQing and compressing a kick
• Adding in a top layer
• Changing the transients and transposing a loop

2. Working with Bass

Eddie discusses the classic New York sidechaining approach when it comes to working with bass, emphasising to keep your levels under red.

• Adding in a bassline 
• EQing, compressing and sidechaing a bassline 

3. Gating

Eddie explains the difference between sidechaining and gating. Showing us practical examples of both of these functions in use.

• Working with gates
• Q/A: if you want to side-chain from multiple channels would you use multiple compressors?

4. Cymbals & Percs

Eddie touches on how he was previously in a marching band which is why rides are so important to him. Eddie shares info on stereo imaging stating that for hi-hats, cymbals and percs it’s better to have them moving in the stereo image or spread out (LR).

• Adding in a ride/tambourine. 
• Eqing a tambourine 
• Auto Panning a tambourine 
• Q/A – Why is there no low cut on your kick or bassline? 
• Eddie shares useful info on where to cut low end frequencies. 
• Q/A – How would you explain the gate? Is it the same as a side chain?

5. Watch your Levels

Eddie shares his approach to having all levels under the peak threshold. Highlighting that most sample packs would be treated and mixed before you put them into your project file, so less dynamic processing would be required.

• Splitting frequencies on low end 
• Most sample packs are already treated 
• Master chain

6. Working with Vocals

Eddie shows us a spoken word vocal take from an upcoming track, using it in the loop he’s made for this class. He touches up on the importance of other mid frequencies like open hats should not clash with the vocal.

• Finding a vocal sample in key
• Adding and treating a high hat (to avoid clashing the vocal)
• Q/A : Where do you get your vocals from?

7. Tweaking a Groove

• Adding in a crash
• Delaying a crash
• Sidechaining a crash
• Musical Phrasing
• Q/A – Do you take off the limiter when you send it off to be mastered? What’s the ideal dB for sending your track for mastering?
• Q/A – What do you do when you’re stuck in a loop?

8. Sampling Melodies and Bass

Eddie encourages the use of sample packs. Introduces a rhode and new bass sample into the track which he side-chains to the kick.

• Processing a Rhode sample
• Processing a Bass sample

9. Working with a Spoken Word Vocal

Eddie speaks about tips on recording spoken word vocal and letting the vocalist relax when recording.

10. Arrangement

Eddie shares how he likes to start a track. Emphasising on ‘house music is a feeling’ and giving DJs time to mix in your track, keeping melodic instruments for when the track would be fully mixed in. Let it mutate slowly.

• Making an intro
• Introducing the vocal and hi-hats
• Introducing bass and melodies
• Adding Risers with effects
• Adding risers and FX continued

11. Working with Percussions

Eddie shares his tips on warping shakers and other percussion. He states the importance of cutting out unwanted frequencies in the low end when it comes to shakers or cabassas.

• Finding the right sample
• Warping and pitching a Cabassa
• EQ & transients on a Cabassa
• Automating the EQ
• Q/A – Do you mainly use audio loops or do you use synths?

12. Making Bass and More Audible

Eddie shares his methods of making bass sounds louder in the mid-range. Using overdrive to boost mid frequencies so it can be heard on all listening devices and not just in the club.

• Adding mids to bass using Overdrive 

13. Breakdowns

Finding the right clap sample to add to the groove. Eddie then shares techniques on making a breakdown and re-introducing melodies.

• Finding a clap sample.
• Making a breakdown
• Q/A  What do you do on your mastering chain?

Meet Your Teacher

Eddie Amador

“Not everyone understands house music”…but Eddie Amador certainly does. After writing those now famous lyrics for his seminal anthem ‘House Music’ back in 1997, Eddie cemented his place as a legendary figure within the House music scene. His ability to create unforgettable House Music anthems – filled with deep, hypnotic grooves and soulful, moving lyrics – mean that his productions have been played countless times by the world’s best DJs, including the likes of: Carl Cox, Frankie Knuckles, Roger Sanchez, Pete Tong, Danny Tenaglia.

He has also completed remixes for the biggest names in the industry, such as Madonna, Donna Summer, Jason Derulo and Michael Bublé, receiving a Grammy Nomination for ‘Remixer Of The Year’ in 2015. In this course he shares some of his vast knowledge he has accumulated over the years, offering production tips and techniques he uses to create a professionally sounding House music track.

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