As we roll into October with a profusion of new content, we take stock and look back at what we were up to for the month of September. We’ve had some fantastic student opportunities, insightful interviews and informative masterclasses, all geared towards preparing you for your ascent through the music industry. Below are a few picks from the month. Don’t forget to check out our courses, such as our BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering Degree, on which you’ll learn the essential tools to take your productions to the next level.
To see each post in detail, click the corresponding title to be taken through to the page. And for those not already in the know, make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel and following us on Facebook and Twitter so you never miss out on our cutting edge content. Now, roll September’s highlights reel:
Friday Forum Live (FFL): Creating Classic Synth Sounds
For this edition of Friday Forum Live, pointblank Course Developer and expert instructor Dan Herbert will be demonstrating how to create some classic synth sounds in Native Instruments’ ‘Massive’ and ‘Reaktor’. Sounds on the shortlist span from the throbbing reece bassline from Ray Keith’s ‘Renegade Terrorist’ to the organ stabs of ‘Show Me Love’ by Robin S.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube Channel if you would like to see more of this kind of content. For those wanting to develop their own journey into music making, check out our full range of online courses. You can read more about our latest FFL here.
Remix Anthony Touma ‘Walk Away’ (Universal) & Win Prizes Worth £2,000+!
We have teamed up with pointblank Singing & Songwriting Certificate graduate, Anthony Touma, together with his label, Universal Music Mena, to create a very special remix competition for students, graduates and our wider online community. We’ll be looking for the very best remix submissions for Anthony’s new single, ‘Walk Away’, out now on Universal Music. The winner will have their music judged by the A&R team at Universal Music Mena with the potential of an official release. They’ll also receive a free pointblank ‘Complete’ course, plus copies of Komplete 11 and Ableton Suite! All you need to do to get started is download the stems here – check out the track above and read the full details of how to enter here.
pointblank Style Guide: UK Garage | Part 1 – ‘A History of UK Garage With MJ Cole
In our Style Guide series, we explore the origins of a musical genre, delving into its history and exploring the production techniques and hardware that helped define it. For the latest in the series, we visited award-winning producer MJ Cole at his London studio to dive into UK Garage. Watch the video below, in which he gives a concise history of the genre and keep a look out for part 2 below! UK Garage and a range of other genres are covered in depth on the Production Analysis module of our BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering Degree.
pointblank Style Guide: UK Garage | Part 2 – ‘MJ Cole Makes a UK Garage Track on the Fly’
In part 2 of our latest ‘UK Garage’ style guide, we caught up with Mercury Prize winner and legendary producer MJ Cole at his London studio to show he creates a track using elements from his new Loopmasters sample pack. In the video, MJ demonstrates some insights into his creative workflow as he makes a track, building drums using individuals hits from his sample pack before layering chords and adding some classic Rhodes melody.
WhoSampled Presents Samplethon Competition at pointblank London with KPM & Ableton
Attention all beat makers and sampling addicts – we want to hear your best tracks! On Sunday 15th October we will be opening our doors for a very special ‘Samplethon’ competition at our London school, in collaboration with WhoSampled, KPM Music and Ableton. Ahead of the competition day, we’ll be selecting 20 competitors to bring their best sampling and production games to the table – simply submit your best track to us as a SoundCloud link to samplethon@whosampled.com before 6th October to put yourself in the running to participate on the day. Watch the video below to get an idea of what to expect on the day, which will be mentored and judged by a highly experienced panel including Shawn Lee (Ubiquity), Chris Read (BBE / WhoSampled), Ollie Teeba (Ninja Tune) and pointblank’s Ski Oakenfull. Read more about the competition and entry details here.
Live Performance at pointblanks London with Look Mum No Computer!
Last but not least, Look Mum No Computer visited our London studios last month to give us a spectacular live performance. Half-modular synth freak, half-inventor and an artist in his own right, Sam’s creations never fail to entertain, having made quite an impact already with his ‘Synth Bike‘ invention. It was an absolute pleasure having him down to our HQ for what was a unique & inspiring show. Keep your eyes & ears peeled for another video with Look Mum No Computer coming your way very soon.
For those that want to develop their musical skills, our BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering Degree is one of the most comprehensive music courses out there, in which you can learn everything you need to know about music production including mixing, mastering, composition and music business. We also offer an online alternative, in the form of our new online BA (Hons) Music Production & Sound Engineering Degree. You can also check out our whole range of online courses here.
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