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Learner Reviews & Feedback for The Art of Vocal Production by Berklee

4.7
stars
360 ratings

About the Course

This course addresses recorded vocal performances and the technologies used to highlight and support them in modern record production and mixes. Most of us know that vocals serve as the focal point of modern recordings but many do not know the tools used or when the tools are used best in modern record production. The course begins with simple vocal placement in a mix, where you will also learn the fundamentals of compression and equalization. You’ll further study delays and reverbs before moving to advanced concepts in audio editing, synthetic processing, automatic & graphic pitch correction, time compression, time expansion, flex and elastic audio. Through analysis and/or hands on projects that the students will post for peer review, the student will gain an understanding of the many choices available to modern record producers as they record and mix with a modern tool set. You’ll see, in action, the Vocoder, Auto-Tune, Melodyne, Elastic Audio, Flex Time, VocAlign, tempo based editing and a host of other file modification protocols that are readily available on most Digital Audio Workstations. This course gives students a thorough look at the expanded choices that have risen in the art of vocal production as a result of these modern tools. The goal of the course is to help interested novices understand the recordings they are listening to, performers find an expanded language for their recorded voices and for vocal producers to be able to create musically artistic visualizations using singers as their paintbrushes....

Top reviews

AE

Nov 26, 2018

This course was really fun, I have learned so much. And I am glad I took the time to complete it. I work with vocals all the time. And now I feel much more confident now. Thank you Mr Prince.

EG

Sep 7, 2021

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. It was so clearly explained and the information presented has improved my knowledge and ability in music production. Thank you very much!

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1 - 25 of 120 Reviews for The Art of Vocal Production

By Nikita K

Feb 2, 2017

Unnecessary extra videos, that could and should be joined together. In particular, in lessons 2 and 3 all "topic introductions" could be joined with the following "let's discuss this topic inside a DAW" video.

Awful dynamic range. In some videos voice of lector is very quiet (-20 dB or less) and sound played from the DAW is much louder (around -6 dB). In other videos, the opposite: loud lector and quiet DAW. Change of microphone setup between intro video and "in the DAW" video is also very noticeable and distracting.

Repeats of repeats over repeats. This is not needed at all. I could repeat everything by myself, just pause video and replay interesting fragment. I don't need to be reminded how a single background vocal sounds or that we need to change panning each time we add new track. Yes, It should be done from time to time, but not each time. These repeats make the lessons unnecessary long, it feels I could have been told the same information in half of time or less.

This combines with very slow pace of a lector. I listened all lessons on 1.5 or even 2.0 tempo, just to not fall asleep.

Quizzes are strange. Stupid quesion appeared in quiz three: which key combinations we use in the videos? But why do you ever ask this, how this relates to the topic? I use another DAW in another OS, I even don't have a "command" key, I could have changed my hot keys, so your particular hot key setup is not any significance for me. I was expected to be quizzed for which parameters to tune, how it sounds and alike, not this particular crap. Trust me, anyone could figure which hot keys to use. I am not just a monkey, I have an ability to explore my software by myself, I don't need to be told how to copy and paste, and even if I need this I just go look in the manual.

By Alexey S

Apr 10, 2018

После прохождения этого курса появились не только новые, структурированные знания, но и освоена профессиональная терминология на английском. Спасибо!

By Lauren

Mar 22, 2017

Maybe if you're just starting out and using the same software as Prince Charles, this class would be more useful. Even so, the audio on this has got to be fixed, especially since this is an audio class about mixing!

I learned a few vocal layering techniques, but this is a really beginner class and is very DAW-specific; if you aren't using the specific software, the information here will only be valuable for topical concepts. Because if this, watching the videos aren't much help visually, but then it's an uneasy listen because the audio levels in the videos are so uneven, that you can barely hear the professor's voice on a common speaker, and then you get BLASTED when he turns on an audio clip.

The way he explained things also felt a bit slow and dragging to me. I teach young children, and it seemed reminiscent of the way I have to talk to them sometimes. Then there's this really awkward and long interview with his musical colleague (week 4) who didn't seem to know much about what he was being asked, and while watching their conversation, it's totally apparent in the professor's face that he wasn't getting the output he wanted from the guy.

Thanks for the vocal techniques. I hope this feedback is helpful.

By Wil K

Jul 21, 2017

Excellent intro course on the subject of producing vocals. The videos are focused and structured which make each concept easy to digest for the student. In-depth focus on stacking and doubling vocals is really well done and thoroughly explained. Could not think of a better way to organize and teach the Filtering, Delay, Reverb and more exotic FX like Vocoder and Talk Box. I have been producing R&B, Jazz and Gospel style vocals for artists, including some on Def Jam, Jive, Universal Records, using these very techniques that we pioneered and learned in the studio setting back in the 90's. It is great to see an organized, structured presentation of these topics in an academic setting that retains all of the practicality of real-world vocal production. Prince Charles is a phenomenally detail-oriented, effective instructor with a huge body of experience paired with technical and musical knowledge. A gem of a course!

By Ventsislav I

Aug 15, 2019

Course was great! I was able to learn a lot of new things and the lecturer was so on point! I recommend this course to anyone who is interested in vocal production!

By Koos J

Sep 20, 2017

Learned a lot, great course. Was hoping for a bit higher standard actually, but enjoyed it anyway.

By Clarence M I

Nov 29, 2017

Would better if there was more application. Usually that's the style of these classes, and I followed a similar structure on my own—writing a song and applying the techniques to it. As a student I find having a final product or at least something that shows I have used what I learned very useful. It also makes peer reviews more interesting. Otherwise great course. Learned a lot!

By Juho K

Jul 21, 2017

Clarity through brevity is not found here. Simple concepts explained in length. I didn't need to know or get tested on Pro Tools specific copy and paste commands.

By Abellot a

Mar 7, 2017

Muy flojo.

By Bruna C d O

Dec 1, 2021

o curso é excelente, as explicações são minuciosas e muito bem esclarecidas. Entretanto para as pessoas que não dominam o inglês, eu não recomendo, pois o curso é 90% baseado no pro tools, e é impossível fazer qualquer atividade junto com o professor, se não se tem a menos idéia do que ele está explicando. literalmente tive que ficar parando os vídeos de 30 em 30 segundos, para ler o que ele estava falando no texto, depois voltava e via o que ele havia feito no pro tools, e só depois com muita dificuldade aplicava no programa. Infelizmente não tive a produtividade que gostaria devido a não ser o mínimo fluente em inglês. Mas dei o meu melhor! e o curso em si é incrível.

By Todd C

May 4, 2017

Outstanding vocal production overview! Prince Charles Alexander is a multi-Grammy winning vocal mixer and producer. This course will greatly help those of us, like me, producing pop vocals. From here, students can explore pop vocal strategies in their future songs, using these ideas to think from.

I would only recommend that prince Charles Alexander's impressive credentials be featured more prominently in the introduction and course name, that the week 2 quiz be a little more relevant and harder, and that students should seek out techniques to bring out the best vocal production. A great vocal production starts with a great performance, not covered in this short class.

By Maria d L L A

Apr 11, 2017

This course is amazing and offers you a lot of tools for vocal production, and Prince Charles Alexander is a great teacher!. My only suggestion will be to have a different final assignment. It was surprising to me that the final assignment was to do an essay, since the clases were pretty much all about applying the tools in your DAW, I really thought we were going to summit an audio vocal recording using some of the tools we learned during the course. But overall was great, thank you so much for bringing this to us!

By Britney B

Oct 26, 2017

This course took a topic that has generally intimidated me and made it accessible. I had so many aha moments in this class it pushed me to complete the course. My first Coursera class completed!! The information I learned I have applied immediately and will continue to revisit. I also enjoyed learning from my peers and understand the value of doing so because of this class. Thank You Prince Charles, Berklee, and Coursera for creating this course!!

By Pam S

Jan 5, 2018

Although I wasn't comfortable how quickly the segments went and felt like they were over my head most of the time not really feeling like I got it...feeling kind of lost...when it came time to do the quiz I always passed so I must have learned something without realizing it. I especially loved the talkbox segment...made me want to find a plug in for that and play around with that...love the way it sounded ...

By Anastasia A

Jul 1, 2017

Great course! I wonder why it is not in the Music Production Specialization, because I got a lot out of it, even though it is mostly working in ProTools while I work in Logic. Combined with Loudon Stearn's course it is a bomb! Though I struggled in the very beginning, it seemed not that cool in first few videos, very soon I realized it's priceless, and I recommend it to anyone interested in Music Production.

By Mitch R

Jun 4, 2017

I was surprised by how good this course was. I wasn't sure what to expect, but even after all my years and experience in studio recording and production....I learned a lot. Prince Charles Alexander showed us how to be much more efficient in our use of time, and gave great demonstrations on how to do things better. I've already started implementing some of these techniques in my current project.

By Sunny

Feb 19, 2017

I audited this course. Had I been more serious on the music side, I would have done the specialization or completion certificate. The videos were great breakdowns of effects common to most DAWs. The walk through of using the effects made me more comfortable with exploring different settings other than what is in the defaults.

By Erica M

Nov 3, 2021

The depth of knowledge received in this course is invaluable! Prince Charles is an awesome instructor, whose passion for this course shines through. The course is broken down into short video segments, which make it easier to digest. I feel a sense of accomplishment and I'm excited to apply these new skills in the future.

By Geok L K

Apr 5, 2018

Instructor is both knowledgeable technically and has invaluable real word music experience. I enjoyed the course as a novice and learnt a lot from the techniques used in the industry. I can now listen to music in a more critical manner and understand what the producers and artists are trying to achieve.

By Erick M

Mar 30, 2021

Fantastic course. Great concepts. The entire course is amazing but what stood out to me is the concept of panning vocals. I think I watched those ones over and over, I just can't get enough of great sounding vocals. I would definitely recommend this to new and seasoned mixing engineers.

By Aldair O N D

Jul 7, 2020

Sometimes it's difficult to keep on track with the course, but definitely the topics and all the experience you get through doing it it's wonderful. Highly recommendable if you have a DAW, even if it's Audacity. Every class make notes, you'll need them at the end.

By Alex A

Oct 10, 2018

I can't express how much I love this class! I really enjoy all the offerings from Berklee on Coursera. This class exceeded any expectations I had and the instructor Prince Charles Alexander is amazing. I learned so much and had a ton of fun taking this course!

By Gabriel B

Nov 14, 2017

The content of this course is fantastic and it's very easy to understand the concepts, as the teacher explains this very clearly. It sure helped me to understand the theory behind of what the DAW processes, for me this is one of the most important things.

By Lil B

Jan 11, 2017

I cannot step toward without testify my gratefulness to Coursera and most specially to Prince Alexander for the outstanding job in teaching this class! This Vocal Production teaching class puts me in higher level in my performance at church!

Thank you

By Lukáš S

Feb 15, 2021

Exceptional course, I strongly recommend. Despite being quite experienced in sound engineering, I still gained new useful skills, plus it helped me to understand the theory of how the applied technologies work, which I belive is very important, too.