Fade
The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
One of the greatest tools for learning is right at your fingertips; Google, along with other search engines and various tutorials are easy for anyone to find the information they are looking for.
However, sometimes it's good to find a website that not only provides you with the information you want, but also offers paid courses that get very detailed.
With Beatstruggles, they have created a set of free courses that you can view by simply signing up for their weekly newsletter, which contains that information. But you can also take it a step further and purchase courses such as "Foundational Drum Loop Basics" and "All About Filters".
I was interested in finding out more about these courses (along with the free one too), so I reached out to @GratuiTous to find out more about what Beatstruggles has to offer. (Beatstruggles is also sponsoring this year's Battle That! Competition.)
What is Beatstruggles and what is the idea behind it?
Beatstruggles is a website geared for the beginner to intermediate music producer. It contains tons of free tutorials, as well as some premium courses. It shares a lot of topics I would have liked to have known when starting up.
You now have a free production course that anyone can sign up to and receive weekly emails, can you explain how it works?
Sure! - Anyone who is interested in taking the FREE Production course can simply sign-up with their email. Once signed-up they are taken on a series of emails starting at the basics and working up to more advanced topics.
How long does it take to complete the course?
Well, I have the ability to add, remove, or modify content at any time. Currently the course is around 55 emails! So with 55 emails the free course would take close to a year to complete. But if I think of a new topic, or someone shares a thought, new content could be added quickly!
You also have paid courses, such as "Organized Audio Business" and "All About Filters". What can people look forward to with the paid courses?
I think Organized Audio Business is a really cool concept of a course. It's an E-Book guided course which a reader reads until it says STOP! to watch a video. Once complete, the reader continues to read until the next STOP! All videos are exclusive to the course, and have never been released to the public. Topics cover the beatmaking mindset, getting your product to the customer, building a newsletter while using it effectively, and managing business monies.
Since running my own online businesses, such as SoundPackFlyer.com and Beatstruggles.com, I've learned a lot on the back-end of the industry. (The how's, what's, and why's.) I share a lot of these learnings in Organized Audio Business.
All About Filters used to be a really popular tutorial of mine on YouTube, which turned into a premium course. I think people liked the video so much because I showed how to actually use filters in a real-world practice, plus seeing my personal workflow tips throughout the video.
You seem to always want to help beatmakers, what motivates you to do so?
I actually really like explaining and teaching stuff; whether online or in real life. I've realized that if you've influenced someone in a great way, it's a very powerful form of marketing. You're helping to solve a person's problem, and that builds solid networking/relationships.
How did the idea come about to create the course?
At Beatstruggles, I'd receive emails with similar questions. Writing emails consumes a lot of time, and time is a very valuable thing! I realized, if I'd write a bunch of emails up front, readers could still get their questions answered, while freeing up my time for other activities!
The free course took over a year and a bit of planning, writing, and editing, but it's here!
How did you get started in music production? What's your background?
Back around 2009 I went to a friends house who had FL Studio with a basic MIDI Keyboard. He showed me how FL Studio worked, and I thought it was really cool. It wasn't until a few times of seeing the program I tried out the demo myself. I eventually purchased FL Studio, and have been thoroughly enjoying their free updates
For my musical background, I had a bit of piano knowledge from childhood, but nothing to the point of being able to sit down and improvise; before producing I was able to count beats and stay in time, though. But other than that, going-in, everything was brand-new. (Whether that be drums, names of instruments, recording audio, or learning the unique traits of mixing.)
I'm really big into original compositions for the sake of 100% ownership of the production, not having to worry about copyright issues etc. But from time to time I do sample to practice that aspect of production.
I really try to promote originality because I feel if one is to be original, and stay true to that, that's the way to gain a life-long name in the production industry.
More Information
For more information about these courses, visit the signup page.
