THE NEW SAC ACADEMY

Music Production Program

72 HOURS (8 WEEKS)

The program leads to a certificate in Music Production. This 8-week, 9-hours-per-week course is designed for entry-level students looking to build a strong technical foundation in beat making and music production. The course emphasizes hands-on learning and technical growth, empowering each participant to confidently produce original beats from start to finish using industry-standard tools and workflows.

Learning Objectives

Week 1: Intro to Beat Making & Equipment Setup

Focus: Orientation, basic workflow, software/hardware setup

  • Overview of DAWs and beat machines (FL Studio, MPC, Ableton, Logic, etc.)
  • Understanding tempo, bars, BPM, time signature
  • Navigating the grid: sequencing and loop creation basics
  • Simple 4-bar drum pattern construction

Lab: Create your first drum loop and save a project template

Week 2: Drum Programming & Rhythm Construction

  • Kick, snare, hi-hat placement, and layering
  • Quantization, swing, and groove techniques
  • Velocity and humanization for realistic feel
  • Percussion fills and transitions

Focus: Building grooves with drums and percussion

Lab: Program multiple 8-bar drum loops in different styles (trap, boom bap, lo-fi)

Week 3: Sampling Fundamentals

Focus: Sourcing, chopping, and flipping samples

  • Where to find samples (royalty-free, field recordings, old songs)
  • Audio vs. MIDI sampling workflows
  • Basic chopping, pitch shifting, and time stretching
  • Looping and layering samples creatively

Lab: Flip a provided sample into a new 8-bar loop

Week 4: Melody & Harmony Basics

Focus: Crafting melodies and understanding musical structure

  • Scales and keys for producers
  • Building chord progressions and lead lines
  • Using MIDI instruments and VSTs
  • Creating countermelodies and atmospheric layers

Lab: Build a full melodic loop with chords, leads, and textures

Week 5: Bass & 808 Programming

Focus: Low-end design and integration

  • Tuning bass and 808s to your melody
  • Sub bass vs synth bass vs 808s
  • Bassline creation: groove, note selection, rhythm
  • Avoiding muddy mixes with EQ basics

Lab: Add basslines to existing projects; test with different sound types

Week 6: Song Arrangement & Structure

Focus: Turning loops into full-length beats

  • Song structure: intro, verse, chorus, bridge, outro
  • Repetition with variation techniques
  • Adding drops, stutters, transitions, and build-ups
  • Using automation for movement and dynamics

Lab: Arrange one of your loops into a full 1.5–2 minute beat

Week 7: Basic Mixing Techniques

Focus: Creating clean, listenable mixes

  • Understanding gain staging and volume balancing
  • EQ and panning basics for clarity and separation
  • Reverb and delay for space
  • Reference tracks and exporting mixes

Lab: Mix two of your beats using only stock plugins

Week 8: Final Project & Creative Showcase

Focus: Pulling everything together into a polished final piece

  • Beat review and refinement
  • Final mix and bounce of 1–2 tracks
  • Group listening and constructive critique
  • Reflecting on process and setting future creative goals

Lab: Finalize and present your best beat from the course.

APPLY TO THE PROGRAM

music production PROGRAM SEQUENCE

Weekly Schedule Breakdown (9 HRS PER WEEK)

  • Review & Development (feedback, project refinement, one-on-one help) – 3 HRS
  • Core Instruction (concepts, demonstrations, guided walkthroughs) – 3 HRS
  • Lab Practice (hands-on beat building and guided experimentation) – 3 HRS

Through structured instruction, guided lab time, and creative practice, students will learn essential production skills including drum programming, sampling, melodic composition, sound design, arrangement, and basic mixing.

  1. Intro to Beat Making (6 HRS)
  2. Drum Programming & Rhythm Construction (6 HRS)
  3. Sampling Fundamentals (6 HRS)
  4. Melody & Harmony Basics (6 HRS)
  5. Bass & 808 Programming (6 HRS)
  6. Song Arrangement & Structure (6 HRS)
  7. Basic Mixing Techniques (6 HRS)
  8. Creative Showcase (6 HRS)
  9. Hands-on Lab (24 HRS)

materials

Equipment:

  • Akai MPK Mini MK3-25 Key MIDI Keyboard
  • Stereo Headphones
  • MacBook Laptop

music production program TUITION (8 weeks)

TUITON$3500
NON-REFUNDABLE REGISTRATION FEE$100
BOOKS$50
EQUIPMENT$900
TOTAL$4550

REGISTRATION FEE IS NOT INCLUDED IF TAKING MULTIPLE COURSES AT A TIME. IF STUDENTS HAVE PASSABLE EQUIPMENT ALREADY, THAT IS ALSO EXCLUDED FROM THEIR PROGRAM COSTS (EX. STUDENT ALREADY HAS A MACBOOK LAPTOP)

ALL EQUIPMENT IS OWNED BY THE STUDENT AND THEY GET TO KEEP IT AFTER GRADUATION FROM OUR COURSE.

APPLY NOW!