Secret Sauce:Modern mixing & recording masterclass

Step into real-world studio production with a practical, hands-on masterclass built for modern music workflows. Presented by Last Minute Productions, Music Studio - Redfern Community Centre & MixedbyEspa. Over 10 weeks, students learn how to set up sessions correctly, record clean audio, edit with intent, and mix with clarity and impact. Each class blends essential theory with guided demonstrations and practice, using professional session habits that translate to any DAW. This course is taught in Pro Tools, but the concepts apply across Logic, Ableton and other common platforms. Work through key mixing stages (drums, music, vocals, FX, automation, mix bus) and finish with a strong understanding of export formats and mastering basics for release-ready delivery. You'll also learn how to use AI as an assistant for faster decision-making, recall notes, revision planning, and workflow checklists without replacing foundational engineering skills. Duration:  10 weeks Schedule:  2 hours per week Class size:  8 to 10 participants Bring:  laptop + headphones (any DAW welcome) Taught in:  Pro Tools (concepts apply to Logic/Ableton/any DAW Weekly topics Week 1 – Foundations + session setup Studio basics: signal flow, gain structure Session setup: sample rate/bit depth, routing, organisation Intro to microphones + polar patterns (cardioid/omni/figure-8) Week 2 – Drum Mixing: EQ + Phase + Punch Frequency focus + EQ fundamentals Phase/polarity checks Drum bus workflow + simple parallel techniques Week 3 – Compression + Parallels + Sidechain Compression controls (attack/release, ratio, threshold) Parallel compression for energy Sidechain basics (creating space and groove) Week 4 — Music Mixing: Width + Clarity Panning and stereo image Masking and midrange clarity Saturation basics for tone and density Week 5 – Vocals: Editing + Tuning + Core Chain Clean vocal editing workflow (comping, cleanup) Tuning overview (pros/cons and when to use it) Build a core vocal chain (EQ, compression, de-ess) Week 6 – Vocals: Dynamics + FX (Depth + Emotion) Vocal level control (clip gain vs automation vs limiting concepts) Parallel vocal compression Practical FX sends (short verb, long verb, slap, tempo delay) Week 7 – FX + Automation (Movement + Transitions) Reverb/delay types and practical setup Automation basics (throws, transitions, hook lift) Clean FX routing and gain control Week 8 – Mix Bus + Translation Mix bus gain staging Gentle bus compression/limiting concepts Referencing + mono checks for real-world playback Week 9 – Final Polish + Deliverables Fixing the “last 10%” (balances, harshness, low-end control) Printing clean versions and optional stems Week 10 – Mastering Basics + Exporting What mastering is (and isn’t) Simple mastering chain concepts Export formats and practical delivery settings (WAV/MP3)