The ADSR Level FAQ (Patreon)

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2021 (NOW WITH CORRECT LINKS!)

FAQ got a glow up! Check the new one out here: RMR Education FAQ
We've got topics to pick from now! Check those here: RMR Education Topics

The FAQ in this post has also been updated below, but it's much nicer on my website.

Please read this all before signing up. Failure to do so may result in you being charged lesson tier rates but not receiving the lesson reward. Under these circumstances, refunds will not be issued.

HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR LESSONS?

Lessons are booked via Calendly. You can find my Calendly here: https://calendly.com/redmeansrecording

Lesson slots open up for the month at the beginning of the month. For example, you will not be able to book lessons for August, or any month after, in July.

Booking starts with Patrons on the 1st of the month. On the 3rd of the month, it opens for everyone else. This is so Patrons are sure to get their slots, which are reward tiers.

If you have not taken a lesson with me before, please sign up for the 30 Minute Introductory Meeting before signing up for an hour.

I WANT PATREON LESSONS. CAN I JUST SIGN UP WHENEVER?

No.

Patreon will bill you the moment you sign up. This means if you sign up without checking if slots are available you will not get your lessons for that month.

Before you sign up for a Patron lesson slot, you need to check the Calendly to see if there are spots still available for you to claim.

The Calendly link is here: https://calendly.com/redmeansrecording

If you do not see slots available for the lesson tier you want, DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THE PATREON.

I am not responsible if you do not check first, and refunds will not be issued.

WHAT ARE THE RATES, AND WHEN WILL I BE BILLED?

Rates (September 2021)

$40 for a half-hour
$70 for an hour

Ala carte (non-Patron) lessons are billed at the time of booking.

Patrons are charged upon signing up for Patreon and on the 1st of the month going forward.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOURS?

Currently, I offer lessons in the following hours. All times are in PST.

Monday: 8am - 12pm, 1:30pm - 4pm
Tuesday: 8am - 12pm
Wednesday: None
Thursday: 11am - 12pm, 1:30pm - 4pm
Friday: 8am - 12pm, 1:30pm - 4pm
Saturday: 8am - 12pm

IT SAYS YOU’RE COMPLETELY BOOKED ALREADY. WHAT GIVES?

Two possibilities:

You’re looking at a month that’s not available for booking yet.

You’re checking late in the month and no slots are available.

DO YOU HAVE A WAITLIST FOR PATREON SLOTS?

No. This is not technically feasible. Patrons drop at the end of each month to avoid being charged for the next. You should check back on the 1st of the month.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PATRON LESSONS AND ALA CARTE LESSONS?

Nothing at the moment, except Patrons get access to all Patron content (there’s a lot of it), and a mastering credit for each month.

I NEED HELP PICKING A LESSON TOPIC.

I’ve got you covered. Click here for some starter topics.

I WANT FEEDBACK ON MY MUSIC. HOW SHOULD I PREPARE MY TRACK FOR THE SESSION?

If you are using Ableton, the best way is to share your whole session. First, you need to collect your samples and freeze tracks using 3rd party plugins.

• Go to File and select “Collect All and Save”.
• Select every option in the pop-up and hit ok.
• Find tracks using 3rd party (VST) synths and effects.
• Right-click on the track name and select “Freeze Track”.
• If you are on a Mac, please use the VST version of the effect, not the AU version.

Once you’ve frozen and collected, you’ll have an Ableton session folder that looks something like this:

You’re going to up one folder level and zip that entire folder.

Once that’s done, upload that zip file to your files-sharing service of choice and send me an email with a link to download to redmeansrecording@gmail.com

File sharing services you can use:

Box
Dropbox
Google Drive
Hightail
Mediafire
OneDrive
WeSendit

If you are using a DAW other than Ableton, you need to send me stems. Stems are individual track exports from your session. Please google “Stem Export” or “Individual Track Export” + your DAW to learn how.

I WANT TO DRIVE THE LESSON FROM MY COMPUTER. HOW SHOULD I PREPARE?

First, set up Zoom to stream HQ audio.

• Open Zoom.
• Open Settings and choose Audio.
• Under “Music and Professional Audio” make sure all the options are selected. It should look like this:

When in the meeting, you can now “Enable Original Sound”, like so:

To share your screen and audio, hit the “Share Screen” button, choose your DAW window, and check “Share Computer Sound”.

If you are on a Mac:

• You need to change your audio output to “Zoom Audio Device”.
• Go to the settings with let you pick your audio device and choose that for your output.

If you are on a PC:

• You need to use the DirectX, MME, or WASAPI versions of your audio device output.
• ZOOM will NOT share audio from an ASIO driver.

HOW DO I SUBMIT A TRACK FOR MASTERING?

Mastering is the process of taking a finished stereo mix and preparing it for release by making it sound the best it can. It’s also the process of making multiple tracks on a release fit together sonically.

Mastering is not working with a full session and mixing it.

I do not do stem mastering.

To prepare your track for mastering, open your DAW and do the following:

• Remove any compression, limiting, or coloration plugins from the master bus channel
• Check that you are not clipping your master channel. Reduce the volume of your tracks if you are anywhere near 0 db on your output.
• I generally prefer peaks no louder than -6 db.

Once you’ve done that you can export the stereo file for mastering.

• Use the native bitrate and sample rate of your session. Do not convert sample rate or bitrate.
• Do not dither. I will dither. For more info, check out this video
• When in doubt, choose 32 bit for your bitrate.

After exporting, open up the file to make sure you aren’t peaking and that everything is as you expected it.

Name the file with the following information:

Your name
Track name
Sample rate (eg, 441, 48)
Bitrate (eg, 16, 24, 32)
Date

Once that’s done, upload that zip file to your files-sharing service of choice and send me an email with a link to download to redmeansrecording@gmail.com

File sharing services you can use:

Box
Dropbox
Google Drive
Hightail
Mediafire
OneDrive
WeSendit