CourseMusic ProductionElectronicIntermediate

Part ofMusic Production

Produce a killer pop track

Name: Produce a killer pop track
Price: 13.00 USD
Availability: InStock

with

Paul Whalley

$13/month

Unlocks this course + 5,000+ other lessons across every instrument.

Subscribe to Watch

Cancel anytime30-day refund

$13/month

Unlocks this course + 5,000+ other lessons across every instrument.

Subscribe to Watch

Cancel anytime30-day refund

Duration1h 43m

Modules26

LevelIntermediate

LanguageEnglish

Lesson Plan (1h 43m)

- 01. Introduction to the course
  1:26
- 02. Hooks and Parts - concepts
  1:40
- 03. Hooks and Parts
  Free lesson
  15:54
- 04. Arrangement & intro of the song - concepts
  1:14
- 05. Arrangement & intro
  5:31
- 06. Rejected versions - concepts
  1:58
- 07. Rejected versions
  2:27
- 01. Guitar part - concepts
  1:37
- 02. Guitar part
  4:58
- 03. Vocals - concepts
  1:22
- 04. ASSIGNMENT: Recreate the guitar production
  0:37
- 05. Vocals
  9:42
- 06. CHALLENGE #1: BUILD THE VOCAL ARRANGEMENT AND HOOK
  0:45
- 07. Backing vocals
  4:07
- 08. Keys and synths - concepts
  0:54
- 09. Keys & synthesizers
  9:38
- 10. Bass - concepts
  1:01
- 11. Bass
  5:24
- 12. Drums - concepts
  0:58
- 13. Drums
  9:49
- 14. ASSIGNMENT: Recreate the drum production
  0:32
- 15. Effects and Atmospheric parts - concepts
  1:09
- 16. Effects and Atmospheric parts
  5:53
- 01. Mastering - concepts
  1:27
- 02. Mastering
  12:00
- 03. CHALLENGE #2: DO THE FINAL MIX
  1:03

About this course

This course is brought to you by Tileyard Education.

From touring with Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding to co-writing #1 pop tracks like Little Mix's Shout Out To My Ex, Paul Whalley is a producer with a distinctive sound. Here he opens up his studio at Tileyard in London and takes apart a song called Red, recorded with singer Emmi Green.

By the end you'll know how to structure and arrange the main parts and hooks of a song, and you'll have seen exactly how Paul builds the drums, bass, synths, effects and vocals in his DAW - including the plugin settings behind his sound.

breaks down the main parts and hooks, and the role each plays in the track
walks through the writing and arrangement, including a few rejected versions
rebuilds each section part by part: drums, bass, synths, effects, ambients and vocals
explains how he masters the track and preps it for radio, A&R and clients

It works alongside any DAW - Ableton Live, Pro Tools or Cubase.

Who it's for

Bedroom producers ready to finish a real track
Self-taught producers patching gaps in arrangement skills
Songwriters wanting their demos to sound radio ready

What you'll learn

Structure a pop song around its main hooks
Build drums, bass, synths and vocals in your DAW
Prepare a finished track for mastering and release

What you'll need

Any DAW you already use, such as Ableton or Logic
Basic comfort recording and editing audio and MIDI
A few minutes most days — regularity matters more than length

Meet the Guru

Paul Whalley

Paul Whalley is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter with a deliberately broad sound. He spent years on the road as a touring session musician with artists including Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding. Classically trained, he holds an undergraduate degree in instrumental performance and a Master's in composition from the Guildhall School of Music. Since moving from touring into production and songwriting he has worked with artists such as NAO, Wretch 32 and Nina Nesbitt, and played on top-40 records around the world, including Little Mix's 'Shout Out to My Ex'. He is based at Tileyard Studios in north London, where he writes and produces for major UK labels and develops new artists. On MusicGurus he and Emmi Green deconstruct a pop record from scratch - every arrangement and production decision laid bare - for songwriters and producers who want to hear how hit records are really built.

View artist page

Published with

Tileyard Education

Tileyard Education sits inside Tileyard, the world's largest professional music community at London's Kings Cross. Alongside 200+ resident music businesses and 160 private recording studios, it delivers postgraduate, short-course and bespoke programmes in music production, songwriting and music business — taught by working industry practitioners.

View the Partner page