The Swacq Producer Pack V.2 MULTIFORMAT
THE DEBUT SWACQ TUTORIAL: At last, SWACQ delivers a house music masterclass.
The challenge: demonstrate creativity by producing a track (Intro, break, buildup, drop) with a very small bundle of sounds.
The response: challenge accepted.
A little goes a long way, is the takeaway from this tutorial. SWACQ shows us that it’s possible for anyone to make music on his level, with very accessible tools. This is a remarkably inspiring watch for any producer, novice or professional.
“You don’t need much to achieve something” – SWACQ
SWACQ records a voice memo in his phone, brings it into logic, takes a string loop and chops it up to replicate the melody he recorded into his phone. Using this as the foundation, he builds the track around it showing us many of his favourite tips and techniques for laying down ideas fast and inspiring creativity. The take away from this masterclass is that with any modern DAW software such as Logic, you can lean on the ability to manipulate sounds that you already have or even record straight from your voice into your phone for endless possibilities.
1) Tutorial: An inspiring 7 chapter course beautifully shot and recorded 1080P. Watch SWACQ go through the motions of creating a track from the ground up, spilling his secrets and empowering the viewer with production techniques that have earned him the attention of the industries top DJ’s producers, labels, and curators.
“Just want to show you guys how easy it is… With just a small amount of samples, a small amount of synthesisers and actually just your voice, you can come to a really cool idea and you can create something which is already sounding good enough” – SWACQ
2) Logic channel strips: for easily cycling through the sounds used in this pack.
3) Presets: If you do not have Logic or preferred to access your sound a different way, the presets for the same sounds in the Logic channel strips have been archived for you here as presets for their respective synths (Serum, Sylenth, Massive, ES2)
4) Logic Pro X Project file: Of course we had to hand over the goods… The project file form where SWACQ left off in the tutorial. Whether you’re following along with the tutorial, dissecting layers, creating a template for future projects, or pulling apart the FX racks, this is a gold mine for any Logic user.
One cymbal crash and all strings are not included. They can be obtained in the Apple Loops browser (free with logic) or the ESX 24 stock library. See note below*
5) BONUS Samples: as used in the tutorial with the exclusion of the two samples below which may be obtained freely with Logic.
*Names of free Apple loop samples used:
– Trading Places Riser Crash FX
– Against Time Staccato Strings
What’s special about THE SWACQ PACK V.2?
1. TUTORIAL
2. PROJECT FILE
3. SAMPLES
4. PRESETS
Some highlights from the tutorial:
1. Basing the entire song off a recording he made on his phone.
2. Distorting the string to make it HUGE.
3. SWACQ shows us that you don’t need much to make chart topping quality tracks. You need creativity, technical skills and taste.
4. Stretching and quantizing audio files with built in Logic tools.
5. Re-pitching samples in Logic to create a melody.
6. Programing a unique bassline rhythm that plays off the lead melody and adds groove.
7. Envelope adjustments in his signature Sylenth bass patch (included).
8. Changing the key of the track by feel to make it really hit home.
9. Marrying the kick to the bass so they work well together. “Making the mix sound sound sexy” by notching specific low frequencies out of the kick and honing in on the correct sub frequencies.
10. Boosting specific high end frequencies to gett he ‘punch’ in the kick and create a bit crusher type sound.
11. Signature SWACQ distortion techniques.
12. Reverb automation in the drop to create tension between the notes.
13. Using very little to create big sound.
14. Tips to flow between sections of the track.
15. Building chord progressions in the arrangement to keep the track fresh and moving.
16. The SWACQ break bass.
17. Logic tricks for easily copying automation from a sends track.
18. Creating a sub drop from a voice recording. We couldn’t believe some of the biggest dance tracks in the world that SWACQ produced include sounds he made by recording voice memos on his Phone.
19. Looping the tail of a sub drop to create tension in the build.
20. Creating a build snare from recording his fingers tapping on his desk… with his phone! Genius.
21. A tip to manage latency when using the Waves Soundshiter effect. Something that took him years to figure out.
22. A unique sidechain envelope and delay settings on a really snappy clap to glue it to the kick in a way that doesn’t interfere.
23. Using percs to “give the low end of the song more groove and movement.”
24. Taking the drop and stripping it back to make an intro and outro.
Host DAW: Logic Pro X
Main plugins used: Cable Guys Volume Shaper, Cable Guys Shaperbox, Native Instruments Driver, Waves Soundshifter, Waves Metaflanger, Native Instruments Massive, XFER Serum, Lennar Digital Sylenth 1
Tutorial Run Time: 1hr 44m 53s
Produced by: SWACQ