Your introduction to ... Music Production

If you aspire to produce music, but don't know where to start or simply enjoy a more structured approach to learning, then our music production short courses could be for you.

At ICMP, we are committed to supporting musicians at all stages of their creative journey. As such, we run a number of music short courses geared specifically at those looking to explore their potential within music.

One of these is our six-week Introduction to Music Production course which aims to equip you with the essential skills you need to start making your own music. 

The course, led by accomplished live sound engineer and studio expert Bill Borez, will offer you the chance to learn Logic Pro, how to arrange a track, programme using MIDI and samples as well as recording techniques. 

We caught up with Bill to find out more about his experiences as a producer and engineer as well as get the inside track on the course... 

Could you tell us a little about yourself/your musical background?

I come from a professional background of producing, writing, studio engineering and live sound engineering mainly in and around British dance music.  

I’ve worked with many singers, songwriters, DJs working in everything from reggae to dub, rave, house, techno, breakbeat, drum and bass and pretty much every other style in between. I’ve written music for advertising and film and, to top it all off, I’m also a long-term student of flamenco guitar.

How long have you been teaching at ICMP and what's your role?

This is my third year at ICMP, teaching mainly live sound to the degree students, music production, studio engineering and obviously the part time basic and new intermediate courses in Logic Pro.

Tell us about the part-time course - who is it for? 

It’s aimed at anyone and everyone with an interest in music who wants to learn Logic Pro. No former musical knowledge or skill-set is needed for the basic Logic course, just a love of music and a willingness to learn.

What do you enjoy about teaching the course?

I’ve worked in the music industry for more than 20 years so it’s nice to pass the knowledge I’ve gained to new students. Kinda passing the gauntlet on to the next generation if you will."

What do your students get from it?

From the basic course the students get a solid grounding in the Logic Pro X software and some insights into mixing and production. The intermediate course builds on this but goes a lot deeper into the art of mixing and production. It’s all about the students and their music though at the end of the day and their individual needs are, so that’s catered for too.

What have been some of your highlights of teaching on the part-time courses?

I guess teaching students with zero knowledge coming in to the class, then having them walk away at the end with music they’ve made themselves is great. There’s been some good productions too. I get a lot of satisfaction from that personally.

What else are you working on musically outside ICMP?

Lots of things at the moment; producing/writing/engineering the new Dub Pistols new album while I've just had a really busy summer live engineering festivals both in the UK and around Europe, DJ’ing on the old skool scene, releasing my own music on Food Records.

I've also been working on music and motion graphics on the ambient scene with fellow composer Richard Norris; we did our first ambient and motion graphics gig the other week at the Royal Festival Hall as part of Nile Rodger's Meltdown Festival in front of a crowd of 3,500.

It was a bit of a baptism of fire that one but the feedback has been amazing so we’re expanding that project for next year. Basically spinning many plates, as you do...