MONTCLAIR, NJ — The era of hyperspecific software guides has at last come to an end! Eager to share best-in-class information with the broadest learner pool possible, Hal Leonard Books and NextPoint Training have partnered to develop a new generation of music production curricula and learning materials. These products are rooted in a consumer-oriented publishing model that prioritizes skill development and maximizes the reader’s use and mastery of the software. The second release in this series, Frank D. Cook and Sean McLaughlin’s MASTERING WITH OZONE 8 (Hal Leonard Books; April 24, 2018; $24.99), explores the process of mastering finished songs using iZotope’s preeminent Ozone software package. Designed to support instructor-led training and facilitate independent learning, this course book covers all aspects of working with Ozone 8 Advanced.
Best known for their work with Avid, where they developed official curricula for training and certification programs on products including Pro Tools and Media Composer for more than fifteen years, Frank D. Cook and Eric Kuehnl bring nearly half a century of combined experience to every project they touch. Their company, NextPoint Training, was founded to create tools and technology that empower students and educators alike and improve learning and teaching experiences. Informed by years of expertise and ongoing feedback from both students and instructors, NextPoint is now developing a revolutionary line of curricular products.
By partnering directly with manufacturers and designers, Hal Leonard and NextPoint have begun creating tutorials that teach through a given software platform rather than for it. This simple shift allows readers to cultivate universally applicable music-making skills using the software of their choice. While each course in this series is ideal for consumer use, it also functions as plug-and-play curriculum, making it a perfect classroom object.
To better serve today’s market, these courses are available in four media formats. The first two, print books and ebooks, are familiar to all learners; the latter pair, built on proprietary Digital Print technology, have the potential to revolutionize education as we know it.
Hal Leonard’s new Digital Print Library, available exclusively at Groove3.com, grants access to a growing collection of materials accessible on a subscription basis. Complete with embedded multimedia, Digital Print HTML5-formatted files load quickly regardless of connection speed. The platform’s intuitive interface allows readers to easily search a text, save notes, and add bookmarks; it also automatically resumes across devices at a user’s last reading location.
A site license program for institutional use will grant subscribers access to a version of the Digital Print Library enhanced with Elements|ED. Designed to support instructor-led courses, certification programs, online learning, and self-study, the Elements|ED platform allows students and educators to access standardized training content, learning assessments, qualification exams, and certifications developed by textbook authors, course developers, product manufacturers, and enterprises. The Power Learning Digital Print with Elements|ED learning environment is scheduled to launch in Q3 of 2018.
Hal Leonard and NextPoint’s first joint venture, Audio Production Basics with Pro Tools ¦ First, was released in 2017. For the second, they have partnered with iZotope, an intelligent audio technology company that helps musicians, music producers, and audio post engineers focus on their craft rather than the tech behind it, to create MASTERING WITH OZONE 8, which will serve as iZotope Official Curriculum.
In this course, students will learn to use Ozone as a standalone application or as a plug-in on the master bus of their preferred DAW. The book covers all of the controls available in the Project window and in the Ozone plug-in. It also features hands-on exercises to help students develop their skills by applying the techniques discussed in each chapter. The book’s many topics include working with the Ozone software interface; setting Ozone preferences through the Options window; using the Master Assistant; applying equalization to shape audio and isolate problem areas; using dynamics processing to control the dynamic range of a song; using imaging techniques to adjust the stereo width of a mix; applying harmonic distortion to add warmth and glue to a mix; using the Maximizer to set an appropriate overall loudness level; comparing a project to one or more reference tracks; adding dither; previewing different codecs; exporting the finished audio from the standalone application; and more! Most importantly, MASTERING WITH OZONE 8 focuses on the program’s strength from a musical deployment perspective, teaching the basics of production through the program rather than delving into software-specific minutiae.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
SEAN McLAUGHLIN is a producer/engineer and teacher located in Boston, MA. He has worked with producers such as Jimbo Barton, Carmen Rizzo, Tim Palmer, and Scott Storch, and helped hone sounds for Elliott Smith, Rush, Stone Sour, Seal, Dwight Yoakam, and Dark New Day. McLaughlin also teaches in the Music Production & Engineering Department at Berklee College of Music. Since 2006, he has been the owner of 37’ Productions. At his studio, McLaughlin has been fortunate to work with many different artists both locally (Sarah Blacker, Parsonsfield, Girls, Guns, and Glory, OldJack) and nationally (Queensryche, Matchbox Twenty). In 2013, the New England Music Awards named McLaughlin “Producer of the Year.”
FRANK D. COOK is a musician, entrepreneur, author, and trainer. He has worked in publishing and education for more than twenty years and has authored numerous publications related to digital audio and music production. He has been a consultant for Avid for over twelve years, developing textbooks and curricula for Avid’s official certification programs. Cook teaches audio production at American River College and Sacramento City College and is an Avid Master Instructor.
