One-to-one Sessions
Brian Smith offers one-to-one training and coaching for musicians and performers wishing to deepen their knowledge and skills with electronic music production and performance techniques. Classically trained (B.A. in Music, specialized in electroacoustic music composition), Brian has a range of musical experience going from playing Sumatran gamelans to conducting brassbands and choirs.
He has been a music technology consultant, educational content creator, trainer, and product specialist for industry-known companies such as Native Instruments, Ableton, Sugar Bytes, and K-Devices and has worked with artists and groups ranging from Richard Devine to Rammstein. In addition, Brian has consulted for institutions such as the Royal College of Music (Stockholm), Deutschlandradio Berlin (German public radio), Ghost Games (Electronic Arts), and a number of European educational institutions.
His clients include singer-songwriters, bands, composer-producers, instrumentalists, and sound designers.
What exactly are “one-to-one” sessions? One-to-one consists of private training and consulting, as opposed to group-based learning in workshops or courses. The sessions can take place either in-person or over Skype.
One-to-one sessions differ from big brain audio course offerings in that they are strictly custom-designed in order to give you the specific and personalized knowledge and skills you need to produce and perform your music.
The process begins with an informal appraisal session via Skype, email, or telephone. This is when we determine your goals and draw up a personalized course plan according to your availability.
What can I learn? Through his long experience as a product specialist for Native Instruments (since 2003) Brian has developed a deep understanding of Native Instruments products. He is an Ableton Certified Trainer and also has professional experience with other DAWs such as Logic Pro and Pro Tools. He also teaches sound synthesis techniques at the University of Applied Sciencs — HdpK in Berlin.
How does it work? Send Brian an email and together, you will both create a plan which can consist of anything from just one single session to a long-term study project spanning several months.
Is it possible to have instruction in another language? Brian is fluent in French and German, as well as English. He has given courses and workshops in all three languages internationally.
How much does it cost? That depends on how long, how often, and the overall scope of your learning project. Please contact Brian for details. Consulting fees generally start at 70 euros per hour. For private instruction of more than 12 hours total, reduced rates are available.
Can one-to-one be also “one-to-two”? Yes. If you and a friend have the same general level (or are production or performance partners), then it can certainly make sense to take the session together and it would cost half the price for each of you: Total fees for two people are the same as for a one-to-one session.
Can you teach me how to use Traktor/Cubase/SuperCollider…. Nope. There are other people who know those tools and others very well and are excellent at teaching them. Based in Berlin, big brain audio is networked with some of the best music technology consultants around. We’ll do our best to connect you with the right person for your needs.