Music production with AI bots: theory, mixing, sound design and workflow
A practical course on making music with AI bots as teachers and assistants: theory and chords, arrangement, mixing and mastering, sound design, the physics of sound, protecting your hearing, and the rights questions around AI music.
The one-line rule: bots teach, suggest and check. Your ears (at safe volumes) decide.
Mixing basicsLevels, EQ, compression, space
Chords & theoryProgressions that work and why
Recording vocalsMic, room and gain staging
Theory and writing
Theory basics
Notes, intervals, scales, keys and the circle of fifths, taught by a bot with ear-training exercises.
Chords and progressions
Triads, sevenths and common progressions (I-V-vi-IV, ii-V-I, i-VI-III-VII), with prompts to generate and explain progressions.
Melody
Contour, rhythm, repetition and variation, with bots suggesting motifs and critiquing yours.
Rhythm and drums
Beat grids, swing, genre grooves (house, hip-hop, rock) and velocity, written out as step patterns.
Song structure
Intros, verses, choruses, bridges and drops: map arrangements and keep energy moving.
Lyrics
Rhyme schemes, syllable counts, imagery and hooks, using bots for brainstorming and critique.
Mixing, mastering and sound
Mixing basics
A mixing order of operations and prompts to diagnose muddy, harsh or thin mixes.
EQ
The audible frequency range, what lives where, and EQ moves explained in plain language.
Compression
Threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee and makeup gain, and when compression helps or hurts.
Mastering and loudness
Final EQ, limiting, LUFS loudness, true peak and streaming normalization explained.
Sound design
Oscillators, filters, envelopes and LFOs explained, with recipes for basses, pads and leads.
The science of sound
Sound as pressure waves, frequency and pitch, the decibel scale, harmonics and how the ear works.
Room acoustics
Speaker placement, first reflections, bass traps and listening position on a budget.
Recording vocals
Mic choice, distance, pop filter, gain staging and comping takes.
Tools, workflow and rights
DAW workflow
Templates, shortcuts, routing and finishing habits for Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, Reaper and others.
AI music tools
Stem separation, AI mastering and text-to-music generators: capabilities, limits and checking terms of service.
Rights and samples
Sample clearance, royalty-free packs, and U.S. Copyright Office guidance on AI-generated music. Not legal advice.
Hearing safety
Safe listening levels and time limits from NIOSH/CDC and WHO, breaks, and earplugs.
Practice plan
Weekly goals: ear training, recreating reference tracks, finishing small sketches.
Releasing music
Metadata, artwork specs, distribution, registering with a performing rights organization, and a release plan.
Where these facts come from
- CDC/NIOSH: Noise and occupational hearing loss
- WHO: Deafness and hearing loss fact sheet
- NIH NIDCD: Noise-induced hearing loss
- EBU R 128: Loudness normalisation
- U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright and AI
- The Physics Classroom: Sound waves
Protect your hearing: keep levels moderate and take breaks. See an audiologist or doctor for ringing or hearing changes. Rights info is general, not legal advice. Checked Oct 30, 2026.