Protohype Artist Accelerator  ·  Week 1

Welcome, and
what your EP
is actually about

Twelve weeks. One body of work. Tonight we decide what it is.

Tonight

Three things, then you go write

15 minHow the program worksThe rhythm of the 12 weeks, what you get, what we need from you.
30 minWhat a real EP is made ofCohesion, contrast, references, scope. What separates an EP from a folder.
15 minYour concept, out loudEverybody says their one sentence. Then the unit opens and you write it down.

The Program

The rhythm is simple

Workshops teach the move. One-on-ones fix your track. They alternate all the way through.

Mondays

Group workshops. Everybody in the room, one topic, 60 minutes.

Wednesdays

Open Q&A with me. 30 minutes. Come if you have a question, skip it if you don't.

One-on-ones

Every other week. Just you and your track. The first one is next week.

The Program

What we need from you

  • 0110+ hours a week. This is the real number. Plan your weeks around it now, not in week four.
  • 02An upload before every one-on-one. Intro, buildup, drop. In the shared folder before we meet so I can prepare.
  • 03Show up in the Discord. Every week has a community assignment. The cohort is half the value and it only works if you post.
  • 04Share what you figure out. Nobody here is hoarding techniques. You get more back than you give.

The Main Idea

An EP is a statement.
A playlist is a folder.

Everything else tonight is evidence for that one line.

The Main Idea

Here is the bar

A stranger hears track two on its own, with no context, and can still tell it came from the same body of work as the rest.

That is the whole test. Not "these are my best five tracks." Not "these are the five I happened to finish."

If you cannot say what ties them together, neither can anybody listening.

The Main Idea

How two tracks become
one record

I am going to play the intro from my album straight into track two. Listen to what carries over.

Same key

Track two is in the same key as track one. Nothing jars. Your ear never resets.

The handoff

The last bar of one track sets up the first bar of the next. That transition is written on purpose, not left to chance.

The shared palette

Same drums, same reverb, one sound that shows up in both.

Do this once and two songs stop sounding like two songs.

How To Build It  ·  01

Your concept is a
decision-making tool

It is 1am. You are forty presets deep. Which one do you pick?

With a concept, that question has an answer. Without one you pick whatever sounds coolest tonight. That is exactly how you end up with five tracks that do not belong together.

A concept is not a mission statement. It saves you time.

How To Build It  ·  02

Cohesion comes from constraints, not vibes

Lock three things that show up on every track. Three is enough.

Lock 1  ·  Sound source One synth you build every lead from Serum and one wavetable folder. Or three Vital patches you made. Or one hardware synth, no plugins.
Lock 2  ·  Rhythm One drum kit or one sample source One breakbeat chopped different ways. Or kicks and snares you recorded yourself.
Lock 3  ·  Treatment One FX chain on every track The same reverb, always. One tape or saturation stage. A master chain you never change.

Tempo range and key family count too. Pick the three that matter most to you and write them down tonight.

How To Build It  ·  03

Cohesion without contrast is boring

Five tracks at the same energy is a chore. Sketch the arc now, even with no music written.

HIGH LOW The opener Sets the world The peak The one they remember The curveball Proves you have range The closer Lands the feeling

Four dots on a line. That is the whole exercise. You can move them later.

How To Build It  ·  04

Three references, three different jobs

Do not list your three favorite producers. You will try to copy all three at once and they cancel out. Give each one a job.

Reference 1 The sound Mix, low end, texture. What it should sound like coming out of the speakers. Ask: what does my low end want to be? One track, and you A/B against it every mixdown.
Reference 2 The structure Arrangement, track lengths, how the whole record is sequenced. Ask: how long is a track and how does the EP flow? Steal the shape, not the sounds.
Reference 3 The world Mood, artwork, the feeling. Often from a different genre entirely. Ask: what does this feel like? A film score, a rap record, a photograph. This one can be weird.

How To Build It  ·  05

Scope is a decision you
make tonight

Twelve weeks is not as long as it sounds. If your answer is seven tracks, that is a warning sign, not ambition.

Four finished tracks that belong together beats seven half-finished ones. Every time.

Every track you add takes time away from the ones that actually matter.

How To Build It  ·  06

Now say what it is not

Ninety seconds, everybody. Finish this sentence: "My EP is not ______."

"My EP is not a club EP."

"My EP is not vocal-driven."

"My EP is not for the festival stage."

The negative is usually easier to say than the positive, and it sharpens the concept fast.

Your Assignment

Five things. That's it.

  • 01A working title. It is allowed to change. Naming it makes it real.
  • 02The genre and the sound. Specific enough that I could guess the tempo.
  • 03Three references. One for sound, one for structure, one for the world.
  • 04The mood. A scene, not an adjective.
  • 05One sentence on why you are making this now.

The unit opens right after this call.

Your Assignment

What a good answer looks like

FieldWeakStrong
Working titleUntitled EPNight Shift
Genre and soundBass musicHalftime, 140, heavy sub, sample-based drums, no vocals
Three referencesSkrillex, Flume, BurialSound: Burial. Structure: Hi This Is Flume. World: the Blade Runner 2049 score
MoodEnergetic3am drive home, windows down, a little lonely
Why nowI want to release somethingI have made 200 loops in two years and finished nothing. This is the one I finish.

Mood is the one to sweat. "Energetic" tells you nothing at 2am. "3am drive home" tells you to turn the hats down.

Your Assignment

Five ways this goes wrong

  • Scope creepChasing seven tracks usually means finishing none of them.
  • HoardingSaving your best idea for the "real" release later. Put it on this one.
  • Genre driftTrack four is a different project wearing the same cover art.
  • The greatest hits EPFive unrelated old projects with a title slapped on top.
  • Waiting for perfectIt is called a working title for a reason. Write it badly and fast.

Round Robin

One sentence each. Out loud.

Sixty seconds per person. Say your working title and why you are making this now. Rough is fine.

1:00

What's Next

Three things before
your session next week

01Write your EP conceptThe unit opens right after this call. Five fields. Do it in the next couple of days while tonight is still fresh.
02Book your first mentor sessionYour first one-on-one is next week. Grab your slot now, not the night before.
03Start track one and send it to meAn intro, a buildup and a drop. Roughly 30% of a track. Send it before we meet so I can actually prepare. That is how every one-on-one works.

Rough is the point. I cannot give you notes on something that does not exist yet.

Futureproof
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