The EQ Lab

DJ · MCing · Rapping · Production

Basic, intermediate, advanced. Start anywhere.

One to one or small group, on the same equipment you will stand behind in a club. No age limit at either end, and no assumption you already know anything.

Book a lesson →

The three levels

Nobody gets a syllabus they do not need.

The first session works out where you actually are, which is often not where you think. Levels apply across DJing, MCing, rapping and production.

Level 01

Basic

For complete beginners, or anyone self taught who wants the foundations done properly.

  • How the equipment actually works
  • Getting sound out of it and keeping it in time
  • The vocabulary, so the rest makes sense
  • Your first full recorded attempt
Level 02

Intermediate

You can already do it. Now it needs to sound deliberate rather than lucky.

  • Control: EQ, levels, timing, restraint
  • Structure and building something that goes somewhere
  • Recording and self critique
  • Developing your own approach rather than copying
Level 03

Advanced

Getting booked, releasing, or close to it. Refinement and preparing for real rooms.

  • Sound identity and standing out
  • Performing under pressure and when it goes wrong
  • Release, promo and industry readiness
  • Direct advice from working professionals

01

DJ lessons.

Two Pioneer CDJ-3000s and a DJM-V10 from your very first session. Learn on a controller and you freeze the first time you meet real kit.

Basic

  • CDJ and mixer layout
  • Beatmatching by ear, then with the tools
  • Phrasing, so you mix in the right place
  • EQ so two tracks sit together
  • Cue points, loops, library organisation
  • Recording your first full mix

Intermediate & advanced

  • Set construction: energy, key, direction
  • Effects and filters used with restraint
  • Layering and using both decks properly
  • Harmonic mixing and track selection
  • Playing to a room rather than to yourself
  • Prepping for a booking, and recovering when it goes wrong

£960 for a twelve week course at two hours a week. One off tuition is available at £80 for a two hour lesson.

02

MCing.

Holding a room live is a craft, and it is nothing like writing at a desk. You need bars, breath and timing at once.

Basic

  • Riding a beat and staying in the pocket
  • Breath control and projection
  • Writing bars that work out loud
  • Mic technique and levels

Intermediate & advanced

  • Switching flow and pace mid set
  • Crowd work and reading a room
  • Working with a DJ, not over one
  • Freestyle and thinking on your feet
  • Recording vocals to a professional standard

£960 for twelve weeks at two hours a week. Shorter courses available to suit.

03

Rapping.

Writing, flow and delivery, then getting it onto a record so it sounds like you meant it.

Basic

  • Writing: structure, rhyme, what to cut
  • Flow and rhythm against a beat
  • Delivery and confidence on a mic
  • Finding your own voice

Intermediate & advanced

  • Advanced schemes and internal rhyme
  • Switching cadence within a verse
  • Studio vocal technique, takes and comping
  • Ad libs, doubles and stacking
  • Building a body of work rather than loose tracks

£960 for twelve weeks at two hours a week. Shorter courses available to suit.

04

Music production.

From an empty project to a finished track. On a production setup, with someone next to you, which beats pausing a tutorial multiple times.

Basic

  • Getting around your DAW without fighting it
  • Drums and groove, where tracks live or die
  • Basslines and simple arrangement
  • Finishing something, start to end

Intermediate & advanced

  • Sound design and using synths on purpose
  • Sampling and chopping
  • Arrangement: turning eight bars into a record
  • Mixdown: EQ, compression, space
  • Getting it loud without ruining it
  • Preparing a release for labels

£960 for twelve weeks at two hours a week. Shorter courses available to suit.

05

Twelve week courses.

For anyone who really takes to it. Delivered one to one or in pairs, so nobody gets lost in a group.

Twelve weeks is long enough to build skills that actually last, and it ends with something finished rather than a certificate. Available in three disciplines.

DJingMusic productionMCing / rapping
  • One to one, or in pairs for focused attention
  • Weekly across twelve weeks
  • Finishes with a recorded mix, a track or a set
  • Suitable from complete beginner upwards

£960 for twelve weeks at two hours a week. Shorter courses available to suit.

06

Artist development.

Talent is rarely the bottleneck. The bottleneck is that nobody knows you exist.

Ongoing rather than a fixed number of sessions. We work on the whole picture: what you sound like, what you look like, what you release, and who hears it.

  • Working out what you actually sound like
  • Name, look and brand that hold together
  • Content that does not look homemade
  • Release planning and distribution
  • Approaching labels, promoters and radio without being ignored
  • Press shots, bios and EPKs
  • Getting your first bookings and keeping them coming

Advice comes from people who are currently releasing, touring and performing rather than describing it second hand.

£960 for twelve weeks at two hours a week. Shorter courses available to suit.

07

Studio time.

No lesson, no supervision, just the room. Practise properly, record a mix, film a set or livestream.

DJ room
2 × Pioneer CDJ-3000, 1 × Pioneer DJM-V10 six channel mixer, 75″ 4K visuals screen behind the booth. Room to sit down with a mate.
Recording studio
Vocal booth, production desk, mixing and mastering. Book with an engineer or on your own.
Recording
Mixes taken direct from the mixer.
Minimum
Two hours. Evenings and weekends available.
Studio details and rates →

£40 an hour for the room on your own. Two hour minimum.

08

Track production with an engineer.

Come in with an idea and leave with a finished track. An engineer sits with you for the whole session rather than handing you the room and leaving you to it.

Half day£160Four hours in the studio
Full day£320Eight hours in the studio
  • Recording, production and arrangement
  • Mixing and mastering
  • Bring an idea, a demo, or nothing at all
  • You leave with the finished track
Book now →

Prices

What it costs.

Everything is £40 an hour with a two hour minimum, so a session starts at £80. If what you need for your musical journey isn’t shown here, get in touch and we will put a package together around you.

One off sessions

From £80per session

£40 an hour, two hour minimum. One to one or in a pair.

  • DJ tuition, two hours
  • Vocal recording
  • Studio time for any service

Courses

12 weeks, 2 hours a week

£960per course

  • DJ course
  • Production course
  • Song writing course
  • Artist development

Shorter courses available to suit

Track production with an engineer

Half day£1604 hours
Full day£3208 hours

An engineer beside you for the whole session, from the first idea through to a finished track.

Shows and artists

Price on request

  • Show and stage design
  • Show and stage production
  • Artist management

Tell us the room, the date and what you have in mind, and we will price it properly.

Under 18s are very welcome. All delivery staff hold enhanced DBS checks, and a parent or guardian can stay in the room.

Book your first session.

Tell us what you want to learn and roughly where you are up to. We will tell you honestly which level to start at.

Get in touch →