Produce, mix, price and paper one finished beat
The capstone project for Music Production & Beat Making — a free Creative course. Pass it and you earn a certificate anyone can verify.
- Free
- 6 steps
- Pass mark 65%
- Graded within minutes
- Beginner-friendly
The project unlocks once you complete the lessons. The workbook is free to download now so you can see exactly what is expected.
What you will submit
One shareable link (a Google Drive folder set to anyone-with-the-link, or a public BandLab/SoundCloud page linking to it) containing the finished 2:30-3:20 track as tagged MP3 and untagged WAV, at least four stems, a completed and signed split sheet, a sources list with licence evidence for every sound you did not create, and your written producer, price and rights sheet.
What to do, step by step
- Pick your lane (Afrobeats/Afropop, amapiano-leaning, gospel or hip-hop) and set the BPM and key before you make a sound. In BandLab, FL Studio Mobile or any DAW you have, build an 8-bar loop containing at least: a drum pattern (kick, clap/snare, shaker with varied velocity and one extra percussion), a bass or log drum locked to the kick, a 4-chord progression, and a short melody using only notes from your chosen key. Nudge the percussion slightly off-grid for the pocket.
- Arrange the loop into a finished track of 2:30-3:20 using a clear map (for example: 8-bar intro, 16-bar verse, 8-bar pre, 16-bar chorus, 16-bar verse, 16-bar chorus, 8-bar outro). Leave the first 8 bars sparse as hook space for an artiste, and include at least two arrangement moves — such as dropping all drums for the last bar before a chorus, a filter sweep opening into the chorus, or muting the shaker for a bar.
- Record at least one vocal element on the beat — a hummed hook, 8 sung or rapped bars, or a chorus with two doubles — in a room you treated with what you have (duvet, wardrobe, mattress, rug). Set your input gain so the loudest moment peaks around -6 dB with no clipping, record three passes and comp the best, and label the tracks clearly (LeadComp, DblL, DblR, Adlib). If you recorded someone else, wipe the mic grille and pop filter between singers, and before the session ends fill in and photograph a split sheet listing every contributor's full legal name, stage name, role, composition percentage, phone and email, signed by all of them — if you sang it yourself, fill one out for yourself anyway so the habit sticks. Anyone under eighteen must have a parent or guardian agreeing on their behalf. Note in your write-up exactly how you treated the room and what mic you used, even if it was your phone.
- Mix the track in order — faders first, then panning (kick, bass and lead vocal centred; percussion and doubles spread), then at least one deliberate EQ move and one compression move that you can explain. Mix at a conversational volume and take a break every 45 minutes or so — protect your hearing, it is the tool you are training. Then master it, using BandLab's built-in mastering or a limiter, aiming for roughly -9 to -14 LUFS with true peaks near -1 dB. Check the final mix on a phone speaker and on cheap earbuds and note anything you fixed as a result.
- Export three things: a tagged MP3 (put a short voice tag every 8 bars), an untagged WAV, and at least four stems (drums, bass, chords, melody) all starting at bar 1. Name every file properly, e.g. 'Afro_LogDrum_104bpm_Amin_v3.wav'. Everything you used must be legally yours to use — your own programming, or kits and packs whose licence allows commercial release; absolutely no audio ripped from a released song. Include a one-page sources list naming every pack, loop, preset or AI tool you used and, for each, one line on what its licence actually allows, with a screenshot or link to that licence and the date you downloaded it.
- Write a 250-350 word producer, price and rights sheet covering: BPM, key and lane; your arrangement map bar by bar; the three biggest mixing decisions you made and why; your lease price and exclusive price in naira with exactly what each includes — files delivered, credit line, how long the permission lasts, which territories, stream or copy limits, whether radio, TV, video and sync are covered, and whether you can still resell it; and the split you would ask for if you took points instead of cash, stated as writer share on the composition and points on the master. Finish with a short rights-notes paragraph naming the Nigerian Copyright Commission as the body you would check for registering the work, and COSON and MCSN as the collecting societies you would ask about membership options — stating plainly that you would confirm current procedures, approval status and fees with those bodies directly rather than relying on figures quoted online, and that neither this course nor its certificate registers, licenses or represents anything on your behalf. Then upload everything to one shareable link — a public BandLab or SoundCloud track plus a Google Drive folder set to 'anyone with the link can view' holding the exports, the stems, the split sheet, the sources list and the written sheet.
Files to work with
Project workbook (fill in, then submit)The whole brief, an evidence checklist, the grading rubric as a self-check and the link-sharing steps in one file. Opens in Word, Google Docs or WPS.Word · 8 KBHow it is graded
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Groove and musical foundation: correct tempo for the chosen lane, an Afro-style drum pattern with varied shaker velocity and a pocket that is not rigidly quantised, bass or log drum locked to the kick, and chords and melody that stay in one key | 25% |
| Arrangement: a finished 2:30-3:20 track with a clear section map, sparse hook space left for an artiste, and at least two deliberate arrangement moves that build or release tension | 15% |
| Vocal recording: audible evidence of room treatment and low noise, no clipping with peaks around -6 dB, a comped take plus at least one layer (double, harmony or ad-lib), and clearly labelled tracks | 15% |
| Mix, master and delivery: vocal and lead sit clearly on top on a phone speaker, sensible panning with centred low end, one explained EQ move and one explained compression move, sane loudness, plus correctly named tagged MP3, WAV and at least four aligned stems | 20% |
| Rights, paperwork and pricing: a completed split sheet with full legal names, roles and percentages; a sources list showing every sample, preset or AI-generated element is licensed for commercial release, with licence evidence and nothing ripped from a released song; written lease and exclusive terms that state what each actually transfers (ownership versus permission, term, territory, limits, resale, credit line); correct credit and metadata intent; honest naira prices presented as ranges; and rights notes that name the NCC, COSON and MCSN and hedge every requirement, fee and approval status as something to confirm with those bodies directly, with no suggestion that the course or certificate licenses or registers anything | 25% |
You need 65% overall to pass. A failed submission comes back with feedback and can be revised and resubmitted.
Before you submit: make your link public
If your work lives in Google Drive or Google Docs, open Share → General access and change “Restricted” to “Anyone with the link” (Viewer). Then paste the link into a private browser window: if it opens without sign-in, you are ready. A private link cannot be graded — it is the single most common reason a good project fails.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to finish Music Production & Beat Making before submitting the project?
Yes. The submission screen opens once every lesson in Music Production & Beat Making is marked complete. The lessons are where the methods, the Nigerian context and the worked examples the project depends on are taught.
How is the project graded?
An examiner scores each rubric criterion from 0 to 100 and weights them as shown on this page; you need 65% overall to pass. Most submissions are graded within minutes and you get written feedback on what was strong and what to improve.
Can I resubmit if I fail?
Yes. A failed project comes back with feedback; revise the weak parts and resubmit. A passed project is final — the certificate is issued and cannot be re-rolled.
What do I actually submit?
A write-up of what you did (under 5,000 characters) plus a public link to your work — a Google Drive folder, Google Doc, spreadsheet, GitHub repository or video. The link must open without sign-in; a private link cannot be graded. The free project workbook on this page walks you through all 6 steps.
Is the certificate real?
Yes. Passing this project issues a certificate with a unique verification code. Anyone — an employer, a client, a school — can open the verification page and see that the certificate is genuine and which project earned it.
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Ready to earn this certificate?
Music Production & Beat Making is free and self-paced. Finish the lessons, complete this project, and the certificate is yours to share.
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