The most hands-on experience we offer, the onsite program puts you in the room with Stargate, the mentors, and the best songwriters/ artists/ producers of our entire applicant pool. Our facility is complete with 16 studios, a stage, classroom, outdoor dining, lounge, kitchen, and main office. Students come here to work five days a week, whether attending live seminars, workshops, collaborating with their peers, or getting in-person feedback from our mentors.
Every week we assign groups to work together and write a song following an assignment guideline provided by our visiting guests. Students have the week to complete the prompt and write a great song. Perhaps the most important component of the program is the feedback of the students’ songs provided by the mentors and curated by Stargate every Monday. For the most immersive experience to be making music in a space with your peers and surrounded by creatives all day, there is no better option than the onsite program.
Kick off your week with massive input. During Mondays and Tuesdays, the mentors will be conducting sessions and workshops in smaller groups. These workshops go deep, exposing you to the tools needed for your specific skill set, developing your craft and drawing lines through history. Relevant projects will continuously be assigned and reviewed. Monday evenings are intense and can go very late. The mentors work directly with each student group, giving real-time, individual feedback.
Create a Song A Week: Work collaboratively with an assigned group to submit your song at the end of each week.
Wednesday through Friday is action time. You will be immersed in your weekly projects, supported by relevant lectures and gatherings inspiring the current task at hand.
The majority of your time at LAAMP will be used to create music, you will have extensive access to our custom built writing & production rooms. The Santa Monica LAAMP facilities are equipped with 16 handcrafted, soundproof metal recording pods. Each pod comes with its own TLM 103 condenser microphone and high-performance speakers. Every student has access to an Apollo Twin X interface from Universal Audio. The accompanied console software offers UAD real-time processing with virtually zero latency, and an array of world-famous gear emulations from brands like Manley, Neve, API, Pultec, and more. The Warm Audio WA76 Discrete Compressor, known for its rich and full tone, is highly coveted for giving records that classic and incredible sound. Warm Audio WA73-EQ Microphone Preamp & EQ is a modern rendition of the legendary 1073. The design incorporates a beautiful blend of focused midrange, subtle resonant high-ends, and harmonically rich low-end frequencies. Each station has its own Komplete Kontrol S61 MK2 MIDI controller from Native Instruments. 1/8 inch and iPhone adapters available for easy connections.
Our campus is located downtown Santa Monica, California, an iconic place for creators, artists, dreamers and rockstars. Our neighborhood is home to world famous beaches, restaurants, coffee shops, gyms and unforgettable sunsets. We are a short walk from the beach, and steps from photogenic parks and landmarks. Our building is custom made for LAAMP, under the supervision of world class producers StarGate. We do not serve lunch or dinner, but there are communal tables available for students to get take-out or bring their own. Or go to one of the exceptional neighborhood restaurants. The weather - you already know.