The New Production Standard

Ableton Live is the new production standard because you simply can do so much with it. But don't confuse it's extreme flexibility with over-complexity. It's not to be feared, it's to be harnessed. Let us help you.

One of only 21 in the entire country, we're proud to support Ableton Live users and to keep music going. Hosting Ableton sanctioned events, meet-ups, and user groups in addition to our curriculum, we provide lifeblood to the creative community while keeping our finger on the pulse of the music scene.

Phase 1 - Basic Ableton Live Workflow

Building an effective workflow is an essential part of becoming fluent in Ableton Live. In this phase, students will learn how to create, record and edit both audio and MIDI, as well as how to take their ideas and expand them into complete arrangements. By the end of the phase, students will understand the entire process of creating a song from start to finish with Live.

Phase 2 - Songwriting & Arrangement

In Phase 2, students will take the concepts learned in level one and begin to apply some basic music theory to their productions. While Phase 1 emphasizes the technical aspects of using Live, Phase 2 revolves around the creative end. Learning how to create rhythms, melodies, and chord progressions will be essential in creating an engaging track.

Phase 3 - Intro to Synthesis/Sound Design

Phase 3 is devoted entirely to the understanding of how to build custom sounds with all the instrument devices that come with Live. Students will also learn how to properly use all of the effect devices made by Ableton to enhance their sounds. By the end of the class, students will have a strong library of sounds that they have built themselves ready to use in any of their songs.

Phase 4 - Advanced Synthesis/Sound Design

In this phase students will learn more about how to apply the sound design knowledge they learned in Phase 3 and apply it to creating specific kinds of sounds to fit their creative voice.

Phase 5 - Mixing & Mastering

During Phase 5, students will learn about how to take their completed songs and use techniques such as EQ, compression, and panning to create professional quality sounding mixes. Once the tracks are mixed, students will also learn how to master the tracks themselves using both Ableton’s devices as well as third party software by companies such as Izotope.

Phase 6 - DJ & Live Performance

The first part of Phase 6 will focus on how to build a DJ template for performing the student’s original tracks as well as mixing them with tracks by their favorite artists. This will include warping whole songs, building racks, MIDI mapping effects, choosing the right MIDI controller, and mixing techniques. In the second half of the phase, students will develop their own custom live performance setup based on their individual needs and goals.

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