COURSE PACKAGES
COURSE PACKAGES
Module 1: Introduction to djing
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A Short History - Learn how DJing has evolved from vinyl to digital and the role of beatmatching.
Beat Matching Fundamentals and Practical Exercises - Learn why beatmatching is the foundation of DJing and get hands-on practice
The Role of a DJ in Different Settings – Understand the responsibilities of a DJ in clubs, festivals, and private events.
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Mixer Layout and Basic Signal Flow - Learn the map of your mixer and how the audio signal moves from through a DJ setup
Play/pause and Cue Functions - Essential controls for starting and stopping tracks.
EQs and Frequency Control - How to shape the character of tracks using low, mid, and high frequency bands.
Tempo Faders and Channel Faders - Learning to control the speed and volume of your tracks.
Headphone Cueing - Get familiar with previewing tracks.
Browsing Functions - Understand how to find and select music on your hardware.
Module 2: Mixing Techniques
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Understanding Song Structures - Recognizing intro, breakdown, drop, and outro sections and why producers arrange songs the way they do.
Aligning Phrases for Smooth Transitions - Matching sections to ensure seamless mixes.
Recognizing Different Track Elements - Identifying common core sounds and instrumentation groups like vocals, drums, bass, and synths.
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Gradual Blending vs. Smash Cuts - Learning different transition techniques and when to use them.
Creative Use of Quiet Moments and Tension - Using the naturally occurring dynamic breaks in your tracks to build anticipation and balance the energy of the room.
Using EQ for Smooth Frequency Transitions - Avoiding clashing frequencies and muddy or overly harsh mixes.
Double Drops - Begin exploring more advanced techniques for impactful mixes. Drops on top of drops, hooks on top of hooks.
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Timing and Track Durations - Understanding when to bring in new tracks.
Blend Durations - Adjusting mixing tactics based on the composition and arrangement of the music.
Hands-on Practice With Different Styles - Experimenting with blend durations and mix techniques.
Module 3: Advanced IDEAS
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Trim and Gain Staging - Balancing levels for a clean output signal and consistent track gain to avoid distortion, clipping, and undesired volume jumps.
Looping - Creating loops for more customizable mixing approaches.
Hot Cues - Using pre-determined markers in your music for seamless transitions and easy navigation to key track points.
Quantize - Keep transitions, loops, and hot cues tight and accurate.
Slip - Manipulate the track with losing real-time play position.
Jog Wheel Parameters - Toggle the emulation type you want for the jog wheel.
FX - Using sound color effects, reverbs, delays, filters, etc to enhance your mix creatively.
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Harmonic Mixing & the Camelot Wheel - Using key compatibility for better melodic blends.
Circle of Fifths Explained - Understanding the relative relationships between major and minor keys.
How Key Clashes Impact a Mix - Avoiding dissonance and disharmony.
Module 4: Best Practices & Tradecraft
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Essential Rekordbox Features for Beginners - A breakdown of some key tools to get started in Rekordbox.
Prepping & Analyzing Tracks in Rekordbox - Preparing and organizing music for faster access and accurate selections.
Visualizing Arrangements Through Waveforms - Identifying track structure visually.
Setting and Adjusting Beat Grids - Ensuring transients align properly and verifying tempo analysis.
Accurate Metadata and Creating Organized USB Playlists - The fundamentals of organizing, assembling, and exporting your music to be performance ready.
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The Importance of Mastering the Basics Before Breaking the Rules - Finding balance in creativity and experimentation.
Reading the Crowd and Adapting to Energy Shifts - Understanding the needs of the audience.
Building Momentum and Creating Peaks and Valleys - Structuring energy properly based on setting, time, and vibe.
Module 1: Understanding Ableton
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Session View vs Arrangement View - Understand the different uses of Ableton’s two main view options. Performance and console emulation vs composition and production.
Browser - Explore the central hub for all instruments, devices, samples, projects, and plugins.
Main Lane - Understand the central canvas of Ableton, how tracks will appear, and explore the linearity of the standard workflow.
Clip/device Drop Area - Learn what clips and devices are. Dropping MIDI instruments or effects creates a MIDI track, dropping audio samples or audio effects creates an audio track.
Clip View/Device View - Viewing a selected clip’s contents and editable properties vs viewing that clips device chain.
Transport Bar (Play, Stop, Arrangement Record Buttons) - The central playback and recording controls of Ableton.
Solo, Arm Recording, and Computer MIDI Keyboard - Fundamental tools performing MIDI instruments and isolating tracks.
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Create, Open, and Save Projects - Get familiar with how to open up the software, create a project, and organize your saves.
Adjusting Tempo and Time Signature - Choose the heartbeat of your music.
Setting Up Inputs and Outputs - Apply input and output devices and learn how they dictate signal flow.
Basic Settings - Familiarize yourself with all of the available master settings.
Exporting a Project - Learn the basic protocol for exporting your music.
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The difference between audio and MIDI - Learn the different uses and benefits of audio and MIDI tracks.
Import, manipulate, and warp audio - Pull in audio samples and review all the ways they can be arranged, transposed, looped, altered, and warped.
Create and work with MIDI clips and piano roll - Learn how to create MIDI clips, how to populate them, and how to navigate available features.
MIDI controllers and MIDI mapping - Use external hardware to control instruments and parameters
Recording MIDI to Audio - Learn to freeze and flatten, resample, or otherwise turn your MIDI instruments into audio for the sake workflow, manipulation variety, or lightening CPU load.
Module 2: SOUnd Design
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EQ and Filtering Techniques - Grasp the fundamentals frequency shaping and how different techniques affect your sounds.
Compression and Dynamics - Learn how to control and manipulate the dynamic range of a sound.
Reverb and Delay - Use effects to change the spatial quality of the signal.
Distortion and Saturation - Alter the harmonic quality of the waveform to introduce warmth and overdrive.
Effects Chains and Racks - Build custom combinations of plugins to create new effects.
Signal Paths - Understand how audio moves from the source through different plugins and how the signal path dictates how these plugins behave
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Synthesis principles (Wavetables, OSC, ADSR, LFO, Filters, FX) - Learn the signal, shaping, and modulation elements that allow a synthesizer to produce the sounds you make.
Using Presets for Analysis and Inspiration - Take advantage of Ableton’s native synth or third party presets to study how they are made, or use them for your compositions if they are the perfect fit.
Sampling with Simpler and Sampler - Get familiar with Ableton’s native sampling instruments.
Layering sounds for depth - Learn how to layer synth patches to create the right sonic character and dynamics for your desired instrument.
Module 3: Arrangement & Composition
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Common Song Structures (Intro, Build, Drop, Breakdown, Outro) - Understand the fundamental elements of song structure and how different genres utilize them.
Creating Effective Transitions - Use automation, risers, sweeps, and FX to smoothly transition between sections and maintain energy flow.
Using Automation for Dynamic Movement - Automate parameters such as volume, panning, and effects settings to create tension and release in key moments.
Variation and Arrangement Techniques - Introduce subtle changes in drum patterns, instrumentation, and melodic elements to keep the track engaging.
Building Energy Over Time - Develop a sense of progression by layering elements gradually and strategically placing breakdowns and drops.
Structuring Tracks for DJs - Consider section and phrase lengths and mix-friendly elements for easy DJ use.
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Basic Music Theory for Electronic Music - Understand time signatures, bars, intervals, scales, keys to create harmonically rich and cohesive compositions.
Chord Progressions and Voicings - Learn about basic chord structure and voicing.
Writing Melodies and Hooks - Develop catchy melodies using counterpoint, repetitive phrase variations, and call-and-response techniques.
Harmony - Learn how to create tension and resolution with your compositions.
Designing Effective Basslines - Create basslines that lock in with the drums by utilizing syncopation and automation.
MIDI Effects for Creative Sequencing - Use MIDI effects like chord generators, arpeggiators, and randomizers to generate unique patterns.
Creative Automation and Modulation - Apply filter sweeps, pitch bends, and modulation to add expressiveness to different musical elements.
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Layering and Selecting Drum Samples - Choose high-quality drum samples and layer different textures to create your desired sound.
Using Drum Racks and Audio - Organize drum sounds into drum racks for easy sample swapping and kit building or use audio samples for intuitive visualization.
Groove and Swing Techniques - Apply swing settings and groove templates to add a more human feel to programmed drums.
Creating Fills and Variations - Use parameter automation, velocity changes, and different sample articulations to introduce dynamic fills and variations.
Tuning and Processing Drums - Adjust pitch and EQ for tonal balance, and apply transient shaping, compression, and saturation to enhance impact.
Module 4: Mixing & Mastering
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Gain Staging and Headroom - Properly set levels to avoid distortion and maintain clarity in the mix.
Stereo Field - Learn standard M/S principles and how to position elements in the stereo field using panning and imaging to create width and separation.
Parallel Processing, Sends, and Busses - Route effects through auxiliary channels and busses, or use parallel processing to strengthen the signal
Balancing Levels for Clarity - Ensure each element sits well in the mix by adjusting volume and dynamics.
Managing Frequency Masking - Use EQ to carve out space for each instrument and prevent muddiness or harshness.
Sidechain Compression and Volume Ducking - Understand how to make room for different elements by using sidechain compression or volume ducking plugins.
Practical Automation and Modulation - Use volume, filter, and effect automation to manage energy levels between sections.
Reference Tracks - Compare your mix to professionally mixed songs to check balance, EQ, and overall tonal quality.
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Limiting and Maximizing Loudness - Use a limiter to prevent clipping and achieve commercial loudness levels without distortion.
EQ for Final Tonal Balance - Apply subtle EQ adjustments to correct any frequency imbalances and ensure a well-rounded sound across various playback systems.
Applying Subtle Compression and Saturation - Use gentle compression to glue the mix together and add saturation for warmth and cohesion.
Stereo Imaging and Width - Carefully enhance stereo width while ensuring mono compatibility for consistent playback on all systems.
Exporting a Mastered Track - Choose the right sample rate and bit depth, apply dithering if necessary, and check levels before finalizing the master.
Module 5: Workflow & Creative Strategies
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Groups, Organization, and Track Management - Use track grouping to consolidate elements, apply group processing, and maintain a clean session. Properly name and color-code tracks for quick navigation.
File Management - Establish a structured folder system for project files, samples, and presets to ensure seamless workflow and avoid losing assets.
Using Templates, Presets, and Racks - Save commonly used instruments, effects, and settings as templates and custom presets to streamline the production process and maintain consistency across projects.
Keyboard Shortcuts and Macros - Learn about essential shortcuts, keymapping, and creating macros to speed up workflow and reduce repetitive tasks.
Customizing Ableton's Interface - Arrange the workspace for quick access to frequently used tools and effects.
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Sound Design as Inspiration - Experiment with new synth patches or sample manipulation to spark ideas.
Experimenting with Unfamiliar Devices - Play with new MIDI, audio, effects, and synth devices to generate unexpected results.
Collaborating and Getting Feedback - Work with other producers or seek feedback to gain new perspectives.
Setting Creative Limitations - Restrict yourself to a limited set of instruments or sounds to encourage unique problem-solving.
Changing Environments - Step away from your usual workspace, listen to different genres, or work on a different section of your track.
Using Reference Tracks - Analyze and recreate elements from tracks you admire to better understand structure and sound design.
Artist Development & Mentorship
2 hour 1-on-1 mentorship sessions
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Custom packages and scheduling available
Let us know what works best for you, your lifestyle, and your goals. We’re here to help you soar!