Today we’re going to look at 5 great online Ableton courses that will help get you started with Ableton and take your production to the next level. Why take a course when there’s lots of free video’s and tutorials out there online? One of the challenges with using free resources is that you can waste a lot of time trying to find the right video or tutorial. Additionally, with free resources it’s easy to jump around and learn things that may be far beyond your current skill level which is like learning Calculus without knowing basic addition/subtraction. The good news is most of the courses we’re going to look at have been designed with beginners in mind. So even if you have no experience with Ableton, these courses will guide you step-by-step to show you how everything works in Ableton. (*Note: Most of the courses would be applicable to Live 8 and Live 9)
If you’re trying to decide on your first Ableton controller check out Mad Zach’s review of Ableton Push and Chris Brackley’s review of the Akai APC 40 MK2. We have looked at 5 Ableton courses at various price points.
- Warp Academy – (4 weeks) – Learn how Ableton Live works and work at your own pace.
- Quantize Courses – (8 weeks) – Teaches you how to finish more music and get feedback from the instructor.
- Pyramind Training – (9 months) – Learn to produce and DJ with Ableton Live, highly collaborative environment.
- Dubspot – (6 months) – weekly assignments, video feedback, finish with a portfolio of original music.
- Point Blank Online– (4 or 8 months) – video feedback, weekly Q&A’s with tutor, finish with an EP.
Ableton Course Overview
Warp Academy
Program/Course: Ableton Live 9 Jumpstart
Price: $199
Duration: 4 weeks (accessible for 1 year)
Instructors: Jake Perrine (Ableton Certified Trainer)
If you’ve ever wondered, “What’s a clip?” or “What’s the Session View?”, then this is the course for you. Warp Academy’s Ableton Live 9 Jumpstart course is made for people completely new to Ableton Live. You’ll learn 90% of Ableton Live 9 in 8 hours of video. This is perfect for people with busy schedules because the course is a collection of self-navigated videos and an Ableton project which makes it easy to follow. They also offer an optional webinar where you can ask the instructor about anything relating to the course of Ableton. The course emphasizes learning by doing by building a song. People can continue learning with additional courses focused on remixing and sound design.
Testimonial – “A course like this is truly indispensable for anyone new to Ableton live. If you just purchased Live and are wondering what to do next, taking this course should be your next move.” – Frank Cozzarelli
Quantize Courses
Program/Course: Laser Package
Price: $1290 USD
Duration: 8 weeks (accessible for 1 year)
Instructors: Keith Mills (Ableton Certified Trainer)
So you’re comfortable with Live but you still can’t seem to produce a track. With this course you will start from scratch and complete your own original track in a genre of your choice. To accomplish this you’ll be given tons of feedback video’s to cover your progress. You’ll also be able to download step-by-step projects to help follow along. Finally you’ll have 8 Skype sessions with your instructor who will provide tips, techniques, and support to help bring your track to life. This is a great opportunity to learn from an experienced producer and it also provides accountability to keep you moving forward.
Testimonial – “I had been using Ableton for around 8 months prior and although I was making progress, the course has really helped me piece everything together.” Lewis Oxley
Pyramind Training
Program/Course: Ableton Live Producers Certificate
Price: $2175 USD (payment plans are available)
Duration: 9 Months (accessible for 1 year)
Instructors: Zaak Kerstetter, Liam Shy
The Certificate is split into 3 semesters. Each semester is 3 months long and covers 2 classes that will build into the next semester. You’ll learn the basics of how Ableton Live 9 works, synthesis, sound design and music theory as well. There is also a class on using Ableton for DJing and live performance. The course material is delivered in video but there are also class forums and webinars. In the Advanced Production course you’ll be encouraged to collaborate with other students in the class. This can be a great way to build your music network.
Testimonial – “Thanks for everything this school has done for me. It has been nothing but the best experience for me and I’m really starting to understand the flows of these programs.” – Matthew Allen
Dubspot
Program/Course: Ableton Live Producer Certificate Program
Price: $4750 USD (payment plans are available)
Duration: 6 months
Instructors: Thavius Beck (Ableton Certified Trainer), Chris Petti (Ableton Certified Trainer)
This massive course will take you all the way from start to finish. The certificate program is divided into 6 levels and 48 class sessions. You get 60-80 hours of high quality video and frequent video feedback on your projects. What’s unique about Dubspot is the course structure. At the start of each week the content becomes available. Day 2-6 the instructors hold 2 online Office Hours. On Day 7 your weekly assignment is due and you’ll receive feedback from instructors and classmates. This results in constant action and feedback that may be difficult to find if you were learning on your own. The course is a big commitment with a high weekly workload and a fixed schedule. At the end of this program you’ll have a portfolio of original music, a remix entered in an active contest, and a scored commercial to expand your horizons. If you can commit, you’ll experience massive progress.
Testimonial: “The content is simply awesome! After this course I actually prefer online courses because if I missed anything I could just rewind. My skills have been refined so much by Dubspot Online!” – Llen Young
Point Blank Online
Program/Course: Music Production Ableton Live Certificate
Price: $4050 USD (payment plans are available)
Duration: 4 or 8 months
Instructors: Ski Oakenfull, Danny J Lewis
Each week begins with new notes, audio samples, and video tutorials. On Thursday there is a master class where you login to a chat room, view your instructor’s screen, and ask for help on projects or course content. Every two weeks you turn in a homework assignment that you will receive video feedback on the following tuesday. What is unique about Point Blank’s approach is that everyone’s video feedback is accessible This means that you can learn get multiple perspectives and learn from others. At the end of the course you’ll have an EP and be able to submit your track to Point Blank Music for distribution by Beatport and iTunes. Point Blank is the only course that provides a copy of Ableton Live. If you like a more in-depth look at Point Blank they offer a sample course here: Music Production Ableton Live Diploma Sample
Testimonial: “I learned about bass production in Ableton at Point Blank – it was awesome!” – Claude Vonstroke
If you feel like you’ve been struggling with your production or you don’t know where to start then a course might be the right thing for you. It can give you a structure to follow and provide some accountability to ensure that you take action.
Have you ever taken an online course, what has been your experience learning online (free or paid)?
hey guys check out coursera for a free class on “introduction to ableton”. its taught by a woman named Erin Bara i believe. It was a great class for me to take. Its going to show you simple steps on HOW ableton works, and by the end of the class you will have a track. that track is uploaded to a site called blend. you get feedback from other class members. you can meet with other members in your area and work together. Its really a community set around the program. id suggest this class BEFORE you drop any money on any class to see if ableton is actually for you.
I subscribe to lynda.com which is basically the Netflix of software tutorials and they have a few courses on Ableton, specifically an 8 hour “Ableton Live 9 Essential Training” that covers all the basics you need to be up and running. There are a bunch of promotional offers through YouTube partners, an example is DNews, which will get you a free month and can cancel afterwards if you want.
That is more than enough time to watch everything they have on Ableton, as well as their series of courses called Foundations of Audio too, which goes more in depth teaching an understanding of production fundamentals. So yeah, all of this is basically free if you cancel, and if you want to subscribe it’s between $20 and $30 a month depending whether you want access to project files or not, which really isn’t necessary.
So yeah, dropping thousands of dollars on one of these courses is a huge waste of money. Honestly, reading the manual online will probably help more than anything else, and there are so many resources now, from tutorials on YouTube to production threads on forums, all just a Google search away. If you are going to invest thousands of dollars into your production, please do yourself a favor and make a killer home studio instead of blowing cash on access to information that you can find for essentially free.
Truthfully, a lot of people aren’t looking at these courses the right way.
You can learn anything on the internet nowadays. ANYTHING. Look at Khan Academy.
But when you invest into a school, you’re investing into a mentor who will teach you personally and give you attention and mentorship (hopefully). The information to learn physics is in textbooks and online research, but that doesn’t mean you will get the lab experience to be a physicist without having the proper environment. Whether these courses provide that environment is the question.
For people starting out, I’d also recommend Tom Cosm’s program. $15 a month and offers the a very good program.
Additionally, Berklee will be offering an Ableton Course on Coursera soon. Can’t say how good it’ll be, but I’ve done some of their classes before and had good results.
Education is important but IMHo this courses are a ripoff. You can learn the same level of stuff in book and online cheaper video courses.
I would invest that money in proper music lessons with a private teacher.
I have been using Ableton for 10 years now. In the past year i have found myself teaching it to a number of people through out Ottawa. I wonder if Ableton production tutorials would fly over here.
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why pay when you can look on youtube for tutorials…
Lmao at the prices!!!!
I just don’t understand paying close to $5k to have someone teach me how to work one program and only that program. Which cost a fraction of that price anyway.
Warp Academy has a ton more courses than the one above. They only do Live training, and there’s much cheaper courses if you only want to learn about one or two aspects of the program.
Dubspot pricing imho is way overpriced, there is no reason for an online course to be so expensive.
Quantize courses all the way.
what about bassgorilla.com or tomcosm?
My only thing about these training courses is that I have yet to hear of someone graduating from these trainings and go on to be famous (which is one of the end goals of this business along with making music).
They can’t teach you creativity… you either have that or you don’t. You either have an innate ability with music or you don’t. No school will teach you that, it only lets you express it if you actually have it.
Point being, you can be creative and technologically proficient and still not be able to pay the rent because it doesn’t fit in the Soundscan plot.
The only way I’d want to sign up for one of these classes is if I was to pay the tab out of money I made via music following completion of the course. How many of them would sign up for that? I doubt any, because anybody who knows the business knows it’s business and it can eat a person alive no matter how brilliant or talented or hard working.
“Only pay doctor when you are well.”
Flume…
Flume didn’t go to school, he spent his teenage years producing at home. Super supportive parents tho.
Correct me if I’m wrong though, would love to hear about this school.
Alunageorge went to point blank
I think a lot of theses courses are aimed at people daydreaming of beeing an EDM star, having not even downloaded a DAW yet. My personal feeling about these courses is that they are kind of profiteering – at least the “big” ones costing a few thousand dollars for teaching the basics only and luring with things like a beatport or iTunes release, which EVERYONE can get done for about $30 by a ton of online services. Has anyone here actually done one of those courses? I’m producing for quite some time now and the best advice I can give is to colaborate with a friend, who already is into production. That way you have some nice evenings, good tips and actual connections into the scene and all that for free (except for the costs for some beer).
hihi, he said “EDM star” 😀
but yeah, these courses sounds like this…
And IF you get a diploma out of this, what “company” hires you? can you even work as a salaryman in this industry?
Sure, I am tempted to make this move, but who can guaranty me a “steady job”? (as I said this my tummy aches from giggling)
I highly doubt this investment pays off….
And btw, that learning with a buddy seems too optimistic. I’ve spend hours to teach other guys and gals, none turned to be an interesting parter ;( nope, I doubt it was me, who frightened them.
anyway, let me check those Vidz by Sadewick 😀
This course, nor Sadowicks, nor Tomc is going to get you “hired”….. None of the things you are learning on youtube will help you in a professional production environment where they want a professional ENGINEER.
Go to a university if you want a job like that. I think people are clearly misunderstanding the differences here.
yeah, university. /sigh
but here in Germany – even if i have skill/knowledge/etc. – I may not visit such facilities, since I don’t have the needed graduation. That would me set back 2-3 Years, and another 2-5 Years to get my Bachelor/Master, and then i would be 40 by then. Great….
this sucks. big time.
I’ve been producing for quite some time now already and regular sessions with friends definitly help a lot! I’m not focused on beeing successful with my music at all. I do that as a hobby. However the guy I collaborate with is playing on (smaller) international festivals so I’d say he knows some of the scene. As far as I can tell connections is 99% of what you need. The production skills are something too many people have. If you want to “make it” as an artist or sound designer you need to know the right people. Another friend of mine has even studied sound engeneering and he says he knew all that stuff before his degree (he’s been making music since he was nine), but it helped him to sell what he already had, because he got to know people.
in conclusion: pay for this kind of course, to meet other people. 😀
Maybe it’s a fact I don’t personaly know anyone in my action radius (phisically, not by internet) who is doing stuff by my standards, and even has the same “taste”, therefore i might sound a little bitter…
I think the point is: You don’t meet other people at all at such online courses. Would you consider someone you had a skype conversation, because you paid him for that as someone you met and became friends with? I certainly don’t.
The best series I’ve found is the Shadowick videos. The guy is a Canadian that knows his stuff and has made a 48 video series. I don’t believe he is a “Licensed Ableton Trainer” but the guy knows his stuff and makes it easy and relatable for beginners. You could pay for any of the courses above but I doubt you’ll learn more than you would from Shadows videos.
Can’t push him enough. Sadowick is 100% self taught and totally brilliant, as well as a clear teacher.
Great.. very helpful of him.. but these are NO WHERE NEAR What the amount of information dubspot covers in their Ableton Course, let alone personalized feedback etc etc etc. Again.. Good luck to the rest of you. I admire your perseverance against “the man” and paying for information 😛
Oh yeah? Well dubspot NO WHERE NEAR covers how much information that THE INTERNET has on Ableton. I mean, granted I have a Masters in Education so I don’t need somebody to assemble lessons for me, but yeah, if you need your hand held, pay up DUDEBRO.
You have fun sitting in your bedroom making music then buddy. That Masters in Education didn’t give you common sense or real world logic then did it.
Those who produced WITHOUT these courses have been playing and producing since they were 13 or 14.. and have taken classes themselves, whether you want to believe it or not in your all high and mighty stance.
that’s just false lol every artist makes it in their own way and goes at whatever pace they can, there are plenty of high end producers that are self taught through the internet. These classes will get you where you want to be faster because it has some guidelines, the internet is just a plethora of information and it can be quite overwhelming when figuring out where to start. But it can be done and has been done. You do not NEED any of these classes, or any classes.
and yet plenty of people have produced amazing tracks without attending or paying for classes, enjoy blowing your money on something that plenty can do without, genius.
Any Maschine courses? [ annnnd maybe a little cheaper? hahahaha ]
Dubspot offers a fairly inexpensive one!