Does the course cover mastering?

There's an introduction to mastering as part of the advanced techniques module, alongside mixing fundamentals.

Can I try Ableton before committing to the course?

Yes - you can download a free 30-day trial of Ableton Suite.

Do I need my own equipment?

Headphones and MIDI keyboards are available to use if you don't have your own.

Is this course suitable if I've already been using Ableton on my own?

Yes - it works for complete beginners and intermediate self-taught users alike.

Ableton Live Class | San Francisco

Name: Ableton Live Class
Price: 1799 USD

Ableton Live Music Production Course | Bay Area

Getting Started

→Arrangement and Session View
→MIDI and Audio Clips
→Basic Templates and Track Defaults
→Saving Projects and Library Organization
→Interface Overview and preferences

Creating MIDI and Audio

→The Piano Roll and the Beat Grid
→Warping and Quantizing Audio
→Audio Manipulation and Resampling
→MIDI Notes and Building Beats
→Clip View and Clip Properties

Ableton’s Instruments and Devices

→FX and Automation
→Drum Racks and Building Beats
→Simpler and Sampler
→Synthesis Basics
→Deep Dive into Analog, Wavetable and Operator
→Max4Live and 3rd Party Plugins

Constructing the Song

→Finalizing Arrangements
→Starting an Idea in Session View
→Basic Music Theory and Cheats
→Constructing Chords, Melodies and Basslines
→Song Structure

Recording and Engineering

→Setting up MIDI Controllers and MIDI Mapping
→Basics of Sound Waves, Frequency and Amplitude
→Understanding EQ and Compression
→Introduction to Mixing
→Audio Interfaces and Recording Live Instrumentation

Advanced Techniques

→Track Grouping and Routing
→Ableton Racks and Chains
→Push 2
→Introduction to Mastering
→Editing Arrangements

Additional Info

→This course supports Ableton for Mac and PC.
→Headphones and MIDI keyboards are available to use.
→Download a free 30 day trial of Ableton Suite here.

36 Hours | $1,799 if booked 14 days before start, or $2,099 otherwise, + $200 Registration

Taught at our San Francisco studio, the Ableton Live Class keeps groups small enough that every student gets real time at the controls. Bay Area producers lead the sessions, and the identical course can be taken live online if that suits you better, using our specialist music collaboration software, Muse.

Let’s Get Going!

→How to set up: Audio and the preferences window
→Explore what makes Ableton different to other DAWs
→Applications of session view and arrangement view: when to use which
→Live concepts: clips / browser / scenes / library
→Launching clips
→The concept of Ableton’s unique warp engine
→An introduction to FX
→An introduction to instruments

Creating With MIDI & Audio

→How to quantize audio
→How warping works
→Clips – exploring clip view & properties of clips
→How to make beats with Drum Racks & Simpler sampling
→Live’s effects and employing third-party effects
→How to record MIDI and set up live looping
→Basic routing and resampling
→Automation – how to create dynamic change in arrangements

DJing and Live Performance

→Preparing whole tracks (warping) and harmonic mixing
→‘On-the-fly’DJ effects
→Grouping tracks and basic routing
→How to use MIDI controllers more effectively / mouse-free control
→Bespoke Ableton controllers – Akai, Push and Novation
→Structuring your sets & using loops
→How to record your performance & edit the arrangement view
→Bouncing down

MIDI Tracks and Composing with Virtual Instruments

→Simpler – Learn to unlock the full potential of this simple sampler
→Drum Rack – Programming beats, how to chop up loops, manipulating sounds, vocals and tracks – making rhythms from any sound source and also exploring the technique of Slice to MIDI.
→Grooves & how to extract them
→Using & controlling virtual instruments from third party developers
→Setting up controllers via MIDI keyboard or drum pad
→How to get creative with MIDI effects

Recording Techniques and an Introduction to Sound Design

→Balancing – an introduction to the art of mixing. Group tracks and advanced uses of routing
→The recording patch in detail, & an introduction to gain structure
→EQ and compression for recording
→Introduction to sound waves, frequency & amplitude
→Foldback, headphone mixes & latency
→Microphones overview and stereo mic-ing techniques
→Recording specific aspects of Ableton
→Digital, analog, sampling rate and bit-rate explained
→How to compile audio takes

Advanced Techniques

→Advanced warping – manipulate classical music, a capellas and anything else without beats!
→Clip envelopes – how to use the unique loop-based technique, unique to Ableton, for automation on audio fx,, midi fx and instruments. Learn to achieve complex music, sound and rhythm manipulation with ease.
→Multi-track warping
→An introduction to Racks & Chains – their powerful hidden features. Also includes how to layer FX and instruments
→Bringing all automation types together – and how to create build-ups and break-downs with complex sounds.

Use the ‘CONNECT’ button below to request schedule and pricing information. One of our placement experts will follow up within a business day. For one-to-one lessons, see our Music Production Private Instruction page.

Connect Discover qualities that distinguish us, here.

Before you enrol.

Ableton Live Music Production Course | Bay Area

Getting Started

Creating MIDI and Audio

Ableton’s Instruments and Devices

Constructing the Song

Recording and Engineering

Advanced Techniques

Additional Info

Let’s Get Going!

Creating With MIDI & Audio

DJing and Live Performance

MIDI Tracks and Composing with Virtual Instruments

Recording Techniques and an Introduction to Sound Design

Advanced Techniques

In our students' words.

Some Instructors

Before you enrol.

Ready when you are.

Why train with us?

Creative Audio Effects: Shifter

Sub: Ableton’s Analog: Oscillators

Wave: Oscillator Effects

Comping: Take Lanes

Link, Tempo Follower and MIDI Sync

Sampler: AUX Env and LFOs