What you'll learn

Navigating Ableton Live's user interface
Using Samples, Clips, Packs, and Instruments
Audio vs. MIDI
Recording, programming, and editing MIDI
Recording & editing audio
MIDI & audio envelope editing
Warp modes & editing warp markers
Audio & MIDI effects
Mixing & Mastering
Gain staging, dynamic processing, and loudness
EQ, compression, stereo imaging, and automation

Course content

5 sections • 88 lectures • 5h 47m total length

INFO VIEW1:35
In this video I'll explain the info view and why it will make your life so much easier.
USER INTERFACE OVERVIEW3:10
In this video I'll walk through the user interface and explain how to view different parts of the software.
SESSION VIEW VS. ARRANGEMENT VIEW2:46
In this video I'll explain the difference between the session view and the arrangement view. The session view is unique to Ableton Live so it might be a bit confusing for new users. I'll demystify it for you.
KEY COMMANDS4:01
In this video I'll explain how key commands work, how to set up your own custom key commands, and why they are awesome.
CREATING TEMPLATES2:44
In this video I'll show you how to create your own default template.
MOVING AROUND3:26
In this video I'll explain how to navigate the user interface. I'll show you how to move around the arrangement window, how to zoom in and out, how to minimize and maximize track height and width, and more.
A FEW MORE PREFERENCES2:31
In this video I'll walk through just a few more important preferences to have squared away, such as auto-warping, fades on clip edges, and more.
COLLECTIONS2:47
In this video I'll explain how to use the collections tags in the browser pane.
USER LIBRARY3:01
In this video I'll show you how to use the User Library to save and access your own clips and samples, as well as effect and instrument racks.
DETOUR: Computer MIDI Keyboard1:28
In this bonus video I'll explain how you can use your computer keyboard to trigger and record MIDI in Ableton Live.

EDITING AUDIO REGIONS4:05
In this video I'll show you some more advanced techniques for editing audio regions in the arrangement window.
IMPORTING CLIPS AND SAMPLES (Part 1)5:53
In this video I'll show you how to import clips and samples from the browser pane into your set.
IMPORTING CLIPS AND SAMPLES (Part 2)3:38
In this video I'll show you how to import clips and samples from the browser pane into your set.
DETOUR: Drum Rack4:08
In this bonus lecture, I'll show you some of the cool stuff you can do with the drum rack, including chopping up a melodic sample.
AUDIO VS. MIDI5:29
In this video I'll explain briefly the difference between audio and midi tracks.
ABLETON PACKS5:38
In this video I'll give a brief overview of the Ableton Packs and I'll try to convince you that you should use them more!
BUILDING A SONG WITH PACKS9:47
In this video I'll give you a bit more information about building a song using Ableton Packs.
BUILDING A SONG WITH PACKS (Extra)4:12
I accidentally left the screen recording software running so this is just 5 minutes of me jamming.
INTRODUCTION TO MIDI2:38
In this video I'll give a brief introduction to MIDI.
MIDI - NOTES2:23
In this video I'll explain the first dimension of MIDI (notes).
MIDI - TIME1:26
In this video I'll explain the second dimension of MIDI (time).
MIDI - VELOCITY3:10
In this video I'll talk about the third dimension of MIDI (velocity).
CREATING MIDI CLIPS1:21
In this video I'll show you the different ways to create MIDI clips.
RECORDING MIDI1:59
In this video I'll show you how to record MIDI.
MIDI QUANTIZATION3:56
In this video I'll talk all about MIDI quantization and how to change quantization settings.
MIDI - CLIP VIEW4:11
In this video I'll give some more detailed information about the MIDI editing capabilities inside the Clip View.
MIDI ENVELOPES3:15
In this video I'll show you how to use the envelopes tab in the Clip View, and how to set up MIDI envelopes.
DETOUR: Programming MIDI Drums9:44
In this bonus video I'll show you how to program a MIDI drum pattern. It's real smooth.
INTRODUCTION TO AUDIO1:19
In this video I'll provide a brief introduction to audio.
AUDIO VS. MIDI: The Main Difference1:58
In this video I'll explain the main difference between audio & MIDI from a music producer's point of view. (Hint: audio is more final than MIDI).
AUDIO - CLIP VIEW3:27
In this video we'll go into greater detail about some of the audio editing capabilities inside the Clip View.
AUDIO - START, END, & LOOP2:42
In this video I'll break down the start, end, and loop functions in the audio Clip View.
WARPING2:43
Now for the fun stuff! In this video I'll show you how warping works and why we use it.
WARP MODES4:28
In this video I'll walk through the different warp modes and when to use them.
WARP MODES - DEEPER10:09
In this video we'll dive deeper into the different warp modes.
FADES2:33
In this video I'll show you how to create fades on audio regions to avoid pops, clips, clacks, clicks, dips, whips, floops, and flops.
RECORDING AUDIO2:36
In this video I'll show you how to record audio. You will witness my clapping skills.
AUDIO - TIMING2:47
In this video I'll show you how to edit the timing of recorded audio, both in the arrangement window and using quantization in the Clip View.
AUDIO - ENVELOPES5:55
In this video I'll explain how to use the envelopes tab in the audio editing Clip View.
DETOUR: Even More Audio Editing Fun14:27
In this bonus video I'll show you how to go deeper in audio editing and have fun doing some weird stuff.
HALFTIME SHOW1:40
In this halftime show extravaganza, I'll take a quick break to talk about where we've been so far in the course and where we're going from here.
CATEGORIES4:51
In this video I'll walk through the categories in the browser pane. This is where you will spend a lot of time so get used to navigating it.
DETOUR: Recording Multiple Takes with Loop2:36
In this bonus video I'll show you how to record multiple takes using the loop function. I will also definitely not embarrass myself by rapping in any way.
AUDIO EFFECTS OVERVIEW3:16
In this video I'll provide a brief overview of audio effects.
DEVICE GENERAL PARAMETERS4:30
In this video I'll show you some of the general parameters common to all devices in Ableton Live such as hot swap, save, and much more.
MIDI EFFECTS5:17
In this video we'll cover the MIDI effects, how they're different from audio effects, and some ways to use the arpeggiator.
PLACES & SEARCH4:01
In this video I'll show you how to understand the Places in the browser pane, and also how to search anything in your browser.

INTRODUCTION TO MIXING2:35
In this video I'll give you a brief introduction to the mixing stage.
AVOIDING CLIPPING4:12
In this video I'll talk about the first and most important part of mixing: gain staging, or making sure that your gain levels are set appropriately.
INTRODUCTION TO EQUALIZATION2:13
In this video I'll give a brief introduction to equalization.
USING THE EQ84:38
In this video I'll show you how to use the super powerful EQ8 audio effect.
DETOUR: Splice.com4:26
In this video I'll hawk splice.com because I love it and though they are not a sponsor, they should be.
COMPRESSION8:27
In this video I'll explain compression including attack and release, ratios, makeup gain, and more.
REVERB2:59
In this video I'll explain one of the most important spatial audio effects known as reverb.
DELAY2:32
In this video I'll explain another of the most important spatial audio effects known as delay.
RETURN TRACKS5:26
In this video I'll show you how to use return tracks to route multiple tracks to a single audio effect channel.
DETOUR: Groove & Swing8:54
In this bonus video I'll show you the (very uncommon but super cool) way Ableton Live handles grooves and swing.
ORGANIZING TRACKS4:17
In this video I will show you how to beautifully organize your tracks so that you can see what's going on and clean up your messy messy session.
EXPORTING TRACKS AS STEMS3:35
In this video I'll show you how to export all of your tracks as individual stereo wav files for mixing. We call these stems.
IMPORTING STEMS3:00
In this video I'll show you how to import audio stems into a new mixing session.
CREATING LOCATORS3:00
In this video I'll show you how to create locators for your set. These help you to keep track of the different sections in your song. Can you tell yet that organization is important to me?
MIXING PHILOSOPHY3:17
In this video I'll share my mixing philosophy. Yes, as a non-mixer myself I'm sure my mixing philosophy is very important to all of you.
ARRANGEMENT, ORGANIZATION, AND REMOVING SILENCE1:49
In this video I'll show you how I arrange and organize a new mix session.
GAIN STAGING3:05
In this video I'll show you how to gain stage.
GETTING A STATIC MIX1:19
In this video I'll show you how to get a static mix, or a balance of volume and levels that remains constant throughout the song.
PANNING3:33
In this video I'll explain panorama and how to balance instruments and tracks across the stereo field.
DETOUR: Audio Effect Rack5:42
In this bonus video I'll show you how to create your own custom audio effect racks by combining audio effects and assigning macro controls. You can download my "BASIC RACK" in the resources below.
EQUALIZATION TO BLEND FREQUENCIES5:12
In this video I'll explain how we blend the frequencies of different tracks by using equalization.
USING A REFERENCE TRACK3:05
In this video I will berate you with imploring admonitions to please use reference tracks when you are mixing. Check out my reference track Spotify playlist in the resources below.
COMPRESSION TO BALANCE DYNAMICS3:15
In this video I'll talk about compression as a mix tool.
GETTING A DYNAMIC MIX8:45
In this video I'll show you how to get a dynamic mix (as opposed to a static mix) so that your production can come alive.
PARALLEL COMPRESSION4:34
In this video I'll explain a cool technique known as parallel compression (also known as New York compression) in which a super compressed signal is blended with an uncompressed signal.
SIDECHAIN COMPRESSION4:43
In this video I'll show you a common mixing technique called sidechain compression in which the audio from an external source keys the gain reduction on a compressor.
AUTOMATION3:27
In this video I'll give an overview of automation and why you should use it.
AUTOMATION - DETAILS3:58
In this video we'll go a bit deeper into automation and some of the ways you can organize and navigate your automations.
CREATING AUTOMATION ENVELOPES8:32
In this video I'll show you the different ways we can create and edit automation envelopes.
EXPORTING MIX FOR MASTERING4:04
In this video I'll show you how to render your mix as a single stereo wav file for mastering.

WHAT IS MASTERING?1:41
In this video I'll give a brief introduction to the mastering stage.
LUFS METERING2:10
In this video I'll talk about LUFS metering to set the target loudness level of your master. Check out the resource below for a link to download the Loudness Meter plugin for free, plus more information on streaming targets and the "loudness penalty"
LIMITER3:56
In this video I'll show you how to use a limiter to set the maximum threshold for the audio level.
MID-SIDE EQ2:57
In this video I'll explain how to use the EQ8 in mid-side mode in order to filter out low frequencies from the sides channel and clean up your mix. Check out the resources for a very helpful blog post from Mastering the Mix that helped me understand mid-side eq much better. To be honest it still mystifies me a bit. That's ok!
SUBTRACTIVE EQ4:37
In this video I'll show you how to cut out some unwanted frequency build-ups in a few key ranges of the frequency spectrum.
GLUE COMPRESSOR1:18
In this video I'll show you how I use the glue compressor on the mastering chain to glue things together a bit and create a nice cohesion.
MULTIBAND COMPRESSOR4:17
In this video I'll explain how to use the multiband compressor which allows you to set different compressor settings for different ranges across the frequency spectrum.
ADDITIVE EQ2:00
In this video I'll show you how to add in some frequencies after compression to fatten and clarify your master.
DETOUR: Mastering Extra Credit5:31
In this bonus video I'll show you a few extra techniques you can use in your mastering chain including distortion, stereo widening, and monitoring in mono.
EXPORTING THE MASTER3:33
In this video I'll show you how to render your master file for sharing or distribution.

Requirements

None!

Description

You can be a music producer. All you need is someone to show you the fundamentals of the software. Someone to point out how to add sounds, move audio regions, cut and paste sections, edit midi notes...the basic things that many teachers take for granted. Wouldn't it be nice if you had an expert in your studio with you showing you how to make a song? That's exactly why I created this course.

Hey there, I'm Dylan. I'm a music producer and songwriter in Los Angeles, CA. I want to help you get started making music right now. You don't need to know every little detail in Ableton's very powerful music production software–you just need to know enough of the basics to get familiar with making music using Ableton. That's what I'm here to do.

I created this course because of a feeling...

You probably know the feeling. It's the feeling you get when you start something new. It's unexplored territory. It's exciting but frightening. It's promising but humbling. I love that feeling! But it can be overwhelming to start something new. That's why I created this course. I want to teach you the essential foundations of music production in Ableton Live so that you can be encouraged and have fun making music.

Using 89 video lectures (that's almost 6 hours of content) I will teach you everything you need to know about Ableton Live. I will walk you through all aspects of the software, carefully explaining each knob, slider, and button.

Whether you've just unboxed the software or you've spent some time with it, I believe your productions will be greatly improved by this thorough and fun course on Ableton Live.

By the end of this course you will be able to produce, arrange, mix, and master your own music using Ableton Live.

Don't miss out on all the extra resources too including articles that helped me learn, free plugins, my own custom racks and presets, and more.

I learned a lot making this beast and I am confident that you will learn a lot as well! Please consider signing up for the course--we would love to have you join us!

Who this course is for:

Beginning & Intermediate Music Producers
Beat Makers & DJs looking to deepen their knowledge of Ableton
Songwriters interested in producing their own music
Users of other DAWs considering switching to Ableton Live

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT?: The User Interface10 lectures • 27min

MAKING NOISE: Production37 lectures • 2hr 38min

MAKE THE NOISE SOUND BETTER: Mixing30 lectures • 2hr 9min

SHOWING YOUR FRIENDS: Mastering10 lectures • 32min

THE END1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: