More and more DJs and producers these days are turning to a program that allows them to express their musical ideas in unique ways: Ableton Live. Ableton Live’s features are countless – multi-track recording, nondestructive editing, creative MIDI sequencing - the list goes on and on. With Berkleemusic’s three-course Specialist Certificate in Music Production using Ableton Live, you’ll develop the technical skills to compose, record, remix, improvise, edit, and more, using Ableton Live – and in the process, make yourself significantly more marketable in the increasingly competitive world of music production and performance.

The certificate program begins with Critical Listening. In order to be successful with Ableton, you’ll need to first build a strong foundation. This course will provide that foundation by helping you to recognize the importance of the mixing process through a combination of weekly training drills, analysis of classic recordings, and comparison of various mixing styles. You’ll learn to identify width and depth, frequency range, dynamics, and the different mix approaches used in various musical genres. By the end of the course you’ll be able to recognize techniques such as panning, alternate types and uses of reverb, delay, compression, and different types of distortion. Not only will you learn what elements are most important in a mix, but also how to optimize a mix to make it as compelling as possible. Upon completion, you’ll be ready to tackle your first Ableton course.

Producing Music with Ableton Live provides the creative and technical skills necessary to work with this unique sequencing tool. You’ll learn Live’s interface, work within its various views to record and edit audio and MIDI, and explore its unique real-time recording and mixing capabilities. By the end of the course, you'll know how to compile live sets from audio and MIDI clips, loops, or samples in real time, and create songs in any number of contemporary styles.

The specialist certificate finishes with Advanced Music Production with Ableton Live. Based on feedback from Ableton Live users, this advanced course offers a forward-thinking approach to recording, editing, mixing and mastering using Ableton Live. You’ll get in-depth training on Live's components, such as Operator, Sampler, Analog, Tension, and Electric, and master tools for live performance such as on-the-fly beat creation, and real-time time-stretching and warping of sound files for DJing and instant remixing. Additionally, you’ll delve into effects processing with compression, gate, chorus, flanging, and other delay lines, and learn how to use Racks to combine them to create original and dynamic textures. The course culminates with a final project in which students create a full-length song or a live performance tool.

Earn your specialist certificate in Ableton Live, find out why so many world famous DJs use the system – and then become one yourself!