We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.
Course image
J. Anthony Allen

Welcome to the Introduction to Music Production Masterclass.

➜ Now a UDEMY *Best Seller*, and UDEMY *Hot and New*.

Read more

Welcome to the Introduction to Music Production Masterclass.

➜ Now a UDEMY *Best Seller*, and UDEMY *Hot and New*.

This course is "5-Star Certified" by the International Association of Online Music Educators and Institutions (IAOMEI). This course has been independently reviewed by a panel of experts and has received a stellar 5-star rating.100% Answer Rate. Every single question posted to this class is answered within 24 hours by the instructor.

Ever wondered what all goes into music production? Think of your favorite song. How did such a magical and moving work of art come into existence? And is it possible for you to create your own musical masterpieces?

You’ll never know until you try it for yourself. I want to help with that.

The Music Production Masterclass will teach you everything you need to know to make music. This class was purposely created for

  • Aspiring Producers: If you are just getting started with music production, this course will be the swiss army knife that you will keep in your belt forever.

  • Musicians: If you have wanted to improve your compositions by understanding the tools of electronic music production, recording, and sound design work, this class is for you.

  • Producers: If you are making tracks that rely on presets, and want to learn how to craft your own sounds, this is the course for you.

  • Songwriters: Improve your compositions by understanding how to use the latest tools in your songs, and record them.

Wherever you are in your journey, the Music Production Masterclass can help you take your skillset to the next level – in much less time and without putting a huge dent in your bank account. (The starving artist phase comes later. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.) I’ll start you off with the very basics in this music production class. The first question to tackle is, “What kind of tools do I need to produce music?” There is a variety of tools to fit every budget, and I will tell you all about them. Then you will learn how to use your preferred music production tools for making music professionally. Believe it or not – by the end of this ONE masterclass, you will be equipped with the skills to make the music that YOU want to hear. Your own tracks, on your own computer. It doesn’t matter if you use a PC or a MAC. What matters is that you’ll be an active music producer after completing our Music Production Masterclass. NOW is the time to turn your dreams of making music into a reality. This course follows the tried-and-true curriculum that I’ve already used to teach countless college students in my Music Technology 101 class at an accredited University. It is an honor to make the same quality music education available to you – at 0.001% of the cost of a University course. Just for you, I’ll also waive the stress of scheduling advisor meetings, paying enrollment fees, and scrambling during registration periods. :)All kidding aside, the Music Production Masterclass signup is super simple. With a couple of clicks and a few keystrokes, you’re set to start learning how to produce music. Don’t defer your dream of writing and producing quality music a minute longer. The goal of this class is to guide you through how to make original music on the music production tools you already have or can obtain inexpensively. Software:This course is NOT specific to any DAW Program.You can use:

  • Logic Pro

  • Pro Tools

  • FL Studio

  • Reaper

  • Ableton Live

  • Garage Band

  • Cubase

  • Reason

  • Or any of the others.

Seriously... this is a music production course that caters to the tools you are most familiar with or best able to afford. Learn on your own terms.

I’ll be using Ableton Live Suite 10 and 11 in this course as my main digital audio workstation (DAW). Feel free to follow along using your preferred program. You will keep up just fine with the Music Production Masterclass using your own DAW.I teach concepts in music production. So whatever I do in the class, you’ll also be able to do in your own software.Genre:While I am best known for working with electronic music, this is an inclusive music production course. That means all genres are welcome here.

We will talk about techniques for all genres, sounds and styles.

This is hands down, the most reasonably-priced quality music education out there. Take a look at all the topics covered:

  • The Essentials of Digital Audio

  • Equipment: Mac or PC?

  • Laptop or Desktop?

  • Speakers or Headphones?

  • All about Microphones

  • What software should you get? Logic pro x, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, FL Studio, or something else?

  • How all DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) Software works

  • Building tracks using the grid

  • How to read an audio waveform

  • Programming drums and making beats

  • Using audio samples for producing music

  • Sample Rate and Bit Rate

  • Using MIDI

  • MIDI Guitars and other Instruments

  • MIDI Effects

  • Automation

  • Working with Loops

  • Finding Loops (for free. )

  • Synthesis

  • Sound Design

  • Synthesis types (analog, modular synthesis, physical modeling, Serum, and more)

  • Using Samplers

  • Building Tracks from Scratch

  • Music Mixing

  • And much, much more.

If you've considered the Deadmau5 masterlcass, this one has more videos, more project files, and gives you direct access to the instructor through Q&A and private groups.

If you are ready to start making professional-sounding tracks, this is the class that will start you on that journey. Get started today.

Dr. Allen is a university music professor and is a top-rated Udemy instructor - with over 100 courses and over 350,000 students.

In 2017 Star Tribune Business featured him as a "Mover and a Shaker," and he is recognized by the Grammy Foundation for his music education classes. 

I guarantee that this course is the most thorough music production course available

Praise for Courses by Jason Allen:

⇢  "It seems like every little detail is being covered in an extremely simple fashion. The learning process becomes relaxed and allows complex concepts to get absorbed easily. My only regret is not taking this course earlier." - M. Shah

⇢  "Great for everyone without any knowledge so far. I bought all three parts... It's the best investment in leveling up my skills so far.." - Z. Palce

⇢  "Excellent explanations.  No more or less than what is needed." - A. Tóth

⇢  "VERY COOL. I've waited for years to see a good video course, now I don't have to wait anymore. Thank You. " - Jeffrey Koury

⇢  "I am learning LOTS.  And I really like having the worksheets. " - A. Deichsel

⇢  "The basics explained very clearly - loads of really useful tips. " - J. Pook

⇢  "Jason is really quick and great with questions, always a great resource for an online class. " M. Smith

Students who register for this course will receive ongoing exclusive content and discounts for all future classes in the series. 

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • A brief history of digital audio
  • Music production: hardware, buying hardware, and what to look for
  • Software: the daw (ableton live, fl studio, pro tools, logic, reaper, and other options)
  • Working on the grid: rhythm and meter
  • Working with audio
  • A brief history of midi
  • How midi works
  • Midi effects
  • Working on the grid: incorporating midi
  • Working with loops
  • Drum programming
  • Introduction to synthesis
  • Synthesis with samplers
  • Starting from scratch
  • Show more
  • Show less

Syllabus

Welcome to the class! Let's dive in!
Introduction
What We Will Cover
What is an Ableton Certified Trainer?
Read more
How to Use This Class
Learning about analog audio, and how we transitioned to digital audio is a fascinating study, and something we will do in this section.
Analog Audio
The Oldest Known Recording of a Human
Edison
Bell Labs and Max Mathews
Advances Since Mathews
The Difference Between Analog and Digital
Let's talk about hardware: What kind of computer do you need? Microphones? Synthesizers?
Mac or PC?
Laptop or Desktop?
The ADC and the DAC
The Audio Interface
Speakers or Headphones?
Microphones
External Hard Drives
My Setup at Home
The DAW, or Digital Audio Workstation, is the main tool we will use. It is the heart of any production studio.
What is a DAW?
What to look for in a DAW
A Highly Opinionated List of Common DAWs
For the Money...
The 4 Sections in Every DAW
The Timeline
The Mixer
The Effects Section
The Transport
Nearly Universal Key Commands
Care and Feeding of Your DAW
A big part of music production is understanding the grid.
What is the Grid?
Horizontal = Time
Vertical = Tracks
How DAWs Handle Meter
Vocabulary: Downbeats, Upbeats, and Offbeats
Elements of the Beat: Kick, Snare, Hi Hats
Building the Worlds Most Basic Beat
Placing the Kick
Placing the Snare
Placing the Hi Hats
Having Fun with Hi Hats
Looping and Consolidating
It's time to focus in on audio - and learn how to build tracks using audio samples and tracks.
Audio is Finicky.
Looking at Waveforms
Sine Waves
Clipping
File Formats
The Sample Rate
The Nyquist Theorem
What Frequencies Do We Really Need?
The Bit Rate
Standards for Sample Rate and Bit Rate
Let's focus in on MIDI for a bit, and talk about where it comes from, and how it works.
The Dawn of Electronic Instruments
The Theremin
What Happened to Leon?
The Moog
Wendy Carlos
What Happened in 1981
The MIDI 1.0 Spec is Born
MIDI Instruments Today
MIDI Guitars
Other Uses of MIDI
Now that we know what MIDI is, let's look at how we use it to produce great tracks.
MIDI is a Protocol
MIDI is Not Audio
MIDI Channels
Anatomy of a MIDI Message
Note On Errors
Velocity Tracing
Advantages of MIDI
Adjusting Notes
Soon we will talk about Audio Effects and Plugins, but first we need to understand MIDI Effects, and why they are different.
What are MIDI Effects?
Arpeggiator
Chord
Note Echo
Note Length
Pitch
Random
Scale
Quantize
Can you use Audio Effects on a MIDI track?
"Printing" MIDI effects
Here is that Goofy Track
OKAY! Let's make something using audio and MIDI!
MIDI and Audio Are Friends
Velocity Editing
Automation
Panning Automation
"Binary Automation"
Audio Effect Automation
MIDI Effect Automation
Tempo Automation
Automating Anything

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Teaches the foundations of music theory in the context of music production
Covers a wide range of topics, from basic concepts to advanced techniques
Uses a hands-on approach with plenty of practical examples and exercises
Taught by an experienced music producer and educator with a proven track record
Provides ongoing support and feedback through Q&A forums and private groups
Recommended for aspiring music producers, musicians, and anyone interested in learning the art of music production

Save this course

Save Introduction to Music Production Masterclass to your list so you can find it easily later:
Save

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Introduction to Music Production Masterclass with these activities:
Review the binary number system
Strengthen your understanding of the foundational binary number system used in digital audio.
Browse courses on Binary Number System
Show steps
  • Read through online resources or textbooks to grasp the fundamentals of binary numbers.
  • Practice converting decimal numbers to binary and vice versa using online tools or calculators.
Explore Ableton Live tutorials
Become familiar with the Ableton Live interface and its core features through guided tutorials.
Browse courses on Ableton Live
Show steps
  • Search for beginner-friendly Ableton Live tutorials on YouTube or online learning platforms.
  • Follow along with the tutorials, experimenting with the software's tools and features.
  • Create a simple project in Ableton Live to apply your newfound knowledge.
Practice MIDI note entry and editing
Develop proficiency in entering and editing MIDI notes to enhance your music production workflow.
Browse courses on MIDI
Show steps
  • Open a MIDI editor in your DAW and create a new MIDI track.
  • Experiment with different methods of entering notes, such as using a MIDI keyboard or the piano roll.
  • Practice editing notes by adjusting their pitch, duration, and velocity.
  • Create a simple MIDI sequence to demonstrate your understanding of note entry and editing.
Two other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all five activities
Join an online music production community
Connect with fellow music producers, share knowledge, and receive feedback on your work.
Browse courses on Collaborative Learning
Show steps
  • Search for online forums or communities dedicated to music production.
  • Join the community, introduce yourself, and participate in discussions.
  • Share your music or projects for feedback and constructive criticism.
Create a complete track using the techniques covered in the course
Apply the skills and knowledge gained throughout the course to produce a polished and cohesive music track.
Show steps
  • Gather inspiration and plan the structure and elements of your track.
  • Record or create your own audio and MIDI elements.
  • Mix and master your track to achieve a professional sound.
  • Share your finished track with others for feedback and appreciation.

Career center

Learners who complete Introduction to Music Production Masterclass will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Reading list

We haven't picked any books for this reading list yet.

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:

Similar courses

Here are nine courses similar to Introduction to Music Production Masterclass.
Ultimate Ableton Live 12, Part 4: Sound Design & Synthesis
Most relevant
Ultimate Ableton Live 12, Part 5: Producing with Effects
Most relevant
Ultimate Ableton Live 12, Part 1: Production Principles
Most relevant
Ultimate Ableton Live 12, Part 2: Recording Music and MIDI
Most relevant
Ultimate Ableton Live 12, Part 3: Producing Music with...
Most relevant
Logic Pro X 201 - Complete Logic Pro X Music Production
Most relevant
Logic Pro X: Chainsmokers Style EDM Music Production...
Most relevant
Logic Pro X: EDM Electronic Music Production in Logic Pro...
FL Studio 21 - Music Production In FL Studio 21 for Mac &...
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2024 OpenCourser