It’s a changing world, and as technology advances, all elements of life seem to follow it. Making music is no exception. In addition to traditional ways of writing songs, recording, and jamming-software and technology have created a new world of music making opportunities. Enter Ableton Live.
Ableton Live is one of the most amazing, intuitive, and comprehensive pieces of software available, musical or not. It is a full Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), meaning it can record audio, or MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and sequence all the recorded tracks into a song, or full dj set/ performance. Not to mention the massive amount of effects that can be used on your tracks during the composition process. However, the most cutting edge aspect of Live is that all the professional techniques and abilities can easily be set up with the goal of performing electronic music live- Simply put: Ableton Live turns your computer into an instrument that can be played in anyway that you can imagine. This is the future of music production and performance in one package.
Our drop in Coordinator Jules Jenssen has been obsessively learning Ableton for about a year and a half, and has regularly shared his compositions with the large amount of musically inspired constituents. They have been truly inspired by the abilities that Ableton provides and have requested that Jules teaches them how to use this amazing program. Jules has happily accepted the request and is dusting of his educational abilities in preparation for the course.
The first course will be aimed at beginners and will go over the following concepts:
•The Live layout- Finding your way around the software. How do Session and clip view relate to each other? etc..
• Live’s capabilities- Looking at the different things Live can do, and how they work together. IE: Recording audio, recording MIDI, using audio/MIDI effects, sequencing audio/MIDI into a composition, using plug-ins, etc…
•Sound design and beginner synthesis- How to get those noises! Choosing sounds that go together.
•Composition and songwriting (with a focus in dance music)- discussing song formula, creating breakdowns, writing leads, programming beats, working with groove.
•Elastic Audio- one of Live’s signature features, EA creates the ability to stretch or compress audio without changing the pitch, a sample-junkie’s dream. We will discuss the EA concept in-depth and how to use it.
•Live tips and Tricks- looking at all the things that may be overlooked that can result in a new idea that would have otherwise never existed. Take chances, try new techniques that you may not know about- this is how you learn!- and the results may be platinum album worthy.
These topics should be enough to get any beginner up to speed and producing tracks. Depending on the reception of the course, an advanced course will most likely ensue. The spots for round 1 are filled up, and the program is in the mail. We can’t wait to start producing!
