DJ / Producer Master Program

The DJ / Producer Master Program is the most complete and extensive collection of courses offered at Dubspot. Build on the fundamentals behind the music to produce, design, master, and perform your tracks.

Includes the Following Programs

• DJ Extensive Program (3 months)
• Music Foundations Program (3 months)
• Ableton Live Producer Certificate Program (3-6 months)
• Sound Design Program (3-6 months)
• Mixing and Mastering Program (3 months)

Program also available ONLINE.

DJ Extensive Program

Immerse yourself in the complete art of DJing from beatmatching to stage presence. Whether you’re a beginner in search of the fundamentals or a seasoned pro looking to take your talent to the next level, our curriculum is designed to accommodate all skill levels and styles of music. This comprehensive DJ program covers everything from basic mixing to advanced digital DJing.

What’s Included

DJ Level 1: Rookie Sessions | Essentials I

Become comfortable with the basic techniques and equipment of DJing, and create your first mix ffrom one track to another.

What You'll Learn

1. How a DJ setup works: basic overview of turntable/CDJ, mixeer, and headphones
2. The proper technique to play and manipulate a vinyl record
3. An introduction to digiral DJing via Serato and the Traktor Kontrol X1 MIDI controller
4. How to count beats
5. "Dropping on the one"
6. Beatmatching by "pushing and pulling" and "the halfway method"
7. How to perform a basic mix/blend of two songs

Final Assignment

Perform the first live two-song mix for the class. Note: this level is also available as a 2-day 6-hour weekend workshop.

DJ Level 2: Phrase Mixing | Essentials II

Enhane your understanding of song structure and beatmatching to craft seamless mixes that are not just in sync but in phrase.

What You'll Learn

• How to count bars
• Commong song structures in various genres
• More advanced beatmatching techniques - "the professionsl method"
• Phrase mixing and the conversation between two songs
• Cue points in Serato
• Intermediate features of the Pioneed CDJ

Final Assignment

Perform a three-song "phrase mix'

DJ Level 3: Beyond The Blend | Intermediate Skills

Develop an arsenal of distinct mixing techniques, both traditional and digital, and gain experience improvising and performing in realistic group settings.

What You'll Learn

• Intermediate mixing techniques, such as the "drop cut", "stop and drop", "power down", and "backspin"
• Looping and layering in Serato
• Advanced features of the Pioneer CDJ
• How to perform comfortably in improvisational group jam sessions

Final Assignment

Perform a 10-minute phrase mix that includes new mixing techniques.

DJ Level 4: Preparation | DJ Psychology

Train your mind to think like a DJ by analyzing, organizing, and presenting music in terms of energy, sonic character, and crowd/venue considerations.

What You'll Learn

• Method of music organization
• How to build 3 song mini sets with definite arc and flow
• Tips for "reading a room", i.e. what to play when
• Intermediate EQing
• Intermediate features and use of Traktor Scratch Pro with the Kontrol X1 MIDI controller
• How to record a mix

Final Assignment

Record a 10 song mix in class to be shared with the group

DJ Level 5: Classroom to the Club | Advanced Techniques I

Take an in-depth look at advanced mixing techniques as well as strategies to help you establish your DJ identity. Share your newfound skills with the world.

What You'll Learn

• How yo use performance effects such as filters, delays, reverbs, and more, both on the Pioneer DJM mixer and within Traktor
• A variety of artist development strategies, i.e. how to "build your DJ identity"
• An introduction to the world of promoters, club owners, managers, and booking agents
• Advanced dancefloor psychology and programming
• Practical skills for te DJ, such as setting up at the club and DJ bad essentials

Final Assignment

Participate in an in-class, mock club night with your fellow students

DJ Level 6: Club to the World | Advanced Techniques II

Introduce the "wow factor" to your sets by building routines and incorporating performance tools such as MIDI controllers, advanced FX, sampling, wordplay, and harmonic mixing.

What You'll Learn

• MIDI mapping and basic controllerism
• Principles of harmonic mixing
• DJing with four decks simultaneously
• How to examine what makes a compelling "routine"
• Methods of incorporating samples and a cappellas
• An introduction to using Traktor's Remix Decks and the Traktor Kontrol F1
• Techniques to transition from "wowing" a crowd to making people dance

Final Assignment

Play at a real club night (organized by Dubspot) that you also help promote!

Learn more about our DJ courses and programs.

Music Foundations Program

Unravel electronic music’s origins, build your chops, learn the language and theory, and make and play music the way you want. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the roots and lineage of a variety of electronic and dance music, strengthen their keyboard skills, and learn valuable music theory skills, deepening their creative practice and facilitating effective collaborations with musical partners.

What’s Included

Music Foundations Level 1: Pads & Rhythmic Theory

Explore the science behind the beat using Ableton Live and pad controllers as tools to dissect, analyze, and build new rhythms various dance music genres.

What You'll Learn

• Proper hand positions and techniquest for playing a MIDI pad controller
• Rhythmic notation in the MIDI editor and on the staff
• Time signatures: 4/4 and 6/8
• The Clave: the African key to rhythm
• Role, purposes and possibilities of different drum sounds
• Adding variations: layering, fills, and breaks
• Analyzing beats in existing songs from 12 different genres
• Creating your own original beats in Ableton Live in 12 tempos ranging from 65-140 bpm

Course Goal

At the end of this course, you should have a greated understanding of rhythm and be able to apply this in creating complex, nuances beats that are appropriate to various sound, styles and feels. With completion of the final project, students will create at least six new Impulse drum kits with custom drum sounds, and will compose at least 32 original beats to accompany melodic and rhythmic tracks.

Music Foundations Level 2: Keys & Melodic Theory

A basic working knowledge of keyboard techniques and music theory will expand your performing and songwriting possibilities and allow you to more fluidly to share ideas with other musicians using the language of music.

What You’ll Learn

• Basic layout of the keyboard
• Intervals
• Chromatic, major and minor scales
• Major, minor, pentatonic and minor hemitonic scales
• Dorian and mixolydian modes
• Major and minor triads/seventh chords/dominant chords
• Basic chord progressions
• Circle of fifths
• Ideas and approaches to improvising and melody writing
• Using Live to practice and record musical ideas
• Over 100+ additional exercises in modes, scales, arpeggios, and chord progressions to practice beyond the 8-week course

Course Goal

By the end of the course, students should be able to explain and play major, minor scales and arpeggios, pentatonic sales, and understand how to apply these notes to playing withing a certain key. With completion of the final project, students will improvise and create new melodies and accompaniments for 32 melodic tracks in six keys (three major and three minor).

Music Foundations Level 3: Electronic Music Appreciation

Develop your critical listening skills as you trace the path of electronic music from its origins in the lab to its evolution on the dance floor.

What You'll Learn

• General understanding of the history of electronic music
• How to listen to music analytically
• Identify the key characteristics of various genres of electronic music including
• Dub / dancehall
• House, techno and trance
• Dubstep / drum and bass
• Hip hop
• Downtempo / ambient

Course Goal

Students completing MF3 should have a deeper understanding of how to listen and what to listen for, and be able to use Ableton to analyze pieces of recorded music and demonstrate how these songs are constructed. Students will write formal reviews of a DJ set (week 3) and a live concert (week 6). In the final project, students will be able to identify genres, songs, and their formal characteristics and curate a mixtape featuring songs from each style.

Learn more about our Music Foundations courses and programs.

Ableton Live Producer Certificate Program

The flagship of our music training, with every Ableton Live course offered at the school. After completing this program, you will leave with a portfolio of original tracks, a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.

What’s Included

• Ableton Live Level 1: Beats, Sketches, and Ideas
• Ableton Live Level 2: Analyze, Deconstruct, Recompose, and Assemble
• Ableton Live Level 3: Synthesis and Original Sound Creation
• Ableton Live Level 4: Advanced Sound Creation
• Ableton Live Level 5: Advanced Effect Processing
• Ableton Live Level 6: Going Global with your Music

Learn more about our Ableton Live courses and programs.

Sound Design Komplete Program

Become fluent in the language of sound design and synthesis with this comprehensive program. This six-level Sound Design program uses Native Instruments’ Komplete as a platform for learning synthesis and sampling techniques. Starting with an introduction to the properties of sound, this comprehensive series of courses covers most common synthesis methods available for music production in the DAW of your choice.

What’s Included

• Sound Design Level 1: Introduction to Komplete
• Sound Design Level 2: Synthesis with Massive, FM8 and Absynth
• Sound Design Level 3: Sampling with Kontakt and Battery
• Sound Design Level 4: Advanced Sound Design
• Sound Design Level 5: Reaktor Ensembles and Production Techniques
• Sound Design Level 6: Reaktor Programming and Instrument Building

Learn more about our Sound Design courses and programs.

Mixing and Mastering Program

Learn the well-kept industry secrets of EQ, compression, panning, level balancing, reverb and special effects and transform rough ideas and basic compositions into a commercial master. Investigate how to use key concepts and tools in your tracks, while paying special attention to techniques of metering and spectral analysis in order to apply science alongside the art.

What’s Included

• Mixing and Mastering Level 1: Mix
• Mixing and Mastering Level 2: Modify
• Mixing and Mastering Level 3: Master

Learn more about our Mixing and Mastering courses and programs.