LEVEL 5
Sending Signals
Unlock the power of synthesis and bring the sounds in your head to life.
Unlock the power of synthesis and bring the sounds in your head to life.
Sending Signals is for producers ready to move beyond presets and start creating their own sounds. Ever wondered how your favorite tracks get their gritty basslines or dreamy pads? In this course, you’ll learn how to hear, describe, and recreate your favorite sounds — then design new ones from scratch.
We begin by learning the language of sound and its origins. From there, you’ll explore instruments and plugins, learn the fundamentals of synthesis, and figure out which tools inspire you most. You’ll see how to source sounds and plugins, how to work with them, and how to move from tweaking presets to building your own sounds from the ground up.
By the end, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the songs and sounds you love and the ability to bring the ones in your head to life. You’ll leave with the skills to design basslines, pads, leads, and textures that reflect you as an artist, along with a personal library of sounds you can use in any genre.
Musicality & Ear Training
Train your ear to hear what’s really happening in music. Break down basslines, chords, melodies, and rhythms, and learn how to write stronger parts that work together.
Synthesis Fundamentals
Learn how oscillators, filters, and envelopes shape sound, and gain hands-on experience designing your own patches in software and hardware synths.
Modulation & Movement
Explore LFOs, envelopes, and modulation matrices to add dynamic movement and complexity to your sounds, making them feel alive and expressive.
Recreating & Transforming Sounds
Recreate iconic synth sounds from your favorite tracks and learn how to turn any sound into a playable instrument using sampling and synthesis.
Hardware Integration & Sampling
Get comfortable sequencing, recording, and sampling from analog synths to incorporate classic and modern hardware tones into your productions.
Courses are 3 months long and include 10 weekly classes, 3 months of unlimited studio time, weekly feedback on assignments, access to student discounts on partner brands, and lifetime access to course materials.
Programs are curated sequences of 2 or more courses. By enrolling in a program, you'll benefit from a comprehensive learning experience at a reduced per-course cost.
If you’re new to music production, we recommend starting with 
Building Blocks, our beginner-friendly course that covers the fundamentals of producing music in Ableton Live. Building Blocks is the first course in our Electronic Producer, Singer Producer, and Total Producer programs.
If you’re interested in DJing, 
Spin Class is the best place to start. It’s a 3-month course focused entirely on DJ skills and performance. Spin Class is also the first course in our DJ Producer program.
Both courses require no prior experience and are great entry points into the world of music production and DJing.
Yes! Enrolled students can use our studios as often as they like at no additional charge. Studio time is unlimited for the duration of your course or program. Our one limitation is that students must complete a session before scheduling another one.
All of our production courses are taught using Ableton Live 12.
Our DJ course, Spin Class, is taught using rekordbox by Pioneer DJ.
All classes are recorded and posted to Circle, our online community platform. You’ll also get access to course notes, exercises, assignments, videos, and other resources so you can catch up and stay on track between classes.
Yes, all of our courses and programs have a monthly installment pricing option. Programs offer the best value, as well as lower monthly installments, compared to individual courses.
No credit check is required.
Yes! We have a financial aid program that allows eligible students to receive a significant discount on their program fee according to their need and participation in their local music community. Click here to learn more and apply.
Yes! IO Music Academy students are eligible for educational pricing on most music production software. Students can save up to 50% on partner brands such as Ableton, Arturia, FabFilter, Sonarworks, Soundtoys, Mixed In Key, Native Instruments, and more.
Yes, students enrolling in a new course or program must pay a non-refundable registration fee of $250.
Students enrolled in a multi-course program do not have to pay a registration fee between courses.
No, unfortunately, we are not able to assist with student visas.
Click here to read about our refund policy.
+ $250 Registration Fee
+ $250 Registration Fee
Connect with fellow producers, DJs, and artists through our online platform and in-person meetups. Give and get feedback, find collaborators, and grow together.
Students enjoy unlimited time in our studios, equipped with a selection of modern and vintage gear as well as a club-standard DJ setup from AlphaTheta (Pioneer DJ).
Get weekly feedback on your assignments from your instructor.
Revisit your course notes, videos, and class recordings anytime.
Enjoy free workshops, feedback sessions, and community events held on campus every other week.
Save up to 50% on software and hardware by brands such as Ableton, AlphaTheta (Pioneer DJ), AIAIAI, Arturia, Auto-Tune, FabFilter, Soundtoys, Splice, and more.
A reliable laptop with plenty of storage space for software, projects, samples, and recordings. We recommend a MacBook Pro with a minimum of 512GB of storage.
Wired production headphones. Wireless headphones have latency and are not suitable for production.
While MIDI keyboards are provided in class, students are required to purchase a MIDI keyboard for practicing and producing at home.
Our production courses are taught exclusively in Ableton Live 12 Suite (available at a 50% discount). Students in multi-course programs receive an Educational Access Seat for the duration of their enrollment.
Come ready to learn, experiment, and collaborate. Music isn’t a solo sport — we’re here to grow together through curiosity and hard work.
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