Overview
The Electronic Producer program is a 12-month artist program designed for producers looking to start (and finish) producing electronic music. It includes a purposefully curated selection of 4 courses, Building Blocks, Making Waves, Sending Signals, and Secret Sauce.
Throughout the program, you’ll explore different styles of electronic music, learning how to apply genre-specific production techniques while developing your personal sound. You'll start with the basics of Ableton-based music production before learning how to use hardware and software synthesizers, recreate sounds from your favorite tracks, and learn how to shape and manipulate audio for original productions and remixes. By the end of the program, you’ll have a portfolio of tracks and a strong understanding of the tools and creative processes used in electronic music production.
Program Breakdown
Learn more about the different courses included in the Electronic Producer program.
Building Blocks (3 Months)
Building Blocks is the foundational course for music production, perfect for beginners and self-taught producers looking for structure. Over three months, you’ll learn the essentials of creating music with Ableton Live, focusing on musicianship, creativity, and self-expression. By the end of the course, you’ll have produced your first original track from start to finish.
What You’ll Learn:
• Beatmaking & Drum Programming
• Essential Music Theory
• Song Structure & Arrangement
• Session View vs. Arrangement View in Ableton Live
Learn more about Building Blocks
Making Waves (3 Months)
Making Waves is an intermediate-level course focused on sampling, remixing, and warping audio in Ableton Live. Whether you’re flipping a classic track or creating an original composition, this course will teach you how to manipulate audio creatively and produce remixes and original music using found sounds and acapellas.
What You’ll Learn:
• Sampling & Sourcing Sounds
• Audio Warping & Manipulation
• Remixing Techniques with Stems & Acapellas
• Music Theory for Remixing & Harmonizing
Secret Sauce (3 Months)
Find your favorite flavor in our 3-month Secret Sauce course. Tailored for intermediate producers, this immersive journey marries the rich history of electronic music with the cutting-edge techniques that shape today's hottest sounds.
• Learn How to Produce in Any Genre: Whether you’re focused on learning how to make house music, how to produce techno or another electronic genre, you’ll gain the tools needed to create professional-sounding tracks.
• Master Sound Design Techniques: Bring your music to life by developing the sound design skills necessary to create everything from punchy EDM synths to atmospheric techno textures.
• Enhance Your Rhythmic & Melodic Composition: Elevate your production skills by learning to craft intricate rhythms, melodic progressions, and unique soundscapes that stand out in today’s competitive music scene.
Sending Signals (3 Months)
Step into the world of synthesis and sound design with Sending Signals, an intermediate-level course for those ready to create their sounds from scratch. Whether you're looking for Serum or Wavetable tutorials or want to satisfy your curiosity by creating custom patches on analog synths, this course will provide the tools and knowledge needed to take sounds out of your head, and design sounds for any genre of music.
What You’ll Learn:
• Synthesis and Sound Design: Learn how to create original sounds using subtractive, FM, and wavetable synthesis.
• Recreate Classic Sounds: Recreate classic and contemporary sounds from your favorite tracks, whether you're into EDM, underground Techno, or cinematic scores.
• Sequence and Sample Hardware Gear: Get comfortable recording vintage and modern synths, sequencing them with your DAW, and sampling them to create new and exciting sounds.
What We Provide
In class, we provide students with workstations featuring gear from industry partners such as the Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4, Novation Launchkey, Ableton Push 2, Behringer Crave, and Native Instruments Komplete Audio 1. This gives students hands-on experience with professional tools and allows them to participate in interactive exercises.
Outside of class, students enjoy unlimited access to our recording studios and DJ booths, fully equipped for songwriting sessions, recording vocals, mixing, mastering, production, or practicing for your next gig.
What You Need
To get the most out of your time at IO Music Academy, you’ll need:
A Laptop Ready for Music Production (MacBook Pro 2019 or newer recommended)
Wired Studio-Quality Headphones (Wireless headphones have latency and are not well-suited to music production)
MIDI Keyboard (for practicing and producing at home, we recommended 49 keys)
Ableton Live 12 (available at a 50% discount)
If you don’t have everything yet, no worries, our team is here to help with recommendations and access to educational discounts.
Student Perks
Real Community
When you enroll at IO Music Academy, you're not just taking a class—you’re joining a thriving network of producers, vocalists, and artists led by industry-recognized instructors and team members deeply involved in their respective scenes.
Unlimited Studio Time
IO Music Academy students get unlimited time in our production and DJ studios for the duration of their course or program.
Private Lessons
Courses include monthly private lessons with your choice of instructor.
Circle Community
The IO Music Academy Circle gives you access to an exclusive online hub where you can collaborate, share feedback, and get support from fellow students and alumni.
Course Materials
Students enjoy lifetime access to all course materials, including videos, dynamic notes, and recordings, so you can revisit the content any time.
Educational Pricing
Get up to 50% off partner brands such as Ableton, Arturia, AIAIAI, Auto-Tune, Pioneer DJ, and more.
