Last Updated on August 8, 2022 by Team College Learners

RS Recommends: These Online Courses Let You Learn Music Production at Home

It’s never been easier to make music at home – these top-rated online courses will show you just how to do it

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Music production is more technical than ever — but it’s also more necessary than ever. Whether you’re an aspiring hip-hop beatmaker or electronic producer (or you’re simply looking to polish acoustic recordings), being able to make music digitally and use production software can seriously advance your career. Luckily, you don’t have to attend a fancy school or even leave the house to break into the biz. You can now enroll in some of the best online courses for music production right from your home.

Online courses for almost all disciplines (including music production) have blown-up recently. E-learning websites such as Masterclass, Coursera, and Udemy are now providing eager students with high-quality courses that involve lectures from professionals (sometimes celebrities), stimulating coursework and peer collaboration. And now that we’re all stuck at home, these courses are even more enticing, because you just need a laptop or even just a smartphone to get started. Plus, you can study as often as your schedule permits.

How Do Online Music Production Courses Work?

So what do the best online courses for music production actually look like? Our favorites include beatmaking with Timberland, electronic music production through the Berklee College of Music, and complete guides to popular software like Logic Pro X.

We’ve rounded up courses from a few different websites (namely, Masterclass, Udemy and Coursera), so each might function a bit differently. But, in general, you’ll have a library of lectures from professionals in the field of music production. To supplement these lectures you’ll often have assignments (don’t worry, you’re not graded). In some cases, you’ll also get the chance to collaborate with peers on projects, ask questions and discuss. Overall, these websites offer a very comprehensive learning experience.

As mentioned, you really only need a smart device to start these courses. Of course, you’ll also want a music production software, which might differ depending on the course.

The Best Online Courses for Music Production

Ready to pick up a new skill or bump up your resume? Whether you’re looking to break into the music industry or need a refresher, here are the best online courses for music production.

1. Timbaland Teaches Producing and Beatmaking

Now that hip-hop is one of the biggest genres in the world, many musicians are using their talents to produce beats. But, contrary to what some acoustic diehards think, beatmaking is incredibly difficult and requires a special set of skills – as well as a good ear. With this Masterclass, you can learn to make hits from a beatmaking legend: Timbaland.

Timbaland’s Masterclass includes 15 bite-sized lessons (about five to 30 minutes each). You’ll learn how to loop, mix, layer drums, add vocals and collaborate with other producers. But you also get some motivation and stories from the ground-breaking producer: For example, in one lesson Tim leads you through how he made produced “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” for Jay-Z.

2. Deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music Production

The overwhelming detail in electronic music production can make learning the craft seem, well, overwhelming. Luckily, Joel Zimmerman – better known as deadmau5 – is here to help unpack fast-growing art of electronic music. The Grammy-winning house producer has removed his mouse head and donned his professor’s cap to teach this Masterclass course on electronic music production. Zimmerman’s course is very comprehensive, covering everything from theory to experimenting with synths to performing your music as a house DJ.

3. Coursera Electronic Music Production Specialization (via Berklee College)

Coursera offers online courses that are essentially the same as actual remote college courses. This specialization (as well as the one below) are offered through Berklee College of Music, one of the most prestigious music schools in the world. This specialization hones your talents as an electronic producer with four courses: The Technology of Music Production, Introduction to Ableton Live, Creating Sounds for Electronic Music and Electronic Music Performance Techniques. These are taught by actual Berklee College staff, and include real coursework to further your learning.

Nomad_Soul – stock.adobe.com

Buy: Coursera Plus Annual Subscription at $299

4. Coursera Music Production Specialization (via Berklee College)

Another specialization on Coursera through Berklee College is Music Production. This one is a little bit more broad than the Electronic Production specialization above. The instructors are, again, real Berklee faculty and the four included courses provide some serious material for studying and practicing. You’ll learn to create a vision for a project, efficiently manage a recording session, edit tracks to get the sound you want, and evaluate your end product.

Photoboyko – stock.adobe.com

Buy: Coursera Plus Annual Subscription at $299

5. Udemy Music & Audio Production in Logic Pro X

Apple’s Logic Pro X is one of the more attainable music production softwares, and it’s great for beginners to platinum-producing pros. But, if you’re just getting started, you will need some guidance. This extensive Udemy course details every function of Logic Pro X so you can comfortably use the software to create, record edit and mix music. The course includes 40 hours of on-demand videos, allowing you to jump in when you’ve got the time and return to the course when needed.

Buy: Udemy Music Production Course at $139

These are just five out of hundreds of music production courses you can find online. See the full course selection on the Masterclass, Coursera, and Udemy websites.

11 BEST ONLINE MUSIC PRODUCTION COURSES

PIP DOLANLEARN MUSIC PRODUCTIONDisclosure: We may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. Read our full affiliate disclosure here.

• Get all the necessary skills to become a fully accomplished electronic music producer
• Learn music production, sound design, music theory, music marketing & more

11 BEST ONLINE COURSES FOR MUSIC PRODUCTION

If you’re looking for the best online music production courses, have an interest in music theory for electronic music producers, or quite simply need to know how to learn music production at home – then you have happened upon the right page. This article should serve to provide everything you need to get started in the world of music production.

• Best Drum & Bass Courses
• Best Hip Hop Production Courses
• Best Way To Learn Synthesis
• Best Course For EDM/Trance
• Best Course For Learning Sound Design & Synthesis
• Best Course For Learning Ableton Live

1. POINT BLANK ‘ELECTRONIC MUSIC COMPOSITION’

Point Blank are an award-winning school that has been around for as long as I can remember.

The reputation of their courses is in a league of its own, and they’ve been responsible for putting out graduates including Goldie, Plastician, Claude VonStroke, Pete Tong, and so many more.

Their Electronic Music Composition course is one of their best-sellers, and for good reason. Here’s a section lifted from the course description:You’ll learn how to add hooks, riffs, chords, basslines, melodies, develop your arrangements and work with vocals whilst keeping everything in key so it ‘sounds right’. We analyse and breakdown massive tracks and artists in a wide variety of styles including Avicii, Skrillex, The Doors, Deadmau5, X-Press2 feat David Byrne, Nuyorican Soul, Julio Bashmore, Calvin Harris and loads more. What made these tracks huge and how are they put together?Electronic Music Composition (Point Blank)

You’ll also receive 66 downloadable project examples and study aids (no other course offers blueprints like these).

This is the most expensive course on this page, and only recommended for people who are aiming to take music production seriously, i.e. build a career out of it.

• A demo of the course is available here
• Enrol to the full course here.

MOST COMPREHENSIVE

Point Blank Music School: Electronic Music Composition

This course shows you how classic and cutting edge tunes are put together so you can use the techniques in your own tracks. You’ll learn how to add hooks, riffs, chords, basslines, melodies, develop your arrangements and work with vocals whilst keeping everything in key so it ‘sounds right’. Why We Love It:

•  Varied content
•  Experienced tutors

Cons:

•  Price

View Lesson StructureEnrol In Free Courses

2. NOISELAB

Noiselab is a relative newcomer as a provider of online music production courses, but one that caught my attention as their mission is to be the very best Ableton Live music production course out there.

What makes them unique is that instead of focusing on a variety of digital audio workstations (DAWs), they have set out to create the most comprehensive online tutorial platform specifically for Ableton Live users.

This does mean you get a fewer number of tutorials compared to other online courses, but it also means that all 300+ Noiselab tutorials you gain access to are lazer-focused on equipping you with the practical and theoretical skills in order to truly master Ableton Live.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COURSE

• Ableton Live ‘Hacks’ — a lot of ‘out of the box’ techniques like using multiband compression to open up space to a track. Had never thought to try this upwards compression technique!
• ‘Deconstructing Hit Songs’ — an insightful category of lessons where tutors would break down drum techniques and concepts used in popular songs by Skrillex, Kendrick Lamar, Carl Cox and a few others. These are goldmines of info!
• Learning how to actually finish songs — arguably the hardest part of music production for many!

BEST FOR ABLETON LIVE USERS

Noiselab’s “Electronic Music Production (Level 1)”

In this FREE course, you’ll develop a strong understanding of Ableton Live’s interface and its many preference settings. Understand how to use Live’s browser to quickly sample sounds in your tracks without having to spend time inefficiently searching your computer. They also discuss the build blocks of Live – clips.Why We Love It:

•  Focussed tutorials
•  Free

Cons:

•  Limited genres
•  Ableton only

Enrol in Free CourseFull Review + 25% Discount Code

3. DEADMAU5 TEACHES ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCTION

The indelible Deadmau5. In terms of electronic music producers, this guy has pretty much solidified himself as a household name. It comes as little surprise that the team over at Masterclass have therefore commissioned him to do a 101 course on how to boss it at electronic music production.

The course offers Deadmau5′ entire process from start to finish and covers topics such as:

• Melodies
• Chords
• Structure
• Arrangement
• Beat creation
• Mixing and mastering
• Sound design
• Experimentation with modular synths.

Watching a leading artist do a step by step walk through on their creative process is just one of the many luxuries that the 21st century and the Internet has allowed us. Deadmau5 is not really my preferred style of music, but credit is due where credit is due.

While it’s not the cheapest course out there, bear in mind that you are getting a guest seat inside the mind of someone who has developed their life to perfecting the craft.

While $90.00 for one lesson may feel steep to some, Masterclass offers a 1 year, unlimited access pass to ALL of their classes.

I know most of you are here because you want to learn about electronic music production, but for those of you that also have other hobbies such as cooking, creative writing, photography, stand-up comedy (to name a few) – this deal feels a little sweeter.

4. SYNTORIAL (LEARN SYNTHESIS IN A VIDEO GAME FORMAT)

I truly believe that Syntorial is one of the best foundational courses for anyone looking to truly master synthesis. It breaks down complex tasks into a series of easy and fun steps, while combining theory, the learning and the practical side of synthesis. Above all, you’re given access to the tools you need to get your head around sound design.

We spent a month in the platform and were really impressed with it for a few reasons. Read our full Syntorial review here.

The full course isn’t free, and it’s actually pretty pricey.

However, their free trial/demo is fairly extensive, giving you access to:

• The first 22 (out of 199) Essential Lessons
• 4-5 videos from each additional Lesson Pack
• No time limit

EDITOR’S CHOICE

Syntorial: A New Way To Learn Synthesis

Syntorial is a video game-like training software that will teach you how to program synth patches by ear.Why We Love It:

•  Unique
•  Super effective teaching techniques

Try It For Free

5. MASTERCLASS: ARMIN VAN BUUREN TEACHES DANCE MUSIC

You’ll discover Armin’s favorite plugins to use, including freebies, so you can establish your wishlist as you make your way through the course.

Armin demonstrates what each of those will do while letting you behind the scenes on some of his biggest hits.

You will learn pro techniques on how to:

• Make your mix more balanced,
• Create impactful transitions between song sections,
• Create powerhouse synth patches
• And much, much more.

You’re also going to get Armin’s background story, learn how he kicked off his 20+ year career, how he collaborates with others, and the different ways he draws inspiration.

Armin will also introduce you to some good habits of the facets of his work, and how you can get yourself in a better mental state for production, DJing and handling yourself online.BEST FOR TRANCE & EDM

Masterclass: Armin Van Buuren Teaches Dance Music

Featuring 31 lessons all up (6 and half hours of video content), you’ll discover Armin’s favorite plugins, so you can establish your wishlist as you make your way through the course. Armin demonstrates his techniques while letting you behind the scenes on some of his biggest hits.Why We Love It:

•  In depth content
•  Suitable for beginners

Cons:

•  Cost – billed annually
•  Limited to trance and dance

View Lesson StructureRead Full Review

6. MASTERCLASS: HANS ZIMMER TEACHES FILM SCORING

Hans Zimmer, arguably the greatest composer for film in history. He has been nominated for 9 Grammy Awards during his illustrious career and has scored some of the biggest blockbuster films of our generation. It should come as no surprise that this course caused quite a stir when it was released.

As was with Deadmau5, having an insight into the creative process of one of the greats is an amazing opportunity for any producer of almost any skill set.

In terms of content, Hans goes over every facet of how he works on a movie from start to finish. This comprehensive walk-through spans 31 featured-packed and content-rich lessons, such as:

• Scoring for film
• A 3 part series on working with directors
• How to “write a story”
• Creating themes
• Understanding tempo
• Working with orchestras
• Creating with synths & much more

Want the full breakdown? Check out our full review of the Hans Zimmer masterclass.

Each course comes with a downloadable PDF workbook that includes a 6-week lesson plan with assignments, various resources, & recommended films to view. Students are encouraged to follow along and utilize many of the chapter-specific sections that run alongside the video course.

Once again, Masterclass offers a 1 year, unlimited access pass to ALL of their classes which I really do feel is a great deal, especially after going through a bunch of their courses (the Game Design and Theory by Will Wright, and Photography by Annie Leibovitz courses were superb) and realizing the sheer wealth of knowledge that they offer for what I now consider a small price tag comparatively.

Masterclass: Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring

The self-taught Academy Award-winner teaches how he creates sounds from nothing, composes compelling character themes, and scores a movie before ever seeing it. By the end, you’ll have learnt many of the fundamentals of film scoring.Why We Love It:

•  Mindset focussed
•  Case studies
•  In depth content

Cons:

•  Mostly theoretical
•  Cost – billed annually

View Lesson StructureRead Our Full Review

7. EDUCATION & BASS: BASS MUSIC PRODUCTION TOOLBOX

Education & Bass Online’s content is best-suited for the modern bass music producer, as a large portion of the course content is geared towards Dubstep, DnB, Garage and UK Bass. The lecturers are also delivered by some of the most prominent figures in the scene, such as Nomine/Outrage, Leon Switch, Nurve (Macabre Unit), Occult, LSN and DubApe to name a few.

The course content is a good balance of exploring native plugins (geared mostly towards Ableton, Logic & Cubase), but there are also a handful of courses that explore some popular, paid VSTs such as Omnisphere, Massive and Serum.

Spending only just a week digesting the content of the course, I uncovered little nuggets of wisdom that made me go from “how did I never discover that feature before?” to “I have to try this right now”. There were moments where I had to pause the videos, just to open up Ableton and try out the techniques myself.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE COURSE CONTENT FOR ME INCLUDED:

• Learning how Leon Switch creates beautifully textured synth-leads in Ableton’s Analog
• Learning how to program Nurve’s signature mid-bass growls in Serum
• Being blown away by Cocktail Party Effect’s ‘no-input mixer hardware technique’

BEST FOR DNB & DUBSTEP

Education & Bass: Expert Courses, Artist Development & More

While many other courses offer techniques for ‘mainstream’ genres, E&B does one thing really well and that is sharing their extensive knowledge of bass music production secrets and techniques. They also assist with getting your music heard, and their “E&B Sounds” feature adds a ton of value.Why We Love It:

•  Teachers are all successful producers
•  Insane amount of courses

Cons:

•  Platform’s UX is a little cluttered

View CoursesRead Our Full Review

8. LEARN HOW TO MIX MUSIC WITH YOUNG GURU

Throughout his career, Young Guru has earned his reputation as one of the most renowned recording and mixing engineers in music today. Having worked with artists such as Jay-Z, Beyonce, Drake, and Kanye West, Young Guru has received several Grammy nominations for his works and collaborations.

Fast forward to now with the ever-growing world of online education outlets, Guru has decided offer his skills, secrets and vast amounts of industry knowledge in the form of several Skillshare courses.

Skillshare’s usually $10 a month, but you can get free access, completely on us! That’s unlimited access to any of the 1000+ music production Skillshare classes.

LESSON STRUCTURE

This online Skillshare class is made up of four sections, which include exclusive videos and materials broken up into the following lessons:

• Organizing a Mix – working with the basic components to a DIY mix, which include the Digital Audio Workstation [DAW], the tracks, and the controls, and how to optimally organize all of the audio information and tools for the task at hand
• Determining Levels – how to arrange levels in accordance with the artist’s vision for the song
• Adding Effects – how to work with basic effects like phasers, enhancers, reverb and delays, as well as create negative space or blend/fade where appropriate
• Tonal Balance – how to recognize when perfect tonal balance has been achieved

Learn How To Mix Music With Young Guru is the highest ranking and most popular course for music production on Skillshare, and for good reason.

Having also done this course myself some time ago, I can say that it is definitely worth checking out and absorbing the wealth of knowledge that Guru offers up.

9. MUSIC THEORY FOR ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCERS

Jason Allen has worn the hats of composer, producer, songwriter, engineer, sound designer, DJ, remix artist, multi-media artist, performer, inventor, and entrepreneur. Allen is a versatile creator whose diverse project experience ranges from works written for the Minnesota Orchestra to pieces developed for film, TV, and radio. Allen teaches at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN., and is an Ableton Live Certified Instructor. He has a PhD in music composition, 2 Master’s degrees in music composition and electronic music, and a bachelors degree in guitar performance.

Another offering for Skillshare, Jason has used his extensive knowledge and repertoire to develop a “class designed for the electronic musician that wants to take their tracks to the next level.”

In this course, students will focus on learning how to organize pitches and rhythms to make dynamic and interesting melodies and harmonies.

See Also

9 BEST MUSIC PRODUCTION COURSES FOR BEGINNERS

It is stated that no experience with music theory is necessary, nor is playing an instrument and reading music. Your computer and DAW is all that’s required to get started right away!

10. MIXING AT HOME WITH STOCK PLUGINS

Mixing isn’t about inserting a bunch of fancy and expensive plugins hoping to get a radio ready sound. Rather it’s all about strategic use of a few key effects that you already own.

Graham Cochrane, Teacher and founder of The Recording Revolution goes over the ins and outs of getting a professional sounding mix with only the stock, onboard plug-ins that come with your DAW. I found this course quite insightful as I was one of those people that swore stock plugs were for amateurs and always thought I needed the best and latest releases (oh, how mistaken I was).

Through strategic use of  EQ, compression, reverb, delay and distortion, students will take tracks recorded in a home studio and polish them up to commercial standards.

You’ll learn how to:

• Process your master fader
• Harness parallel compression in multiple ways to fatten up your mix
• Get clarity through a few simple EQ moves.

This class is ideal for the bedroom or project studio musician who has a basic working knowledge of their DAW but wants to learn how to take their mixes to the next level.

11. ALISON’S MUSIC PRODUCTION COURSES

Alison offer a huge range of courses (and not just on the subject of music!). Signing up grants you access to over 3,000 courses completely free.

Their music modules cover an array of subjects that can help brush up your skills, whether that’s music theory or learning electronic production.

One of the unique aspects of Alison is, although the courses are free to access, other paid upgrades are available that will offer perks such as certificates on completion (great for your resume).

Some of our favourite music courses are:

• Music Producer Masterclass: Making Electronic Music
• Music Theory: Melody and Harmony
• Piano Improvisation for Music Production
• Soundtrack Composer Masterclass: Score Films and Videogames

For more information on Alison’s courses head over to their website.

[SPECIAL MENTION] THE PRO AUDIO FILES

Last but certainly not least, The Pro Audio Files focus on tutorials, tips and hints for everything from hip-hop production through to reverb mixing techniques.

One of the brilliant things about the Pro Audio Files is the ability to filter by several options such as compression and ‘’mastering in the box’’.

Workshops are delivered in key bite-size chunks which enable you to revisit or skip to certain sections that you’re interested in (although we’d recommend watching from start to finish as there is always some really helpful advice included). The sessions come in an entertaining format and even utilise animations to explain the origins of what you’re learning about.

You’ll get the chance to watch live mixdowns which really get into the ideas and theory about each technique and allow you to see how (and why) you would use them in a mixing session.

You’ll also be able to get stuck into basic mixing tutorials through to more advanced content which makes the Pro Audio Files a good choice for beginner through to experienced.

We particularly love the more unusual topics such as recording and mixing techniques for cajon. There’s enough to keep you going for hours!

A few of our favorites were:

• Mixing With Delay
• Mixing Acoustic Drums
• Synthesis 101
• Home Recording
• Mixing Modern Rock

For more information on pricing and course details head to https://theproaudiofiles.com.