Ableton Mixing Dance Music Course Launching Next Week

Point Blank can’t stop the music! Due to massive demand and over-subscribed courses, the team at the world’s premier online school has put the finishing touches to a fastrack guide to mixing your tracks like a true pro. We have enjoyed sustained success with Mixing Dance Music on Logic and have been inundated with requests for an Ableton Live version virtually since the course was inaugurated last year. So, here it is....

Spaced evenly over 4 weeks, the course includes a minimum of 240 minutes video tutorials, 4 x DVR™ , the school’s bespoke 1-2-1 video feedback system and 4 hours of live online masterclasses by your expert pro producer tutor and with your classmates from around the world. While the course is running you gain 24/7 access to forum and the course materials which include over 80 pages of notes and exclusive audio resources to download. After the 4 weeks is up you still have a whole year’s access to this content, and get your track signed to Point Blank Music, who can get your music out on Beatport, Junodownload, iTunes and Amazon. Here is a sample video from the course:



To get your head around how this works and what you get out of it, here is an excerpt from a letter sent to Music Tech Magazine:

"I took Point Blank's Mixing Dance Music course and it was absolutely fantastic. Their methods of combining theory with real life video examples are outstanding. Every week they put up a lesson dealing with topics from the course. There are approximately 30 pages of (easy read) written explanations combined with on average 1 hour of tutorial videos per week backing up the theory (I received as much as 90 mins some weeks). You then have a chat session with your tutor & fellow classmates where you can ask questions. Using the methods & techniques covered in the lesson, you prepare a project (this can be your own or you can use the one provided) which you then upload for the tutor to review. The feedback comes back in the form of a DVR™ (Direct Video Response). This is a short video in which the tutor looks at your project, talks through the things you did well, makes adjustments and provides feedback on how to move forward and improve your project. This video usually lasts about 5 -10 mins (even though the last course I did the tutor gave about 15 - 20 mins feedback each week). You can also check your classmates DVRs and learn even more interesting things. If I had to give a vote out of 10 I would give Point Blank 10/10. I hope that this can help fellow readers to decide on which school would better suit their needs. Cheers, Alfie"

The course has been developed by producer and remixer Danny J Lewis who has releases on labels including Defected, Masters At Work, Ministry of Sound and XL Recordings. It also features contributions from other Point Blank tutors including electro breaks producer Rogue Element (aka Ben Medcalf) and Grammy nominee Mike Koglin (Noys Music). Thanks to this expert input, the course is suitable for producers of any style of dance music.

There are still a few places remaining for the first course starting on 4th April so check out the full brochure at www.pointblankonline.net and get in touch to enrol!

Claude Vonstroke Video Review of Point Blank

We recently told you that Claude VonStroke was taking an online Ableton course with Point Blank. Well his course has now finished and he kindly made a video review of his experience which you can check out below. Cheers Claude!



We are proud to add Mr VonStroke to the list of the many successful artists who have decided to expand their knowledge further at Point Blank. This list includes BBC Radio One and Fabric resident DJ Tayo, prolific bass music producer Detboi, Beyonce and Rhianna remixer Gareth Wyn, the sound designer from 'Lost', and the drummer from Beck.

Please follow the link for more information about our music production courses.

Performing With Ableton Live Free Tutorial Series

Below you can watch 5 exclusive videos from Point Blank Online. These are just a small sample of the 80+ tutorial videos made available to Point Blank students over the 4 week DJ/Performance with Ableton Live course. The course guides you, step-by-step, through the revolutionary software package: Ableton Live, this includes both popular software and hardware that can be used in conjunction with it; Serato, The Bridge and Novation. It is taught by Freddy Cuin, who has worked with Shy FX, BLIM, Above and Beyond and more. Subscribe to the Point Blank youtube channel to make sure you don't miss any future series' of Point Blank's youtube tutorials. There will be topics including 'how to make Minimal', 'how to make Trance', 'how to make Electro House' and 'how to make Deep & Soulful' as well as a series of celebrity masterclasses from the likes of Tommy D, Guy Chambers, Annie Mac, Paul Epworth, and Basement Jaxx.

Learn to Make Minimal & Tech House

If you are a fan of producers such as Ricardo Villalobos, Richie Hawtin, Trentemoller and Booka Shade then we have some good news - Point Blank has launched the first in a series of 4 week Pro Producer Courses which will specialise in a particular genre of music. The first of these explores the Minimal Tech sound which has dominated dancefloors across the globe in the last few years.

The course is taught online by acclaimed producer and remixer Danny J Lewis (Defected / Ministry of Sound / XL) and enrols every four weeks. All you need to get started is an internet connection, a copy of either Logic or Cubase and preferably a MIDI controller keyboard.




Each week Danny hosts a live webchat with students, offering professional insights into cutting edge production techniques and revealing the secrets behind the minimal sound. Students are set practical assignments each week and have the opportunity to upload their music in order to get professional evaluation and personal feedback on their progress.

Danny said, “The webchats have been really popular. I’ve got students enrolled from all over Europe, Australia and the USA . Making music on your own can be quite a solitary process so the webchat is a great opportunity to ask technical questions, but also to network with other producers who share your passion.”

In addition to Danny’s expertise, students can access a wealth of course materials including course notes, tutorial videos, samples, song files and other audio resources. All course materials remain accessible to students for a full year. Class sizes are strictly limited and enrolment is now underway. If you would like to learn more then head to www.pointblankonline.net where you can view a full summary of the course and even take a free trial lesson.

If you'd like to view the Logic Course click here


If you'd like to view the Ableton Live Course then click here

Ableton Courses - A New Way of Making Music

If you are into music technology and already making music at home using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) then I am sure this scenario will be familiar. You sit down to start making some music but faced with a blank timeline, inspiration deserts you and you are left feeling creatively uninspired. Music software packages such as Cubase, Logic or Sonar have all evolved along similar lines and operate in a similar way. Unfortunately they offer only one approach to the music making process which doesn’t necessarily encourage experimentation and spontaneity.

The good news is that Ableton Live has been designed to offer a genuine alternative way to work and is growing in popularity amongst those of us who are bored of working in the traditional way. Interestingly Live takes a similar approach to the old hardware sequencers that were popular with live electronic acts such as Orbital and Underworld. These sequencers used looped sections of a track (see Ableton Courses info for more detail) which would be triggered by the acts on stage and manipulated via FX and EQ to provide the audience with a live, spontaneous remix of tracks they already know and love.

Ableton Live has two modes or “views” in which to compose your music. The arrangement view will be familiar to anyone who has used some of the traditional sequencer packages mentioned above. But where Live really comes into its own is the Session View. The Session is used to organize and trigger sets of sounds, called clips. Think of it as a kind of musical sketch pad where you can experiment with audio loops, samples and MIDI sequences before arranging them into a track.

Another unique feature in Live is its ability to manipulate audio as if it was elastic. Live's Time Warp feature can be used to either correct or adjust the timing of any piece of audio from a sample to an entire track. This means that tempo becomes completely fluid and you can fit any audio sample to the tempo that you are working at. “Warp Markers” allow you to push and pull individual beats to correct (or destroy) the timing and create unique effects. You can choose from several Warp Modes depending upon materials you work with.

Ableton Live also features an array of built–in instruments and effects:

Impulse is a basic drum sequencer instrument Simpler is a relatively easy to use sampling instrument.

There are a number of additional instruments which can be purchased separately or as part of the Ableton Suite package:

Sampler is an enhanced sampler
Operator is an FM synthesizer.
Electric is an electric piano instrument.
Tension is a string physical modelling synthesiser.
Analog simulates an analog synthesizer.
Drum Machines is a collection of emulators for classic drum machines.
Session Drums is a collection of sampled drum and percussion instruments.
Essential Instruments Collection is a large collection of acoustic and electric instrument samples. Orchestral Instrument Collection is a collection of four different orchestral libraries, which can be purchased individually or as a bundle.

Audio effects included in the package include:
Auto Filter
Auto Pan
Beat Repeat
Chorus Compressor I
Compressor II
Dynamic Tube
EQ Eight
EQ Three
Erosion Filter
Delay Flanger
Gate Grain Delay
Phaser
Ping Pong Delay
Saturator
Simple Delay
Redux Resonators
Reverb Utility

Additionally there are a handful of MIDI-only effects including arpeggiator, chord, pitch, random, scale, and velocity. Live is also compatible with VST and AU plug-ins so you can utilise additional software instruments and effects.

Making Music with Ableton Live

Ableton Live is a little different from some of the other music software packages. The program is set up to encourage a more improvisational approach to making music. In addition to the traditional timeline based approach we saw in Reason, Logic and Cubase, Ableton Live also features a unique "Session View".

The session view is a kind of musical sketch pad that allows you try out lots of different ideas before adding them to your track. This approach is particularly appealing if you are performing onstage, or using Ableton as a DJ tool.

Ableton Live is increasingly popular with music producers and is widely used by DJ's, because it allows you to produce remixes, re-edits and mashups very quickly. Check the video clip below to see how:



To learn more about producing with Ableton Live check out our Ableton Live Courses here.
To learn more about DJing with Ableton Live check out our Ableton Live Courses here.

What's The Best Music Software?

This is probably the most common question that we get asked here at the music school. If you are new to music production there is now a bewildering number of music production software packages (often referred to as DAW's or Digital Audio Workstations) out there to choose from and it's difficult to decide what is going to be best for you.

There's a number of factors that can affect your decision. Here's some of the key things to bear in mind before you spend your hard-earned cash:

What is your budget?
Are you a Mac or a PC user?
Do you want to record "live" instruments or record vocals?
Do you want to connect external devices like synthesizers, samplers and so on?

Here's a summary of some of your options - there are others of course but these pieces of software are all widely used and will give you professional results (provided you take the time to learn them thoroughly!).

Cubase 4
Will run on a Mac or a PC and is used by music producers all over the world. Cubase 4 comes bundled with a whole series of software instruments and effects, plus you have the ability to record audio tracks so if you want to record your guitar or vocal then you can just plug in and hit record then edit and re-record to your hearts content. You can also use a variety of "plug-ins" within Cubase which replicate just about every instrument and effect you can think of. If you are a newbie then this is going to keep you busy for a while.
Cost £649 (student discounts are available when you enrol at Point Blank)

Logic
In terms of how it works and what it can do, Logic is very similar to Cubase. With two major differences. It's only available for Mac and it's much more affordable since Apple lowered the price and removed the copy protection! The instruments and effects that come with it are awesome and it also supports third party "plug-ins" so you can incorporate lots of other instruments and effects too. Logic is favoured by many producers but there are a lot of features to get to grips with so it can be a bit daunting for beginners.
Cost £319 (students at Point Blank qualify for discounts on Apple hardware & software - view Logic Course including free lessons)

Ableton Live
This is the package that has got people talking in recent years. It has a completely unique approach which offers seasoned producers a new way of creating tracks but is relatively easy for beginners to get results with. If you like working with loops and audio samples it's hard to beat. Recent updates have also added some pretty decent software instruments and effects and it supports external "plug-ins". DJ's love it too because it allows you to improvise and perform live (hence the name) in a way that just isn't possible with decks and a mixer.
Cost £449 (student discounts are available when you enrol at Point Blank - view Logic Course including free lessons)

Reason 4
Reason is modelled on a "real" hardware studio so you start out with an empty rack and add a series of "virtual" synths, samplers, drum machines, effects and mixers. Connect them all up and you're ready to make some noise. Reason comes bundled with a host of instruments to keep you busy and the "rack" system is a great way to learn about how the elements in a hardware studio are routed together. No support for "plug-ins" I'm afraid but you can buy Refills which are basically sound libraries designed specifically for Reason and available in every genre you can imagine. Reason is great for beginners and reasonably easy to learn but at some point down the line you're probably going to want to start recording and editing audio.
Cost £269 (student discounts are available when you enrol at Point Blank)

Pro Tools LE
Pro Tools is the professionals choice and is used in many pro studios. It integrates both hardware and software and specialises in particular in recording and editing audio tracks. The downside is that it costs thousands and is therefore out of reach for most home recording or project studios . The manufacturers have introduced a "lite" version in recent years (Pro Tools LE) which you can run on your PC or Mac without all the additional HD hardware. It's more affordable certainly and the audio recording and editing is still hard to beat, but the MIDI instruments that come bundled with it could be better.
Cost Pro Tools LE from £199


Remember whatever software you choose - it's not going to do all of the work for you. The quality of the music that you produce is down to you; your creativity and your skills as a producer. The software is just a tool for turning your ideas into reality. So whatever DAW you go for try and learn it as thoroughly as you possibly can.