Electronic Music Production
Turn your musical ideas into finished tracks.
Discover the creative possibilities of Ableton Live in this practical, hands-on short course. Whether you’re interested in making beats, exploring electronic sounds, recording instruments, or producing your own music, this course will help you build the skills and confidence to bring your ideas to life.
Over eight weeks, you’ll learn how to navigate Ableton Live, create drum patterns, work with virtual instruments, write MIDI parts, arrange a song and develop your mixing and production techniques. You’ll also explore live performance, automation, and mastering, gaining an understanding of the full music production process from your first idea to your final export.
Combining creative experimentation with practical technical skills, this course is designed to help you get more out of Ableton Live and take your music production to the next level.
What You Will Learn
Throughout the course, you’ll develop your knowledge and practical experience in the following areas:
- Getting started with Ableton Live – Navigate the interface, configure your audio preferences and explore the Browser, Session View and Arrangement View.
- Beatmaking and drum programming – Create drum patterns, edit audio, slice beats and experiment with Drum Rack and audio effects.
- Sound design and virtual instruments – Explore synthesis, discover how synthesisers work and create your own bass, pad and lead sounds.
- MIDI, chords and basslines – Use MIDI keyboards and controllers, programme chord progressions, build basslines and explore musical tools such as Scale and Chord.
- Song arrangement – Structure your ideas into a complete track, develop musical sections and create smooth transitions.
- Recording audio and instruments – Learn the fundamentals of working with audio interfaces and microphones to record vocals and instruments.
- Mixing and sound processing – Develop your understanding of volume balance, panning, EQ, compression, gain staging and audio effects.
- Live performance and automation – Learn to launch clips, use controllers and automate parameters to add movement and variation to your music.
- Exporting and mastering – Prepare your track for listening and sharing, explore basic mastering techniques and export your finished work.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a stronger understanding of Ableton Live and the tools used in modern music production, along with practical techniques you can apply to your own projects.
Who is this course for?
This course is ideal for aspiring music producers, songwriters, musicians and anyone interested in learning how to create music using Ableton Live.
Whether you want to start producing electronic music, develop your beatmaking skills, record your own musical ideas or explore new creative possibilities, the course offers a structured introduction to the tools and techniques behind modern music production.
It’s also suited to musicians who already have some experience and want to expand their technical knowledge, improve their workflow and gain a better understanding of the production process.
Where will your music take you?
Music production is about more than learning software. It’s about developing your ideas, experimenting with sound and finding your own creative approach.
By working through the different stages of production, from your first drum pattern and MIDI arrangement to mixing, mastering and exporting, you’ll gain practical skills that can support your future projects and help you continue developing as a producer.
Ready to get started with Ableton Live? Take the next step in your music production journey and discover what’s possible with Ableton Live.
Week 1: Getting Started with Ableton Live
Build a solid foundation in Ableton Live and become familiar with its essential features. You’ll explore the interface, learn the difference between Session View and Arrangement View, configure your audio preferences and discover how to find samples, audio effects and virtual instruments using the Browser.
You’ll also learn how to import audio, work with samples and loops, apply audio effects and use Ableton’s Warp function to work with audio timing.
Week 2: Creating Beats and Processing Drums
Discover how to create your own drum parts and develop the rhythmic foundations of a track. You’ll learn beat programming, audio editing and beat slicing, while exploring Drum Rack and the Impulse instrument.
You’ll also investigate drum processing techniques, including the use of audio effects, insert effects, sends and Ableton’s Drum Buss effect to shape and enhance your sounds.
Week 3: Virtual Instruments, Sound Design and Synthesis
Explore the world of virtual instruments and electronic sound creation. You’ll learn how MIDI keyboards and controllers interact with Ableton Live, and how to explore, adjust and save instrument presets.
Discover the fundamentals of synthesis, including oscillators, filters, envelopes and low-frequency oscillators (LFOs). Through practical experimentation, you’ll begin creating your own sounds, from deep basses and atmospheric pads to distinctive lead sounds.
Week 4: MIDI Programming and Song Arrangement
Learn how to turn musical ideas into cohesive parts and arrangements. You’ll explore how to create chord progressions using the MIDI piano roll, programme basslines and use MIDI effects alongside Ableton’s Scale and Chord tools.
You’ll then apply these skills to arranging a song, using Arrangement View to structure different sections and create smooth transitions. The focus is on developing musical ideas into a track that flows from beginning to end.
Week 5: Live Performance and Recording
Explore how Ableton Live can be used both in the studio and in a performance setting. You’ll learn how to use Session View to launch clips, work with pad controllers and develop practical performance techniques and setups.
You’ll also be introduced to recording vocals and instruments, learning about audio interfaces, microphone fundamentals and recording techniques. Discover how to capture audio into Ableton and begin incorporating recorded material into your productions.
Week 6: Mixing, Balance, EQ and Compression
Develop the skills needed to make your tracks sound more balanced, clear and cohesive. You’ll explore Ableton’s Mixer section, learn about gain staging and panning, and understand how to establish an effective balance between the different elements of a production.
You’ll also investigate EQ and compression, learning how these essential tools can shape sounds, control dynamics and help individual parts work together in a mix.
Week 7: Automation, Grouping and Routing
Bring movement and depth to your productions through automation. Learn how to automate instrument parameters and audio effects to create changes, build energy and add interest throughout a track.
You’ll also explore signal flow, grouping and routing, discovering how to organise tracks and process multiple sounds together using groups and bus processing. Finally, you’ll learn how to apply audio effects to your master track as part of the mixing process.
Week 8: Finalising, Mastering and Exporting Your Track
Bring everything together and prepare your music for sharing. You’ll explore simple mastering techniques, examine mastering chains and learn how final processing can help polish a production.
You’ll also look at freezing channels, exporting and bouncing your track, and sharing your sessions. The course concludes with a final review, giving you the opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned and identify the next steps in your music production journey.
Duration and location
Mode of Attendance: Part-time (Every Wednesday 18:30 – 21:30)
Duration: 8 weeks
Location: BIMM Music Institute Dublin
Dates & Fees
Date: Wednesday, January 27th 2027 to Wednesday, 17th March 2027.
Fees: €395
The total course fee must be paid at the time of application to secure your place.
Entry Requirements
Minimum Age: 16 at the start of the course.
This course is open enrolment and there are no specific academic entry requirements.
To get the most out of the course, you should be able to both speak and write in English to a reasonable standard.
Please be aware that we have a limited number of places available for each course intake and operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
Any questions?
For any questions regarding our courses or if you’d like more information on how to apply to BIMM Music Institute, please contact our Admissions Team on +353 1 5133 666 or email [email protected].
