- Get all the necessary skills to become a fully accomplished electronic music producer
- Learn music production, sound design, music theory, music marketing & more
10 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 simply need to know how to learn music production at home, you have happened on the right page.
This article should provide everything you need to get started in music production, improve your mixdowns and unlock your creativity.
Prefer to browse courses by genre? Check out these articles below (opens in new tab).
- 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
What Are The Best Courses For Music Production?
We’re updating this list often, but as of the time of writing, these are our top picks of the best courses for music production.
| Course | Best For? | Link |
| Point Blank ‘Electronic Music Composition’ | Electronic music producers | Link |
| Noiselab | Ableton Live producers looking to write electronic music | Link |
| Deadmau5 Teaches |
Electronic music producers | Link |
| Syntorial | Producers looking to train their synthesis techniques | Link |
| Masterclass: Armin Van Buuren Teaches Dance Music | Electronic music producers, particularly trance | Link |
| Masterclass: |
Music producers looking to upskill their composition for film, media and TV | Link |
| Giuseppe Ottaviani Producer |
Focused on trance, but ideal for most electronic music producers | Link |
| Education & Bass: Bass Music Production Toolbox | UK underground music-focused, great for dubstep, DnB, garage etc. | Link |
| Learn How to Mix Music with Young Guru | General course focusing on most aspects of digital music production | Link |
| Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers | Electronic music producers looking to upskill their music theory knowledge | Link |
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 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 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.
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'.
- Varied content
- Experienced tutors
2. Noiselab
What makes them unique is that instead of focusing on a variety of digital audio workstations (DAWs), they have created 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+
Highlights Of The Course
- Ableton Live ‘Hacks’ — a lot of ‘out of the box’ techniques like 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 finish songs — arguably the most challenging part of music production for many!
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.
- Focussed tutorials
- Free
3. Deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music Production
The indelible Deadmau5. This guy has solidified himself as a household name in terms of electronic music producers. It comes as little surprise that the team over at
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.
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,
Most of you are here because you want to learn about electronic music production. Still, for those of you that also have other hobbies such as cooking, creative writing, photography, and stand-up comedy (to name a few) – this deal feels a little sweeter.
Deadmau5 teaches you how he approaches melodies, mixing and mastering to make unique sounds you can't find in a cookie-cutter sample pack. You'll not only get his lessons, you'll learn how to create your own music without spending money on million dollar gear.
4. Syntorial (Learn Synthesis In A Video Game Format)
Syntorial is one of the best foundational courses for anyone looking to master synthesis. It breaks down complex tasks into a series of easy and fun steps, while combining theory, 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 pretty pricey.
However, their free trial/demo is fairly extensive, giving you access to:
Syntorial is a video game-like training software that will teach you how to program synth patches by ear.
- Unique
- Super effective teaching techniques
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’ll also 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.
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.
- In depth content
- Suitable for beginners
- Cost - billed annually
- Limited to trance and dance
6. Masterclass : Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring
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 with a 6-week lesson plan with assignments, various resources, & recommended films to view. Students are encouraged to follow along and utilize many chapter-specific sections alongside the video course.
Once again,
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.
- Mindset focussed
- Case studies
- In depth content
7. Giuseppe Ottaviani Producer Masterclass
Giuseppe Ottaviani is known as the ‘producer’s producer,’ and now he has a whole
The
We love that there’s a vibrant community of producers to network with on Giuseppe’s site, which means you can chat with like-minded music makers and get feedback on your work.
For more information on Giuseppe Ottaviani’s
8. 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. Lecturers include 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 primarily towards Ableton, Logic & Cubase). Still, a handful of courses explore some popular, paid VSTs such as Omnisphere, Massive and Serum.
Spending only 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’
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.
- Teachers are all successful producers
- Insane amount of courses
9. Learn How to Mix Music with Young Guru
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 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 the 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 worth checking out and absorbing the wealth of knowledge that Guru offers.
Claim your complimentary all-access pass to Skillshare!
10. 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 bachelor’s 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.
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!
Claim your complimentary all-access pass to Skillshare!
[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 that 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 helpful advice included).
The sessions come in an entertaining format and even utilize 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 get stuck into basic mixing tutorials through to more advanced content, making the Pro Audio Files a good choice for beginners 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.