Hello everybody!
I’m getting excited to begin our course and am looking forward to meeting those of you that I have not already.
We have a fantastic 8 weeks of learning ahead of us! And I can’t wait to see you all grow comfortable with making music through the use of this amazing tool.
You are going to LOVE this course, and you will be surprised at the depth of music production understanding you’re going to walk away with.
Some final reminders and requests before we begin:
Please arrive 15 minutes early at 6:45pm each session to get set up and comfortable in the space.
It is important that all students have laptops set up and ready to go for a timely start each class, to ensure we make it through each week’s topics. This course is jam packed with content, and in order to successfully make it through everything without rushing, starting on time is necessary. Late arrivals mean that the class will be interrupted and held up while students arriving late are setting up their laptops, and this means we will inevitably need to go over-time.
If you arrive before 6:40pm, please wait outside, as the classroom will still be being prepared.
We will be starting at 7:05pm sharp each week. Thank you!
Please note that doors close at 7:05pm each session – as such a timely arrival is crucial for your participation in each class – and late arrivals are directed to book a catch-up session.
Be sure to arrive with your version of Ableton Live installed, running, and ready to go for week 1.
The software comes in four versions: Lite, Intro, Standard, and Suite. If you are able to get a copy of Suite, that is ideal! This will equip you with all the tools you need for your ongoing musical adventure for years to come. The course is designed to be suitable for all versions. The Standard edition is recommended as a good middle ground. If you are not set up yet and still considering purchasing, Ableton offers a free 30 day trial of the fully featured Suite version. You can purchase or access a free trial via the links below
Bring a pair of headphones, and a computer mouse.
Wired headphones are required, and Bluetooth headphones are unsuitable. Using a mouse with Ableton Live is important, and will make your learning process much easier. It’s much more comfortable than using the trackpad! Be sure to also bring your laptop charging adaptor, as the 2.5 hour session will run most laptops flat (even brand new ones).
Please add john@snedmusic.com to your email contacts.
After each class, I will be sending out weekly follow-up emails recapping the topics we have covered, and links to YouTube tutorials that will help your studies. Because these are group emails, Google sometimes thinks they are spam! Adding me as a contact will help prevent these emails landing in spam.
Below is a link to a sample pack.
Also included is an instructional video on getting this set up within Ableton Live – Please make sure you get your samples downloaded and set up before arriving at our first session, in order to not hold up the class. Please ensure your samples are saved on the actual hard drive of your computer, and, importantly, not in a cloud service such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, etc. If your samples are saved on a cloud service, Ableton Live will always have trouble accessing them, potentially leading to loss of your work.
Below is a link to a sample pack, and an instructional video on getting this set up within Ableton Live – Please make sure you get this downloaded and set up before arriving at our first session, in order to not hold up the class.
IMPORTANT – Please ensure your samples are saved on the actual hard drive of your computer, and, importantly, not in a cloud service such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, etc. Be sure to double check that you have downloaded your sample pack onto your computer, not a cloud service. If your samples are saved on a cloud service, Ableton Live will always have trouble accessing them, potentially leading to loss of your work.
Windows users – you will need to double (triple) check that you have not saved the samples in a cloud service. If you see a blue cloud icon on any of the downloaded files when using file explorer, you will need to resolve this, and ensure your audio files are locally available on your hard drive. Here is a recent ChatGPT excerpt detailing this process for you to follow if you get stuck. Scroll halfway down this chat for details: https://chatgpt.com/share/67fcd39c-c9a8-8004-b3bf-1fa50143c134
SAMPLE PACK
This sample pack is hand-picked to support topics covered in class – having a quality collection of samples gives us more options with which to begin learning about music production, and helps our creations sound great right from the start.
Download the .zip file, place it in a folder suitable to store your samples, and extract the contents here.
Once you’ve got it extracted, you’ll be able to add it to the ‘Places’ quick access area in the Ableton Live browser.
I’ve made an instructional video, and Google can teach you more about extracting files if needed.
VENUE
Our classes will be taking place in Coburg North at The Sned Shed.
Address: 4/36 Norfolk Court, Coburg North 3058
Parking: See parking map below! There is generally plenty of space at night time around here, however I’ve included some tips if the visitor parking spots are filled up. Please only park in the areas specified.
The venue is part of a shared lot of small warehouses, which has a front gate that closes at night time. If the gate is closed when you arrive, please call or text me on 044970524 and I’ll open it straight away for you.
