How long is it, and what does it cost?

The 360° Electronic Music Academy runs 360 hours. Ask admissions at Garnish Chicago for the current dates and tuition.

What is the programme?

Our Electronic Music Academy: a programme that takes a beginner through everything they need to know to make the music they love, in classes kept small for focused learning, supported by Ableton, Native Instruments and Apple.

Can I take it online?

Yes. The 360° Electronic Music Academy runs in person at Garnish Chicago and live online in the same sessions, using our music collaboration software, Muse - you join whichever suits you.

Do I need experience?

No. It starts by getting you fluent in your production software.

360° Electronic Music Academy

360° Electronic Music Academy | Chicago

Over 360 hours of instruction + Studio Time | $14,999 + $500 registration fee ($200 if 14 days before start)

Beats & Pieces

→Within weeks into class, you will be working your way around your DAW, as it serves you long-term as one of your most essential creative tools. Through a practical hands-on teaching style. You will explore key concepts, such as MIDI programming, sampling, audio manipulation and arranging.
→If you do not know which DAW to choose, fear not, as we have experts who can advise you, once we know a bit more about you.
→"I switched to Ableton from Logic many years ago, but recently I've been missing Logic, so I decided to brush up to get the best of both worlds. I called Garnish, of course and the guys were great and got me back up to speed in no time" Jamie Jones

Music Composition

→You will learn the building blocks of music composition, making you a more efficient producer, even if you already have some music theory background.
→Learn and program chords which work well together, discover catchy lead-lines and bass-lines that groove.
→Classically trained students who have taken this course repeatedly tell us how this part of the program has given them new tools and techniques.

Audio Engineering

→Become grounded in audio engineering and recording with essential techniques and tricks of the trade. This part of the course emphasizes correct recording practices of love instruments, as well as synths. What microphones to use and why, audio interfaces, sample rates and bit depths, monitor speakers and room acoustics.

Mixing & Mastering

→Know your space; learn the fundamentals behind acoustics and how to correctly stage your studio for cleaner and better sound. Then get your hands dirty with dynamic controllers, in-depth EQ, making the most of the frequency spectrum, mixing vocals, expanding song elements, creating cohesive sound, and awesome professional plugins, including our software partners, FabFilter .

Electronic Sound Design

→While even many pro electronic producers stick with only subtractive synthesis during their career, you will go beyond by exploring subtractive, granular, additive, wavetable, and frequency modulated synthesis. This section also covers sampling, glitch, resampling, and additional beat-making techniques to broaden your sound.

Top-Line

→Struggling to write songs that contend with the hits? Reading songwriting books and watching endless hours of Youtube tutorials don’t seem to be making a difference? Our Top-Line Songwriting module advances your songwriting abilities with a direct approach and advice that other sources neglect to share, bringing the hit songwriter out in you!

Build Beats Better

→Rhythm Section Programming - Think like a drummer or a strummer: Program beats, riffs, and fills that sound like… well… beats, riffs, and fills.
→Vocal Production - Record, produce, and mix a quality vocal — mic technique, editing mastery, tuning & mixing vocals and a virtual studio visit with a vocalist at work.
→Electronic Essentials - Bend electronic instruments to your will: Create groundbreaking dance music in any DAW. We cover the foundations of House, Techno, Tech-House, EDM and Bass.
→Hip Hop Production - Learn how to record, write, collaborate, and produce Hip Hop! Styles include Boom Bap, East Coast, West Coast, Southern, and Trap. Explore and craft the skills to make your drums knock and your 808s rumble.
→Cinematix - Sweet strings, thundering percussion, splatty horns: The secret tools and techniques used by professionals to create powerful and lifelike virtual orchestrations.
→Release Party - Put that final polish on your mix. Learn the art of mastering, meta-tags and album art, and then get it to land safely in all the right places.

Live Performance

→You will learn advanced MIDI techniques, and discover how to use Ableton Live to set up to perform your project. Over 21s will be invited to perform their masterpieces at our club night.

Free Unlimited Short Course Membership

→All Academy learners at Garnish will gain a free unlimited membership for our shorter production courses, worldwide. This means you can take as many 36-hour (and below) music production courses at Garnish locations and online for just the registration fee, with no cap on volume or time! Our offer is valid as long as there is availability at your chosen participating school.

More Free Stuff!

→Thanks to our exclusive licensing partnerships and certified status with brands such as Ableton, we have assembled a range of specialized assets: synthesizers, effects, and samples for Garnish Academy students. These instruments and sounds allow us to teach producers, side by side, using the same sets of expanded resources. Our constantly evolving license-partners and content producers add thousands of dollars to the value of our Producer and Academy courses. Many of these products are yours to keep. Others are free to use while you learn and are then eligible for exclusive upgrades at a fraction of their regular price.
→Garnish students get all of our sample packs (mostly written and produced by Garnish instructors) for free, and an exclusive pack just for Garnish students not sold on the site! It's recorded individual keys from Mark Ronson's Mellotron M4000D, which our label chief Zack Johnson meticulously recorded in Mark's studio in Hollywood. Thank you Zack and Mark!

Use the ‘CONNECT’ button below to request schedule information for our classes. One of our placement experts will follow up within a business day

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Testimonials

From the Blog

In Chicago, the city that gave the world house music, the 360° Electronic Music Academy runs the way it does everywhere we teach: small groups, hands-on, with working producers as instructors. If getting to the studio is not practical, the same sessions run live online, using our specialist music collaboration software, Muse. Discover qualities that distinguish us, here.

Hear it from our students.

“This kind of material and skill needs to be well TAUGHT. The instructors were excellent teachers and mentors. They are very passionate about the craft - and are extremely knowledgeable as well as experienced. But they also are very good at articulating the lessons and passing along that wisdom so we can learn... The course was an excellent mix of discussion as well as hands-on training. The instructors also set an exceptional tone for our classroom and created an environment that was motivating and optimal for learning. Great job!”

Eugene KirillovAlan Guno

Frequently asked questions.