Expand your comfort zone. Master your art.

This is the sequel to the Foundations of Electronic Music.

Where the Foundations level 1 was for absolute beginners, this level 2 course is for people who already understand the basics.

In Level 1 we learned a workflow to making electronic music, which we now consider our comfort zone. Now we expand our comfort zone by going much deeper on every aspect. The course includes 30 theory videos, and 8 exercises to guide you through those 30 videos one step at a time.

Following the exercises, my goal is to strengthen your artistic muscle, to create an artistic practice to make you a strong, confident, autonomous producer who can keep self-learning and practicing long after the course is finished.

Or you can jump straight to the topics that interest you the most! This is 14 hours of music education content that exists to serve you and your learning needs. 

This course contains everything that I know about making electronic music, so go forth and make it your own, create something beautiful!

Ten topics, 30 theory videos

This course divides electronic music making into ten areas:
  • Setting intentions
  • Designing drums & rhythms
  • Harmony and music theory
  • Sound design
  • Composing with sequencers
  • Musical phrasing
  • Arranging
  • Mixing
  • Mastering
  • Rendering and beyond

Each of these areas has 3 theory videos to push the boundaries of your comfort zone, for a total of 30 theory videos (14 hours of content total).

Eight exercises

This course has a lot of content, so here is a practical way to work your way through it: Once a week, you watch 3-4 theory videos (approx. 1 hour total), and then for the rest of the week you create a song sketch from scratch.

When composing, you always come back to your "comfort zone" skillset, and then push those boundaries with the new theory concepts.

I complete these 8 exercises on-camera, so you have another chance to see the theory concepts put into practice. That's 8 more chances to see how I tackle the blank canvas and get a result!

Ten printable posters

A deep toolkit for electronic music production. All the lessons from the videos, condensed into easy-to-remember infographics. Imagine how geeky you'll look with these hanging on your wall.

Underdog sample pack

This course comes with a sample pack including:
  • Audiotent artist kicks (24x)
  • Goldbaby 808 and 909 sounds (80x)
  • Underdog ear candy sample pack
  • MIDI chords
  • Ableton Live presets mentioned in the course
  • A placeholder filesystem for you to elaborate on

This will kickstart the development of your own master "samples" folder!

FAQ

  • What equipment do I need for this?

    Any computer (PC/MAC) will do, and a DAW you're comfortable with. I use Ableton Live, but the course is about musical composition concepts, not about the DAW interface.

  • Why should I take this course? Can't I just self-learn via YouTube?

    You can, and should, try to self-learn via YouTube! The problem with a lot of content out there, however, is that it is unstructured: it's not clear that you are getting the right puzzle pieces at the right time at the right skill level. This course offers you that structure: after this course you'll understand how it all fits together, and then you can build on that by self-learning.

  • Will this teach me everything about Ableton Live?

    I like to say this is an ART class, not a SOFTWARE class. I teach artistic concepts and how to implement them via the tool, in this case Ableton Live. So it doesn't show 100% of what Live is capable of. Think of it like the difference between a graphic design course vs. a photoshop course. One is about the principles, the other about the tools. This course is the former.

  • Do you only teach in Ableton Live?

    In this course I exclusively use Ableton Live 11 to illustrate all the concepts. However, the concepts are universal and you can probably find analogous functions in your DAW of choice (including Ableton Live 12).

  • What if I have questions or something is unclear?

    There is a dedicated Discord channel for the course, where you can ask questions and get answers!

  • Will I have lifetime access to the course?

    Absolutely :) Follow it, then take a break, then follow some more. Then forget about it, rediscover it, and take it several times. You do you <3.

  • I'm already an intermediate producer, will this be of use to me?

    This is aimed specifically for people who know the basics already, but still feel they need some accompaniment in developing a satisfying craft. The first video in the course is a checkpoint video where I explain all the things you should be familiar with when starting the course (i.e. basically a whirlwind tour of Foundations Level 1).

  • Is this a live or video course?

    This is a pre-recorded video course structured for you to watch at your own tempo. The videos stay available to you to watch and re-watch. To share your learning journey with others on the same path, come to the Underdog Discord channel!

  • How long will this course take me?

    If you follow the 8 exercises literally, each week you might study for 1 hour and produce for 8 hours, and you'll be done in 8 weeks. However, that might feel rushed and overwhelming: I think it would be normal to take 6 months to a year to really fully internalise the lessons in this course, so don't rush yourself.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Orientation

    • Welcome to the course!

    • 🧑🏻‍🏫 Resources for the course

    • 🔎 Comfort zone video

    • 📕 All videos per topic
  • 2

    Week 1 • The bow & arrow

    • Week 1: Orientation

    • 1a. Pulse and syncopation

    • 1b. Tension and release

    • 1c. The sketch arrangement

    • 1d. Scrapbooking and review dates

    • The bow & arrow (exercise 1)
  • 3

    Week 2 • Setting the mood

    • Week 2: Orientation

    • 2a. Create a vision

    • 2b. Four five six

    • 2c. Taking control of timbres

    • Setting the mood (exercise 2)
  • 4

    Week 3 • Clarity & confusion

    • Week 3: Orientation

    • 3a. Clarity and confusion

    • 3b. Referencing

    • 3c. Get out of the house

    • 3d. DJ-arrangement & trilogy break

    • Ultimate clarity & total confusion (exercise 3)

    • Review date (exercises 0-3)
  • 5

    Week 4 • Swallow the drummer

    • Week 4: Orientation

    • 4a. Get your tools in order

    • 4b. Percussive sequencers

    • 4c. Mastering the pinch & cloakroom check

    • Swallow the drummer (exercise 4)
  • 6

    Week 5 • Nuanced eloquence

    • Week 5: Orientation

    • 5a. Complex and altered chords

    • 5b. Timbres you should know

    • 5c. Always moving on to the next thing

    • 5d. Double trilogies and committed turnarounds

    • Nuanced eloquence (exercise 5)
  • 7

    Week 6 • A smack in the face

    • Week 6: Orientation

    • 6a. Drum group design

    • 6b. Overcompressing

    • 6c. Loudness

    • 6d. EQ strategies

    • A smack in the face (exercise 6)
  • 8

    Week 7 • Drone & response

    • Week 7: Orientation

    • 7a. Project manage yourself

    • 7b. Simple minimalism

    • 7c. Call & response

    • 7d. Ask a professional

    • Drone and response (exercise 7)
  • 9

    Week 8 • Chef's kiss

    • Week 8: Orientation

    • 8a. Drums with character

    • 8b. Aliveness

    • 8c. Melodic sequencing

    • 8d. Show your colours

    • Chef's kiss (exercise 8)
  • 10

    💌 Bonus videos

    • Analysis: Fred Again - Delilah (pull me out of this)

    • Analysis: Moderat - Fast Land

    • Analysis: Bicep - Apricots

    • Synthesis for beginners

    • Using Vital as your first free synth

    • How to learn any synth
  • 11

    Final thoughts

    • Review date (exercises 4-8)

    • Congratulations!