Dubspot DJ School: Is it worth it?
Dubspot DJ School: Is it worth it? Posted on: 10.10.2011 by Virgen Ganly Been using Traktor/Traktor 2 for some time now and playing paid gigs on a somewhat regular basis. Just starting to learn abelton but looking to really tear it apart. In my search for online tutorials, I keep coming across these awesome videos for Dubspot DJ school in NY. After reading the descriptions and watching their videos it looks totally awesome. The only problem is the price...$12,600 seems like an awful lot of money for an online certificate program... I guess what I'm asking is, has anyone taken any of their classes, online or in person, and what did you believe? Was it worth the money? Did you learn a lot and would you recommend it to a friend? Or... do you believe these courses are unnecessary? Is it possible to learn all of these things without paying a lot of money and if so, what do you believe is the best way? I'm not knocking or promoting the insitution in any way. Just looking for the best way to learn more about the digital DJing and production stuff that we all love so much! Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions and experiences, Uncle DJ | |
| Rita Debar 13.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Uncle DJ
If this is just a hobby of yours, and you have the money to burn go to it. If it's a hobby and you don't have the money to burn skip it and learn what you can on your own. If this is something you plan to make a career out of then than it hard to put a price on education. For production; the first thing I would recommend is piano lessons. |
| Ardath Disilvestro 13.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by armyofme4340
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| Dorie Scelzo 26.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by benjackal
Originally Posted by benjackal
But that's my entire point. He didn't say anything wrong, but there's no freaking way I'd pay for that unless there was someone sitting there advising/correcting my finger technique on the keyboard. And nothing else he said was the least bit relevant. Fifteen minutes on wikipedia could teach you more once you have a clue how to play piano/keyboard…or before that if you like sequencing with a mouse. Seriously…piano lessons. The hard part is finding a teacher who doesn't suck and is cool with why you're learning. |
| Ervin Calvery 25.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by THE DEEP SEA DJ
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| Tessie Grether 25.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by mostapha
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| Tessie Grether 23.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by mostapha
This is the video that got me interested in the online course, if i had 30-40 hours of this and 3 hours a week Skype with a tutor i would pay the money. But yea I'm going to try find someone local first. |
| Melinda Shick 23.03.2012 | Thats not a ridiculous price at all. I study in london, and while my course isn't music production (it's bsc audio systems, so a lot of dsp, max, audio electronics etc.) we do have a lot of production work (and media courses etc.) but nowhere near the facilities of dubspot, and they have us doing things like using DAT tapes, im waiting for them to pull out the reel to reel. Only costing me |
| Tessie Grether 22.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by Xonetacular
Thanks for the blanket response that is usally posted on these types of threads. Ive been doing this for around 5 years now, and ill admit Im at the point where i need to step up my music theory to break the plateau. I have been on sonic academy for over a year and its a great site, but focuses on engineering/production, not music theory. Theyre music theory vids are great, just not enough of them. Tom is also great, ive had the opportunity to see him live and attend one of his live sessions. There wasnt many people there so we got to hammer him with questions. Tom is good if you want to play live, or get right into making glitchy sounds. But again, his music theory is spread accross all his videos. The plan is either a local tutor or dubspot, for music theory only. With dubspot you get six months or 3 hours a week skype chat with a instructor who is very well imformed (EDM wise) and will be able to translate how to EDM. I might check out the local tutors first actually, just to see how they are (as its the cheaper option) |
| Rita Debar 13.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by Uncle DJ
If this is just a hobby of yours, and you have the money to burn go to it. If it's a hobby and you don't have the money to burn skip it and learn what you can on your own. If this is something you plan to make a career out of then than it hard to put a price on education. For production; the first thing I would recommend is piano lessons. |
| Carlee Pickard 13.12.2012 | I took their Maschine course online, and let me tell you, the first week itself I was amazed by how much I learned. And the weeks to come after that (It was a 3 month course), I never thought i'd learn as much as the first week but literally each and every week you learn SO MUCH. And if you stay on top of the assignments as you should, you get SO MUCH out of it. It's absolutely ridiculous. This solidified me wanting to go NY to take their Ableton and other courses. If you get more out of it being there in person (which I am sure you are), it's probably the best investment you'll make in your life, if you wan't to do music professionally. |
| Ardath Disilvestro 13.12.2012 |
Originally Posted by armyofme4340
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| Dorie Scelzo 26.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by benjackal
Originally Posted by benjackal
But that's my entire point. He didn't say anything wrong, but there's no freaking way I'd pay for that unless there was someone sitting there advising/correcting my finger technique on the keyboard. And nothing else he said was the least bit relevant. Fifteen minutes on wikipedia could teach you more once you have a clue how to play piano/keyboard…or before that if you like sequencing with a mouse. Seriously…piano lessons. The hard part is finding a teacher who doesn't suck and is cool with why you're learning. |
| Ervin Calvery 25.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by THE DEEP SEA DJ
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| Tessie Grether 25.03.2012 | He is using: NI Maschine http://www.native-instruments.com/pr...ucer/maschine/ Novation midi controller http://www.novationmusic.com/product...llers/sl_mkii/ |
| Yevette Matatall 25.03.2012 | What I learned from this, I need to learn some basic music theory combined with some basic piano skills first. Open up a DAW and spend six months with it. Then, if I have the money and the time take a coarse do that, but not before haveing the basics down... btw, in the dupstop youtube vid on previous page, what synth is he using... i like the look of it.. |
| Tessie Grether 25.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by mostapha
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| Nereida Jasnoch 24.03.2012 | I know a guy that is currently attending classes at dubspot nyc and it was all funded by our lovely state Belgium. Somehow with a lot of political bullshit he was recognized as a musical talent by the state etc so got some funds. Pretty cool if you ask me. He says it's a lot of hard work. They don't fuck around when it comes to assingments and homework and that the tempo of the lessons is kinda high. |
| Aundrea Lenore 24.03.2012 | I took the "extensive DJ" course last year. Although the first half of the class was more of a refresher because I knew how to do the basics, it was WELL worth it. Amazing experience. They have their shit together there....I miss it. That being said, I would not do the online course. I need to be interacting and able to ask questions in person. |
| Dorie Scelzo 24.03.2012 | So, I skipped through the video and might have been missing stuff. Congrats, this is one that doesn't seem to have anything wrong or specifically harmful, but it's also things I learned in my first guitar lesson. Yes, first. Seriously…take piano lessons. In person. I don't believe anything else will make as big of a difference, and this video has not swayed me. |
| Tessie Grether 23.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by mostapha
This is the video that got me interested in the online course, if i had 30-40 hours of this and 3 hours a week Skype with a tutor i would pay the money. But yea I'm going to try find someone local first. |
| Melinda Shick 23.03.2012 | Thats not a ridiculous price at all. I study in london, and while my course isn't music production (it's bsc audio systems, so a lot of dsp, max, audio electronics etc.) we do have a lot of production work (and media courses etc.) but nowhere near the facilities of dubspot, and they have us doing things like using DAT tapes, im waiting for them to pull out the reel to reel. Only costing me |
| Dorie Scelzo 23.03.2012 | Local Tutor. I still haven't seen anything from dubspot's blog (linked here or when I actually look at it) that leads me to believe any of their instructors have a clue what they're doing. |
| Tessie Grether 22.03.2012 |
Originally Posted by Xonetacular
Thanks for the blanket response that is usally posted on these types of threads. Ive been doing this for around 5 years now, and ill admit Im at the point where i need to step up my music theory to break the plateau. I have been on sonic academy for over a year and its a great site, but focuses on engineering/production, not music theory. Theyre music theory vids are great, just not enough of them. Tom is also great, ive had the opportunity to see him live and attend one of his live sessions. There wasnt many people there so we got to hammer him with questions. Tom is good if you want to play live, or get right into making glitchy sounds. But again, his music theory is spread accross all his videos. The plan is either a local tutor or dubspot, for music theory only. With dubspot you get six months or 3 hours a week skype chat with a instructor who is very well imformed (EDM wise) and will be able to translate how to EDM. I might check out the local tutors first actually, just to see how they are (as its the cheaper option) |
| Romelia Stankard 22.03.2012 | dubspot is a great place to go to when you have lots of money to spend and do it in person in nyc, I wouldn't pay to do an online course and most of it can be learned online just as well for under $100 or free. before dropping that much money check out sonic academy and tom cosm http://www.cosm.co.nz/ Much better value... |
| Tessie Grether 22.03.2012 | Minor bump, how is the MF course going? The videos suggest the course is actually decent. Most of the tutors for Music theory or even the information online aren't really adapted for EDM musicians. |
| Onita Harri 17.11.2011 | I just plunked over a grand for their Essential Music Foundations course! I shall report back how the classes go! |
| Onita Harri 03.11.2011 | I am seriously considering the 'Essential Music Foundation' online course. I've been trying to tackle music production since 2010. Initially bought all the necessary gear: JBL LSR4328P monitors, Akai MPK61, Apogee Duet, Logic Pro 9. Bought the official guide to Logic Pro. Read through some chapters, but was already lost with terminologies. I thought MIDI was just the cheap sounding music file as compared to a WAV/MP3 file. The DAW manual doesn't teach you the different instruments used to create music. I only knew of a kick and hi-hat, but never heard of snares, claps, tom-toms, percussions etc. I had no idea what a synthesizer was for (I only finally understood what it does a few months ago). A few months later, I wanted try out Ableton Live, but was even more confused with their Instruments Rack. I had no idea what the use of Drum Racks, Sampler, Simpler, etc. were for. Because of my frustration the MPK61 eventually ended up collecting dust only until recently. I even later upgraded Live to Suite when they had the offer earlier this year around January. I thought perhaps I could make use these instruments, but still I was lost with what instruments to use. Even the Ableton Live Power Book didn't help me understand it much. Over the last few months, I finally understood synthesizers and the concept of oscillation and also found out really what VSTs were about. I decided to shell out money for Nexus 2 and some packs to get that sound (despite the mixed reviews). I've watched youtube vids of how to tweak things and create beats, but they don't explain in detail WHY you do it. They just tell you to set to this much, twist a knob here, or add a snare and clap here. I've been constantly going through motivational spurts, but end up killing it due to my frustrated learning ability. Going to school for DJing, I believe you can easily teach yourself and watch youtube vids. In fact, reading the DJing for Dummies book really taught me a lot prior to actually touching a mixer and decks. Been DJing for over 3 years. Now music production on the other hand, IMO has a higher learning curve, given my many attempts at trying to grasp it. I believe its time to shell out the cash for class. I've already spent enough on the gear . |
| Romelia Stankard 14.10.2011 |
Ableton Live Level 6: Taking Your EP Global NYC: Put the live in Live. From DJing to playing solo or onstage with a band, learn how Ableton Live can work as the hub of a performance. Manage audio stems and create performance layouts, racks, clip launch configurations that work onstage, then put it all under your control by mastering hands-on MIDI controller assignment. Build your own performance strategy to hit the stage. ONLINE: Take the tracks you have made so far and get them ready for release. Learn skills for finishing your mixes, packaging your EP and crafting your artist bio. Identify your signature style and apply it to a remix project. Put sound to video. Develop a live set of your own original material and create a mixtape. Share your music with the world. What You'll Learn: Advanced Mixing Techniques: EQ, Compression, Reverb Final Touches: Microdetailing Mastering in Live Standards For Sending Tracks to a Mastering Engineer Bouncing Stems Remix: Identifying Key Elements of the Original Remix: Applying Your Signature Style Scoring to Picture Crafting your Artist Bio and Profile Photo Selecting your album art Conceptualizing and Creating Your Live Set Record a live performance of your EP and Remix Sound Design Level 1: Introduction to Komplete Investigate the components of Komplete while learning the common language for discussing sound and musical parts. This course dives into the world of Komplete, examining the primary instruments and effects as out-of-the-box tools. We will discuss sound characteristics of each component while also covering fundamental musical parts and lines as they relate to sound synthesis tools. Using each part of Komplete will let you choose the proper tool for your own productions immediately, and establishing a common vocabulary will allow us to have useful conversations about sound. What You'll Learn: Strong points and special characteristics of each Komplete device Learning a descriptive language for sound Musical building blocks as used with digital synthesis and sampling Global parameters of synthesizers Successfully organizing and accessing sounds with the browser Sound Design Level 2: Synthesis with Massive, FM8 and Absynth Give your tracks depth and detail through the unique sounds of four powerful synthesizers. Students will streamline their workflow to find the right sounds quickly and fine tuning them to taste through easy and deliberate modifications of the controls. You will get a good understanding of three fundamental types of synthesis: Subtractive (via Massive), Frequency Modulation (via FM8), and Granular (via Absynth). Learning the characteristics of each technique will help inform your decision of what synthesizer to use in any given situation and how to manipulate it. What You'll Learn: The installation process and avoiding common pitfalls Exploring the libraries of Massive, FM8 and Absynth 5 Making modifications to presets Using the basic synthesis methods and tools Picking the right sound for the right part Using NI synths in a host DAW with automation Sound Design Level 3: Sampling with Kontakt and Battery Manipulate sounds in various ways and transform samples into something totally new.From meticulous reproductions of acoustic instruments to the creation of exotic and innovative soundscapes, sampling is another wing of synthesis that sound designers utilize for just about any purpose. Battery and Kontakt are the gold standards of digital sampling technology, and they bring unique, realtime sound processing and programming capabilities to all major production platforms. It |
| Romelia Stankard 14.10.2011 | We're not just talking about learning DJing (that is a much cheaper course), this is sound design, music theory, production, and mastering. This is what is $12000 [quote]Includes the Following Programs: DJ Extensive Program Music Foundation Program Ableton Live Producer Certificate Program Sound Design Certificate Program Mixing & Mastering Program Take this program with Digital DJing ONLINE. DJ Extensive Program Immerse yourself in the complete art of DJing from beatmatching to stage presence. Whether you |
| Shantae Faile 14.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by armyofme4340
not saying its not worth it at all, but you can take these classes at a community college and still get some other certifications out of it. your basically paying a premium for the networking. Trust me, I've had one of the dubspot guys come out and talk to us about the program, can't say I've never thought of going, but if i had the cash (honestly) i'd just buy more gear and invite all the dj vets that i know to my crib and pick believes up from them and their style of mixing. |
| Jenise Kryszak 13.10.2011 | In my opinion that's too much money. I learned through friends and listening to other djs mix along with a lot of practice. The rest is really connections with event crews and other djs. I feel that $12k fee is like fees you have to pay when you join a college fraternity. You give them money and they connect you with big companies when you graduate... |
| Valentin Doong 13.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by armyofme4340
Hey since money obviously isn't an issue too you, wanna give me $12,000 Personally I believe that's a lot of moola. But that just might be me |
| Dana Ordinario 13.10.2011 | The price is different for everyone though. It's all a matter of what value you put on what you get out of it. If you believe that paying 10,000$ is worth the amount of schooling they provide then you will pay it. I pay 7,000$ a year to send my daughter to school, plus what I have to pay for college for myself and my wife who has student loans to payback. I'm ok with that though because I see value in sending my daughter to a private school over public, that's my choice and I know a lot of people may believe I'm stupid and it's a waste, that's their choice. It's all a matter of what you believe you get in return. It's a great program and worth the money, to me anyways. |
| Joannie Brague 13.10.2011 | Wow why is everyone complaining about the price. Education is expensive everywhere. Dubspot is a serious school not just some YouTube videos. If you are serious about your music you shouldn't care how much it cost. As xone said you can only learn so much over videos. While I'm sure you can develop your craft going solo and becoming great, it will only help you along the way. Trust me when I say education is expensive. I paid $16,000 per semester at my school, which has 8 semesters. That's a crapload of money, however only 2 years out of school and I'm almost done paying it off because of the fact that I learned so much and developed my skills. So there you have it, I'm pro DIY learning and pro educational institute. Dubspot has leading industry professionals so they are legit, but if you believe the money is too much then learn as much as you can on your own, but it won't be nearly as fast or dense as it would if you were at a school. |
| Dana Ordinario 13.10.2011 | If money was no object you can bet your ass I would love to take one of these courses. That's what it comes down to though is how much you can spend on gear and possibly training. Yes I believe people should spend a long time on their own in their bedrooms learning and honing their craft but I hang out with all my DJ friends and soak up everything they do and bug them with questions about how/why/what they did to learn from them to pick up on what they're doing so I can become better. It's like buying a DJ friend to learn from for a few weeks. If I had an unlimited fund to draw from you can bet I could make some pretty sick beats and become a pretty good DJ very quickly. You can buy gear out there that will make it much easier for you to perform tasks that take some DJs years to master. For example if I pick up Traktor Scratch and 2 CDJ2000 + a DJM2000 and a few Kontrol X1s or Midifighters, I could pull off a pretty banging set with very little skill. I would have any songs I could want plus sync to keep it all in time. If I add in Mixed In Key the majority of the set should sound good harmonically. Then I can add some effects from the DJM2000 and easily pull off a banging set with almost no skill. I'm not saying that DJing takes no skill if you have enough money, the casual club goer will not notice your lack of skill but the other DJs/Producers will. I am saying that having money makes it a lot easier to get the things that will help you a long. I have way more respect for DJs that can pull of fantastic sets with minimal setups. I believe it takes more creativity than just plugging in Ableton or an EFX unit and Traktor. That's just my opinion though. |
| Scarlett Saupp 13.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by Xonetacular
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| Romelia Stankard 13.10.2011 | Look the $10,000 thing is for every course dubspot offers pretty much. To all the people saying learn this stuff on your own, there is only so much you can get from tutorials compared to a classroom experience in a studio with professional producers and instructors. I put dubspot way above most technical colleges in terms of the level of instruction on the latest and most current technology and techniques. A lot of these technical schools focus on programs and techniques that are just not current in the electronic music production scene. Yes you can teach yourself traktor easily, and ableton to some extent but you get a ton more depth into ableton in their courses. Then their is the whole sound design and mastering course tracks which you are just not going to come close to learning what you would there in a studio classroom or real studio gear with professionals then if you do it on your own. |
| Vernetta Gunther 13.10.2011 | Chismay It's quite likely. You've gotta keep up with the word on the street...or community ! I'm on most of the worthwhile DJ & music production community s. You get the chance to hear totally unbiased opinions of what people believe of the school / music courses in general. So they are an important tool for us to keep improving and developing things over here. It is quite rare to come across people representing the other music schools though, which I find odd. Cheers, James - PB |
| Nick Ross 13.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by LanceBlaise
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| Palmer Sanderbeck 13.10.2011 |
Originally Posted by JamesPB
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