Have you ever thought about making electronic music but when you go to gigs you see all the gadgets and flashing lights onstage and find yourself thinking, that looks very complicated I could never do that?

Here at GoldenPlec we decided to find out exactly how difficult it is to learn how to produce music by throwing one of our writers in at the deepend, by taking a class in music production with Ableton Live certified teacher Martin Clancy.

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I think I need to begin by saying I’m not musical. I’m a music fan; I know what I like, I know what I don't like but me myself? Well, my musical talents extend to a shaky rendition of Frère Jacques on the tin whistle. On meeting Martin Clancy for my first Ableton lesson I was assured that by the end of the hour I would be surprised and all would make sense to me. I’ll be honest I wasn’t convinced; if there’s one thing I’m worse at than music it’s technology. Something that combines both? Terrifying.

Martin Clancy is one of about 100 Certified Ableton Live trainers in the world and offers evening courses in Temple Bar’s Sound Training Centre as well as via Skype with classes tailored for different levels. For my lesson with Martin he had one hour to impart his wisdom on me as best he could, but an average of 20 hours is required for most people to become fully proficient in the programme. Given my severe lack of musical background I suspected I would be Martin’s greatest challenge to date.

From the offset Martin assured me that coming from a non-musician background wouldn’t put me at a disadvantage, the most important thing was to simply like music. The question was raised of what exactly defines a “real” musician; does a DJ count as a musician? If staring at a laptop probably not to most people, but what about those who spend years mastering turntables? Is that any different to someone who spends years mastering the guitar?

First things first, what is Ableton? It’s a D.A.W. (digital audio workstation) which are several types of electronic devices and computer software applications for recording, editing and producing music, basically a recording studio in a box. Some of the more well-known brands include Pro-Tools, Logic and of course Ableton.

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Ableton has become a go-to programme for DJs some of the world’s top artists and groups such as Armin Von Burnen, Daft Punk, Nine Inch Nails, LCD Sound System and of course the legend that is Jazzy Jeff. It can be used for in-studio for recording, DJing, in live band sets and as its own instrument.

Something which separates Ableton from other D.A.W.s is that Ableton combined with their Push console see themselves as an instrument in their own right. Originally associated with dance acts, the programme became popular for its warping algorithm which helped DJs ensure tracks were perfectly in time, slowing down and speeding up in real time at user’s command.

The evolution of the technology involved and thousands of options available with Ableton have led to it becoming a programme used by all genres. With the addition of the Push console Ableton is aiming to be a more organic programme, with the idea behind it not to look at the computer screen where you can just jam as you would with any other instrument.

People use Ableton for different reasons; songwriters may use it for better production and recording while rock bands may want to introduce new aspects without losing a natural feel. In addition to just sound, Ableton also allows musicians add to their live performances, it can be programmed to follow the musicians to cue when lighting or visuals will occur, adding in backing vocals or effects, but always taking lead from the musician.

On a basic level all music is made from the same elements; melody, rhythm and harmony. Ableton allows you to create this from scratch, be it from your own uploaded recordings or with the thousands of pre-installed instruments already on the programme. With all this background knowledge I was set for creating my first musical masterpiece.

Starting things off with the beat, a quick scroll led us to chose a drum sound. Pads were then selected in different orders to create a step-sequence and eventually a loop when I was happy with the sound. Something interesting is that the pads are pressurised, similar to a real drumkit how hard or gently you hit will lead to a different sound and feel.

After this you can start adding in more instruments like piano, bass and guitar. The pads work as notes on a scale and even work in combinations to create chords. Unlike a piano or guitar where you would have spent a long time mastering chords and know the sound you will create in advance, with Ableton the most important thing is to use your ear.

Everyone is almost on an equal footing, taking time to see what they like and using ear, it’s not about musical ability rather it’s about what sounds nice. If you do something you don’t like, it’s easy to undo. Effects can easily be included and more instruments recorded or added if required.

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I was very surprised at just how easy it was to pick up, the programme behind it may be very complicated but this helps make the entry point easier. Unless you are completely tone deaf there is a gateway in. It’s easy to see why people love the programme, it’s very accessible and I can see how as your confidence grows it would become addictive.

By the end of the hour I must admit I was 100% wrong; Martin was right, it is possible to learn a hell of a lot in one hour. I’m unlikely to win any Grammy Awards anytime soon or be taken on tour with Everything Everything, but I do have a good base understanding of Ableton Live and Push. Coming from a background with no prior musical theory knowledge that’s pretty damn impressive, if so much can be learned in one hour I can only imagine what could be learned in a full course.


The question of whether Ableton is an instrument in its own right? Well I wouldn’t pay to see a live act just play Push, but I also wouldn’t pay to see someone just play bass. It may not be an instrument in the traditional sense but it is an instrument.

Martin Clancy will be doing a Public workshop featuring Push 2 on Wednesday 9th November at 6.00pm in Music Maker Dublin.

His new evening courses begin Monday (Beginners) 14th and Tuesday (Advanced) 15th November at the Sound Training College, Temple Bar Dublin. For more information or to book please see www.martinclancy.eu/ or email martin@martinclancy.eu