A silhouetted producer typing on a laptop beside a MIDI keyboard in a dark room

CH 01 · Course

“I opened the software three times and closed it three times.”

The course that answers it

Ten Beats: Your First Month in a DAW

41 lessons · 8 h 53 min · 6 units · 24 months of access

What it is

Drums, bass and a loop that holds for two minutes, built ten times over with any DAW, until the screen stops being frightening.

What is inside

  1. 01Ten short builds, each starting from an empty project and ending with a loop you can play to someone
  2. 02The same ideas shown in two popular DAWs, so you can follow in whichever you own
  3. 03A one-page checklist for starting, saving and naming sessions so nothing gets lost
  4. 04End-of-unit prompts you answer on screen

The units, in order

Running time is how long the video lasts by the end of each unit, at about 13 minutes a lesson.

  1. Unit 01 · lessons 1–6

    The screen, the grid and the click

    6 lessons · 1 h 18 min

    Running total 1 h 18 min

  2. Unit 02 · lessons 7–14

    Drums that groove

    8 lessons · 1 h 44 min

    Running total 3 h 2 min

  3. Unit 03 · lessons 15–21

    Bass that sits

    7 lessons · 1 h 31 min

    Running total 4 h 33 min

  4. Unit 04 · lessons 22–29

    Chords and a hook

    8 lessons · 1 h 44 min

    Running total 6 h 17 min

  5. Unit 05 · lessons 30–36

    Arranging eight bars into sixty seconds

    7 lessons · 1 h 31 min

    Running total 7 h 48 min

  6. Unit 06 · lessons 37–41

    Saving, exporting and starting again

    5 lessons · 1 h 5 min

    Running total 8 h 53 min

By the end you will be able to…

  1. Programme a drum pattern that sounds like a choice, not a default
  2. Write a bassline that locks to the kick
  3. Finish a sixty-second idea rather than abandon it at eight bars

Is it for you?

Who this suits

  • Anyone starting from nothing: school leavers, hobbyists, and musicians who have only ever played live.
  • You are happy to learn by watching, pausing and trying things in your own software or equipment.
  • You can give it about 3 hours a week, which is roughly 3 weeks of video, before time spent practising.

Who should wait

  • You want a teacher to answer questions or mark your work. The course is recorded: there is no tutor and nothing is marked.
  • You need a certificate or an accreditation. None is issued.
  • You want files to keep. Lessons are streamed only and cannot be downloaded; access lasts 24 months.
  • You already finish tracks and your problem is how they sound. The shelf called Making it sound right is a better place to begin.

Pairs with

Questions about this course

How much time should I set aside?

There are 41 lessons in 6 units, 8 h 53 min of video in all. At the suggested 3 hours a week that is about 3 weeks of watching. The time you spend trying things yourself comes on top, and you can go faster or slower.

How does access work, and can I download the lessons?

You watch online, streamed through your browser. The lessons cannot be downloaded. Access lasts 24 months, and your access details arrive by email within one working day of payment. If they do not, tell us in the chat and we will look into it.

Will anyone check my work?

No. This is a recorded course: there is no tutor and nothing is marked. End-of-unit prompts are answered on screen for your own benefit. If you want to know whether the course covers something before you buy, ask in the chat or use the contact page.