As part of a collaboration with Grid Culture.
*SCAPEmusic collaborates with various partners to present Indie Starter Kit, a series of online workshops to equip and provide youths with the necessary skills to elevate their creative capabilities during COVID-19. These workshops were curated to remain accessible for every youth to learn and develop with the ease of technology.
For the first part series, *SCAPEmusic collaborated with Grid Culture to provide youths with the basics of operating musical software, Ableton Live. Grid Culture is a platform which provides training services and education in electronic music production and, designing live music performances using the musical software named Ableton Live. From breaking down rhythms and creating atmospheric sound in the concoction of chaos, youths were provided with an opportunity to learn through a 4-part workshop with Singapore’s first certified Ableton trainer, Syafiq Halid.
Syafiq Halid is a sound designer, electronic artist as well as percussionist based in Singapore. He has developed a unique style, mixing percussion with samples and electronic music influences. Syafiq constantly pushes his boundaries by exploring and experimenting with a variety of sounds and elements.
The workshops covers the basics of looping, utilising effects, beat-making as well as the element of performance in electronic music production.
- Basics of Looping
Youths will get a basic feel on Ableton Live 10’s User Interface. They will learn the essential functions of the software and how to create as well as form ideas for the basis of a track.
- Utilising Effects
Youths will get to understand and apply basic audio effects like reverb, delay EQ and briefly touch on the basics of sound design.
- Beatmaking
Introduction to beat making as a powerful technique commonly used in music production. Lessons include making and learning to make beats with Ableton Drum Rack.
- Performance
Participants will learn how to consolidate and plan their performance using the tools introduced in previous lessons using a midi controller or a QWERTY keyboard.
These workshops were conducted on Facebook Live to remain accessible for youths to learn and develop their skills further on Ableton Live. Youths were also given a chance to speak to the instructor in a Live Q&A session on Zoom arranged by *SCAPEmusic.
Here are some reasons to pick up or develop your creative capabilities with Ableton Live!
- Ableton Live is one of the most easy to learn DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that you can pick up quickly. The clean and simple design makes it even more user friendly!
- The spectrum of creative exploration that is endless with Ableton Live allows you to create or reimagine tracks on your own even without knowing how to play an instrument.
- You can create music in the comfort of your own time and space with its portability!
- Ableton has provided the trial version as well as sample packs for you to get your hands on creating music quickly!
The democratization of recording equipment has placed home recording, production and distribution of music within the reach of anyone with a computer. These days, softwares such as Ableton Live and Logic Pro has been made more available than ever. With that said, we do recognise the intricacies of analog music production in the past and the infinite detail it entails. Keep your options open, always be eager to learn from the past and the present, preparing for the future of music in Singapore!
Check out the resources below to learn more on the Ableton Software and if you’re keen to learn more on the developments in music production, past and present.
Resources & Links
Ableton Live https://www.ableton.com/en/
Try Live for Free https://www.ableton.com/en/trial/
Learn Ableton Live https://www.ableton.com/en/live/learn-live/
Workshops with Grid Culture https://www.facebook.com/scapesg/videos
History of Audio https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/6a7nk6/from-analog-to-digital-a-very-very-simplified-history-of-audio
Got a question in mind or interested in a particular topic? Drop us a mail at music@scape.sg and keep a lookout for our latest events via scape.sg.
Enjoyed what you have read? Follow us on Instagram and Telegram for the latest programmes and updates on *SCAPE!
