It’s the age of electronic music and technology has changed the way we do so many things.
Not only has the way we listen to music changed, but the way we make music has evolved as well. This change leads to the evolution of new music styles and genres & even the way music is produced.
We are no longer confined by location, space or even instruments. Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), a.k.a music production software give us the ability to convert our thoughts and ideas into music.
Some of these DAWs are highly complex and others are quite simple. One can record, play notes, edit, mix, master and produce music all on the computer, even without a dedicated studio environment.
Some of the most popular DAWs include Avid Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic Pro and Ableton Live.
Ableton is a German-based company founded in 1999. It employs musicians, DJs and producers who actively develop its flagship product called “Live” which was 1st released in 2001. After 17 awesome years, it is one of the most widely used Producer Performer DAWs available. Ableton Live is unique. It allows you to produce music and perform the same using the same DAW in the simplest way possible.
I Love Music Academy is proud to be the pioneer of Ableton-based Music Education in India for Music Production.
At I Love Music Academy we have been teaching Ableton Live since the academy’s inception in 2009, even though our associated artists have been using Ableton in India since way before that. We strongly believe that “Live” is a great tool for musical expression. It is one of the most versatile DAWS available.
The team at The Inventory led by Tanseer Jabbar has been a driving force in spreading Ableton in India. As strong advocates of Ableton, we worked closely with the team at The Inventory and have been doing so since 2013, teaching and growing the Ableton Live community in India. Our constant efforts continue to spread knowledge and education about electronic music to aspiring musicians and producers.
In our 10th year of operation, I Love Music Academy was the first institute to be recognised by Ableton in India. This is via their pilot program with The Inventory to help spread music education in the region. Though we are no longer part of the Ableton Partner Program, we continue to support its efforts in India through our Music Production courses.
“We have always appreciated the efforts I Love Music Academy has made towards educating and supporting the community of Ableton in India…” says Tanseer Jabbar, Director The Inventory.
Sean Humphries is the Asia Pacific Sales Manager for Ableton. He is responsible for Ableton in India and the region also shares similar views. Sean has been tremendous in understanding the challenges in India and this program is another example of Sean’s commitment to supporting music education in the Indian market.
Challenges with Ableton in India
A challenge we face is getting students to ignore the misinformation or misconceptions they have picked up during self-learning, usually from unregulated sources. We strive to start them afresh. Giving them a proper foundation in understanding music production and the capabilities of the DAWs.
Some aspirants choose to learn the basics of music production via free resources. Which is great but is a long and tedious process, often giving them partial knowledge in an unstructured manner. After some point of struggling, aspirants approach academies such as ours with inaccurate perceptions and faulty notions about the Industry and production.
Most online resources are a great source of information. All of us use them to further knowledge based on having a clear foundation and understanding of what we need when we need it. The challenge for newcomers is to find a source that can give you the knowledge needed at the correct time and in the correct setting. Learning is a two-way process. And requires doubts to be cleared in the form of questioning everything. That is why a teacher rather than an online resource is still the best way forward.
Ableton in India: Cracks and Piracy
Another big challenge is the use of Cracked software. Some aspiring musicians choose a DAW, based on how easily the crack is available, rather than the capability or use.
Companies like Ableton spend a lot of time and resources developing and updating their DAW and Ableton Live is no different. They lose a tremendous amount of revenue because of Piracy. This drives the prices of their product higher just to sustain and keep their product up-to-date.
I Love Music Academy recognises these challenges and the scenario in our region and is committed to a No Crack Policy. We encourage students who opts for an Ableton Live course to buy a fully licensed Student version of the Ableton Live Suite facilitated by The Inventory, the official distributor of Ableton in India.
We sincerely hope that this program will help push Ableton education forward in India. We look forward to welcoming more aspiring students and producers to the community of Ableton in India!
