Beginners Program — Curriculum | Next Level Production

Beginners Program

6 weeks to your
first finished track.

A structured, hands-on program designed to take you from zero to producing your own music — with live sessions, real feedback, and mentors who are active in the scene.

6 Weeks Live Sessions No Experience Needed Private Community Ableton Live

Apply for a spot → See the curriculum

Weeks

Finished Track

Live

Weekly Sessions

Experience Needed

Based · Global Reach

What you'll learn

The full 6-week
curriculum.

Week 1

Foundations

Settings, Interface & Your First Arrangement

Ableton SetupProject TemplateArrangement ViewSamples & Presets

Setup

Recommended Ableton Settings

Audio interface, sample rate 44.1kHz, buffer size 256–512, plugin folders, and record settings. Get your DAW running properly from day one.

Navigation

Navigating Ableton Live

Keyboard shortcuts, zoom, Info View, arrangement vs session view. Build speed and fluency so you spend time making music — not fighting your tools.

Mixer

Tracks, Groups & The Mixer

Audio tracks, MIDI tracks, return tracks, and the master. Signal flow — how sound moves through your project and why the structure matters.

Template

The NLP Project Template

Drum subgroups (kick, snare, percs), track elements, and vocals. A professional session structure from your very first project file.

Library

Samples & Presets Folder

Build and link your personal sounds library inside Ableton. Organise by category so the right sound is always a few clicks away.

First Track

Writing a Basic Arrangement

Drag in samples, duplicate sections, set tempo, layer elements. By the end of this session you'll have something playing.

🎯

Week 1 outcome: A working Ableton setup, the NLP template, your personal samples library, and your first rough arrangement playing back.

Week 2

Rhythm, Groove & Drums

Swing, Velocity, Ghost Notes & Genre Patterns

Drum RackGroove & SwingGhost NotesDnB / Dubstep / House / UKG

Technique

Audio vs MIDI for Drums

MIDI Drum Rack for hot-swappable layered samples vs audio loops from Splice. Build your drums from scratch or use pre-made loops — knowing when to do each.

Feel

Groove, Swing & Velocity

Extract groove from samples via Ableton's Groove Pool. Vary velocity on ghost elements to sound human. Syncopation — moving hits off the expected beat to create energy.

Layering

Ghost Notes

Lower-velocity accent kicks and snares on separate channels. A professional habit from session one — independent control over every element.

Genres

Genre Drum Patterns

DnB (174 BPM syncopated), House (four on the floor), UK Garage (shuffled swing), Dubstep (140 BPM half-time). Learn the rhythmic language of each genre.

🎯

Week 2 outcome: Drums that groove and feel intentional. You'll be able to write rhythms in multiple styles and understand what makes each one hit differently.

Week 3

Melody, Bass & Music Theory

Scales, Chords, Sub Bass & Building Progressions

Music TheoryScales & ChordsSub BassChord Progressions

Theory

Notes, Scales & Keys

Semitones, octaves, minor vs major scales. Use Ableton's scale mode to highlight in-key notes — a practical framework so you can trust your ears without memorising theory.

Harmony

Building Chords & Progressions

Minor chords (root +3+7 semitones), major chords (root +4+7). The cohesion trick — keeping a shared note across chords so progressions flow naturally.

Foundation

Sub Bass — The Backbone

Your sub is a sine wave — a pure single tone. Load Operator, start simple. Always build bass first; everything else sits on top of it. How to find the key of any sample using Spectrum.

Composition

Melody & Applying Swing

Writing melodies over chords using scale mode. Applying swing to melodic elements — the same amount as your drums — so everything feels like it belongs together.

🎯

Week 3 outcome: A full musical idea — sub bass, chords, and melody — working together in key. The core of your first track, ready to build on.

Week 4

Sound Design & Texture

Synths, FX, Atmospheres & Building Your Sound

Serum / OperatorAtmospheresFX ChainsSound Layering

Synthesis

Introduction to Synthesis

Oscillators, filters, envelopes (ADSR), and LFOs in plain English. How to shape a sound from scratch using Serum or Ableton's Operator — no prior knowledge needed.

Atmosphere

Pads, Atmospheres & FX

Reverb and delay as creative tools. Creating pad layers and atmospheric textures that fill space without cluttering your mix — presence without weight.

Sampling

Working with Samples

Chop, warp, pitch, and layer samples intentionally. How to find sounds that complement each other and make a sample feel like it was made for your track.

Identity

Building Your Sound

Using reference tracks as a tool — what to listen for, what to take, what to leave. The difference between copying a reference and developing your own voice.

🎯

Week 4 outcome: A track with character and texture. Synths, atmospheres, and FX layers that support your musical core and start to hint at your own sound.

Week 5

Arrangement & Structure

Intros, Drops, Breakdowns & Full Track Flow

ArrangementEnergy FlowTransitionsDrop Design

Structure

Track Structure & Flow

Intro, breakdown, build, drop, second drop, outro. How professional DnB and electronic tracks are structured — and why every section serves a specific purpose.

Energy

Managing Energy & Tension

Building anticipation into a drop. Stripping back for breakdowns. How density, volume, and contrast control emotional impact — the same tools producers use to move a crowd.

Transitions

Fills, Risers & Automation

Drum fills, filter sweeps, riser FX, and volume automation. How to move between sections without jarring cuts — smooth, intentional transitions that feel earned.

Drop

Designing a Drop

What makes a drop hit — layering, space, contrast. Sidechain compression in context. Building the moment your track has been working towards from bar one.

🎯

Week 5 outcome: A fully arranged track from intro to outro. Not just loops — a real track with a beginning, middle, and end that takes the listener somewhere.

Week 6

Mixdown & Finishing Your Track

EQ, Compression, Sidechain & Export

EQCompressionSidechainExport

Balance

Levels & Gain Staging

Getting your levels right before touching a single plugin. Gain staging — ensuring every element has the right headroom and nothing is clipping before you mix.

Frequency

EQ Fundamentals

High-pass filtering, cutting mud, removing clashes between elements. EQ as a mixing tool — making space for every sound so nothing fights for the same frequency.

Dynamics

Compression & Sidechain

Compression to glue and control dynamics. Sidechain compression to duck the bass under the kick — the signature pumping energy of electronic music, done correctly.

Export

Finishing & Exporting

WAV vs MP3, stems, final export settings. How to share your track so it sounds its best — and what to do next with your first finished production.

🏁

Week 6 outcome: A finished, exported track you can share, post, and be proud of. Your first complete production — and the foundation for everything that comes next.

By the end

You'll finish with
a real track.

Not loops. Not a work-in-progress. A finished, exported, shareable production — built from scratch over 6 weeks with guidance from active producers who've done it themselves.

A fully arranged track from intro to outro
Drums that groove and feel intentional
A musical idea — bass, chords, and melody in key
A clean, balanced mixdown ready to share
A workflow and template you'll use forever
Access to the NLP private producer community

Apply for a spot →

🥁

Drums that groove

Ghost notes, swing, velocity — rhythms that feel human and intentional.

🎵

Musical ideas in key

Sub bass, chords, and melody working together from a solid theory foundation.

🎛

A clean mix

EQ, compression, sidechain — fundamentals that make a track sound professional.

🚀

Your first export

A finished track you can share, post, and build on for the rest of your career.

From students

Don't take
our word for it.

★★★★★

"Max has the ability to break down complex subjects into terms I can understand. I have learnings I can take away and apply to my music each time."

Ethan Probert

Jul 2025

★★★★★

"I've been producing for about a year, but after a month working with the team at Next Level my progress has skyrocketed. Max genuinely understands the kind of music I want to make."

Johnny Cole

Dec 2025

★★★★★

"I've learnt more about audio production in a month than in my entire 8 years of self-study. The team is respectful and genuinely love to help."

Levi Oster

Jun 2025

6 weeks to yourfirst finished track.

The full 6-weekcurriculum.

You'll finish witha real track.

Don't takeour word for it.

Your first trackstarts here.

6 weeks to your
first finished track.

The full 6-week
curriculum.

You'll finish with
a real track.

Don't take
our word for it.

Your first track
starts here.