If you’re interested in kick-starting your career as a musician and learning the ins and outs of music-making, DJing, vocal performance or even management, pointblank’s courses will help you break into the industry.
Check out these essential Los Angeles programs to find out which one is right for you.
Music Production & Audio Engineering Diploma
Step into the music industry with pointblank’s Music Production & Audio Engineering Diploma. This course will supply you with all the skills you need to begin a career in many fields of the music industry, including music producer, recording engineer, film/TV composer, sound editor, music arranger, artist/performer, studio manager, A&R/label manager, and many more.
Throughout this diploma program, you’ll learn the essential components of what it takes to create high-quality, professional tracks in our state-of-the-art studios. You’ll study audio engineering, sound design, composition for film and TV, vocal production, remixing, and advanced mixing and mastering on our 32-channel SSL Origin console. You’ll also receive a copy of the Ableton Live Suite ($749 value) or Apple Logic Pro X ($199 value) software and take part in studio mentoring sessions with A&R Director Kwame Kwaten, who has 33 years of experience in the music industry and has worked with the likes of Jay-Z, Mick Jagger, Tom Jones, and Seal. Here at pointblank, we make it our priority to connect you to the music industry and engage our students with free masterclasses, events, and networking opportunities.
Music Production & DJ Performance Diploma
Our 12-month Music Production & DJ Performance Diploma will prepare you for a variety of roles, including music producer, mixing engineer, sound designer/editor, video game or film music composer, artist/performer, resident/touring DJ, A&R/label manager, and many more. You will learn a broad range of skills from music fundamentals to creative and advanced production techniques, sound design, beatmaking, DJ performance, mixing and remixing, VJ skills, and live electronic music performance. This course is designed and taught by industry professionals who have decades of experience working in the music industry and know what it takes for you to make it as a successful professional.
This program is delivered in person at our brand-new campus in LA’s Miracle Mile neighborhood. You will be learning on the latest industry tech, including Ableton Live, Push, Logic Pro, NI Komplete, Roland Cloud, and Pioneer DJ gear such as the CDJ-3000, DJM-V10, CDJ-2000NXS, XDJ-XZ, RMX-1000, and more. All students enrolling in this course will receive a copy of the Ableton Live 11 Suite or Apple Logic Pro X software, valued at $749 and $199 respectively. You’ll also attend exclusive masterclasses from the likes of Mark de Clive-Lowe, Laura Escude (Jay-Z, Kanye West), Daddy Kev (Low End Theory) and Jimmy Mac (Lorde). Here at pointblank LA, we make it our priority to connect you to the music industry as you begin your journey and engage you with free masterclasses, events, and networking opportunities.
Music Production & Sound Design Diploma
Our in-depth 12-month Music Production & Sound Design Diploma incorporates a broad range of skills such as production, beatmaking, composition, sound design, remixing, composing for film & TV, electronic music performance, mastering, and lots more. Developed and taught by professionals who’ve worked with artists such as Skrillex, Pharrell, Amy Winehouse, and others, this cutting-edge college-level program will teach you how to take your music to the next level, and create a professional-grade portfolio of tracks.
Music Production & Vocal Performance Diploma
Our 12-month Music Production & Vocal Performance Diploma is an intensive, practical, and comprehensive journey into areas such as live vocal performance, studio singing, rapping, vocal production, composition, songwriting, and mixing. Developed and taught by professionals who’ve worked with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Pharrell, and Skrillex (to name a few), this cutting-edge college-level program will teach you all you need to know about vocal technique, performance, writing, recording, and mixing in order to create your own professional-grade portfolio of tracks with stunning vocals.
Mixing & Mastering Award
Designed for producers who are already building tracks, our three-month Mixing & Mastering Award will give you all the skills you need to finalize your mixes and release professional-sounding tracks independently. You’ll work up your mixing and mastering chops alongside our industry professional college instructors, who have worked with the likes of Skrillex, Crystal Method, Sting, Shaggy, Tori Amos, and more.
Music Production & Composition Award
pointblank’s Music Production & Composition Award is designed to help you develop your identity as a producer and composer. Designed and taught by industry professionals who’ve worked with the likes of Amy Winehouse, Shaggy, Ministry, and Daft Punk this action-packed 3-month program will teach you to write and produce your own killer tracks in no time.
The first half of this program begins with an introduction to your chosen DAW (Ableton Live or Logic Pro) and leads on to explore the essential skills required to produce music. You will learn how a song is structured, how to create melodies, use virtual instruments, add effects to your sounds, arrange your tracks, use compression and EQ to finalize your mix, and much more. The second half of the program will focus on music composition: creating basslines, hooks, harmony, riffs, vocal tracks, and what it takes to publish your music as you establish your career.
Beatmaking
Learn powerful techniques and skills in this Beatmaking course and take your tracks to the next level. You’ll be working on your preferred DAW (Ableton Live 11 or Apple Logic Pro X) in a variety of modern genres from house and hip-hop to indie and pop. You’ll learn a variety of skills, including kit-building, sampling, EQ and dynamics, publishing and monetizing your music, and much more. Taught by industry professionals such as Adal Jamil (Studio Manager for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Studios), this program is perfect for those looking to stand out from the crowd in the beatmaking scene.
Creative Production & Remix
Upgrade your catalogue of production and remixing techniques with our Creative Production & Remix course. You’ll learn how to create breakbeats and use a variety of effects such as glitch and granular, Melodyne, Effectrix, and more to help you become a better all-around artist. You will also learn to write and arrange vocals for your tracks, program drums and, finally, take part in a remixing challenge to try out your new production skills.
Audio Mastering
Unlock the secrets of audio mastering and learn to develop, train, and attune your ears to powerful effects, including EQ, multi-band compression, soft & brickwall limiting, mid/side processing, and more. Learn to master your own EP using software such as iZotope, Waves, Brainworx, and T-Racks, and obtain the invaluable skills required to polish up your tracks to a professional standard and help them stand out from the crowd, ready to release.
Art of Mixing
Learn to create stunning stereo mixes from start to finish with our Art of Mixing course. Our expert college instructors will show you all the techniques necessary to dial in powerful effects like EQ, compression, limiting, and reverb. On completion of this course, you’ll have all the skills you need to make your music sound bold, balanced, polished, and clear.
Studio Vocal Production
pointblank’s Studio Vocal Production course is a deep dive into professional vocal production techniques. You’ll build on your current knowledge by exploring specialist recording methods such as comping and looping, pitch correction, vocal effects, and many more. You’ll also study vocal track editing, studio vocal techniques, and develop communication skills through collaborations with live vocalists to make sure you know how to get the best takes from your singers and place them comfortably in the mix.
Creative DJ Skills
The Creative DJ Skills course is designed to help you find your identity as a DJ. Throughout this program, you’ll gain a deeper knowledge of how to use audio effects, loops, beat juggling, harmonic & acapella mixing, basic scratching techniques, DJ hardware in live settings, and much more. This college-level course is taught by leading DJs such as DJ Morse Code (voted ‘Best DJ in America’ by the Sun Times) and Sophia Biggs.
Essential DJ Skills
The 3-month Essential DJ Skills course at pointblank will teach you the most important modern DJ skills you’ll need to begin your career. You’ll cover techniques such as cueing, drop mixing, analog and digital DJing, beatmatching, EQ, back-to-back mixing, Rekordbox, and more. This college-level course is taught by leading DJs such as DJ Morse Code (voted “Best DJ in America” by the Sun Times) and Sophia Biggs.
Singing Award
Learn to perform like a professional vocalist with our six-month Singing Award program. You’ll be taught in small groups to maximize your learning potential in two-college level courses, Singing and Advanced Singing. As a graduate you’ll come away with the power to deliver incredible performances on stage or in a studio, and you’ll join a global alumni community with the likes of pointblank London graduate and X-Factor winner Leona Lewis. Learn from professional vocalists such as Grammy-winner Carol De Leon in groups of just 6 students or less, and get the benefit of focused voice instruction.
Want to attend pointblank LA at a discounted price? Well, you’re in luck. We’re currently offering 10% off our LA programs until October 10 using the code OCTOBER10.
Register to Access Free Courses, Plugins, Projects, Samples & More
When you register with pointblank, you access an array of free sounds, plugins, online course samples and much more! Simply register below and visit our Free Stuff page to get your hands on a range of exclusive music-making tools and tutorials provided by the team. Fill your boots!