In collecting the absolute best music production schools in the online and physical world today, I figured we should start with what this guide is NOT.

For starters, this guide is NOT about quantity. We could’ve easily collected an additional 50 or even 100 music production courses, classes and schools for you to sort through, but frankly, that would be a waste of your time. This guide is all about schools that get you results.

Being on the frontlines of working with thousands of music producers every single year, many of which voice their prior frustrations and concerns with our team, we get direct feedback about schools that get results, as well as the ones that don’t. This puts us in a unique position to write this guide.

Also, this music production school guide is NOT a collection of courses that simply have anything to do with music, i.e. songwriting, composition, music theory, singing, performance arts, DJing, etc. — this guide attempts to strictly focus on music production itself.

How did we organize these music production schools?

We’ve done our absolute best to select the best music production schools and organize them in a way that you can get a true snapshot of what you’re getting yourself into.

First off, we organized the schools by over-arching buckets of Complete Programs, Beginner Courses, Accredited Colleges and Universities, Artist Specific Masterclasses, Genre Specific Courses, and Membership Sites.

From there, we broke down each offering inside of the major buckets so you can make an informed decision about what is right for you.

It’s worth noting that minimal requires little to no commitment, while severe requires the equivalent of a full-time job or full-time student.

How should you pick a school?

In order to pick the best music production school that is right for you, we’d recommend starting with a budget, and then narrowing things down from there. We would never recommend anyone go into serious debt or finance something they can’t afford, even if it is a passion of yours.

Next, consider exactly what you want to learn. If you want to learn about a specific focus like sound design or composition, that will drastically affect the course you end up signing up for. Make sure you have a clear vision of what you want to achieve.

After you’ve sorted out your budget and your key focus areas (it’s ok if your focus is everything by the way — most schools offer a complete solution) you should consider the type of commitment you’re willing to make.

How much time do you have to devote to music production? How much work and mental stress are you willing to take on to achieve your goals? This will also inform your preferred learning style and whether you want to attend a physical music production school or an online music production school.

That said, let’s get into our 25 best music production schools in the world today by focusing on schools that get you real results.

Featuring notable alumni like Jauz, NGHTMRE, Slander & Kayzo, Icon Collective is a Los Angeles based program that teaches you core technical skills while also unlocking your unique creative process.

The price might be steep and the commitment might be intense, but it is hard to argue that a more complete solution for music production education exists.

Although Icon Collective also offers both a vocal artist and music business focus, we’re strictly referring to the music production focus, which caters to all levels of music production, from beginners to advanced.

At 12 months in length, the Flagship Music Production Program is extensive, and at 30 hours per week, you’ll essentially become a full-time student which will require you to move to Los Angeles.

Who is Icon Collective for?

Someone who lives near or is willing to relocate to Los Angeles, California to take a complete, electronic music production program focused on artist development.

To learn more about Icon Collective, click here.

Of course, we couldn’t put together a list of the best music production schools without including our very own flagship course. The Hyperbits Masterclass is an intensive 8-week program that also offers an entire year of live classes and office hours.

Built by a small collective of artists first, not just educators, this program is perhaps the most efficient school because it does not cater to beginners, and is specifically built for intermediate to advanced producers attempting to achieve professional quality music.

To be completely honest, we likely are able to set our program apart from the rest because we have one singular goal — to help students conquer advanced music production. And we do that through our unique course content, individualized homework and feedback, group live sessions, office hours and an online community that encourages and fosters growth.

Plus, you’ll get access to tons of educational discounts off of some of the most popular music production software, including up to 50% off Fabfilter, Izotope, Sonnox, Output Sounds, Waves, and tons more.

The results have been nothing short of incredible in just a few short years of running the class. You can take a look at 165+ reviews from the Hyperbits Masterclass or check out 20+ epic Masterclass alumni spotlights.

Who is the Hyperbits Masterclass for?

An intermediate to an advanced producer who wants to sound as good as (or better than) his favorite artists, without having to attend a physical school, relocate or break the bank.

To learn more about the Hyperbits Masterclass, click here.

The complete program at Pyramind, located in the heart of San Francisco, is an intensive 1-year music, post-production, and sound for picture and games, career-building course.

Perhaps one of the coolest perks of signing up with Pyramind is access to 4 different studio rooms where students can work with industry-standard gear in great-sounding rooms.

An intensive curriculum that covers everything from sound design to mixing & mastering, Ableton Live to Logic Pro, and game audio training to live performance.

Who is Pyramind for?

Someone who lives near or is willing to relocate to San Francisco, CA to take a complete, career-focused music production program for 6 months.

To learn more about Pyramind, click here.

Located in Eagle Rock in Southern California, Beat Lab Academy offers beginner to advanced electronic music production courses using Ableton Live.

Perhaps the coolest feature of Beat Lab is that students get access to their physical studios for life which really speaks to the community Beat Lab is trying to build. They attempt to offer education specific to building a career in music, with a focus on community-driven networking and collaboration.

We’ve heard nothing but positive feedback and great things regarding the Beat Lab Academy and educational process, and we look forward to seeing this school grow. If you’re located in the Los Angeles area, it is certainly worth considering their complete Beat Lab Certification program.

Who is Beat Lab Academy for?

Someone who lives near or is willing to relocate to Eagle Rock, CA to take a complete, career-focused music production program for 6 months.

To learn more about Beat Lab Academy, click here.

Liveschool is a bit of a lesser-known educational institution globally but is perhaps the most well-known option coming out of the southern hemisphere in Sydney, Australia.

Liveschool promises to help you produce music to the best of your abilities by curating award-winning artists to teach you their proven and innovative techniques.

With an impressive list of instructors and guest lecturers like Flume and Mr. Bill, Liveschool is an excellent option for music producers currently based near Sydney.

They offer a variety of classes and intensive programs to choose from.

Who is Liveschool for?

Music producers who live in Australia or plan to relocate to Sydney and are looking for intensive Ableton-guided education from an impressive faculty of curated artists and educators.

To learn more about Liveschool Labs click here.

Initially a London based school, Point Blank has expanded to Los Angeles, China, Ibiza, and Mumbai, making it perhaps the largest electronic music school and network in the world.

With over 50,000 students worldwide, Point Blank caters to new producers and beginners, offering complete solutions with an extensive array of courses and choices.

Featuring an active blog and Youtube channel, Point Blank's goal has been to demonstrate the creative process of making music at the highest level, and their state of the art studios and equipment can surely help.

The only complaint we’ve ever received about Point Blank’s programs is that they tend to move a bit slowly, but if you’re a beginner, this could be a very good thing.

Who is Point Blank for?

Beginners who live or plan to relocate to Los Angeles, China, Ibiza, or Mumbai and are looking for a complete, severe commitment style program to learn music production from the ground up.

To learn more about Point Blank click here.

Sound Fly is an interesting concept because it pairs you, the student, with a mentor throughout their educational process.

Soundfly built their model with the concept of active learning — the idea that humans learn best by doing. Their courses implement practice every week, with feedback, accountability, and help from a personal expert mentor along the way.

The only room for concern is that with such a large instructor base, the experience will likely differ with each instructor and/or mentor you are paired up with.

That said, Soundfly features a large variety of courses to choose from at a fairly affordable price, so it could be worth trying if you struggle in any one specific area and like the idea of being paired with a mentor.

Who is Sound Fly for?

Students who want to be paired up with a mentor online to go through a specific topic or course inside of music production.

Learn more about Sound Fly here.

Our clear-cut winner when it comes to education for beginners, EDM Foundations provides value you’d normally only get from an intensive or severe commitment style course. And since the course is self-paced, you can make it as intensive or lax as you’d like.

Whether you’re in Ableton or FL Studio (their Logic intensive is coming soon), you will get specific training to help you finish your first 4 projects in less than 6 weeks.

Much like Hyperbits, EDMprod is a small team of passionate music producers whose livelihood is tied to the success of their students. No bureaucracy or corporate nonsense — EDM Foundations focuses on results, and we love them for their thorough, no-nonsense approach.

Who is EDM Foundations for?

Beginners using Ableton or FL Studio who want to test the waters of music production with a highly reputable, effective and results-oriented online program.

To learn more about EDM Foundations click here.

There isn’t all that much information about Finish More Music online, but we’re fairly positive that will change soon as we’ve heard some great things about this program.

Brought to you by the same educators that brought you Quantize courses, Finish More Music (FMM) is the brainchild of Keith Mills. FMM is a training system and online community that helps music producers transition from finishing little or no music to regularly releasing their tracks.

Keith Mills also runs a podcast and video blog, so it’s worth seeing if his style resonates with you as a music producer — as the membership is fairly affordable. It appears that the FMM focus is on workflow and prioritizing finishing music above all else, which is one of our absolute biggest priorities in the Hyperbits Masterclass as well.

After all, if you aren’t finishing any music, it’s extremely difficult to make any progress.

Who is Finish More Music for?

Music producers using any DAW who are looking to focus on improving their mindset, workflow and finishing more music via a month to month membership style course.

To learn more about Finish More Music click here.

Noiselab is a community of Ableton producers and electronic musicians teaching music production online. They have a litany of courses available via their membership site, but what drew our attention to this school is the Music Production Bootcamp.

Once you look deeper into this program, the Music Production Bootcamp covers three separate 6-week intensive courses diving into composition and beat making, followed by synthesis and sound design, and finally concluded with arranging, mixing and mastering.

One thing we like a lot about the Noiselab model is the versatility. Students can choose to partake in only one portion of the Music Production Bootcamp at $800 per course. If you decide to sign up for all three, you’ll save 20%.

Who is Noiselab for?

Beginners who are looking for a solid online introduction into a composition, sound design and mixing, and mastering.

To learn more about Noiselab click here.

After the sketchy collapse of Dubspot, New York City became home to another electronic music production school, founded by Ableton Certified Trainer Max Wild and Barcelona-born DJ Nacho Isa.

343 Labs provides free weekly events such as masterclasses, artist showcases, feedback sessions, the Ableton User Group meetup, as well as performance opportunities for their students.

On top of their various services, 343 Labs promises small classes (3-5 students) and structured mentorship, even after their classes end, helping students not only master electronic music production skills, but even secure performances in local NYC nightclubs.

In January 2020, 343 Labs were awarded the recognition of an Ableton Certified Training Center which helps their cause as a school for beginners.

Perhaps the only knock on 343 Labs at the moment is that they don’t seem to offer an all-in-one complete educational solution, but we’re sure they will offer that in the near future (even if it’s just a bundle of their current offerings).

Who is 343 Labs for?

Beginner students who live in NYC or plan to relocate to NYC and are looking for a short, less-intensive educational commitment.

To learn more about 343 Labs click here.

Run by one of the earlier Youtubers adopters in the music production industry (Graham Cockrin started uploaded videos back in 2007), Recording Revolution features courses built for beginners who are brand new to music production.

Recording Revolution promotes using your DAW’s stock plugins, which makes their system great for producers who don’t want to invest in third-party plugins and who want a simple, straight forward, bare-bones solution.

The low price point combined with the Recording Revolution methodology makes this a viable solution. One caveat, if you are specifically looking to produce electronic music, Graham’s programs are more catered towards acoustic and rock style productions.

Who is Recording Revolution for?

Beginners who are making acoustic or rock-influenced music and who are looking for an affordable, simple option teaching with stock plugins in Pro Tools or Logic.

To learn more about Recording Revolution click here.

Housing one of the more robust Youtube channels and blogs we’ve ever come across, Musician on a Mission is a more up to date offering compared to the Recording Revolution.

With focuses across a variety of disciplines, Musician on a MIssion is extremely thorough and precise in their offerings and teachings, making it one of our favorite online schools for learning music production online.

Again, the focus here is not electronic music, so if you’re strictly into acoustic or rock-influenced music, you can’t go wrong with their courses.

Who is Musician on a Mission for?

Beginners who are making acoustic or rock-influenced music who are looking for an affordable, simple option working in Logic Pro with stock plugins.

To learn more about Musician On a Mission click here.

Located in Boston, Massachusetts and Valencia, Spain, Berklee is perhaps the most reputable and honored school, college or university in all of music education.

Historically, as a student of Berklee, you need to have a principle focus instrument — something like a piano, violin, guitar, etc. But as of just last year, one of the instruments you can select is a DAW (like Ableton), which really speaks to the changing times in the modern music landscape and something that gets us very excited.

Specifically, Berklee’s Music Production program features 51 different undergraduate courses, which are best for students looking to meet a specific need, or simply want to get started with Berklee Online.

From there, Berklee offers 3 graduate-level certificate programs, 5 advanced professional certificate programs, and 10 professional certificate programs, as well as 4 different bachelor degree choices.

Overall, Berklee might appear to be just like any other university, but when you really dig into their programs and alumni base, you realize there’s a lot more to the story, as their students have combined for over 290+ grammy wins.

Who is the Berklee College of Music for?

Berklee is for students who want to add Berklee to their resume (let’s face it, that name will always pop out) and take advantage of Berklee’s vast network while studying music production.

Learn more about the Berklee College of Music here.

Full Sail University, located in Florida in the United States, hosts an array of educational programs in music and the greater arts. Their music production bachelor of science degree program is designed to provide a thorough and comprehensive understanding of music creation and production.

The program starts by covering concepts such as music theory and composition, where you’ll explore an array of complex procedures and applications used in the music production industry.

Coursework ranges from digital audio principles and digital workstation technology to advanced audio production and engineering techniques.

Plus, the campus is incredible, capped by an annual ‘Hall of Fame’ celebration that brings industry experts and professionals to speak on campus for an entire week.

In 2020 alone, it is estimated that over 140 graduates from Full Sail worked on Oscar-nominated films alone. This means the alumni network is dense and could offer plenty of opportunities down the road.

Who is Full Sail University for?

Producers looking to get a bachelor’s degree specifically in music production or a bachelor’s degree in one of many other fields in the creative arts.

Learn more about Full Sail University here.

SAE Institute has been around for a long time. And with 51 campuses across 25 different countries, there is likely a program that is close to where you live right now.

While the offerings vary from country to country and school to school, SAE institute offers programs in animation, audio, creative media, film and games.

The purposes of this article, we are strictly focusing on their Audio Bachelors of Applied Science program, covering advanced subjects including studio production, mastering, sound design, game audio, projection mapping, and creative coding.

The program is intense and expensive, but expect a thorough breakdown of everything you’ll need to learn in the music production industry.

Who is SAE Institute for?

Students looking for an official institution that offers higher-education and can provide accreditation in the form of bachelor's degree.

Learn more about the SAE Institute here.

Toolroom Academy is an intensive offering in the techno, house, tech house and deep house space. They offer a suite of educational programs, services, and events around the world — breaking down the barrier that often exists between new talent and record labels.

As one of the leading independent labels in dance music, Toolroom Academy is in a good space to be able to push artistic development and boundaries, even if it is within the constraints of their specific vision and sound.

As an artist, if you can afford it and if you are specifically only making house music, this is certainly a course to consider as you work your way through this list.

Who is Toolroom Academy for?

Beginner and intermediate producers who are looking for an intensive/severe commitment style course that offers artistic development within the house and techno space.

Learn more about Toolroom Academy here.

Taught by bass music aficionados Au5, this genre-specific sound design, and synthesis course is perhaps the best available option if you’re into bass music.

The School of Bass will take you through various creative processes ranging from synthesis, resampling, filtering, and processing techniques. They promise to help you think like an engineer, regardless of your current skill level.

At a fair price point, this is a no brainer if you plan on making any style related to bass music, whether that is trap, dubstep, or the heavier sides of future bass.

Who is School of Bass for?

For beginner, intermediate and advanced producers who want to dive deeper into the creation and synthesis of bass music via an affordable, online course.

Learn more about School of Bass here.

Armin’s Masterclass is a deep dive into the world of trance, progressive house and electronic dance music. If you are making those specific genres, it’s a must grab at the price point.

In this 33 lesson course, Armin actually creates a complete track that includes vocal production and various forms of collaboration. Out of the Masterclass music production courses, it is by far our favorite for its depth of knowledge and actionable strategies and information.

Will you come out of this course as a professional in music production? Absolutely not. But you will pick up a few cool techniques and strategies.

Who is the Armin Masterclass for?

Fans of Armin Van Buuren, as well as beginners who are looking to learn from one of their idols.

Learn more about the Armin Masterclass here.

Deadmau5 is notorious for his sound. His progressive and melodic style is very much the thing that defines the music he makes. So what better way to mimic his success than to learn directly from the source?

Not meant to be an all-encompassing solution, the Deadmau5 Masterclass is a confidence booster. In 23 lessons, it will show you the struggles and nuances that Joel fights through when constructing his music. And for the price? We think it’s worth every cent.

Who is the Deadmau5 Masterclass for?

Fans of Deadmau5, as well as beginners who are looking to learn from one of their idols in the electronic music landscape.

Learn more about the Deadmau5 Masterclass here.

From Pirates of Caribbean to The Dark Knight to Interstellar, Hans Zimmer is one of the most prolific film scorers of all time. The Hans Zimmer Masterclass features 31 lessons breaking down his creative process, featuring movie breakdowns, as well as writing tips you can apply to your next song, track or movie.

By no means is this course an exhaustive solution to your educational needs, but it is certainly worth a skim through. At only $15 per month, it’s an extremely small price to pay for the perspective of one of the greatest composers of our time.

Who is the Hans Zimmer Masterclass for?

Fans of Hans Zimmer, as well as beginner producers and composers who are looking to learn from one of the most prolific movie scorers of all time.

Learn about the Hans Zimmer Masterclass here.

One of the most successful producers of all time, Timbaland lets you into his creative space by working on the creation of a beat from scratch. He also shows you how he tweaks and layers drums, and even breaks down several origins of his successful tracks in the past.

Along with a downloadable workbook, the class includes two exclusive new songs, as well as stems you can use to create remixes or original tracks of your own.

Who is the Timbaland Masterclass for?

Fans of Timbaland, as well as beginners who are looking to get a solid introduction into beat making and the mindset of one of the most successful producers of all time.

Learn about the Timbaland Masterclass here.

Sonic Academy is the best membership site we’ve come across in the music production landscape. With instructors like Lane8, Audien, Gareth Emory, Ilan Bluestone, Matt Lange, and Ferry Corsten, there is a litany of high-level education happening here.

Sonic Academy is also known for its plugins (Kick 2, Ana 2, etc.), and while that has nothing to do with its educational platform, I do feel like Sonic Academy is quite in touch with the needs of the modern electronic music producer in the industry.

At the end of the day, with the cheap price point and the large instructor base, Sonic Academy is certainly worth diving into.

Who is Sonic Academy for?

The beginner producer who is looking to learn from talented artists and wants to improve their production skills in a very cost-effective way.

Learn more about Sonic Academy here.

Featuring a library of thousands of courses and offerings, Cymatics, a company originally known for its sample packs and soundbanks, recently launched an impressive educational platform.

This membership site provides courses for every skill level, whether you’re at a beginner, intermediate or advanced skill level.

Academy.fm also provides plenty of free courses to help you learn Ableton, Logic or FL studio which if you’re a true beginner, are likely worth jumping into.

Who is Academy.fm for?

The beginner to intermediate producer who is looking for an extensive library of educational material across all facets of music production at a fair price point.

Learn more about Academy.fm here.

With thousands of courses offered by ADSR covering a litany of topics in the music production realm, the sheer amount of knowledge is overwhelming. With only a $14 commitment to get in, it might be worth checking out the various instructors to see if any specific style of education resonates with you.

With instructors like Echo Sound Works, Bass Guerilla, Ryan Enzed, SeamlessR and Tritonal, ADSR boasts some very prominent educators, and again, at the price point, I think this is worth hopping into to pick up a few tips here and there.

Will you become a prolific music producer after joining this membership site? Likely not, but it can provide a simple and straightforward starting point.

Who is ADSR for?

The beginner producer who is looking for something slightly better than Youtube and wants to improve their production skills in a very cost-effective way.

Learn more about ADSR here.

These Might Also Interest You:

The 9 Best Ways to Learn Electronic Music Production

5 Ways to Find Your Sound as a Music Producer

Hyperbits Masterclass Student Spotlight: Nurko