MAKE SOME WAVES semester no2//

“This journey changed my life. I really appreciate all that I learned from the course.” — Antonio D.F., Make Some Waves · Berlin School of Sound

“The instructors were the real thing — people who actually live this music.” — Make Some Waves participant · Berlin School of Sound

12 weeks. Your compositions. Your voice. Your live set.

Make Some Waves Semester 2 is where foundation becomes creation.

You already know the tools. Now you use them. Over 12 weeks you’ll compose complete tracks, build complex modular patches, learn harmony from one of Berlin’s finest jazz pianists, and perform your work live at ACUD at the end of the semester.

This semester adds something Semester 1 doesn’t have: Nadia Struiwigh — Tresor Berlin resident, Dekmantel artist, one of the most distinctive voices in European electronic music — closes the semester in the final two weeks.

3 groups available · Max 10 students per group · 44 hours total

Choose your group

Group 1 — Mondays · 17:30–21:30 Group 2 — Tuesdays · 17:30–21:30 Group 3 — Wednesdays · 17:30–21:30

11 sessions × 4 hours = 44 hours per group · Starting February 2026

By the end of the semester you will:

→ Have composed complete electronic music tracks from concept to finished production → Know how to apply music theory — harmony, scales, chord progressions — to your own work → Master advanced Ableton Live production and arrangement → Create complex generative compositions using modular synthesizers → Have mixed and mastered your own tracks at a professional level → Have performed live with hardware and software at ACUD Kunsthaus → Have a portfolio and demo reel you can actually send to labels and promoters → Have direct connections to Berlin’s electronic music scene

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Your Instructors

RETHE Berlin-based producer and live performer. Releases on ARTS, Illegal Alien and BCCO. Expert at track selection, storytelling through music, and hardware/software integration. Core instructor at Berlin School of Sound.

Stéphane Lefrançois Drummer, recording engineer, performing artist and teacher based in Berlin. Studios in London, Ibiza and Berlin. Founder of Secret Music label. Leads the modular synthesis curriculum at Berlin School of Sound.

Igor Zavatski Berlin-based jazz pianist and contemporary music educator. His lecture on harmony and chords was described by students from the last edition as one of the highlights of the entire semester.

Nadia Struiwigh Dutch electronic musician, DJ and live performer based in Berlin. Tresor resident. Releases on Dekmantel, Central Processing Unit, Nous’klaer Audio, Blueprint and SPAT*R. Her work moves between ambient depth, jungle energy and hypnotic techno — always hardware, always intuition, always in motion.

Special Guest · Week 12 · To be announced Past editions have included internationally recognized Berlin-based artists. Stay tuned.

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Course Structure

Weeks 1–2 — Advanced Ableton Live Production Instructor: RETHE

Week 1 — Compositional Workflow & Arrangement Building tracks from initial idea to full arrangement. Advanced arrangement techniques. Creating narrative and progression in electronic music. Session vs Arrangement view strategies. Practical: start a track from scratch in class.

Week 2 — Sound Design for Composition Designing sounds that serve the composition. Advanced synthesis in Ableton — Wavetable, Operator. Sampling and resampling as compositional tools. Building custom instrument racks. MIDI effects for generative composition.

Weeks 3–4 — Modular Synthesis Instructor: Stéphane Lefrançois

Week 3 — Composing with Modular Systems Generative composition techniques. Creating evolving musical structures. Sequencing strategies, clock division, polyrhythms. Recording modular performances. Practical: create a complete modular composition.

Week 4 — Collaborative Modular Jamming Multi-person modular patching. Synchronizing multiple systems. Listening and responding in a collaborative context. Integrating modular with DAW workflow. Group project begins.

Week 5 — Jazz Harmony & Music Theory Instructor: Igor Zavatski

Week 5 — Harmony, Chords & Modal Composition Major and minor harmony. Chord construction — triads, 7ths, extended chords. Common progressions in electronic music. Jazz harmony basics — extensions and substitutions. Modal scales — Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian. Scale selection for mood and atmosphere. Practical: building progressions in MIDI.

“The lecture with the jazz pianist was genius.” — student, Make Some Waves Semester 1

Weeks 6–7 — Back to Ableton: Mixing & Live Performance Instructor: RETHE

Week 6 — Mixing & Creative Processing Mixing as a compositional tool. Advanced EQ, compression, dynamics. Creative reverb, delay, and modulation. Parallel processing. Sidechain beyond kick-bass. Mid-side processing for width.

Week 7 — Live Performance Setup in Ableton Preparing sets for live performance. Session view performance techniques. MIDI mapping and controller integration. Looping and live sampling. Building a performance-ready set.

Weeks 8–9 — Advanced Modular & Collaborative Composition Instructor: Stéphane Lefrançois

Week 8 — Advanced Patching for Live Performance Building performable modular systems. Feedback and controlled chaos. Modular effects processing. Performance practice and troubleshooting.

Week 9 — Finalizing Collaborative Pieces Finishing and polishing collaborative tracks. Performance preparation. Technical riders for modular live sets. Final rehearsal.

Weeks 10–11 — Hardware, Intuition & Sound Identity Instructor: Nadia Struiwigh

Week 10 — Finding Your Sound Identity How to develop a distinctive artistic voice. Hardware-based performance philosophy. Working intuitively with electronics. Nadia’s approach to composition and live performance.

Week 11 — Performance & Presence Building a live set with hardware. Improvisation and control. Stage presence and energy. Preparing for the final showcase.

Week 12 — Special Guest To be announced · Berlin-based international artist

The final week closes the semester with a special guest from Berlin’s electronic music scene. Stay tuned for the announcement.

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Your Final Project

→ Solo composition — one complete electronic music track (4–8 min), professionally mixed and mastered, with written artist statement → Collaborative composition — one track made with fellow students (4–8 min) → Live performance — 10–15 minutes at the final showcase at ACUD → Portfolio — updated artist bio, demo reel, SoundCloud/Bandcamp presence

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What’s included

→ 44 hours of instruction across 12 sessions → RETHE, Stéphane Lefrançois, Igor Zavatski, Nadia Struiwigh + special guest → Maximum 10 participants per group → Full access to ACUD studio — Eurorack systems, Ableton Live 12 Suite, Genelec monitors, Universal Audio & RME interfaces, Push, Launchpad, hardware synths and drum machines → Group critiques and peer feedback sessions → Public final showcase concert at ACUD Kunsthaus → Certificate of completion

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What you need to bring

→ Completion of Make Some Waves Semester 1 — or equivalent experience → Basic Ableton Live knowledge → Own laptop with Ableton Live 10 or later → Professional headphones → USB drive for project backup → Notebook → Commitment to all 12 sessions

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Details

📅 Starting February 2026 · 12 weeks ⏰ 17:30–21:30 · Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday 📍 ACUD Kunsthaus, Veteranenstraße 21, 10119 Berlin-Mitte 👥 3 groups · max 10 participants each 🌍 English

Questions? Write to us at makesomewaves@berlinschoolofsound.com — we reply within 24 hours.