“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. 6 working artists. Your music — from scratch to stage.

Make Some Waves is Berlin School of Sound’s flagship semester program in sound design and music production.

Over 12 weeks, you’ll move through sound art, live electronics, modular synthesis, game audio, audiovisual performance, music production, mixing and mastering — each module taught by a different working artist from Berlin’s scene.

You won’t study music from the outside. You’ll make it, perform it, and present it on stage at ACUD at the end of the semester.

3 groups available · 7–10 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 14 September 2026

---

By the end of the semester you will:

→ Have created original music and sound art compositions
→ Know how to operate modular synthesizers and electronic instruments
→ Understand music production, mixing, and mastering at a professional level
→ Have worked with game audio tools — FMOD, Wwise, Unreal Engine
→ Know how AI tools fit into modern production workflow
→ Have performed your work live on stage at ACUD Kunsthaus
→ Have a portfolio you can actually show people

---

Course Structure

Module I — Sound Art Foundations · Weeks 1–2

Instructor: Antje Vowinckel

Week 1 — Audio Editing & Sound Art
Basic DAW operation (Pro Tools). Analysis of pioneering works — Henri Chopin, Isidore Isou. Deep listening exercises. Introduction to experimental composition.

Week 2 — Text and Sound as Intermedia
Sound poetry fundamentals. Experimental spoken word techniques. Hands-on microphone and voice recording. Basic audio editing. Language-based sound works.

Module II — Ableton Live & Elektron Samplers · Weeks 3–4

Instructor: RETHE

Week 3 — Live Performance Techniques
Combining hardware and software — Elektron Digitakt, Digitone, Ableton Live. Creative control behind the machines.

Week 4 — Live Performance & Set Building
Building a complete live set from scratch. Structure, flow, and creative decision-making in performance.

Module III — Modular Synthesis & Electronics · Weeks 5–6

Instructor: Stéphane Lefrançois

Week 5 — Introduction to Modular Synthesis
Fundamentals, patch cables, signal routing, oscillators, filters, envelope generators. Understanding voltage control. Your first ambient and drone compositions.

Week 6 — Complex Patching & Generative Systems
Cross-modulation, feedback loops, sequencers and randomisation. Creating evolving textures and self-playing systems. Modular in live performance.

Module IV — Game Audio & Interactive Sound · Week 7

Instructor: Dario Beckmann

Week 7 — Game Audio & Interactive Sound
Music for games — FMOD, Unreal Engine, Wwise. Interactive audio design. Adaptive music systems. Game sound effects and environmental audio. Berlin School of Sound is Germany’s only private Wwise Partner School.

Module V — Performance & Media Art · Week 8

Instructor: Georg Werner

Week 8 — Audiovisual Installation & Performance
Fundamentals of audiovisual installation art. Spatial sound design for gallery spaces. Performance art with sound. Body, voice, and space in performance. Professional documentation and portfolio building.

Module VI — Production & Technology · Weeks 9–11

Instructor: Henning Grambow

Week 9 — Electronic Music Production
Music production fundamentals. Studio workflow. Ableton Live and Pro Tools. Recording techniques.

Week 10 — Advanced Production & Sound Design
Professional mixing techniques. Mastering principles. AI plugins in production. Music business basics — publishing, sync licensing, royalties. Sound design for film and media.

Week 11 — Advanced Mixing & Mastering
Parallel processing. Spatial audio. Mastering chain architecture. LUFS and reference standards. Genre-specific mastering. AI mastering tools — when to use them and when not to. Students mix their own compositions from previous weeks.

Week 12 – Final Concert at ACUD Kunsthaus — your work performed live in front of an audience. Friends, family, Berlin’s music community. This is what the semester has been building toward.

---

Your Final Project

Each student creates:
→ A 5–10 minute sound composition or installation
→ Written documentation of the creative process
→ A short presentation of concept and methodology
→ A technical rider for live performance (if applicable)

---

What’s included

• 44 hours of instruction across 11 sessions
• 6 working Berlin artists as instructors
• Maximum 10 participants per group
• Access to modular synthesizer systems, recording equipment, field recording devices, microphones, mixing desk, monitors, turntables and DJ equipment
• Group critiques and peer feedback sessions
• Public final concert at ACUD Kunsthaus
• Certificate of completion

---

What you need to bring

→ Basic computer literacy
→ Your own headphones (professional recommended)
→ A notebook
→ Openness to experiment and collaborate
→ Basic English (for technical instructions)

No music production experience required.

---

Pricing

€1,300

50:50 payment available — pay the first half at the start, second half after Module 6.

---

Details

📅 Starting 14 September 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
🎓 No prior experience needed

---

Questions?

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