“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 to mix and master at a professional level, 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 — joins the teaching roster for the first time.

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

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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

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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

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. No two performances are ever the same. Joining Berlin School of Sound for the first time in Semester 2.

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.

Music Theory Instructor — Jazz pianist and contemporary music educator. TBD.

Guest Producers — Two established Berlin-based electronic music producers. TBD.

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Course Structure

Module I — Music Theory Foundations · Weeks 1 & 4

Week 1 — Harmony & Chord Progressions
Major and minor harmony. Chord construction — triads, 7ths, extended chords. Common progressions in electronic music. Jazz harmony basics. Tension and release in composition. Practical: building progressions in MIDI.

Week 4 — Scales & Modal Composition
Major and minor scales. Modal scales — Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian. Pentatonic and chromatic scales. Scale selection for mood and atmosphere. Melodic composition in an electronic context.

Module II — Advanced Ableton Live Production · Weeks 2–3 & 7–8

Instructor: RETHE

Week 2 — 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 3 — 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.

Week 7 — 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 8 — 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.

Module III — Modular Synthesis & Collaborative Composition · Weeks 5–6 & 9–10

Instructor: Stéphane Lefrançois

Week 5 — 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 6 — 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 9 — Advanced Patching for Live Performance
Building performable modular systems. Feedback and controlled chaos. Modular effects processing. Performance practice and troubleshooting.

Week 10 — Finalizing Collaborative Pieces
Finishing and polishing collaborative tracks. Performance preparation. Technical riders for modular live sets. Final rehearsal.

Module IV — Master Producers Series · Weeks 11–12

Week 11 — Guest Producer #1
Personal approach to composition and production. Berlin electronic music aesthetics. Studio workflow demonstration. Q&A and individual feedback.

Week 12 — Guest Producer #2
Alternative production approach and perspective. Live electronic performance techniques. Final project feedback and career guidance. Networking and scene integration.

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Your Final Project

Each student creates and presents:

→ 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 11 sessions
• Nadia Struiwigh, RETHE, Stéphane Lefrançois + 2 guest producers
• 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 (your choice)
📍 ACUD Kunsthaus, Veteranenstraße 21, 10119 Berlin-Mitte
👥 3 groups · max 10 participants each
🌍 English

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Questions?

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