Online music production courses provide you with the skills and know-how to utilize industry-standard music production software to create, edit, and distribute original songs. There are many options, and it can be difficult to sift through the available courses and figure out what’s worth your time and money. To help you narrow down your choices, we’ve reviewed the 10 best online music production courses below.
- Coursera — Music Production Specialization — Top Pick
- Skillshare — Blueprint to Beatmaking — Best for Hip-Hop
- Skillshare — Ableton Live I: The First Steps of Digital Music Production — Best for Beginners
- MasterClass — Timbaland Teaches Producing and Beatmaking — Best for Artistic Inspiration
- MasterClass — deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music Production — Best for Electronic Music/EDM
- LinkedIn Learning — Audio Mixing Masterclass — Best for Hands-On Exercises
- LinkedIn Learning — Music Production Secrets — Best for Insider Tips
- Noiselab — Electronic Music Production Level 1 — Best for DAW Tutorial
- Udemy — Music + Audio Production in Logic Pro X – The Complete Guide — Best for Mac Users
- Udemy — FL Studio 21 – Music Production In FL Studio 21 for Mac & PC — Best for FL Studio
Our Ranking Criteria
The top online music production courses provide inspiration, clear instructions on making the best use of music production software, and the skills needed to develop, create, and refine your music. We researched 30 online music production courses before narrowing down to the top 10 in this guide. We used the following criteria when deciding which programs to include and which to leave out.
Basic ranking criteria
Before committing to an online course, you should know the time required to complete the course, whether any prerequisites are required, how flexible the schedule is, and what sort of certificate you can earn upon completion. That’s why we looked at four basic factors for each online music production course covered in this guide.
Time to complete. You should be able to complete your online music production course relatively quickly to create tangible products (songs). The courses in this guide take anywhere from a few hours to five months to complete. They are all self-paced, so the time to complete is ultimately up to you.
Prerequisites required. None of the courses covered in this guide require any prerequisites. If you have no music creation or production background, you can dive straight into any of the courses and start learning.
Flexible schedule. Most people are strapped for time so we selected self-paced, part-time courses with flexible schedules to best suit your needs.
Certificate of completion. Some courses in this guide offer certificates of completion, which are valuable additions to your resume.
Advanced ranking criteria
The basic criteria mentioned above are relevant to nearly all online courses. Listed below are some of the key factors specific to music production.
- The course covers a variety of music production skills, from composition and songwriting to recording and sound engineering to mixing and mastering.
- The instructors are skilled teachers with first-hand experience as successful music producers.
- The course’s effectiveness has been proven by graduates successfully producing music or advancing in their music-related careers.
- The course utilizes hands-on, project-based exercises that help students learn by doing.
- The course provides students with clear, step-by-step instructions for using industry-standard music production software.
- The course acquaints students with important techniques, vocabulary, and norms within music production.
- The course walks students through the entire process of creating a song so that they have at least one polished piece of music by the end.
10 Best Online Music Production Courses
Coursera
Music Production Specialization
Intelligent Award: Top Pick
Coursera’s Music Production Specialization is offered by the Berklee College of Music. It’s a bundle of four courses on the following topics: the art of music production, the technology of music production, Pro Tools basics, and a music production capstone project. Whether you take one course or all four, you’re automatically enrolled in the Music Production Specialization bundle and can return to the courses at a later date. The material is self-paced, so you can complete the course faster or slower depending on your needs. Coursera provides financial aid opportunities to students who cannot afford the course fee.
- Price: $49 per month
- Time to complete: Approximately 1 month (at 10 hours per week)
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? The comprehensiveness of this course and the flexible scheduling, top-notch instructors, and reasonable price point make this a great option for anyone interested in learning what it takes to produce music.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Flexible scheduling and pricing. | More of a time commitment. |
| Top-notch instructors. | |
| Hands-on capstone project. |
Skillshare
Blueprint to Beatmaking
Intelligent Award: Best for Hip-Hop
Skillshare’s Blueprint to Beatmaking course offers a seven-day free trial — after that, you’ll need to pay a $99 annual membership fee. The course is about five hours long, so it can reasonably be completed within the free seven days. Blueprint to Beatmaking is very user-friendly and provides a step-by-step system for producing hip-hop music. Lessons are short, actionable, and engaging. The clear and simple system saves you time and effort, allowing you to quickly dive into making music. The course includes a hands-on class project.
- Price: Free 7-day trial, then $99 per year
- Time to complete: 5 hours, 4 minutes
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: No
Who should take this course? Anyone seeking an introductory course geared toward hip-hop and beats should consider this course. The time commitment and money are minimal, so it’s perfect for exploring music production.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Possible to complete the entire course for free. | A condensed course that due to time constraints does not go very deep. |
| Short, actionable course with a clear step-by-step system. | |
| Taught by an industry professional. |
Skillshare
Ableton Live I: The First Steps of Digital Music Production
Intelligent Award: Best for Beginners
This course is the first in a four-part series that reviews how to use Ableton Live, one of the most popular and user-friendly digital audio workstations available. The short length of Ableton Live I: The First Steps of Digital Music Production makes it well suited to beginners, as it is just over an hour. By the end of the course, students can navigate Ableton Live and use it to warp three audio clips so they play at the same speed.
- Price: Free 7-day trial, then $99 per year
- Time to complete: 1 hour, 8 minutes
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: No
Who should take this course? This introductory course is great for beginners considering using Ableton Live and wanting a quick rundown of the navigation and key features. The time commitment is low, and you can take the course for free during the trial period.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Very beginner-friendly. | Limited scope. |
| Low time commitment. | |
| Taught by a DAW expert. |
MasterClass
Timbaland Teaches Producing and Beatmaking
Intelligent Award: Best for Artistic Inspiration
This MasterClass course allows you to learn the ins and outs of producing and beatmaking from a master of the craft, Timbaland. The course walks you through Timbaland’s process for building a beat and shows you how a successful music producer works from the ground up. In addition to learning the process behind some of the biggest hip-hop hits of the past two decades, students get exercises to try out their music and emulate Timbaland’s process. Timbaland’s masterclass is less technical and more personality-driven, as it’s about seeing a music production master at work. The course does not walk you through the step-by-step process of using music production software but gives rare insights into the artistic process of music production.
- Price: $120 per year
- Time to complete: 3 hours, 2 minutes
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: No
Who should take this course? This course is great for people looking for music production inspiration. The entire course can be completed in a few hours, making it a good choice for those short on time who want to peek behind the curtain of music production.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Flexible scheduling. | Less technical and actionable than other courses. |
| Great user experience. | |
| Provides inspiration and a behind-the-scenes look at the industry. |
MasterClass
deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music Production
Intelligent Award: Best for Electronic Music/EDM
In addition to Timbaland’s course, MasterClass offers a course taught by the electronic music phenomenon deadmau5. Like Timbaland’s course, deadmau5’s offers a window into his creative and technical process, showing you how he approaches melodies, mixing, and mastering to create unique, one-of-a-kind sounds. In addition to mini-lessons on topics like turning melodies into arrangements, experimenting with modular synths, and structuring songs, the course also tackles the industry side with mini-lessons on how to start a career in music production, tips for navigating the music business, and what it’s like to perform on stage.
- Price: $120 per year
- Time to complete: 5 hours, 24 minutes
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: No
Who should take this course? This introductory course is great for students interested in electronic music production. It’s more about inspiration than step-by-step techniques, so it’s best for students seeking to gain insights into the music production process and industry quickly.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Flexible scheduling. | Less technical and actionable than other courses. |
| Focuses on inspiration and industry insider tips. | |
| Taught by an electronic music master. |
LinkedIn Learning
Audio Mixing Masterclass
Intelligent Award: Best for Hands-On Exercises
LinkedIn Learning’s Audio Mixing Masterclass, taught by industry favorite Bobby Owsinski, is an intermediate course structured around hands-on exercises that get you to test out new tips, tricks, and strategies. Topics covered include instrument and vocal balance, panning, compression, EQ, reverb, delay, and making your mix as interesting as possible. Whereas most of the other courses in this guide are geared towards beginners, this masterclass is best suited to students with prior knowledge of and experience in music production. The mini-lessons are about five minutes or less and center on highly specific topics related to music production, such as “the pitchy vocal cover-up trick”, “the Tommy Lee thunder drums trick”, and “snappy snare”. Intermediate students can bounce around among the mini-lessons, choosing the most interesting topics.
- Price: $39.99 per month
- Time to complete: 9 hours, 14 minutes
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? Anyone with a music production foundation looking to amp up their skills should take this course. The tips and tricks are nearly endless and actionable.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Tons of mini-topics to choose from. | Not suited to beginners. |
| Top-rated instructor. | Little to no overarching course structure. |
| Some of the most sophisticated and specific tips are available online. |
LinkedIn Learning
Music Production Secrets
Intelligent Award: Best for Insider Tips
LinkedIn Learning’s Music Production Secrets is a series of intermediate tutorials taught by Tape Op magazine founder and Jackpot! Recording Studio owner Larry Crane. With over 20 years of experience, Larry Crane is a great source of industry tips and tricks on topics like “removing snare rings”, “double compressing vocals”, and “auto-panning guitars and keyboards”. The mini-lessons in this course have much in common with the other LinkedIn Learning course featured in this guide, Audio Mixing Masterclass on LinkedIn Learning. This course covers a wider range of topics because it is not focused solely on audio mixing.
- Price: $39.99 per month
- Time to complete: 4 hours, 48 minutes
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? This course is great for intermediate and advanced music producers who want to learn tips and tricks from an industry veteran. The mini-lessons are structured so students can easily pick and choose what they want to listen to and work on.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Very specific, hands-on tips and tricks. | Not suitable for beginners. |
| Taught by an industry veteran. | |
| Tons of content to choose from. |
Noiselab
Electronic Music Production Level 1
Intelligent Award: Best DAW Tutorial
Noiselab’s Electronic Music Production Level 1 course is a great way to familiarize yourself with Ableton Live. This crash course in Ableton Live helps you understand what a DAW is, what makes Ableton Live unique, and how to get started using the software. Learning the functionality and possibilities of this software tool is key to creating great music. Other courses include a DAW tutorial as a component of the course material, but this course centers on teaching you how to use the software step-by-step. It’s a great way to learn the technical ropes before diving into music production. This is the first course in a three-course series.
- Price: Free
- Time to complete: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: No
Who should take this course? This course is perfect for anyone who wants to learn to use Ableton Live but doesn’t know where to start. Investing four hours of your time upfront to learn how to use the software will likely pay off in the long run.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Flexible scheduling. | You can enroll in this course for free, but subsequent courses will cost you. |
| Very beginner-friendly. | |
| Lots of practical tips. |
Udemy
Music + Audio Production in Logic Pro X – The Complete Guide
Intelligent Award: Best for Mac Users
Logic Pro X is a DAW owned by Apple, so the software runs exclusively on Mac OS. Udemy’s course Music + Audio Production in Logic Pro X teaches you the ins and outs of the software so you can navigate the tool like a pro and focus on making music, not troubleshooting the software. The course teaches you the quickest and easiest ways to write music in Logic Pro and aims to help you create professional-quality music. Even if you’ve never written a song before, the course teaches how to assemble a song in under 120 seconds using Apple Loops and MIDI. The price point is relatively high, but discounts are often available. Also, you get a lot of content for your money: 40 hours of on-demand video, 14 articles, two downloadable resources, and full lifetime access to the course.
- Price: $139.99
- Time to complete: 40 hours
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? This course is perfect for students who are willing to invest the time and money needed to master the Logic Pro X software program and take advantage of all of its capabilities.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Very comprehensive. | Relatively high price point. |
| Great for beginners and established musicians alike. | Time commitment may be too steep for some students. |
| Action-oriented and efficient. | Not suitable for Windows users. |
Udemy
FL Studio 21 – Music Production In FL Studio 21 for Mac & PC
Intelligent Award: Best for FL Studio
Like Ableton Live and Logic Pro X, FL Studio is another industry-standard DAW. Udemy’s course FL Studio 21 – Music Production In FL Studio 21 for Mac & PC is a deep dive into the usage of this powerful DAW. Whereas Logic Pro X can be used only on Apple, FL Studio is compatible with both Mac OS and Windows. The course is self-paced, so you can move at your preferred speed. This is a perfect course for beginners, as it starts with what to do before you even download FL Studio and then walks you through every step to creating professional music productions. And although the base price is $139.99, it’s usually available at a much lower discounted rate.
- Price: $139.99
- Time to complete: 28 hours, 52 minutes
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? This course is perfect for students willing to invest the time and money needed to master FL Studio without the hassle of trial and error.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Very comprehensive. | Relatively high price point. |
| Great for beginners and established musicians alike. | Time commitment may be too steep for some students. |
| Suitable for users of both Mac OS and Windows. |
Online Music Production Course Comparison Chart
| Course | Price | Features |
| Coursera — Music Production Specialization — Top Pick | $49 per month | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule ✓ Includes verified certificate of participation |
| Skillshare — Blueprint to Beatmaking — Best for Hip-Hop | $99 per year | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule X Includes verified certificate of participation |
| Skillshare — Ableton Live I: The First Steps of Digital Music Production — Best for Beginners | $99 per year | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule X Includes verified certificate of participation |
| MasterClass — Timbaland Teaches Producing and Beatmaking — Best for Artistic Inspiration | $120 per year | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule X Includes verified certificate of participation |
| MasterClass — deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music Production — Best for Electronic Music/EDM | $120 per year | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule X Includes verified certificate of participation |
| LinkedIn Learning — Audio Mixing Masterclass — Best for Hands-On Exercises | $39.99 per month | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule ✓ Includes verified certificate of participation |
| LinkedIn Learning — Music Production Secrets — Best for Insider Tips | $39.99 per month | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule ✓ Includes verified certificate of participation |
| Noiselab — Electronic Music Production Level 1 — Best DAW Tutorial | Free | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule X Includes verified certificate of participation |
| Udemy — Music + Audio Production in Logic Pro X – The Complete Guide — Best for Mac Users | $139.99 | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule ✓ Includes verified certificate of participation |
| Udemy — FL Studio 21 – Music Production In FL Studio 21 for Mac & PC — Best for FL Studio | $139.99 | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule ✓ Includes verified certificate of participation |
Tips for Succeeding in an Online Music Production Course
1. Consider the cost
How much do online music production classes cost?
Online music production course costs vary widely. You can expect to spend $0 for a free course or trial to over a hundred dollars for a more intensive course. Keep in mind many of the courses included in this guide charge by the month for course access, so the sooner you complete the course, the cheaper it is. Also, most fee-based courses offer the option of making payments in installments instead of upfront in one lump sum.
Will my employer pay for me to take the course?
Employers often reimburse or help to subsidize the cost of professional development courses and programs for their employees. If you work in an industry related to music, sound, production, or performance, there is a chance your employer will be willing to reimburse you for the cost of the course or at least pitch in to help. This is worth speaking to your boss or HR department about.
2. Get your tech squared away
Most of this guide’s online music production courses require some form of DAW software such as Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton Live, and/or FL Studio. These software tools typically offer a free trial period, after which you need to pay for access to the software. It’s important to have access to the proper DAW for your course to make the most of hands-on assignments. You can engage with all the course materials outside the software through your web browser. Your computer will need to support streaming video, so you’ll want to ensure you have a fast, reliable wifi connection and, at minimum, an i5-level processor and 8 GB of RAM. Remember that DAWs and large audio files use up a lot of space on your hard drive.
3. Use the right study resources
Many courses are geared towards beginners, so they offer great materials for laying a solid foundation in music production fundamentals. It’s beneficial to supplement course materials with outside resources. A couple of good places to start are Pensado’s Place episodes and Mike Senior’s book Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio.
Frequently Asked Questions About Online Music Production Courses?
What jobs can you get after completing an online music production course?
Music production courses teach you skills relevant to the music industry and other sound-related domains. For instance, some audio engineers work to design and install white noise in large office buildings. If you build your sound editing skills, you can get a job doing anything from post-production for film and TV to trimming and cleaning podcast interviews. The skills and knowledge you cultivate in an online music production course can be used to produce your tracks or enhance your job readiness for a range of careers involving sound and production.
Are there free online music production courses?
Free music production courses are available online, some of which are featured in this guide. Free courses are a great option for people curious about music production but not ready to commit a lot of time and money. By taking one or more free courses and experimenting with free trials of DAW software, you can get a good sense of whether you want to take your music production training to the next level.
How long is the average online music production course?
Online music production courses can be as short as an hour and as long as 40 hours or more. Most courses run for several hours and can be completed within a day or two.
How can I learn my own music production?
There are many avenues to learn to produce your music, ranging from short, free tutorials to multi-year in-person certificate programs. This guide outlines the top ten best online music production courses, based on their great content, flexible schedules, reasonable fees, and track record. Whether you decide to learn through trial and error, hire a coach or private teacher, or attend an in-person music production class, these online courses are a great, portable, easily accessible resource to get started with music production or to enhance your existing skills.
Interested in a degree instead?
Learn more about online degrees, their start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.