When it comes to subjects like music and art, why restrict yourself to just one course or degree? There are a number of free online music production courses that you can take at the drop of a hat. With them, you don’t have to rush to the training studio or pay thousands of dollars. You can easily learn while sitting on your comfortable couch.
However, when it comes to online learning it is best to look out for options and not just pick any random class. Unfortunately, you can find that not all courses on the internet are worthwhile. Sometimes a course might be cost-free just to attract a higher number of students’ attention.
If you are looking for affordable options where you don’t have to fret about spending big bucks, you must check out the classes listed below where you get to learn music production online for free.
We have chosen them based on their curriculum, instructor background, duration, student reviews, and ease of use.
Free Music Production Classes
- Music Production Specialization – [Coursera]
- Electronic Music Production Specialization – [Coursera]
- Music Production – Intro to Presonus Studio One – [Udemy]
- Electronic Music Production in Ableton Live (Level I) – [Udemy]
- Music Production in Ableton Live 9 – The Beginners Guide! – [Udemy]
- Music Production – Learn the Compressor Effect – [Udemy]
- Electronic Music Primer – [Udemy]
- Online Music Technology Classes – [Skillshare]
- Online Music Production Certificate Free – [Alison]
- Audio Mixing Master Class – [LinkedIn Learning]
- Timbaland – Teaches Producing and Beatmaking – [MasterClass]
11 Best Free Music Production Lessons by Experienced Music Professionals
1. Music Production Specialization – [Coursera]
Do you want to create professional music compositions? If yes, then go for this creative music production course. It offers classes to help learners understand the technology and art of music production.
Get started to learn music production online for free with this course and set deadlines as per your schedule.
| Offered by | Berklee College of Music |
| Rating | 4.8 |
| Paid | Course content is free to read |
| Enrolled | 38,350 |
| Certification | Yes (with extra fee) |
| Duration | Approximately 5 months |
| Access | Access on Smartphone or computer |
| Level | Beginner |
| Instructor | Stephen Webber, Loudon Stearns, Chrissy Tignor |
What you’ll learn:
- Create a vision for your music production by using and identifying reference tracks.
- You can run a systematic and efficient recording session using a planned checklist of production.
- You can use your reference tracks as well as edit them with these free music production classes
- Realize your vision for music production by forming active timelines.
- Critically listen to your created mix using various sound systems (sound system, earbuds, and computer, in a car) and evaluate it.
Who should take this course?
Anyone who is looking for free audio production courses online can opt for this course. You don’t need to have any specific knowledge or previous experience to enroll.
Skills that you’ll develop:
- Pro Tools
- Audio Recording
- Sound Design
- Audio Editing
- Audio Production
- Music Editing
- Song Writing
- Music
- Music mixing
- MIDI
- Music Recording
- Music Production
Prerequisites
A Pc with Pro Tools, a microphone if possible, and a willingness to record oneself for assignments.
Sign Up Here
2. Electronic Music Production Specialization – [Coursera]
If you are interested to learn the art of producing music, this is the perfect course for you. With its help, you can take free music production classes from your home.
You can get familiar with tools and methods useful to create great music that sounds professional. It will also allow you to make amazing music compositions using your personal computer.
| Offered by | Berklee College of Music |
| Rating | 4.8 |
| Paid | Course content is free to read |
| Enrolled | 12,178 |
| Certification | Yes (for an extra fee) |
| Duration | Approximately 5 months |
| Access | Access on Smartphone or computer |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Instructor | Loudon Stearns, Erin Barra, Rishabh Rajan |
What you’ll learn:
- About the nature and properties of sound.
- How to change natural sound into an electronic signal and then record it.
- About recording, editing, and mixing music using live instruments
- These free audio production courses also tell you how to do MIDI in Ableton Live by accessing online.
- Use a synthesizer to produce personalized sounds and integrate your custom sound into the music that you composed.
- Create the best electronic music productions by recording, editing, mixing, and adding effects to vocal tracks.
Who should take this course?
- Anyone with some basic understanding of the concepts and structure of music.
- Someone interested in taking free music production lessons
Skills you’ll develop:
- Music
- Audio Recording
- Sound Design
- Audio Production
- Audio Editing
- Make an electronic production
- Create Music
- Ableton
- File Management
- Make personalized synthesizer patches
- MIDI programming
3. Music Production – Intro to Presonus Studio One – [Udemy]
Are you searching for professional level free online music production courses? If yes, then this is the right course for you. It is a short-duration preview course instructed by the popular sound designer and composer Gary Hiebner.
This efficient course will guide you to recording, editing, and producing music with Presonus Studio One. This platform will polish your capabilities for confidently creating and producing your music. This audio software has several features so that you can learn the art of producing the best music.
| Offered by | Udemy |
| Rating | 4.7 |
| Paid | No |
| Enrolled | 13,302 |
| Certification | No |
| Duration | 33 minutes of on-demand video |
| Access | Compatible with both PCs and MACs |
| Level | Beginner |
| Instructor | Gary Hiebner |
What you’ll learn:
- About the creation and production of your song with the help of Studio One.
- Recording MIDI and audio to tracks in free music production lessons.
- Understand the process of mixing music and mastering music production using this course.
- Understand how to use the user interface of Studio One.
Who should take this course?
Students with basic knowledge about music composition and audio engineering can choose this course. In simple words, this course is suitable for beginners as well as professionals looking for the best free online music production courses.
Skills you’ll gain:
- To easily navigate through Studio One
- How to start with the basics of song production with Studio One.
- Learn the expert tricks and tips from a professional sound designer/composer.
4. Electronic Music Production in Ableton Live (Level I) – [Udemy]
This course will guide you on how to use Ableton Live. It’s a well-organized and cost-free course offering opportunity to learn music production online for free.
If you decide to take this course, you will gain the knowledge of using Live’s browser to easily sample your soundtracks without wasting much time on your computer.
| Offered by | Udemy |
| Rating | 4.6 |
| Paid | No |
| Enrolled | 14,121 |
| Certification | No |
| Duration | 4 hour 3-min of on-demand video |
| Access | Compatible with both PCs and MACs |
| Level | Beginner |
| Instructor | Noiselab Courses |
What you’ll learn:
- By taking free audio production courses, you will understand DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).
- Why Ableton Live is considered a dynamic DAW
- How session view is different from Arrangement view
- How to use midi tools and material related to audio
- Understand the interface of the program and several preference settings related to it.
- About quantization of clip launch, import settings, clip envelopes, and much more.
Who should take this course?
- Users of Ableton Live can take this course
- This is one of the best free online music production courses for students eager to understand the art of making electronic music.
Review Vijay Kumar M.
It’s excellent course.
5. Music Production in Ableton Live 9 – The Beginners Guide! – [Udemy]
If you are interested to understand music production in Ableton Live 9, this could be your pick.
This course is an easy and comprehensive guide for beginners to get familiar with Ableton Live 9. The only downside is that this course will not get you a certificate on completion.
| Offered by | Udemy |
| Rating | 4.4 |
| Paid | No |
| Enrolled | 11,435 |
| Certification | No |
| Duration | 53 minutes of on-demand video |
| Access | Compatible with PCs, Laptop, MacBooks, or iMac |
| Level | Beginner |
| Instructor | Tomas George, Digital Music Masters |
What you’ll learn from these free online music production courses:
- Know the Ableton Live 9 from the basic
- Know the preferences of Ableton Live 9
- Get a quick overview of Audio effects and MIDI within Ableton Live 9
- Understand the art of recording MIDI and audio in Ableton
- Improve your general skills related to music production
Who should take these free music production lessons?
- All DJs who are eager for their music production
- Anyone who is not familiar with music production or Ableton Live but wants to take free online music production courses
- Students who want to create their song or music in Ableton Live 9
- Those students who want to improve at music production
- Any member of a band who desires to learn the skills of writing authentic music.
6. Music Production – Learn the Compressor Effect – [Udemy]
This is the best suitable course for anyone who wants to create high-quality music. It is a creative and inspiring course that offers free music production classes.
| Offered by | Udemy |
| Rating | 4.7 |
| Paid | No |
| Enrolled | 5,410 |
| Certification | No |
| Duration | 32-minutes of on-demand video |
| Access | Compatible with both Computers and MACs |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Instructor | Mikael Baggström |
What you’ll learn:
- To add compression on drums, vocals, bass, and more. For further enhancing your drumming skills, here are some drumming lessons.
- To use the compress and create an improved final mix on the master bus.
- To improve your music productions by applying the fundamentals of dynamic range compression.
- Watch live examples of various practical applications in these free audio production courses.
- Get advanced tips from the instructor’s personal experience.
Who should take this course?
- Those who know the basic knowledge about music production using computer
- Anyone who is looking for a free learning experience.
Review John H.
This course helped me to understand how the compressor work.
7. Electronic Music Primer – [Udemy]
Choosing this course will help you to know various options for producing the best electronic music. It will allow you to learn music production online for free. You will need good quality headphones and a computer to complete this course.
A great advantage of opting for this course is that you will know various software options on a budget.
| Offered by | Udemy |
| Rating | 4.2 |
| Paid | No |
| Enrolled | 9,223 |
| Certification | No |
| Duration | 43-minutes of on-demand video |
| Access | Compatible with both Computers and MACs |
| Level | Beginner |
| Instructor | Jason Allen |
What you’ll learn:
- With these free music production classes you learn to create great music with computers
- To understand the fundamentals of how their software works for the production of music and DJing.
Who should take this course?
- Anyone who wants to get started with making music can choose this course.
- Anyone who wants to take free lessons from a professional can take this course.
Review Eric W.
Clear and succinct explanations of the basic elements under discussion. Makes me eager to take the rest of the course.
8. Online Music Technology Classes – [Skillshare]
Whether you want to learn the skill of music production to make a great career out of it or just to satisfy your interest, this class is suited for both. It’s always smart to get started with the best free music production lessons initially.
Skillshare is one such professional platform known for providing quality online music technology classes. You can get started with a free trial available with several courses. These are offered and monitored by many recognized and certified trainers.
Some popularly offered free audio production courses include:
- Ultimate Ableton Live 11, Part 1: The Interface & The Basics
- FL Studio 20 Beginners Course – Learn How to Make Beats in FL Studio
- Ultimate Sound Design Complete: Mastering Sound Design
- Ultimate Ableton Live 11, Part 3: Producing & Editing
9. Music Producer – [Alison]
If you want to empower yourself with some helpful free music production classes, you should select this course. It is offered by the online platform Alison and can be availed on a budget. You can also earn a certification on completion.
This online platform offers a varied list of Music production courses:
- Music Producer Masterclass: Making Electronic Music
- Piano improvisation for Music Production
- FL Studio for high-quality DJs and Music producers
- Complete Music theory and much more.
10. Audio Mixing Master Class – [LinkedIn Learning]
Just go for this platform providing the best free online music production courses. The instructors offer high-quality mixing exercises showing how mixing music works. It’s also designed to showcase the tips and tricks linked to the process of mixing music like balancing between vocals and instruments.
You will also see how to handle a balance between drums and bass like a professional. You can learn how, when, why, and where to use EQ on any instrument online.
All in all, this course will make you smart enough for tailoring and mixing music for every kind of situation. And you can master the compression in sounding mixes with the help of these free music production lessons.
| Offered by | Leaning (on LinkedIn.com) |
| Rating | 4.8 |
| Paid | Yes (with 1 month’s free trial) |
| Enrolled | 8,244 |
| Certification | Yes |
| Duration | 9 hour 14 minutes |
| Access | Compatible with both mobile phones and Tablets |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Instructor | Bobby Owsinski |
What you’ll learn:
- Learn everything about creating and mixing your audio.
- Earn a sharable certificate to show off the expertise you gain
11. Timbaland – Teaches Producing and Beatmaking – [MasterClass]
Get the membership of the MasterClass and get an amazing catalog of more than 150 classes. It will be instructed by the world’s best musicians like Timbaland and more. This platform offers professional level free music production classes virtually.
You will get to learn from the expert Timbaland and learn how to create captivating music beats and make sonic magic. You will learn from his personal experience to create the best music tracks. Every month new classes are included in this course.
You can easily download the simple and helpful guide from the instructor for every class. You can learn anywhere at your flexible time using your Smartphone, Apple TV, PC, and Amazon Fire TV.
Unfortunately, if you are not satisfied with the learning experience, you can get your full money back within 30 days. Get to learn music production online for free with just a click.
| Offered by | MasterClass |
| Paid | Yes (with a one-time annual fee) |
| Certification | Yes |
| Duration | 3 hours 20 minutes (15 virtual lessons) |
| Access | Access on desktop, mobile devices, or TV |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Instructor | Timbaland |
If you are a musician, here are some online lessons you cannot afford to miss: Piano | Violin | Saxophone | Guitar | Cello
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Bonus Paid Music Production Courses – [Udemy]
Udemy is the best platform offering the best free online music production courses. The learners on this platform can learn about the use of Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Electronic music, Sound Design, Music Engineering, Audio Production, Music Theory, FL Studio, Music Composition, and more.
There are a broad variety of courses to guide beginners about the fundamentals of producing good music. These are mostly paid courses that come with an online music production certificate free on completion.
It offers a variety of professional courses like:
- Music + Audio Production in Logic Pro X – The Complete Guide·
- Music Production in Logic Pro X – The Complete Course!
- Music Production in Ableton Live 10 – The Complete Course!·
- Music Production I – Learn to be a Music Producer!
- Learn how to make electronic music with CubaSe
Related Filmmaking Reads: Best Cinematography Courses Online | Screenwriting Classes | Video Production Lessons | Top Musical Licensing Courses Online
Conclusion
This was a ranking of the best free online music production courses for making music. We contrasted them using various metrics and the skills they consistently offer. Hopefully, this helped you to understand which option is best for you.
However, we do have a suggestion if you want to pursue a full time career in music – Music Production Specialization. This course from prestigious Berkley could be a game changer for you. Happy studying!
