Hi, I’m Marcus!

I have a PhD in Music from UCLA, I’ve won a BMI Film & TV Award, I’ve worked with Beyoncé, Andra Day, Netflix, AppleTV, and am the founder and director of South Side Symphony…

But, importantly, before all of that, I made beats! I didn’t know it at the time, but I was building the skills that would become the foundation of my entire career.

I had to learn it all the hard way, by a lot of trial and error. Because of that, I didn’t really work with an artist other than my personal friends for almost a decade. Most of the error was because “you don’t know what you don’t know.”

Now with Youtube and so many different people telling you so many different things, it’s probably even more confusing for young would-be producers.

To help with this, I’ve compiled all of the foundational knowledge you need to in order to make your own beats, start-to-finish, into one actionable step-by-step course. It’s the course I would give to my 13-year old self when I was first starting. So that hopefully you, at the beginning of your musical journey, don’t have to spend years stumbling or stagnating, and can instead spend more time making the music you hear in your imagination.

This course might be a good fit if any of these apply to you (or your loved one):

• You have been experimenting with music and you are great at coming up with ideas, but maybe don’t know how to finish them and take it to a finished track. (I outline a path and actually show you my screen as I do what I’m explaining to you.)
• You endlessly tweak your tracks for hours, unclear on what to do next. (At the end of the course I make an entire track start-to-finish, talking through my decision-making processes.)
• You haven’t started making music yet, and want a roadmap to follow. (I have taught beginners for years, from children to adults.)
• You hear really cool track ideas in your head but don’t know how to translate that into an actual track you share with your friends, family, and potential audience members. (This is literally what I do for a living, in the software I do it in.)

The course is friendly for all ages, and you get to see my screen as I work and talk through step-by-step how I’m thinking about different elements of music production.

The course has screensharing instruction, showing the actual ins and outs of how a professional makes tracks.

I give you the confidence of knowing with certainty what everything does, so that when you get stuck, you’ll know how to fix problems you’re having.

I go through a Technique by Technique breakdown, as well as a video making a complete track start to finish.

You can Work at your Own Pace, unlike an in-person class, and you can watch the videos as many times as you would like to. All with the ability to stop, start, replay, and work at your own pace, taking as much time as you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What software do I need?
  • You don’t have to already have the software. This course is built on production using Ableton Live, a software that works for both Windows and Mac, and at the time of this writing has a 30-day free trial, which is plenty of time for you to test it out and see how you like it. I walk you through how to get that set up in the course.
• How long will it take?
  • You can work at your own pace, and rewatch the videos as much as you would like to. They are available to you on-demand.

Money-Back Guarantee

If for any reason I can’t make you happy that you bought the course within 30 days, I’d be happy to give you your money back. You can email me personally at marcus@southsidesymphony.org

I’ve taught at UCLA, FIU, Cal State Fullerton, as well as many youth programs, a TEDx talk, and numerous guest speaking engagements. I’m confident I can teach you about this skill that I use to make my living, and have been doing for two-thirds of my life.