Performing Live with Ableton — One-Off Online Masterclass

Join us for a fully online, hands-on masterclass focused on using Ableton Live as a tool for live performance. This class is a space for producers, musicians, electronic artists, and performers who want to move beyond DJing and start building dynamic, responsive live sets.

In this masterclass we’ll explore how Ableton can function as a real-time performance instrument. Many people produce tracks in the studio but feel stuck when it comes to translating that material into something engaging on stage, this session is designed to bridge that gap. Whether you’re playing live electronics, performing with a band, integrating hardware instruments, or just want your sets to feel less static and more alive, this is a space to rethink what “live” can mean.

Perfect for anyone interested in live electronic music, hybrid band setups, audiovisual performance, or improvisation who wants to build sets that evolve in the moment and feel different every time.

The session will introduce core concepts in Ableton’s Session View including clip behaviour, launching strategies, and performance workflows with tips for guided exercises for how to put this into practice.

You’ll learn how to design flexible live sets, build powerful audio effect chains to radically transform material with minimal effort, and use sends and return channels to create complexity from simple sources. The class is fully interactive and practice-led, with time to experiment inside Ableton, ask questions, and troubleshoot your own setup. There will also be opportunities to share ideas, get feedback, and leave with a clear framework for developing your own live performance system.

Daniel Gouly is a composer, sound designer, music technologist, and creative producer working across electronic music, ethnomusicology, and sound art. He holds a PhD in Music from The Open University, where his research focused on underground electronic music cultures and sound technologies, alongside an MMus in Ethnomusicology from SOAS. Daniel has over two decades of experience working with music technology in creative and educational contexts, including electronic composition, sound design for theatre and sample packs, and live performance. Alongside his academic work, he is co-leader of the award-winning ensemble Don Kipper and has delivered workshops across the UK with young people, artists, and community groups.

His work can be heard across a wide range of recorded and multimedia projects, including Greyscale’s Fargazing, Natural Expressions And Breathe, as well as a series of collaborative releases. He has soundtracked installations for international exhibitions such as the Asian Art Biennale in Taiwan, sound designed podcast series, and regularly provides mixing, mastering, and additional production for critically acclaimed collaborators on albums including Sunshine Diaries and Yiddish Electronic.

https://www.danielgouly.com/

Email [email protected] if you want to discuss whether this class is suited to your current practice.

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