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Native Instruments and Ableton logos

About Us

We offer high-end, hands-on training in sound production.

We are School of Synthesis

Founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 2010, the School of Synthesis was created to fill a crucial gap in the Australian music market for high-quality, personalized short courses in music production, utilizing cutting-edge tools from Native Instruments, Ableton, and Logic. Today, the School of Synthesis stands as Australia’s only official Ableton and Native Instruments Certified Training Centre. Our tutors are expert, certified instructors—holding qualifications ranging from City and Guilds 7407 Teaching degrees to Apple Certified Logic Pro X credentials.

Since opening, we have guided some of Australia’s top musicians and producers to refine their skills, while also empowering hundreds of new creators to produce and release their first tracks, with many going on to achieve notable success. Our intimate classes, capped at nine students, provide 12-18 hours of in-depth training over four to six weeks, ensuring a focused and immersive experience in each subject area. Over 1,000 students have rated our courses an average of 9/10.

With a vision to be Australia’s most innovative music training provider, we look forward to welcoming you to our purpose-built music and training studios in Melbourne. Committed to sustainability, the School of Synthesis also dedicates 1% of its revenue to Carbon Removal.

People

Davide Carbone

Davide Carbone, a multi-award-winning artist, was recently listed by Mixdown Magazine as one of the seven most influential Australian music producers of all time. Throughout his career, Davide has released numerous records, produced, and remixed tracks for high-profile artists, performed at the world’s largest music festivals and composed for film, TV and video games. In addition to his musical achievements, Davide has created several award-winning software titles, including Scaler 2, Scaler EQ, and DC Snares. Davide is certified by Apple as a Logic Pro X professional and is also a qualified teacher.

Tristan Malloch

Tristan Malloch is a Melbourne based multi-instrumentalist, music producer, product demonstrator and teacher with a vast history throughout the music industry, and dedicated Ableton Live user since 2005. He is a passionate and eclectic music producer/performer covering a diverse range of styles.

Shaun Keyt

Shaun Keyt has spent the last two decades immersed in music composition and sound production. As viridian, he has released electronic music throughout Europe and America, with tracks such as Sunhump receiving international acclaim. Shaun’s music has been remixed by producers such as Mijk van Dyk and Richard Durand and played by DJs such as Tiesto, Sasha and Armin Van Buuren.

Leroy Amphlett

Leroy aka G E T B U $ Y has been a formidable player in the Melbourne’s bar and club scene since early 2000. Leroy is also Australia’s official Maschine specialist and representative. Originally from a beat making background as a teenager using samplers, developed further into DJing, which was an avenue to quench his thirst for hiphop and club music.

Dylan Pinkerton

Dylan is a professional songwriter, producer, and educator specialising in all things folk and pop. His music is likened to artists such as Ed Sheeran and John Mayer, and has been played on commercial radio (2LM) and featured on Australia’s most listened podcast ‘Life Uncut’.

Dave Norris

Dave Norris (aka Dizz1) is an acclaimed Australian artist who has released several albums, performed at Sonar, attended the Red Bull Music Academy in Spain and gained BBC airplay from Gilles Peterson, Mary Anne Hobbs and Benji B. He has performed alongside international superstars including De La Soul, Mos Def, DJ Vadim, Guilty Simpson, Benga, DJ Krush and Loefah.

Lance Harrison

Lance Harrison, H as he’s known, was born and raised in the ‘burbs of Melbourne, Australia. Lance’s love for music began while imitating his favourite bands on his drum kit throughout his teenage years. The Tea Party, Tool, Faith No More, Mr Bungle, The Necks, Nine Inch Nails and RATM would leave a profound mark on Lance’s musical life.

Mike Callander

Mike Callander is an Ableton Certified Trainer, one of Australia’s most dynamic DJs, resident of Melbourne’s infamous Revolver, and founder of one of Australia’s best known record labels for electronic music, Haul Music.

James Hewson

James Hewson is a professional sound designer and producer with his work recently appearing on several major-release video games. He has been using Logic Pro X on a daily basis for over 5 years. Originally a student at the School of Synthesis and now a full time producer at samplify, James welcomes the opportunity to give back to the school, its students and the audio community as a whole.

Em Andre

With over a decade of experience in the music industry, Em Andre has collaborated with top-tier artists and songwriters including Aloe Blacc, Mozella (One Direction, Madonna), Just Blaze (Jay-Z, Eminem), Lucian, and Manda Malina. Em’s vocal production and writing were influential in  Teeks’ Something To Feel, which achieved x2 Platinum certification. Having worked in recording studios across London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, and New Zealand, Em has gained extensive experience in vocal recording and production. Em has guided many vocalists towards successful careers in music.

Christopher Gafforini

Beginning his DJ career in early 2002, Christopher Gafforini (AKA Citizen) has performed at several Melbourne and interstate clubs, events and major festivals including Revolver, Bimbo Delux, Lucky Coq, Lounge, E55, Prince of Whales, Earthcore, Rainbow Serpent, Strawberry Fields and more.
With over 20 years experience as a DJ and 13 years experience as a DJ tutor Citizen knows how to create a vibe suited to all environments, from main stage festival crowds to small intimate bars and venues.

Danny Bonnici

Danny Bonnici is an influential Australian electronic music pioneer with a string of original and remixed works under his belt spanning from 2000 to 2014. Nominated for a Dance Music Award and an Aria Award with his band Nubreed, his work has earned acclaim from top DJs worldwide, including Sasha, John Digweed, and Hernan Cattaneo. As one of the first Ableton Certified trainers in the country, Danny’s been lecturing around Melbourne for years, and has amassed over 100,000 views and 500 subscribers on his YouTube channel.

Andrew McGill-Brown

Andrew McGill-Brown is a Melbourne-based electronic dance music producer and Ableton Live tutor. Since discovering his passion for electronic music at an early age, he has firmly established himself within the local psytrance scene, actively contributing to the community by sharing knowledge and fostering new talent. On YouTube, Andrew has also made a notable impact as a tutor, amassing 80,000 subscribers and over 7.5 million views, inspiring a new generation of electronic music producers.

Katie Drover

Every weekend DJ Katie Drover sits comfortably at the controls in one of Melbourne’s thriving clubbing spots with the dancefloor hanging on her every move. Not bad for a player who spends her days working as a mathematician. What’s even more unique about this highly experienced player, though, is that she’ll often get the job done on two or three of Melbourne’s best dancefloors on any given night!

Luke Chable

In the early 2000s, Luke Chable had been described as one of the best Progressive House producers around, renowned for his unmatched production skills & his ability to create massive hits while still preserving his underground roots. From his first release, “Accelerator” – to his worldwide seminal hit “Ride” and his collaboration with Phil K as LOSTEP, it was a non-stop series of hugely successful releases for more than 5 years straight.

Jehan Metha

An Australian based DJ and Producer bringing you real, quality house and garage music. A music lover first and foremost, Jehan is always ready to champion quality house, garage, disco, soul and everything in between. As a DJ, Jehan has been fortunate enough to play in some of Australia’s finest spots, he has held residencies (and regularly plays) in some of the premier venues in his hometown, on the West Coast.

Matt Ridgway

With a history of playing in both D.I.Y. indie bands and live electronica acts, Matt Ridgway has a pretty eclectic musical background. Producing immersive, atmospheric electronica with guitar-based soundscapes as Winterpark, Matt has recorded, released and toured three albums, with a fourth due in 2015. He is also an accomplished music technology educator, composes for film and tv, works as a sound designer for video games and is one of the facilitators of Melbourne’s Ableton Live User Group.

Alex Kidd

School of Synthesis guest lecturer and French born / German based electronic music pioneer.

Scott Montieth AKA Deadbeat

School of Synthesis guest lecturer and Canadian based dub and ambient legend.

Joris Voorn

School of Synthesis guest lecturer and Dutch legend.

Tony Mantz

School of Synthesis guest lecturer and Australian mastering legend.

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