Welcome to the Winter 2022 Quarter at dadageek!

Winter 2022 courses are currently underway! The next course enrollment will open for the Spring 2022 Quarter. dadageek offers courses in three modes: Online Campus Courses, Synchronous Online Courses, and In-person Courses. Learn more about each course mode with the link below.

Scholarship Opportunities

dadageek offers several scholarship opportunities for all our courses. In addition to offering multiple partial scholarships for every course, we also have a limited number of full-course scholarships every quarter including our BIPOC scholarship program. Interested in applying for a scholarship? Find out more info with the link below!

Create Generative art with genartlayers

FREE | Online Campus Workshop

SIgnal processing with Ableton Live

FREE | Online Campus Workshop

This workshop focuses on genartlayers - an emerging online generative art workspace. The brainchild of Brian Gawlik, genartlayers aims to provide an update to the generative artist toolkit - offering the experience of modern digital art software including fundamental features like real-time control and layering.

Dive in and learn to create some generative art! Spread the word and invite your friends, it's free! Use the link below to join the course. If you are not already a member of the dadageek Online Campus, the link will help you get signed up.

This workshop explores the signal routing and processing features that take Ableton Live from just another DAW to a tool for limitless creative expression. You will learn to use these tools to take your sounds in the direction you have always wanted to but maybe didn't know how. This workshop covers both technical and creative elements of signal processing, with a heavy focus on sound design and creative exploration. Join the fun as we'll make some interesting sounds and explore ways to manipulate, enhance, and destroy audio!

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Routing MIDI and Audio for both creative and technical applications

• Processing MIDI signals using MIDI effects, Max for Live devices, racks, and track routing

• Processing Audio in Live using audio effects, Max for Live devices, racks, sends, and track routing

• Working with external audio sources for sound processing in Live

• Using external hardware effects to process audio in Live

• Learn creative uses for stock Ableton Live effects

• Creative processing tricks for clips and loops

Have any questions? Once you’ve joined, you can reach out to Ableton Certified Instructor Alberto Chapa directly on the dadageek Online Campus! 

Want to dive deeper into Ableton? Check out some of our 7-week courses including Interactive Ableton and Algorithmic Music in Ableton Live both taught by an Ableton Certified Trainer.

Produce a techno track with Ableton Live

FREE | Online Campus Workshop

This workshop focuses on techniques for creative beatmaking and arrangement. We will use stock Live devices and instruments to produce an evolving and layered techno track. Mixing and automation techniques will be explored as well.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Get hard-hitting and complex drums

• Design dangerous yet tasteful basslines

• Explore weird and compelling tonal territories

• Get things moving and shifting with automation

• Focus on keeping that mix clean

Have any questions? Once you’ve joined, you can reach out to Ableton Certified Instructor Adam Fangsrud directly on the dadageek Online Campus! 

Want to dive deeper into Ableton? Check out some of our 7-week courses including Interactive Ableton and Algorithmic Music in Ableton Live both taught by an Ableton Certified Trainer.

Bridging the gap between hardware / software

FREE | Online Campus Workshop

In an effort to build a  more diverse and inclusive community, dadageek is committed to supporting #WomeninMusic. Share with a #femaleproducer or #femaleartist that you would like to invite to join the conversation on the dadageek community. 

Bridge The Gap with  #Ableton Certified Trainer Aimerie Friday February 11th | 4 PM CST.

About the Workshop:

Join Ableton Certified Trainer and electronic musician, Aimerie, for a journey through her workflow using Ableton Live in the studio.  During this session she will demonstrate production techniques both in/outside of the computer and show how Live makes it easy to incorporate external elements into her creative process. 

Suitable for all skill levels, Aimerie hopes to inspire viewers to think outside the box - perhaps even outside the computer - and have fun breaking through that dreaded writer's block.

About Aimerie:

Aimerie is the creative alias of bass music DJ, producer, and educator, Kaite Watson. Given her lifelong fascination with the deep sea underworld, Aimerie's touch for crafting dark, lurking soundscapes makes sense. Her otherworldly interpretation of sound system music is inspired by seminal artists like Biome and Portishead, as well as by friends and co-creators in the bass music community.

Aimerie is an Ableton Certified Trainer located in Denver, CO where she teaches music production and DJing at The Black Box Studio. Known to deliver cutting-edge curation on the decks, Aimerie's passion for pushing grassroots sounds has landed her on prolific lineups at events like Sub.mission's Bass Invasion in Denver, Infrasound Music Festival, and Outlook Festival, alongside artists including The Widdler, Truth, DJ Youngsta, Khiva, and many more. -----   http://www.aimerie.com/

About dadageek:

dadageek is a nonprofit based in Austin, TX that offers project-focused classes in immersive art and electronic music. Our mission is to offer education and community to those that are creating at the intersection of art, media, and tech. Our instructors are talented, creative technologists with a passion for sharing their expertise with others.

Learn about our community, classes, events, and scholarships at https://dadageek.com/

PROJECTION MAPPING AND VJING IN ARENA

Enrollment closed for the WI22 Quarter. Check back soon for the SP22 QUarter enrollment!

$145 USD | 7-week Online campus course

ABOUT THIS CLASS

Includes Office Hours with Instructor and option to showcase in the dadageek exhibition

• Open to international enrollment

• Course begins January 10, 2022.

• Enrolment open through January 25, 2022.

This course will dive deep into how to use Resolume Arena for VJing & projection mapping. You will learn to conform video onto 3D shapes, and how to mix visuals in real time for concerts, installations, or anything you can imagine. By the end of this course, you will be able to design your own sculpture, video map its surface, and project custom visuals.

Over the course of 7 weeks, your instructor will walk you through everything you need to know from start to finish. So whether you're completely new to the world of visuals, or looking to level up your VJ skills; you'll learn a lot from this class. Your instructor will be available to help all along the way, to answer specific questions, & help solve your unique problems; the video lectures won't be your only resource. At the end of the quarter, students will have the opportunity to participate in the dadageek exhibition where they can show off their sculptures & visuals.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Become familiar with Resolume Arena's interface & features.

• Realtime visual mixing (aka VideoJockeying)

• Projection mapping 3D objects

• Basics of creating bespoke visuals

Requirements

• Mac or PC with Resolume Arena installed (free demo version)

• CAD or 3D Design software such as Sketchup (free version) or Blender (free)

• Access to a projector (any kind will do)

• Various sculpting materials and tools such as cardboard, cutting tools, zip ties (will be discussed in the course)

• Basic computer skills are required such as downloading, installing, and launching applications, as well as familiarity with your operating system

Meet Your instructor

Matt McIntyre is a multimedia producer from Austin, Texas. He has a Master’s Degree from Berklee College of Music in Production Technology. Matt runs Between the Dimensions Studios and performs music under the name Tetra Fyre.

Algorithmic composition in ableton live

Enrollment closed for the WI22 Quarter. Check back soon for the SP22 QUarter enrollment!

$145 USD | 7-week Online campus course

ABOUT THIS CLASS

Includes Office Hours with Instructor and option to showcase in the dadageek exhibition

• Open to international enrollment

• Course begins January 10, 2022.

• Enrolment open through January 25, 2022.

This course teaches various methods of creating generative music and sound art in Ableton Live and Max for Live.  Stochastic processes, abstract and nature-based mathematical models, and evolutionary computing techniques will all be explored. 

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN 

• Learn multiple algorithmic composition techniques

• Master Ableton’s built-in generative tools and devices

• Learn several third party Max for Live devices that facilitate procedural audio

• Learn techniques for data sonification

• Program your own Max for Live synth that uses algorithmic processes

REQUIREMENTS

Students must have:

• Mac or PC with Ableton Live Suite, or Ableton Live Standard with the Max for Live add on. (Enrolled students have access to 40% discount on all Ableton products!)

• Basic computer skills are required such as downloading, installing, and launching applications, as well as familiarity with your operating system

Because part of the class involves using and programming Max for Live devices, students will need to have a full Ableton Suite license, or Ableton Standard with the Max for Live add-on.  If you own Ableton Live Standard and are interested in purchasing the Max for Live add-on, more information can be found here: https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/206407124-Buying-Max-for-Live-

Meet Your instructor

Adam Fangsrud is an electronic musician, audio engineer, and Ableton Certified Trainer. He is the owner and head engineer at Red Sun Mastering and plays in the retro synth-duo Flatliner (Holodeck Records) as well as the solo hardware techno project Kro. He is also a sound designer specializing in generative music, with an emphasis on evolutionary computing, artificial life, and genetic algorithms. Adam is a co-organizer of the Austin Ableton User Group and can often be found lecturing at Ableton-related events and meetups.

Audio Reactive Art with unity

$145 USD | 7-week Online campus course

Enrollment closed for the WI22 Quarter. Check back soon for the SP22 QUarter enrollment!

ABOUT THIS CLASS

Includes Office Hours with Instructor and option to showcase in the dadageek exhibition

• Open to international enrollment

• Course begins January 10, 2022.

• Enrolment open through January 25, 2022.

Unity artists can do a whole lot more than make video games. Unity is a real time content builder that can be utilized to make dynamic artwork using numerous kinds of input including sound. This class is all about how you can create and animate 2D and 3D artwork in Unity that responds to your music. Students in this course will learn how to create audio responsive generative artwork. Students will be introduced to concepts such as the use of a game engine, and C# programming.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Getting started with Unity

• Working with audio dynamics to control physics

• Creating audio reactivity in particles  

• Working with realtime video input

• Building an audio-reactive application and user interface

REQUIREMENTS

• Mac or PC with Adobe Photoshop and Unity installed

• Basic computer skills are required such as downloading, installing, and launching applications, as well as familiarity with your operating system

• No prior Unity experience required

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Bill Byrne is an internationally exhibited multimedia digital artist, professor, academic leader, textbook author, animator, electronic musician, and motion graphics designer.

Bill has written three textbooks for Focal Press; 3D Motion Graphics For 2D Artists published in December of 2012, Creative Motion Graphic Titling (co-authored with Yael Braha) published in October 2010, and The Visual Effects Arsenal published in April of 2009. These books are tutorial-based instructional tools using a variety of widely available software to create animation, motion graphics and visual effects. He also has written several articles for the DIY periodical Make magazine. Bill currently teaches in the Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies at the University of Texas

INTRO TO ARDUINO - Creating sound and light

$385 USD + $95 USD Material Fee | 7-week Synchronous Online Course

Enrollment closed for the WI22 Quarter. Check back soon for the SP22 QUarter enrollment!

ABOUT THIS CLASS

Mondays, 6 pm - 9 pm CST | 7 Synchronous virtual class sessions

Includes Office Hours with Instructor and option to showcase in the dadageek exhibition

• Open to international enrollment

• Course begins January 10, 2022.

• LIMITED Enrolment open ONLY through January 4, 2022.

• Total course fee includes $95 materials kit supplied to each enrolled student. More details below.

In this course we’ll learn the basics of programming in the Arduino environment as we make generative light and sound devices, experiment with sensors, code simple animations, and more, all with the solder-free kit provided. 

No previous coding or electronics experience is required. This class is intended for the beginner but even if you have some experience with Arduino, you’ll find something new in this class. 

Starting to code with Arduino and hooking up the appropriate hardware can be daunting, but in this course, we’ll start at the very beginning and quickly get you making all kinds of gizmos.

This course is great for beginners to DIY hardware and coding as well as those who have some coding experience in any language and would like to get into making tangible devices.

This class is just the beginning.

Not only will your instructor, John-Mike Reed, continue to answer any emails about your projects or DIY questions, we will also be offering short asynchronous course modules by the end of the year. These will focus on single concepts and devices to continue building your technical and artistic abilities

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Getting started with the Arduino language

• Using breadboards and simple electronic components

• Using full-color LEDs - 8x8 pixel screen included in the kit  

• Using sensors - Touch, light, and position

• Basic synthesis and sample playback

Over the seven-week course, we’ll walk through the creation of two main devices and many variations on them. By the end, you’ll be remixing them or making your own gizmo from scratch.

• Scrolling art and text generator

• Etch-a-sketch like painting device with sound

Examples:

You can see all the code from previous online courses here

COURSE MATERIALS NEEDED

• Laptop or desktop computer (Mac or PC)

• Headphones or another device to listen to your creations

• Small needle-nose pliers and wire cutters are recommended

DADAGEEK WILL PROVIDE

• All necessary hardware in a custom kit

REQUIREMENTS

• No prior electronics or programming experience required

• Basic computer skills are required such as downloading, installing, and launching applications, as well as familiarity with your operating system

WHAT COMES IN THE KIT?

• Teensy 3.2

• Custom 8x8 LED screen

• 2x breadboards

• Potentiometers

• Buttons

• Touch sensor material 

• Accelerometer module 

• 1/8” audio jack

• Light sensors

• Wires

• Resistors and capacitors

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

John-Michael Reed has been building analog and digital light and sound devices since 2005 when he founded Bleep Labs. He currently teaches classes on music technology at ACC.

Expressive Interfaces

Enrollment closed for the WI22 Quarter. Check back soon for the SP22 QUarter enrollment!

$145 USD | 7-week Online campus course

ABOUT THIS CLASS

Includes Office Hours with Instructor and option to showcase in the dadageek exhibition

• Open to international enrollment

• Course begins January 10, 2022.

• Enrolment open through January 25, 2022.

• supplemental materials purchase required. see details below

Are you frustrated performing your music with just a laptop? Is your MIDI keyboard too ugly to be seen publicly? Do you want to control lights or motors with music? Do you want to make a sculpture that interacts with your video installation? Do you want to invent the most unusual musical instrument ever? Are you ready to go untethers (wireless) with your new interface?

Expressive Interfaces investigates new ways to design, build, and implement sensors, lights, servo motors, and more with software specifically for artistic expression. Exploring all of the major protocols in which digital electronic devices communicate including USB MIDI, BLE MIDI, BLE Serial, standard MIDI, OSC over WiFi, and I2C, students will devise physical platforms to communicate with software using the Arduino/Teensy and ESP32 microcontrollers. We will also explore the process of crafting DIY sensors borrowing from wearable technologies and hardware hacking techniques.

In addition to programming with the Arduino IDE, we will explore methods to integrate our devices with software including Pure Data, Logic Audio, and Ableton Live.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Basic programming with Pure Data

• Programming with Arduino

• Integrating sensors with ESP 32 that can be transmitted to Ableton Live, and Puredata

• Integrating lights and motors with ESP 32 that can be transmitted to Ableton Live and Puredata

Requirements

• No electronics experience required

• No programming experience required

• Familiarity with either Processing, Pure Data, Max/MSP, or music software (such as Ableton Live or Logic) is required

CLASS MATERIALS

Students must have:

• Laptop or desktop computer (Mac or PC)

• Micro USB cable

• Required supplemental materials (purchased independently, see below)

Supplemental materials are required for the course. This includes electronics, breadboard, jumper wires, etc. The total cost of the materials is approximately $90 USD total. Some of the materials include an ESP32 ($10), a Teensy LC ($15), various sensors ($30-50), and other miscellaneous electronic components ($20). More information on ordering the supplemental materials and links will be supplied to enrolled students once they have access to the dedicated course page.

Any questions about the course materials? Reach out!

Meet Your instructor

Matthew Steinke is a practicing artist working with video animation, interactive programming, and homemade electronics. Over the past twenty years, he has exhibited and performed with his robotic musical inventions throughout the US, Canada, and Europe. He holds an MFA in Art and Technology Studies from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work has been featured in Wired, Artweek LA, The Village Voice, The San Francisco Bay Guardian, Hackaday, and on the cover of Tape Op.

INTERACTIVE ABLETON

Enrollment closed for the WI22 Quarter. Check back soon for the SP22 QUarter enrollment!

$145 USD | 7-week Online campus course

ABOUT THIS CLASS

Includes ACCES TO ABLETON EDUCATIONAL DISCOUNTS, Office Hours with Instructor, and option to showcase in the dadageek exhibition

• Open to international enrollment

• Course begins January 10, 2022.

• Enrolment open through January 25, 2022.

• supplemental materials purchase required. see details below

This course will teach you how to design your own custom wireless controllers for Ableton Live using Raspberry Pi. You will learn how to program the Pi as an OSC controller using the visual, flow-based programming language Node-RED. Then, you will learn how to integrate OSC control into Ableton Live using the Max for Live Connection Kit. Utilizing a breakout board, you will subsequently build a control surface integrating both digital and analog components, including buttons, switches, potentiometers, photoresistors and LEDs. You will also learn some basic Max for Live programming that will enable you to increase the flexibility of OSC in Ableton Live.

Over 7 weeks, students are encouraged to explore control schemes that perfectly suit their needs. Your instructors will be available to help with troubleshooting and creative inspiration along the way. At the end of the class you will have the knowledge and tools necessary to create a unique custom control system that is limited only by your creative imagination.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Learn the foundations of Ableton Live

• Learn to program and operate a Raspberry Pi

• Learn foundations Node-Red Programming System

• Create a custom Ableton Live OSC controller

REQUIREMENTS

Students must have:

• Mac or PC with Ableton Live Suite, or Ableton Live Standard with the Max for Live addon. (Enrolled students have access to 40% discount on all Ableton products!)

• Supplemental course materials (purchased independently, see below)

• Basic computer skills are required such as downloading, installing, and launching applications, as well as familiarity with your operating system

• No prior coding or Abletobn experience required

Supplemental Materials

Supplemental materials are required for the course (Raspberry Pi, breadboard, jumper wires, etc.) The complete cost of all the required materials is between $65 - $130 USD depending on which model of Raspberry Pi you choose. Specifics on materials can be found below.

Any questions about the course materials? Reach out!

Raspberry Pi 4 or 0 (a 2B or 3 will also work if you already have one!)

• RPi 4 Starter Kit

  • Newark: https://www.newark.com/raspberry-pi/rpi4-starter-kit-black/raspberry-pi-4-starter-kit-black/dp/80AH9362

• OR RPi 0 (you will not need both)

  • Adafruit

    • Board: https://www.adafruit.com/product/3708

    • Power Supply: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2991

    • MicroSD Card: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2820

• Electronics Breadboard

  • Newark: https://www.newark.com/multicomp/mc001795/breadboard-830-tie-points-56mm/dp/24AC5038

  • Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/product/239

• GPIO Breadboard Adapter

  • Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/product/2028

• Push buttons

  • Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1489

• LEDs

  • Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/product/4203

• Resistors (220 ohm / 1kohm / 10kohm)

  • Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/?q=resistors&sort=BestMatch

• Photoresistor

  • Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/product/161

• Potentiometers (Qty: 2)

  • Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/product/356

• Jumperwires

  • Newark: https://www.newark.com/bud-industries/bc-32626/jumper-wire-bread-board-ganizer/dp/46Y9599

  • Adafruit (this one comes with an extra half-size breadboard too!): https://www.adafruit.com/product/3314

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS

Adam Fangsrud is an electronic musician, audio engineer, and Ableton Certified Trainer. He is the owner and head engineer at Red Sun Mastering and plays in the retro synth-duo Flatliner (Holodeck Records) as well as the solo hardware techno project Kro. He is also a sound designer specializing in generative music, with an emphasis on evolutionary computing, artificial life, and genetic algorithms. Adam is a co-organizer of the Austin Ableton User Group and can often be found lecturing at Ableton-related events and meetups.

Davin Huston is a technologist and educator that works with artists to help them understand new technologies to help tell their stories. Davin also employs the use of different art mediums and media to help educate students in engineering technology disciplines. Through this blend of topics, he hopes that this provides a safe and stable foundation from which to learn new topics in exciting and engaging ways. He received his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology in 2004 and M.S. in Technology in 2007 from Purdue University.

Create a retro 2d platformer in unity

Enrollment closed for the WI22 Quarter. Check back soon for the SP22 QUarter enrollment!

$145 USD | 7-week Online campus course

ABOUT THIS CLASS

Includes Office Hours with Instructor and option to showcase in the dadageek exhibition

• Open to international enrollment

• Course begins January 10, 2022.

• Enrolment open through January 25, 2022.

In this in-depth online course, students will learn the process of creating the art and coding of a 2D platformer-style video game. Students will learn all aspects of retro game design including creating sprites, tile sets, and creating character animations with Photoshop. Then, they will go further by applying controls, physics, sound and AI in Unity. By the end of the course, all students will have the ability to design their own 2-D platformer from scratch that they can showcase as part of the dadageek exhibition.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Game design in Unity

• Creating Art Assets in Photoshop

• Creating character animations

• 2-D game physics and level design

• Designing user interface elements

• Sound design for games

• Nonplayer character artificial intelligence

• Publishing your game

REQUIREMENTS

• Mac or PC with Adobe Photoshop and Unity installed

• Basic computer skills are required such as downloading, installing, and launching applications, as well as familiarity with your operating system

• No prior game design experience needed

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Bill Byrne is an internationally exhibited multimedia digital artist, professor, academic leader, textbook author, animator, electronic musician, and motion graphics designer.

Bill has written three textbooks for Focal Press, 3D Motion Graphics For 2D Artists published in December of 2012, Creative Motion Graphic Titling (co-authored with Yael Braha) published in October 2010, and The Visual Effects Arsenal published in April of 2009. These books are tutorial-based instructional tools using a variety of widely available software to create animation, motion graphics and visual effects. He also has written several articles for the DIY periodical Make magazine. Bill currently teaches in the Department of Arts and Entertainment Technologies at the University of Texas

Intro to Collaborative Live Coding

Enrollment closed for the WI22 Quarter. Check back soon for the SP22 QUarter enrollment!

$85 USD | 4-week Online Campus Course

ABOUT THIS CLASS

Includes Office Hours with Instructor and option to showcase in the dadageek exhibition

• Open to international enrollment

• Course begins January 10, 2022.

• Enrolment open through January 25, 2022.

In this course, students will be introduced to the basics of live coding audio and visuals for the purpose of collaborating in a networked setting. Learn to use code to create layered, interesting sound and visual art quickly in real-time and with others while sharing a common workspace. The programming languages to be covered are MiniTidal (Tidal Cycles) and Punctual. All live coding will be done in a web application called Estuary so there’ll be no painful installations necessary. Each week expect new challenges and live improvised collaboration opportunities using the skills developed in the course.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• Introduction to live coding as an art form

• Overview of some popular live coding languages

• Basic training on how to use the Estuary platform

• Basics of live coding audio with Tidal Cycles in Estuary

• Basics of live coding audio with Punctual in Estuary

• Basics of live coding visuals in Estuary

• Participation in online improvised live coding collaborations

REQUIREMENTS

• Mac or PC with Google Chrome browser installed

• Basic computer skills are required such as downloading, installing, and launching applications, as well as familiarity with your operating system

• No prior coding experience required

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Alex MacLean is a recent graduate of McMaster University’s MA program in Communication and New Media and is now working as an Applied Machine Learning Engineer in the broadcast and entertainment industry. His passion for music and technology guides his artistic practice investigating applications of tools such as VR, machine learning, and audiovisual programming in both sound and new media art. He has presented works and performed at international conferences such as ICLC, NIME, and the Network Music Festival both as a soloist and as a member of McMaster University’s Cybernetic Orchestra, a live-coding laptop ensemble.