Resident Advisor Competition Winner
Congratulations Adam Heaps who won Resident Advisor’s Ableton course competition with us. He’s nearing the end of it now, so we thought it’d be a good time to catch up with him…
Congratulations on winning the Ableton course. How did you find out about it?
“I often check the competition bit of RA and it was there. I wasn’t aware of Garnish School of Sound until I saw the competition (which I was lucky enough to win). I was really pleased to win the main prize, and I have had some decent luck on their competitions over the years, as it is a site I am constantly on.”
What made you enter? Are you a DJ, producer looking to learn Ableton, audio enthusiast…
“None of the above! Ableton is software i’ve been aware of, having known friends use it and reading various articles about similar products, but I hadn’t ever considered learning any music production software before. I have a passion for music, that’s about it really! Most of the other students on my course are from a DJ or songwriting background, but everyone’s on the same level, everyone is loving learning and gets on really well.
I am always looking to find new skills and techniques, both for learning and appreciating music too. I didn’t expect to win the competition though, but I am very glad I did as I always seem to be either practicing or recording on Ableton now!”
Resident Advisor is the no 1 dance music magazine. How do you think they have got it so right for so long?
“I have been using RA for some years (I believe they are having their 10th anniversary), and I am on the site a lot. The event listings section was initially which brought me to it, and you can see how much it has grown too as I have found venues in quite a few different countries – the furthest was a club on a beach in Ecuador, watching Damien Lazarus. Shame to be back in London really…
The forum is always strong with the technical help, as are the news and reviews. There is a lot of information on there, especially as some articles seem to go back many years, making it easy to search specific topics. Also, when I come across a new DJ who impresses me, I read up about them on the site without fail.”
About the course itself, how did you find it?
“As previously mentioned, I was fortunate enough to win the competition through the RA website. Having now attended Garnish School, I can say that I have learned so much in such a short space of time, and I am constantly trying to build on and at the same time putting my ideas to the test.
Garnish has a relaxed environment, which definitely helped, as there are plenty of questions to be asked! I appreciated the fact that there are tutors from various different backgrounds (including producers, sound engineers, and instructors who are certified by Ableton too). This gave a broader approach to what Ableton is capable of as well as knowing there is more than one way to achieve what you want. The warehouse adds to the vibe of the whole experience too because it’s not just a school and you feel that; there’s always a record being mixed or produced somewhere in one of the studios. There’s a buzz about the place, everyone’s really friendly and you never know who you may bump in to.”
So is there a next chapter on your music production journey?
“There is now! I’ll continue making new tracks from scratch, as well as recording mixes too. There always seems to be more to learn on the Ableton software, so will definitely be using it as much as possible and trying out new ideas.
As I have been building up my library of sounds and beats, and having played with some friends, I want to hopefully look in to live performance too.”
