Last Updated on January 15, 2023 by IDS Team
Wellcome to our round-up of the best Online Dj Courses money can buy in 2023. DJing is a dying art form. There, we said it! Long gone are the days where manual beat matching, scratching, and DJing with vinyl were normal DJ skillsets. With the advent of DAWs with automatic syncing and beat matching, the DJ has become more of a curator and personality than a musician.
However, these same DAWs have opened the doors to a whole universe of possibilities.
Ableton Live, for example, has enabled DJs to basically become whole bands and produce new sounds on the spot. With that in mind, we set out to find what is the best Online DJ course out there in 2023.
We purchased close to 10 online dj courses, here are the ones that made the TOP 3 Best Online DJ Course (+1 great mention if you’re into Hip Hop):
| Course Name | Teacher | What’s Included? | Musical Genre Focus | Price / Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
DJ Courses Online Bundle |
DJ TLM Isaac Cotec Nick Trikakis |
– 14 video based dj courses on DJing techniques, Serato, Traktor, Ableton Live, and more. – 30 Day Money Back Guarantee – Close to 100 hours of content |
All Genres | |
Point Blank- DJ Skills Online Course |
Dozens of lecturers, including: |
– Diploma from a world class instituion, – Weekly online masterclasses, – Personal, 1-on-1 tutorials every 2 weeks, -Recordings of all classes available on demand, – Student forum and alumni network, which includes leading DJs and Producers |
All Genres | |
Armin Van Buuren Masterclass |
Armin Van Buuren |
– About 3 hours of video content – Downloadable class workbook – Access to other masterclasses, such as Deadmau5’s. |
EDM / Trance | |
Learn how to DJ From The Wu-Tang Clan |
DJ Symphony |
– About 7 hours of video content – Certificate Upon Completion |
Hip Hop |
TOP 3 Best Online DJ Courses
#1- DJ Courses Online Review: Overall Staff Pick
It was a though decision, but due to its laser sharp focus on DJing only, and the quality of the content, as well as the price, the DJ Courses Online program takes the number 1 spot.
| DJ Courses Online Bundle- Key Facts |
|---|
|
Duration: Unlimited / On Demand Instructors: DJ TLM– DJ and producer with 25 years of experience Isaac Cotec– Certified Ableton teacher Nick Trikakis– Former employee at Native Instruments and AKAI, producer, and DJ. What’s Included?: – Over a hundred of hours of videos – 14 full courses for all skill levels – 30 day money back guarantee + email support Price: Starts at 19$
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All in all, there are over 10 online dj courses included for a monthly fee of only 19$. It covers all major DAWs as well going in-depth into some really interested and complex DJ theory. Of all the dj courses we tested, this was by far the most in-depth one we found.
Unlike some of the other dj courses in this list, the instructors don’t have big names in the industry, however, they more than make up for this with their knowledge of DJ techniques.
Some of the techniques included are:
- Beat counting
- Beat matching
- Syncing
- Song Structure
- Song selection
- DJ equipment
- EQing
- Effects
- Cue Points
- Looping
- Transitions
- Sampling
- Backspinning
- Organising your library
- Scratching- in-depth techniques
- Recording mixes
- Branding
- Serato
- Ableton Live
- Tracktor
- Career DJ Tips
And much more. And this is where the course shines.
For 19.99$/month (the price of a cheap lunch), you’ll have access to all information you could ever want on the topic of DJing.
Anything that you could possibly think of has been covered by these guys, including DJ tips for anything from career to branding and organising your library- loads of gems to be found. And what’s more, the course is delivered in a straightforward and easy manner. The platform works great on both mobile and desktop and the classes are to the point and effective.
If you end up not using the online dj course, you can always ask for a refund, as they have a great 30 days money back guarantee.
#2- Point Blank DJ Skills Review: The Credible Choice
This school shouldn’t need an introduction. It’s been chosen as the ‘Best Music Production School’ by the readers of DJ Mag.
| Point Blank DJ Skills – Key Facts |
|---|
 Duration: 3 months live course (Not on demand) Instructors: Ben Bristow aka Mr Bristow– DJ, producer, beatboxer. Has played in Space (Ibiza), as well as ministry of sound, scala, and cargo. Darren Henry aka Quest– Dubstep pioneer DJ Nigel Hosten aka Mr. Dex– DJ for the Wu-Tang Clan, Sway, Scratch Perverts and DJ Jazzy Jeff. David Clarke aka DJ Davine– Has played Ministry of Sound, The Garage and the Mother Live 333. What’s Included?: – Weekly online classes, bi-weekly 1-on-1 online classes – Access to student forum – Diploma upon completion Price: Starts at around 450$
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It’s the school that Goldie turned to when he wanted to learn Ableton Live, it’s where Patrick Topping honed his skills as a producer, and it’s where countless many other leading artists went to hone their skills before making it big.
And that’s where Point Blank really shines- It’s student network is simply unrivalled.
And this extends to their online DJ courses too. By enrolling in the DJ Skills course, for example, you’ll have access to the student forum, whatsapp groups, and weekly masterclasses with your peers, many of whom will undoubtedly make a name for themselves in their craft.
Even if you’re not looking to network, Point Blank is well worth its price. It’s one of the most practical online DJ course in this list, teaching you not only the skills needed, but the whole logistics and operations behind managing your music library and gigs.
Here’s a quick look at the topics covered:
- Equipment Overview
- Cueing
- Drop Mixing
- Beat Matching
- Equalisation
- Transforming
- Rekordbox (Export Mode)
- Programming Mixes
- Recording a Mix
Here’s a sample of a class:
#3- Armin Van Buuren Masterclass Review: The Production Value Choice
For those of you who don’t know, Armin Van Buuren is an iconic DJ and producer from the Netherlands. He’s the 4 time consecutive best DJ in the world according to DJ Mag and one of the four “trance” artists nominated to a grammy.
| Armin Van Buuren Masterclass – Key Facts |
|---|
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Duration: On demand Instructors: Armin Van Buuren– Legendary house/trance producer and DJ What’s Included?: – 3+ hours of video – PDF workbooks – Student support forum Price: Starts at around 50$
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Now masterclasses tend to have the reputation of being sometimes light on the technical side, though we didn’t find that to be the case for this program. There is one caveat though: The course focuses a lot on the production side of things with Logic.
However, there is still a solid amount of content regarding playing live sets, including the following lessons:
- Approaching Your DJ Set
- Building a Set: Edits and Mashups
- Using the Decks: Basics
- Using the Decks: Armin’s Techniques
- Performance DJ Tips
The good thing about masterclass is that you can pay monthly, starting at about 20$, so once you get done with the DJing classes, you can cancel your subscription without doing the rest of the course. Though we do recommend the rest of the course if you’re interested in trance / EDM music production.
This masterclass subscription also allows you to stream hundreds of other high quality courses, including courses by deadmau5, Hans Zimmer, Timbaland, and more.
If you want to learn to DJ from the one of the best, look no further.
#4- Udemy: Learn to DJ From The Wu-Tang Clan Review: The Hip Hop Choice
This course we simply couldn’t ignore. After all, most things are temporary but the Wu is forever. In this course, the legendary hip hop DJ Symphony goes through some classic hip hop DJing techniques as well as some overall DJ theory. It includes over 7 hours of video and entitles you to a certificate upon completion.
The main highlight of the course for us was it’s production value. The camera is mostly set up from a bird’s eye view of the mixing table and decks, allowing you to follow along with your deck- It’s by far the most hands-on course we tested.
All the content was high quality, with the video streaming seamlessly with great definition. This makes it super easy to follow.
In addition, the teacher is a master at his craft. If you’re looking for a hip-hop specific online DJ course, this one is a no brainer.
#5- Skillshare: DJing Live: From Setup to Soundcheck (w/ Young Guru) Review
In the same vein as #4, Young Guru’s DJ course on Skillshare is a must have for any hip hop DJ.
It’s a very solid course for beginner and intermediate DJs on how to setup your gear for a live performance, but we rank it after DJ Symphony’s course as we found that it wasn’t as in-depth and hands-on.
It’s still a great course, coming from a legendary engineer and hip hop producer responsible for many hits from Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.
Its important to note that this course focuses solely on setting up your gear and software. No major techniques are discussed, though there are a couple of nuggets of information that are really interesting.
DAW Specific Online DJ Courses:
#6- ProducerTech: Ableton Live DJ’s Guide Review
Producertech is one of the leading online music course providers.
They stand out from the crowd by producing really specific dj courses focused on one particular piece of software.
Generally, the quality of content is very high. Their Ableton Live course is no different.
Ableton Live is a whole other ball game when it comes to live DJing as it comes with a huge pad that allows you to program your live performance.
Guys like daedelus have taken the definition of being a DJ to a different dimension, with sets featuring live production and sampling with the Ableton Live:
We can’t promise that this course will make you an overnight daedelus, but if you’re interested in that world, it’s certainly a good introduction.
Here a sample of a class:
#7- Point Blank Online School- Traktor Pro DJ Review
As we previously mentioned, Point Blank is a leading school in the music industry. And as you would expect, their Traktor Pro DJ course does not disappoint.
It will take you about 2 months to complete it and will require an investment of about 400£ or 500$, depending on deals and promotions.
Topics covered:
- Traktor Inferface: Importing Tracks
- Skills: Beat Matching, Looping, Cueing, Quantizing, Beat Jumping.
- Basic FX
- Harmonic Mixing: Analysing keys, mixing acapellas.
- Crate Digging, Idents, Broadcast
- Hardware: Digital Vinyl, Midi Controllers
Here’s a sneak peak of what a class looks like:
As is the norm with Point Blank, you’ll get online masterclass with your colleagues, and also 1-on-1’s with the lecturers.
#8 Skillshare: The Basics of Serato DJ Review
Hosted by Mister Gray, this skillshare is, like most skillshare courses, short and sweet.
It will take you about an hour to complete, and in the end, you’ll have increased significantly your knowledge of how Serato DJ works and how to make the most of it. Particularly if you’re a beginner in the ways of Serato.
The teacher is a somewhat successful DJ and producer from the United States who focuses on hip hop and EDM / dubstep.
The production value of this course is insane, as is the case with most skillshare courses.
The major downfall, however, is its lack of depth. This really is a course for beginners.
Final Thoughts
We hope we’ve helped you find the very best online DJ course for your needs.
If you’re looking for general music courses or music production related courses, please check out our guide on that subject.
And as always, if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comment box below!
