Tell us about your production journey so far – how long have you been producing? And what drew you to it in the first place?

I’ve been producing for around 6 years now but I’ve only taken it seriously for around 3 years. I’ve always been a fan of music and was always interested in how its been made, one of my classmates at the time showed me a DJ program and I was hooked right away. That was also the moment I started producing and playing around.

Week 1 of the course focuses on artist identity and positioning. Did this make you analyse your sound in anyway?

Definitely, I was already working towards a more focussed sound at the time I started entering the course but this helped me understand the ‘genres’ within house a lot more. So this really helped me finding my place in the ‘house’ genre and my identity!

What other modules really stood out to you throughout the 12 weeks?

For me the one to one A&R session and the marketing session really stood out. It was great to talk to Ben and Pete on a more personal level and get some career advice from them! Also the marketing session was really helpful to define my brand more and get some good tips to implement on my profile right away!

How important was the A&R feedback throughout your journey?

It was so exciting getting the feedback videos every week after sending over the assignment. It really helped me develop my track and get it to a level that I wouldn’t have reached without it. I was totally new to making club specific tracks so getting feedback from Ben and Pete helped me understanding how to make one!

How happy were you with the track you made over the course of the 3 months?

I was happy with the result I got, it was a rollercoaster getting to the end product but it was a really fun journey and I learned a lot from it!

What do you think was unique or different about the Production Certificate compared to other programmes/schools out there?

For me it was definitely the A&R feedback videos every week, I was always a big fan of Toolroom and learning from the team was a great experience that you can’t learn anywhere else!

How would you compare your production ability/knowledge now, compared to when you started the course?

What I learned the most was choosing the right sounds, I was never aware of how certain sound choices could make or break a track. This was something Ben and Pete told me a lot and its something that I’m always thinking about when I’m producing a new record till this day. So my ability to create better records definitely improved a lot because of the course!

Has your ability on Logic/Ableton improved since you’ve taken the course?

I was already quite aware of producing records in Ableton so I didn’t learn that much on using Ableton, however I barely use the stock plugins inside of Ableton so I learned quite a lot on how to use those!

Did you manage to connect and built relationships with other students on the course?

It was always great fun seeing everyone during the weekly calls, also the Facebook group of the Toolroom Academy really helps keeping in touch and seeing what everyone is doing!

How would you rate your tutors?

10/10, Ben and Pete are so nice and are great tutors! They gave me great advice and tips on what to do with my track and giving me different insights that I never thought of myself!

What was the single best experience you had on the programme?

I really enjoyed the final A&R session, listening to what everyone made and the enthusiasm of each student was a great experience! And of course getting feedback on my own demo from the Toolroom A&R’s was a great feeling / experience!

Would you recommend the Production Certificate to other producers?

Definitely! I learned a lot of things that I never thought I needed, also working close with Ben and Pete was a great experience! The variation in the course was also something I appreciated a lot, from the marketing to artist identity to production, it was all there and it was a great learning experience!

As a graduate, what are your thoughts on the Toolroom Academy overall?

The team over at Toolroom did such a great job creating this course, its something that would fit everyone within the house/tech house spectrum looking to learn and create better records!