MONDAYS R4 MUSIC!
WINTER EDITION 2026: FEBRUARY 2-MARCH 23
A quarterly workshop series founded by Scott Monteith, aka Deadbeat, carefully curated to inspire artists to take their productions and performances to the next level via dub logic:
Every studio, no matter how humble, is an instrument unto itself waiting to be played.
Let’s Play!
Shared Knowledge Empowers, and Echoes Eternally
MONDAYS R4 MUSIC is a new quarterly workshop series founded by Canadian musician Scott Monteith, best known for his releases under the stage name Deadbeat.
Outside of his work as a touring musician, sound engineer, producer, and DJ, Scott has been a regular music technology educator for companies such as Ableton, Applied Acoustics Systems, Mutek, Native Instruments, and the Red Bull Music Academy.
Each edition of MONDAYS R4 MUSIC will comprise 8 modules, taking place weekly over concurrent Mondays, in person, from 6 to 9 PM in the respective time zone of the host country.
The program aims to empower artists to think “outside the box” and employ the dub philosophy of “the studio as an instrument” and “echo logic” in all aspects of their creative and professional processes. The program will include workshops on sound design, recording, mixing, arrangement, performance, music distribution and licensing, as well as guest lectures from some of the most forward-thinking artists, engineers, and business leaders in the industry.
Additionally, all workshop participants will receive a copy of Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act, as well as full software licenses and discount codes from Applied Acoustics Systems and Arturia, all of which will play crucial roles throughout the workshop.
While a video archive of selected workshops will be made available digitally for purchase via Echio.co, and for free to all participants, in-person, real-time interaction and instruction will be the primary focus of the program.
Mondays are a tough day for everyone, and make no mistake, the timing of these workshops has been specifically chosen with this in mind. The early bird catches the worm, as the old saying goes, and every Monday that is spent focused on and devoted to creation is time well spent indeed.
Put on your headphones.
Plug in the mic.
Crank the delay.
Listen to the echoes.
The coming week is not a challenge to be feared.
It’s a world of opportunity waiting to happen.
Start your week off right.
MONDAYS R4 MUSIC.
Working Together: Course Overview and Additonal Benefits
Each edition of Mondays R4 Music will utilize the following fixed module structure:
MODULE 1 – FOUND SOUNDS
This module will be focused on live field recordings made in the studio space and the surrounding neighborhood. An Easter egg hunt for sound heads!
What you will learn:
- Building custom drum kits from live recorded material
- Utilizing live recordings for granular and re-synthesis applications
- Creating unique convolution reverbs based on unique site-specific samples
- Creating rhythmic and melodic counterpoint/call and response with live recordings
MODULE 2 - MEDITATE ON DRUM AND BASS WEIGHT
The most common questions asked by producers working in club-oriented music usually relate to the interaction of the drums and bass. How to make the drums breathe and bang; how to make the bass sit well on record and rattle the roof in a live context. The black arts of drum and bass processing shall hereby be revealed!
What you will learn:
- Strategies for getting the best recordings of both acoustic and electronic drum and bass sounds
- Compression, equalization, and Mid / Side processing techniques that guarantee weight, warmth, and balance
- Understanding of upper order harmonics relationships to add perceived presence without clipping
MODULE 3 - GROUP MIX THERAPY VOL1
Speak to the most well-respected mixing engineers in the business, and they will all likely tell you the most important element of every good mix is a second set of ears. For this module, every participant will bring a track of 3-7 minutes, listen to it with the group, and have it mixed and polished to perfection.
What you will learn:
- Gain staging, equalization, and compression strategies for various sources
- Parallel and in-line bus processing configurations and auxiliary FX usage in a mixing context
- Mid/Side (M/S) processing strategies for final pre-masters
MODULE 4 - WIRES ON FIRE
Wall-sized Eurorack modular systems have become backdrop fixtures in the studio photos of successful DJs and producers the world over in recent years. Thanks to the tireless work of the good folks at Applied Acoustics Systems behind the remarkably affordable Multiphonics VC-3, not only can you harness the power of modular synthesis on your laptop, you can do something very few of even the biggest hardware rigs can: make your ideas polyphonic!
What you will learn:
- Basic modular patching strategies directly translatable to hardware systems
- Unique instrument and FX building strategies combining classic analog, FM, and physical modeling sources
- Find the best tool for the job: the modular toolbox is endlessly deep, and knowing which tool to reach for and when is crucial
MODULE 5 - RECYCLE, REUSE, DUB OUT!
Every creative action, no matter how simple, contains a nugget of true inspiration. By learning to tune in and listen for these key“golden” elements and utilizing them as jumping-off points for inspiration and recontextualization, a thrown-together morning coffee or late-night jam session can quickly turn into something much larger than its humble beginnings.
What you will learn:
- Re-sampling and re-synthesis to enhance and expand melodic and timbral voices
- Poly-rhythmic looping and clock deviations to enhance and humanize rhythmic structures
- Utilizing Dub-rooted “versioning” strategies both in the musical domain, and the visual for artwork and promotion
MODULE 6 - GROUP MIX THERAPY VOL2
Speak to the most well-respected mixing engineers in the business, and they will all likely tell you the most important element of every good mix is a second set of ears. For this module, every participant will bring a track of 3-7 minutes, listen to it with the group, and have it mixed and polished to perfection.
What you will learn:
- Gain staging, equalization, and compression strategies for various sources
- Parallel and in-line bus processing configurations and auxiliary FX usage in a mixing context
- Mid/Side (M/S) processing strategies for final pre-masters
MODULE 7 – DOUBLE R KNOWLEDGE - UTILIZING RICK RUBIN’S “THE CREATIVE ACT”
While one could certainly read it cover to cover, Rick Rubin’s “The Creative Act” is best digested as a 9zcollection of daily meditations and a creative call to arms. Revisiting the mixes done in the previous GROUP MIX THERAPY, random selections will be taken from the book and applied, changing the mixes based on the suggestions therein.
… And yes, that is a REAL-ASS photo with Rick Rubin and me outside of Funkhaus Berlin, the morning after my birthday some years ago, when I just so happened to be carrying a copy of his book, which I had been using for meditations in front of the Spree 10 meters in front of where we met, every morning for a year.
The Universe smiles upon those with good hearts from time to time.
What you will learn:
- Dispelling “preciousness” for individual elements and exploring new tangents
- Using internal and external effects, and hands-on mixing (mute, solo volume) to recontexulaize a mix in real time
- Be open to your madness! While first ideas are indeed often the best ones, the utterly bonkers, crazy ones that follow often lead to exciting revelations.
MODULE 8 - WE ARE LIVE!
Whether you are working entirely alone inside the box launching clips with your touchpad, syncing 20 drum machines and synths, or playing your humble digital contributions alongside a full orchestra and choir, we’ve got you covered. Just don’t forget your dance moves! This one ends in a giant all-hands-on-deck jam session party!
What you will learn:
- Building a live set in Ableton Live that encourages performance and improvisation
- Syncing and connecting various analog and digital devices to an analog mixer
- Strategies for performative dub effects, and being an effective team player in a live context
ADDITIONAL PERKS AND BENEFITS
- Complimentary copy of Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act
- Full license of Applied Acoustics Systems Multiphonics CV-3 (regular price € 150)
- Discount code on select software titles used in the workshops from Arturia
- Access to video archive of select worshops via Echio
- Access to a range of equipment in some of Berlin’s best studios, with additional equipment pertaining directly to the workshop, kindly provided by Sonic Sales
The First Editon Begins Monday February 2nd
Apply Now!
Winter Edition 2026 - Berlin
The inaugural edition of Mondays R4 Music will take place at various studio locations in Berlin from February 2 to March 23, every Monday from 6-9 pm.
Enrollment for the first semester will be limited to 12 students at a cost of € 800 per student for the full 8-week course (€ 100 per 3-hour weekly module).
A limited number of slots are available for single workshops at a cost of € 150.
Apply before Thursday, January 29th, for your chance to win a Arturia Microlab MK3 MIDI controller or TIE X26 field recorder!!!
All applicants will be notified within 24 hours following the receipt and review of their application.
Requirements
- Laptop with the most recent version of Ableton Live installed and basic knowledge of said software
- Headphones
- Portable soundcard
-USB stick or portable hard drive for easy file transfer