Seeing Armin Van Buren throwing his hands into the air, and working huge crowds of festivals into a frenzy with just his decks will leave you in no doubt about his ability to perform.

It may give you a slightly misleading impression about his abilities to make music, however.

Many people see the Dutch superstar DJ as more of a showman than a music producer, and while he certainly puts on a good show, his Masterclass shows that he is also an accomplished producer.

Armin’s Masterclass was the first one that I tried, and one of the ones that encouraged me to sign up – and commit to the significant annual Masterclass investment.

The Masterclass promotional videos are so slick that I was worried if it was all style over substance.

I’m happy to report that there was no reason to worry. The course is insightful, inspiring, and genuinely interesting for those who are a little bit nosy about how other people work behind the scenes.

Filmed in his massive, futuristic studio, with his trusty partner, Benno De Goeij – a technical wizard on hand to make any idea a reality – the other danger was that it could all feel a little too hard to relate to.

The class manages to keep the topics covered achievable and relatable, even for the bedroom producer, or a complete beginner.

Seeing someone who has been there and done it all, flailing around inside his DAW, making tiny mistakes, and stumbling over the next steps, is actually strangely reassuring and inspiring. We’re all in the same boat at the end of the day.

While experienced producers may not find a considerable amount of new knowledge, it’s still interesting to see how a superstar of the industry goes about making music, and there are plenty of little nuggets of wisdom to take away.

It also helps that Armin is an enthusiastic and friendly teacher, and genuinely seems to be keen to share his information with the world and inspire the next generation.

The course covers everything from creating a song on recording vocals live – he also has sections covering DJing and performing on stage.

His plugin and mixing recommendations can also be handy if you’re making music currently but want to learn how to take your mixes to the next level. Keep a pen handy, as there are some great recommendations, which won’t damage the bank account too much.

Whether you’re an experienced musician, or you are looking to take your first steps into electronic music production, Armin has some great tips to share.

He is happy to reveal all of his secrets, and the Masterclass is an enjoyable and educational afternoon spent in the studio of a trance superstar. His boyish enthusiasm is palpable, and you won’t be able to resist firing up your own music production software after watching his class for a few minutes.

If you’re still unsure about whether Masterclass is worth the money, take a look at our blog asking precisely that question.

We will also be taking a look at Masterclass’s other courses focussed on music production in the next few weeks.

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