Byron Bay DJ/ producer, 3rdeye, mixes his love for electronic music with his passion for teaching as a resident electronic music production (EMP) instructor at SAE’s Byron campus.

What’s new in electronic music production... any cutting edge advancements that are shaping/ reshaping the scene?

Technology wise, there are always new developments in hardware and software production gear, but things have been quite steady the last couple of years. I think there will be big advancements to come through the integration of iPads with live performance software such as Ableton, Serato. It will also be interesting to see what the next versions of Logic and Ableton offer producers in terms of new features. The new production DAW (digital audio workstation) Bitwig also looks like it could be a major player, integrating a lot of features from DAWs such as Logic, Ableton and FL Studio.

You lecture an EMP course at SAE Byron Bay. What kind of skills do you teach and what software and equipment do you work with?

We work with Logic and Ableton mainly. The majority of the course content is taught using Logic, but much of that content could be applied to any DAW software. We cover the full spectrum of electronic music production: sequencing, synthesis, sound design, effects and production techniques, sampling, editing, mixing, recording, composition/ arranging, networking, copyright law, working with labels, live performance. It’s a six month practical insight into the skills and techniques required of a successful artist/ producer.

What kinds of jobs are out there in the realm of EMP?

Most of the students I’ve taught have done the course in order to establish or further their careers as electronic music artists. We’ve had lots of students do really well since completing the course, many of them have since been signed to record labels and a few are even touring or based internationally now.

Your music and profile are gathering substantial momentum at the moment; what’s next for 3rdeye?

I’ve got a collaboration with Droid Sector called ‘Catharsis’ coming out soon on one of my favourite labels, Subway. I’ve got lots of new tracks in the works, but no release plans for them as yet.

SAE Institute Byron Bay is hosting an information evening, Wednesday April 4. byronbay.sae.edu