Artist-Led Electronic Music Workshops
Hosted at Sonic Junkie Recording Studio (South Brooklyn NYC)
Ableton Live - focused instruction
Artist-led, in-person workshops for electronic music producers working in Ableton Live –
focused on developing an authentic signature sound, finishing music with intention and purpose, and building sustainable creative momentum.
A potently unique approach to electronic music education
Artist-led, in-person group sessions for electronic music producers who want to deepen their creative confidence, develop their own authentic style, and build workflows that support consistently finishing music.
The workshops take place at Sonic Junkie Recording Studio in South Brooklyn and are taught primarily in Ableton Live, with instruction designed to support everything from minimal laptop-based setups to more expanded workflows using MIDI controllers, hardware, and external sound sources.
The program is intentionally genre-fluid, welcoming artists from across the spectrum of dance music: techno, house, IDM, drum n’ bass, garage, breaks, etc. – as well as experimental, hip-hop, ambient, downtempo, film score, and hybrid electronic styles. Whatever your genre, or whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced, the tools and perspectives offered here are flexible enough to support initial growth and deep enough to remain relevant as your practice evolves.
For producers who:
Work in Ableton Live and want to use it more effectively to explore or achieve a specific vision
Feel stuck between initiating ideas and finishing tracks
Want to develop a distinctive artistic voice through technique and mindset
Are seeking structure without rigidity
Are interested in protecting and strengthening human creativity in this medium in the age of AI
Value depth, process, and long-term creative growth
Want insight and support in navigating creative blocks like perfectionism, overwhelm, and self-doubt while building sustainable creative momentum
All experience levels are welcome - workshops are designed to support beginners through advanced producers.
How the workshops are taught:
Instruction is grounded in a holistic, artist-led approach that integrates creative mindset, technical skill, and musical expression. Rather than focusing on just isolated tools or techniques, the workshops explore how ideas move through interconnected systems – from implementing and developing foundational ideas via rhythm and melody to sound design, arrangement, mixing, and performance.
Teaching emphasizes hands-on creation inside Ableton Live, with guided exercises, real-time feedback, and practical frameworks that can be adapted across different setups. The goal is not to prescribe a single way of working, but to adaptively help each producer develop a process that supports their own tastes, sound, strengths, and creative instincts.
The approach emphasizes:
An integrated creative workflow, rather than disconnected tips or isolated techniques
Learning through active making, experimentation, and iteration
Designing a personalized process and creative ecosystem you can trust, build on, and return to consistently
Moving beyond trend-chasing toward intentional, values-driven creative decisions
Translating emotion, intention, and imagination into sound
Building workflows that reliably lead to finished music
The workshops balance structure and openness, allowing space for exploration while providing clear guidance and practical direction.
Workshop Formats
Workshops are offered in a range of formats to support different learning styles, schedules, and depths of focus. Each format is designed to balance structured guidance with open creative exploration, while maintaining a small-group, artist-led collaborative learning environment.
They’re intentionally fluid, adaptable and modular – meeting students where they are to deepen relevant skills, process, and artistic direction.
Single-day intensive: Introductory rate: $150 (Regularly $240)
One day, 6–8 hour session focused on a specific creative or technical area.
Weekend Immersive: Introductory rate: $350 (Regularly $580)
Two consecutive weekend days, 6-8 hrs per day – deeper integration, continuity,
and momentum in the realm of focus.
Students receive:
Artist-led, in-person instruction with veteran producer Daniel Merrill (A Path Untold)
Hands-on guidance in Ableton Live and real-time feedback
Access to session video recordings and supportive resources
Clear frameworks for potent ideas, songwriting, sound design, arrangement, mixing, workflow
Support for developing a distinctive artistic voice and personalized creative ecosystem
Tools for moving through creative blocks and building sustainable momentum
Methodology for consistently finishing music
A focused, intimate-group learning and community environment at Sonic Junkie Recording Studio
About the Instructor:
Daniel Merrill (A Path Untold) is an electronic music composer, producer, live & DJ act, and educator with over 25 years of experience exploring the spectrum of electronic music. His work is known for its unique contrast and duality – moving fluidly through lo-fi/organic house, breaks, future garage, downtempo, ambient, and cinematic, film-score-influenced aesthetics. He creates immersive sonic worlds that evoke emotional depth, expansion, and wonder: intimate yet dance-driven, melancholic yet euphoric, organic yet futuristic.
Over the years, Daniel has produced and released music on labels including Valence (alongside artists such as Carl Craig and Magda), Timewheel, The Chambers Project, Resueno, Aleph Zero (via Bluetech), Aquatic Collective and more. He also works extensively in the sync licensing space through a partnership with Epidemic Sound (3rd largest sync agency in the world), creating music for film, media, and content worldwide. His performance history includes residencies with DJ Qbert and The Gaslamp Killer, as well as sharing the stage with artists ranging from Tipper and Max Cooper to Rob Clouth, Aes Dana, Emancipator, Richie Hawtin, Eskmo, and many others across the genre spectrum.
Alongside his artistic career, Daniel has spent more than a decade teaching music production, composition, and creative process across a wide range of skill levels and learning environments, including one-on-one students, retreats, and esteemed music schools. An Ableton Live user since version 1 (2001), and a certified creativity coach, his teaching integrates technical skill with mindset, clarity, and artistic intention – based on vast personal experience within the craft.
At the heart of his work as an educator is a simple focus: helping producers not only learn how to make music, but develop confidence in a personalized creative process they can trust – one that translates their deeper why into an authentic creative voice, purpose, and way of working over time.