Frequently Asked Questions

LSS ?

London School of Sound.

Whether you are a composer, a performer, a producer, a DJ, or you work in television, web-design, videogames or any other branch of the entertainment industry, Sound is an essential part of your life.

For anything creative London is the place to be: we are in central London, within minutes of some of the most vibrant clubs, bars, shops, art gallerys, markets etc.

Opening Times

Our office is open Monday to Friday from 10.30 to 18.30 GMT.

The school and studio opening times vary depending on the lectures, there is normally some activity 7days a week from 10.30 until 22.30, although telephone calls will probably not be answered outside office hours.

Answering Machine, Emails, etc.

EMAIL: The best way to contact us and to receive a prompt reply is via email. If we haven't replied within 24 hours chances are that we never got your email (spam filters, internet problems..), so please try again.

INFO FORM: You can also use our Info Request form, which will automatically generate an email - perfect for when you can't use your email account.

ANSWERING MACHINE: If you call outside office hours (Monday to Friday 10.30 to 18.30) you will probably find an answering machine. Either we don't hear the phone when it rings or we can't stop what we are doing: please be patient and leave a message, and we will call you back. Promise.

Can I get a brochure / prospectus of your school ?

All the information you need is on this website or can be obtained by calling our office at +44 (0)207 354 7337.

If you still require printed details we will be happy to arrange a personalised information pack.

When is the next Open Day ?

You don't need an Open Day to visit our school and studio: call 02073547337 or email to arrange a time that suits you.

When is the next course starting? How long do I need to wait if I miss this one?

It depends on the availability of the next classes. If you want to start as soon as possible we will try to arrange additional sessions to integrate you in the first available course, even if it's already started.
Our philosophy is that the course has to fit the student, not the other way round, and this apply both to the content of the lectures and to the course times. However keep in mind that due to the extremely small size of our classes we run out of places very fast, so try to book as early as possible.

Will I get a discount if I come with a friend?

Yes, you can expect a 10% discount for both of you, not to mention the fact that taking the course with a friend will make the whole experience even more fun. Call us to discuss this option.

Can I pay in installments? What other options are available for funding my studies?

Check this link: http://www.londonschoolofsound.co.uk/funding.php

Have you thought to anyone famous?

Read the next answer

I'd like to learn something new but I'd rather avoid the publicity, can you guarantee my privacy?

Yes, if you have a public image to safeguard, or any other privacy issue, you will find that we will deal with it in the most professional manner: it is not our policy to advertise our courses naming all the "celebrities" we've been working with. Additionally we can arrange one-to-one training and exclusive access to the school if this is required.

What kind of certification do you provide?

Foundation and Diploma Certificates are granted solely by London School of Sound, on the grounds of the reputation that the school has built as one of the most respected private colleges around the world.

Existing accreditation bodies often have little real value with respect to music production. In contrast, we develop our curriculum and certification system to reflect the skills actually needed in the creative industries and in the music industry in particular. While this means that our accreditation system guarantees a higher level of practical knowledge than any academic course, it also means that it cannot be considered equivalent to any type of formal qualification in the UK or abroad, so credits gained from our courses cannot be used towards a degree, nor can they be used as an equivalent to GCSE, A Level or University Degree.

As an Apple Authorized Training Centre we award certificates on behalf of Apple, limited to the Pro Apps Training Programme. These are accepted and recognised by every other Apple Training Centre in the world.

Student VISA for non-European students

You can apply for a student VISA in the UK if you attend a full-time course for six months. Check our Certificate Courses to see which ones qualify for a student VIsa. Alternatively, you can apply for a tourist VISA and take part in one of our short intensive courses. (More information and useful links here)

English is not my first language, I can understand a little but I am worried that I would be too slow to follow your class

You can be as slow as you like, it's our job to make sure you learn everything.

Obviously a minimum understanding of english is necessary, but the only thing that is absolutely required is your total commitment to the course: if you are serious about music technology you will find that learning is easy.

Do you provide accommodation?

Unfortunately not. If you come for one of our short courses (up to a week) we can help you find a hotel accommodation in central London at a discounted rate; If you need a longer period of time it would be better to find a shared flat or something to rent: your best chance is with www.moveflat.com - free and with new ads every hour. More links are available at our links page.

Do you provide online courses?

Not at the moment

How can I tell if a course is going to be too basic or too advanced for me?

Click on the name of the course to find an answer, or fill the info request form to be called back from one of our lecturers and discuss your case.

• Logic 101, Logic 301

• coming soon

• Live 101, Live 201

You should not assume that, just because the course codes are AL101 and AL201, the second course is more advanced. These two courses simply cover different areas and the second is the ideal continuation of the first, but if you have already a lot of experience with music production you will find that actually you need only the first course.

Live 101 is the course which covers every single function in Live, so if you know already how to use mixers, effects and if you understand MIDI and synthesizers (for instance if you have used Reason or Cubase in the past) this is the right course for you: it will show you how to use Live including the most advanced features and, more importantly, how to implement Live in a performance.
The performing aspect of Live is the most critical, and it's the one the most people struggle with: once you understand what Live can do you will find that you don't have enough hands and control surfaces to do all the things you would like to do, and what happens most frequently is that some "Ableton Live sets" end up being incredibly boring. This course will suggest a few strategies to avoid that.

Live 201 is more like a mini music production and arrangement course based on Live, where actually you learn everything else and very little of Live! The reason we came up with this course is that if you have never used any instrument or mixer or other to make music before, like it would be for a DJ approaching music production for the first time, once you learn how to use Live you still don't know how to put together a track, when to use a reverb or a delay, the basic idea of what MIDI is, how to program good drum beats, how to use a sampler or a synth. So, for this particular situation, Live 101 explains how to use the software and the Live 201 explains how to produce a track.

• Music Production 101

• coming soon

• MP301 (Advanced Production) and MP321 (Advanced Mixing)

• coming soon

• DJ courses

• coming soon