DIGITAL MUSIC PRODUCTION DIPLOMA PROGRAM
Available Online or On-campus in 2021!

Sound has always captivated you. You love creating beats that make people get up and move. The idea of creating soundscapes that change people’s lives is the ultimate goal. You know what you want to do… but until now you never thought you could turn your passion into a real career. The truth is, the music industry needs people just like you! Get the training and guidance you need to take it to the next level as a professional. 

The Digital Music Production program is offered through a joint partnership between the Centre for Arts and Technology and the Digital Music Alliance and will prepare you for these careers: 

• Sound Designer and Digital Music Producer 
• Sound and Music Composer 
• Sound Effects and Dialogue Editor 
• Audio/Visual and Multimedia Producer 

Digital Music Production is an accelerated program offered through our Audio Engineering department. This course is tailor-made for anyone interested in audio and music production with a special focus on digital music production, recording, mixing and arranging. 

The best part? Technology has opened the door for new artists to create music right from their own home studios. So whether you want to be a freelance or salaried music producer, create beats for a DJ, or work in the film, game, or television industry—the right training and technical skills will allow you to use your own computer as the hub of your digital music creation. 

This 12 month, the project-based program has been designed to take you through the entire process of building core producer competencies and throughout the program, you will master the skills, software and equipment you need to break into the biz. Competency areas include Technical/Engineering, Composing/Arranging, Sound Design, Mixing & Mastering along with Marketing & Business. This focus on competencies is coupled with a variety of Masterclasses and mentoring opportunities to truly provide the breadth and depth needed to succeed in this industry.  

Instructors at the Centre for Arts and Technology will nurture your talent and show you how to get started in the industry from day one. With their help, you’ll build your own professional portfolio, and learn how to produce, market and sell your music. You’ll become familiar with the ins and outs of project management, problem-solving, business networking, and career management, to prepare you for the business side of the job.  

View our graduate portfolio lounge!

Education Staff

Don Ramos
Academic Director
Campus Director – NV

Following 20+ years in the music production field (in roles such as Chief Engineer, Studio Manager, and Recording Studio owner), Don focused on teaching and education management.  He served as Dean of Education at the 2nd largest private arts and technology college in British Columbia, sat on the Degree Quality Assessment Board by provincial appointment in BC, received his PhD in Education in 2012, and continues to serve as VP Education for Canadian based CAT (Centre for Arts and Technology). In 2016 he became an ICF Certified Executive Coach. He is and serves as.

Instructional Team

Luca Pretolesi
MAA Instructor
MAA Educational council
Master Mentor

Steve Aoki picked up on the polished delivery of a track Luca mixed for Dim Mak Records and this led to Luca mixing his entire album ‘Wonderland’ – a project that lead to a Grammy nod for Luca.  Luca regularly works with artists like Diplo (along with side projects Major Lazer and Jack U), MakJ, Lil Jon, Savoy, Gareth Emery, and Snoop Lion (Grammy nominated for “Reincarnated” album), Iggy Azalea, Morgan Page, 2 Chainz, and Calvin Harris. With the opening of The Studio at the Wynn/Encore in July 2013, Luca and his skills are now even more accessible to resident Las Vegas DJs and those on tour.

Luca desires to share his 20 plus years of music production experience, his master level expertise, and his unique hybrid set-up, with others. He is a seasoned instructor, having delivered many workshops and tutorials globally. Yes, mixing, mastering and sound engineering is technical, but it is also an art – and Luca Pretolesi is the modern day Da Vinci. Luca is a voting Member of the Grammy’s.

Scott Banks        
MAA Instructor
MAA Educational council
Master Mentor

Working with artists such as DVBBS, Borgeous, and Bobby Puma, Scotty is a producer, mixing, and mastering engineer at Studio DMI where he immerses himself in honing his art and craft with his mentor; Grammy nominated engineer Luca Pretolesi. Scotty had a humble beginning in the music world where he was able to test his mixing and mastering techniques as a DJ, gaining live, first-hand feedback through audience reaction to his music on the dance floor. He now works at Studio DMI with Luca and applies expertise and attention to detail that come from thousands of hours of working with some of the top artists from around the world, adding finishing touches to songs unlike anyone else.

Nik Hotchkiss
MAA Instructor

Nik “Ink Well” Hotchkiss is a DJ, producer, audio-engineer, multi-media artist, entrepreneur, and educator. Nik has worked in world-class recording studios between Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, and California recording over 400 artists at every level of the music business. He is an Associate Member of the Audio Engineering Society and holds several technical certifications relating to audio/video production. Nik holds a BA in Recording Arts and a master’s degree in Entertainment Business, and has applied this expertise over the last decade to designing and teaching audio engineering at multiple national colleges and music studios. He is a current faculty member at the College of Southern Nevada and the Art Institute of Las Vegas

Chris Holmes
MAA Educational council
MAA Instructor

Chris started his career working alongside The Matrix, a production and song writing team based in Los Angeles. Over the course of 4+ years, he sharpened his engineering and production skills while working on numerous A-List artists, including Katy Perry, Ricky Martin, Korn, Vanessa Carlton, Mandy Moore, Ashley Tisdale and many more. After relocating to Vancouver, Chris took over the position of Chief Engineer at Greenhouse Studios, where he worked with dozens of independent and major label artists. With over 15+ years’ experience, Chris is now an independent engineer and producer, dividing his time between Vancouver and Kelowna.  Chris is excited to share his knowledge and experience with others and has distinguished himself as an exceptional instructor.

Taylin Simmonds
MAA Instructor

Taylin’s first record deal was with Blue Label Records where he released multiple tracks that charted in the I-Tunes top 100 Dance Charts, co-produced/ co-wrote songs for independent artists and assisted artists in preparing DJ performances for headlining festival slots. After working with major PR Agencies such as Music Promo Today and Dotted Music, Taylin decided to use what he learned to take his career into his own hands as an independent artist. Taylin continues to pursue his passion for production while also sharing his learning with other like-minded artists as lead instructor for electronic music at the Centre for Arts and Technology in Canada.

Lora Wentworth
MAA Instructor

A classically trained performer, Lora is embedded in the local British Columbia music scene.  Lora started her formal education with accreditations in Music Performance and Music Composition from Selkirk College, then certification in Advanced Theory RCM, a Licentiate in Music Education LRSL from Rockschool, in addition to licensure from Kindermusik.  Lora is a freelance pianist and solo performing artist and enthusiastically shares her knowledge and expertise as music instructor at the Wentworth Music Education Center and applied music theory for engineers and producers at the Canadian Centre for Arts and Technology.