Just purchased the DN2 mastery course. Seems like it was a bit less expensive over the holidays, but now is the time I wanted to jump in… It is a bit spendy, but I’m sure I’ll find value in it. Will report back as I go
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Dave is such a good guy that I bet if something isn’t clicking, he might be willing to clarify a lesson or respond to questions here on the forum.
Also, I don’t know if you’ve already downloaded it yet, but don’t forget that he also has the free cheat sheets that he made which are really well laid out and might serve as a valuable visual companion while you’re digging into the mastery course.
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I did download the cheat sheets and can confirm Dave is a great guy 
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Looking forward to hear how did you find his course.
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Day One with the DN2 course;
Just cracking into the course. First off, you’re provided a project file to play along and have the same sounds as Dave is walking through many of the basic functions of the DN2. I’ve got a decent sense of the basic functionality already, but there are different ways to go about things and it was fun seeing someone else’s thought process. Dave is super detailed and learns these machines inside and out.
Next, he starts building up a track slowly and gives a ton of tips and tricks along the way. You’re meant to build one up yourself as well. I love the idea of learning by doing. I’m more or less just doing whatever he does for now, even though I don’t typically do techno. The techniques transfer to other styles well. He shows how he organizes tracks and why he does it that way and it’s very logical, but he stresses that there are many ways to organize tracks, but it’s important to create a consistent system that you understand so you’re not confusing yourself and getting lost during performances.
That’s where I’m at so far. Got a basic start to a track and some useful tips and different perspectives. Pretty damn fun so far
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Before getting into course, what was your main reason of doing one?
More track structure or sound design, or both?
Since all digi boxes are kinda the same, if you have one you kinda know where things are on other.
I think that’s mostly true, though there are many small differences between my TV/ST/DN2. But to your point, the early part of the course is mostly stuff I already know from having owned so many Elektron machines. It’s still fun to see how someone else looks at the inner workings and how they apply strategies.
Honestly, like many others, I tend to seek out new gear, when I really should be milking what I already have to its fullest potential. Whether I needed to take this course on or not is debatable, but there are always new things to learn for both track structure and sound design. It’s a slower time of year for me, so I thought a class/course might be fun/interesting and so far it is
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Day 2 with the DN2 course;
I’m still not even all the way through with Part (module?) 1 and am having a really nice time. Lots of things get covered. So many great reminders of when it’s time to look at the big picture and when it’s time to rethink/reshape parts as the track progresses. It’s a super detailed look at building a track. For the most part I’m just doing whatever Dave does to see how everything comes together, but I also deviate a bit to suit my own taste. I can see myself incorporating many of his workflow concepts into my own. I’m also reminded of many functions I often forget about that are fast and helpful. Even just in part 1 of 6, I can’t see how anyone could retain all the stuff he throws at you. I find myself pausing, rewinding just to fully grab every concept. To me this is a very value added thing. Not really a one and done course, but a course that rewards multiple viewings and practice.
If you do techno and aspire to get better at it, I highly recommend Dave’s courses. I don’t really do techno and am still finding it rewarding.
Back to ‘class’ for an hour or so, then need to practice my set for tonight’s gig.
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Man, I have no idea how anyone can memorize so many functions in order to teach them so well!
I watched (twice so far) a section on the Note Edit feature. I’ve been using it since day one and love it, but Dave is showing much faster ways of getting things done and different things I was unaware of. Great job @DaveMech!
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How long is entire course?
Hopefully, I’m explaining this right. Dave breaks up the course into 6 ‘modules.’ I think that’s what he calls them. Module 1 has like 18 different teaching videos ranging from roughly 15 minutes to 40 minutes each. I’m about 6 hours into the course and it will likely be another 4 hours before I complete module 1. I’m watching more than once, rewinding, pausing, etc so you could probably ago through it much faster than I am. In all, there’s just over 15 hours of video instruction. I’m just going over things multiple times, pausing to tweak the track and so on.
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I really liked the OG Digitone course when I still had my DNK. Very hands on, just tells you how to make stuff and helping you understand what’s going on while doing it.
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i picked up the latest courses for dt2 / dn2 as a resource to elevate my workflow and create full compositions as opposed to filling up my boxes with random patterns
totally worth it, the classes are a transformative experience - dave mech rules
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