Playback Academy Live Accelerator

Tour-ready playback in 3 weeks. Live with Will.

If you’ve ever hoped and prayed you’d make it through a show without something breaking…
or that nobody would ask for a last-minute edit…

you’re not alone.

Most playback engineers aren’t stuck because they’re not smart.
They’re stuck because they’ve learned a lot of how without understanding why it works.

They know:

how to press play
how to plug in what they own
the bare minimum to get through a set

So every gig feels like a gamble.

And when something fails on stage — or a change needs to happen fast — they don’t have a system to fall back on.

This Accelerator is how you fix that — fast.

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What this is

The Playback Academy Live Accelerator is a 3-week live sprint where we walk through the foundational touring milestones of Playback Academy together on Zoom.

You won’t just watch.
You’ll build, implement, and troubleshoot in real time with me there.

If you can't make a session, no need to worry, you'll get access to the replay for life!

Two cohorts in December.

--> Join the Waitlist <---

What you’ll walk away with

By the end of the Accelerator, you will:

know exactly what you need for a tour-grade playback rig (no more guessing)
have songs + sets fully programmed in Ableton for fast edits and real-world changes
run playback confidently in rehearsal and on stage with a repeatable workflow
troubleshoot problems fast — and set things up to prevent them in the first place
feel calm and confident during every gig

This is the fastest path from shaky → solid.

How the live sprint works

Six live Zoom days
Each day runs 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM ET

Can't make it live? That's okay, you'll get access to the recordings for life!

Daily structure:

10:00–11:00 Teaching
11:00–12:00 Work session + office hours
12:00–1:00 Lunch break
1:00–2:00 Teaching
2:00–3:00 Work session + office hours

You’ll leave each day with proven frameworks and real work completed — not just more tutorials watched.

Choose your cohort

Group 1 — all sessions 10–3 ET

Dec 1
Dec 2
Dec 3
Dec 9
Dec 11
Dec 12

Group 2 — all sessions 10–3 ET

Dec 15
Dec 16
Dec 22
Dec 23
Dec 29
Dec 30

Pick the time that works best for you at checkout. Can't make it live, or need to miss a session? No worries, you'll get access to the recordings for life!

What we cover (touring milestones, taught live)

We’ll move through the exact foundations pros use on tour — in the right order:

Playback’s Role On-Stage + Designing Your Dream Playback Rig
(what playback actually does live, and how to build the right rig for your gig)
Setting Up Your Computer + Customizing Your Playback Template
(the exact first steps pros use to prep a reliable touring system)
Programming Songs in Ableton Live
(how to program quickly and plan for real-world changes)
Programming a Full Set in Ableton Live
(build sets faster than anyone else using the right structure + Setlist tools)
Controlling a Stadium with a Spacebar — Using Timecode On Stage
(how timecode works, and how to use it on-stage)
Advanced MIDI Programming
(how to control anything on stage with MIDI)
Using Playback in Rehearsal
(keep rehearsals moving while making lighting-fast edits)
Using Playback During the Show
(how to setup and run playback live, and what to do when things go wrong)
Creating an On-Stage Performance Network
(design a flexible, modern networked rig for on-stage control)
Lights Integration
(learn how to connect to and control lights with playback)
Video Integration
(learn how to connect to and control video with playback)
Confidence Monitor / Lyrics
(learn how to set up a confidence monitor and sync lyrics to playback)

Everything here is built to be stable, fast, and repeatable.

What’s included

6 live Accelerator days (two teaching blocks per day)
Access to the Zoom recordings for Life!
implementation workbooks + guides
all my custom control cues
Playback Pro template
workflow utility apps + custom GPT helpers
session replays (lifetime access)
All-Access Pro Network — 2 months free
Bands (single-band plan) — 2 months free

Everything included is there for one reason: to help you implement faster and stay tour-ready.

Who this is for

This is for you if:

you want touring-grade standards, not random skills
you’ve wanted Bootcamp before but couldn’t commit to 12 weeks
you’re already gigging (or about to be) and want a system you trust
you want to stop guessing and become dependable on stage

This is not for you if:

you want more info but aren’t ready to practice
you’re casually curious about playback
you want to collect tutorials instead of building a real system

If you’re ready to do the work, you’ll move fast here.

Tuition + seats

$1,500
Two cohorts in December

Registration opens Friday, November 28th and closes Sunday, November 30th at 10PM ET, so we can hit the ground running!

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What happens after the Accelerator?

This sprint is the fast-start into our updated Playback Academy program launching in February.

If you want to go deeper after December, you’ll have a clear next step — and Accelerator students get first access.

(We’ll share details with Accelerator students first.)

About Will

I’m Will Doggett — Ableton Live Certified Trainer and touring playback engineer with 20+ years on the road. I’ve trained 1,000+ musicians and engineers through From Studio to Stage (an Ableton Live Certified Training Center), and I’m currently full-time Playback Engineer for a 7-time Grammy-winning artist.

What you’ll learn here isn’t internet theory.
It’s how I run the show night after night.

FAQs

Is this the full Playback Academy program?

No. This is a live Accelerator sprint through the touring foundations.
You’ll get live implementation and group troubleshooting here. The full standards path opens in February.

Why only 3 weeks?

Because this is built for people who want a fast, live build-along and couldn’t commit to a 12-week schedule. You get the milestones quickly with implementation time built in.

Do I need to be advanced in Ableton already?

You don’t need to be advanced, but you should have some experience using Ableton and playback so you can move quickly with the group.

What if I miss a session?

Every session includes replays and workbook tasks. Live attendance is strongly recommended because feedback + implementation is the point.

What gear do I need?

At minimum: a laptop with Ableton Live 12.
In the first session we’ll design your ideal touring rig together, and you’ll leave with an exact gear list tailored to your needs and budget.

Is any 1:1 coaching included?

Not in the Accelerator. You’ll get live work sessions, office hours, and group troubleshooting. Deeper assessment feedback happens inside the February program.

Can bands/artists join?

Yes — if you want to learn to the same touring-grade standard. This is training for musicians who want to become world-class playback engineers. If you apply that to your band, even better.