Read all about it

The latest from Catalyst. From student work and events, to news and think-pieces.

Catalyst news and stories

Can’t attend the physical Signals Festival event at Catalyst this Friday the 15th and Saturday 16th of October? Here’s our rundown of which live performances and dialogues we’re live streaming and where to watch them.

Are art and technology leading us towards a utopia or a dystopia? Our future-focused community roster of performers, installation artists, filmmakers, panellists and workshop leaders invite you to explore this fascinating topic with them this Friday 15th and Saturday the 16th of October at Signals Festival.

Can’t make it to the physical event at the Funkhaus? Below, we’ve prepared a live stream programme just for you. Scroll down to enjoy the eclectic full lineup of live music and visual performances from both days of the festival. Plus, tune into our collaborative dialogue with Music Pool Berlin on Friday and our 'Videophilia' filmmaking dialogue on Saturday.

Signals Festival /// Live Performances FRIDAY

Gina Lo & Felipe Vareschi present 'A Temple in Space'

Signals Festival /// Live Performances SATURDAY

Richard Scott & Eliad Vagner (modular live)

Imaginaria + Alessandro Adriani present 'IGNES FATUI'

Friday Dialogue: Signals x Music Pool Berlin

Signals x Music Pool Berlin /// What does a music community built on sustainable practice look like?

What does a music community built on sustainable practice look like? Join our moderated  panel discussion and conversation with you - the music community - as we look for meaningful ways to achieve a supportive and productive, but sustainable, future for the music industry.

Saturday Dialogue: Conspiracies, psychedelia and the virtual end-times

Signals x Videophilia - conspiracies, psychedelia and the virtual end-times

Dive into the world of contemporary storytelling, where cybersex,  conspiracies, psychedelia and digital viruses are all too real. Join filmmakers Juan Daniel F. Molero and María Gisèle Royo as they discuss  Juan Daniel's award winning film Videophilia, contemporary filmmaking  practices and storytelling in our (apocalyptic?) times.

Watch Signals Festival 2021 live music and visual performances and panel discussions online on the 15th and 16th of October.

Signals Festival: Live Stream Performances & Dialogues

Signals Festival: Live Stream Our Performances and Dialogues 

For the second year running, Catalyst joined forces with fellow renowned audio production school, Spirit Studios, to facilitate an exciting multidisciplinary collaboration between four pairs of our students. Learn all about Interface 2.0 and the resulting projects, one of which will be presented at Signals Festival this October. 

Two of Europe’s most progressive musical cities. Two renowned audio production institutes. Two unique creative perspectives. Connect these things and not only do you get a convergence of ideas, but an explosion of creative possibilities. 

Catalyst and Manchester’s Spirit Studios joined forces to launch the Interface Project in 2020. We gave a group of students from each of our schools the opportunity to pair up and remotely collaborate for 12 weeks on a project of their choice – be that creating a film score or shooting a music video. The goal: to creatively cross-pollinate and mutually push for innovation, despite the limitations of the COVID lockdown situation. 

The project was such a success that this summer, we went for another round: Interface 2.0. This year’s point of creative exploration was the dichotomy between the utopia and the dystopia, which as you’ll soon find out, resulted in some absolutely stunning work. 

Just like last year, the four selected pairs were competing for a slot to exhibit their work at our annual community showcase, Signals Festival – taking place on the 15th to the 16th of October, 2021 – plus additional support to realise their project in the real world. The two students who won second prize would each receive a piece of tech relevant to their course. Catalyst’s Charlie Baldwin and Spirit Studios’ Damion O’Brien, both electronic music production tutors, mentored the students throughout the project.

First-year VFX and Digital Arts student Ethan Ho brought his 3D skills to his collaboration with chiptune extraordinaire Matthew Creighton, aka Copilot Claude, to create a deep sea-inspired audiovisual piece. Second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering student Olívia Mamberti, whose talents include singing and songwriting, film composing and video making, teamed up with vocalist, composer and sound designer Maya Rain on an immersive audiovisual experience. First-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering student Freddy Corazzini collaborated with fellow musician David Pani on a ‘90s inspired, percussive synth track and accompanying skateboarding video which, in keeping with their pre-internet concept, were processed and recorded on cassette. First-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering student Anton Líni Hreiðarsson combined his soulful vocals with Ana-Maria Chipaila's EDM elements to create an upbeat pop song, accompanied by nostalgic video clips from their journey together. 

Above: Spirit Studios team at Interface 2.0 Zoom presentation

“Everyone really impressed us,” says Catalyst events and student experience lead and Signals Festival co-creator Hannah Deans. “They all had quite amazing learning curves and seem to have gotten a lot out of it, not to mention future collaborative partners.” 

Keri and Nyree, who coordinated the project at Spirit Studios say that being a part of Interface 2.0 was fantastic: “Each student brought something unique and memorable to the table, and the final projects were all astounding! Thank you to every student who put their heart and soul into this project, you have made this year one to remember!” Keep an eye out on the Spirit Studios blog for their upcoming podcast with the participants.

All four pairs created such a high standard of work that it was tough to choose a winner. In the end, one of the deciding factors was a crystal-clear communication and execution of the brief and vision, making Olívia and Maya’s piece a brilliant fit for an installation at Signals Festival. Ethan and Matthew came a close second and were awarded with a Leap Motion Controller and an Arturia MiniLab MKII respectively. 

Ready to be amazed? Watch all of the pieces below and find out more about the students’ creative processes.

Oneiro Hiraeth - An Audiovisual Project by Maya Rain and Olívia Mamberti | INTERFACE 2.0 WINNER

“The project that I worked on with Maya for this year’s Interface edition was inspired by our intent to originate an art piece that would depict the dichotomy between utopia and dystopia, which are the themes for Signals Festival this year,” Olívia explains. “The summer months we spent working together completely remotely on Oneiro-Hiraeth consisted of a lot of meetings and sending material back and forth to each other. I’d go to the studios one day and record short ideas with improvised vocal harmonies and melodies and then Maya would develop them into longer songs with sampling and vocal processing, which were essential to evoke the whole audio identity of our project.

The name is a combination of the Greek word Oneiro (meaning “relating to dreams or dreaming”) and the Welsh word Hiraeth (meaning “homesickness for a home which you can’t return to or never was”). Therefore, putting those words together it translates to Oneiro Hiraeth: “Dreaming of a home that never was,” which is the main nostalgic feeling we wanted to encapsulate with the installation.

Regarding the visuals, I got my younger brother, Joaquim Mamberti, involved in the project to do the graphic design, illustration and visual character development for the videos we did for each chapter of the narrative, which then were used by me to be animated and distorted through experimental video editing, syncopated with the music for each chapter of the story.

Winning Interface 2.0. means a lot for both of us and having the opportunity to present our work on Signals made all the effort and hard work we both put into it feel beyond worth it.”

An Apocalypse Humdrum Among Long-Dead Cetacea

“Matthew, my partner for the project, and I decided very early on that we wanted to dive deep into the weird stuff and create something special,” Ethan tells us. “And we quite literally dove deep by deciding to revolve our project around whale fall and other creatures at the bottom of the ocean. 

Personally, this was a huge challenge as I had to create a 3D environment, model sea creatures, animate them etc. all in a couple of months. This pushed me to come up with new ways to streamline my production pipeline and achieve something that would normally take me at least half a year to do. We broke down our idea into sections and tackled them one at a time with Matthew leading the way with music and me following up soon after with accompanying visuals. We took it one step at a time and gathered all the pieces we needed before putting them together and the result is something we are very proud of.

From this collaboration, I learned that just because I’ve been doing something a certain way for so long, doesn’t mean I have to stick with it, I can push myself to grow still and step out of my comfort zone.”

Scanning with My Eyes Closed

“From the beginning of the project, me and David really hit it off. We realised we were into the same music and shared a lot of similar references,” Freddy explained during the project presentation. “So we started throwing ideas back and forth and, once a week, we would call each other and see what we were up to. Then, at one point, I got a grasp of this idea on the road and recorded that. So the whole thing started progressing from there. I did a drum track and then David added drum machines to it and bassline, then we did effects with synths and a bunch of other stuff. It was really nice and smooth. I’m super happy with the final project and I think David is too.”

Anniverse feat. Anton Líni - Feel

“We decided to go for a pop song and make a video that shows behind the scenes,” Anton said during the project presentation. “We started with Ana making a house beat and then we thought how we could make the vocals explain the utopia and dystopia theme. The vocals are composed to be more uplifting and happy. Midway through, it’s like ‘don’t change your mind.’ It’s trying to stay positive through hard times… [For the video] we decided to film the whole process about how we made the song. We could also translate it to utopia/dystopia with the idea of performing from inside the studio. And by recording our Zoom sessions, we could show that we were working from different countries in these hard times.”

Read about our audio production institutes' collaborative student audiovisual projects and who won a slot at Signals Festival 2021.

We Collaborate With Spirit Studios Manchester on Interface 2.0

Interface 2.0: We Announce the Winners of Our Collab With Spirit Studios

Everything you need to know about applying for a BA or MA course at Catalyst if you’re from Sweden, Iceland, Norway or The Netherlands.

Are you a resident of Sweden, Iceland, Norway or The Netherlands looking to enrol in a  BA or MA course at Catalyst in 2022? We recommend that you apply to our school early in spring, in order for our admissions team to support you in facilitating the  necessary funding or visa documentation on time.

Fun fact: over 50  of our current students are from these Nordic countries, bringing their  famously out-of-the-box thinking to our wildly international creative  community.

If you’re umming and ahhing about how the current  health crisis might affect your application, never fear.  Life in Berlin is returning to normal and all of our courses are currently running onsite with distancing and hygiene protocols in place. For more information, check out our COVID-19 FAQ.

Our next recruitment round opens in November 2021. No matter where you’re from, our Priority Application Deadline for the 2022 course year is the 29th of April. Apply by this date and we guarantee you’ll get a place on the course, providing your application meets our entry requirements. If you are from Sweden, Iceland, Norway or The Netherlands, we recommend submitting your application by then to allow you plenty of time to apply for a visa or funding. 

The standard application deadline is the 1st of July. Please be aware that after the 29th of April, course places will be available on a first come, first serve  basis.

The following organisations can provide financial support for BA or MA study at Catalyst: CSN in Sweden, Lín in Iceland,  Lånekassen in Norway and DUO in The Netherlands.

Be  sure to check with your relevant organisation about its response to the  coronavirus. We know, for example, that Sweden’s CSN has arranged for  students to be granted additional financial support if their programmes  are suspended due to the crisis.

If you’d like to apply for one of  our Higher Education Certificate or Diploma courses, you may not be  eligible for funding. To research possible grants and scholarships, we  recommend checking out third-party sites such as education.com.  Top tip from our admissions team: If you are currently working in a  relevant industry to your desired Catalyst course, it may also be  worth checking if your employer could fund your training.

As always, our admissions team is happy to support your application process. Contact us by email at admissions@catalyst-berlin.com or by phone at +49 30 2900 9052.

Want to get a taste of our school from the comfort of your home? You’re invited to our next Virtual Open Day on the 9th of November, 2021: a live tour of our spaces and facilities combined with programme-specific group sessions with our tutors and students. And in the meantime, feel free to check out our spaces in our 360-degree virtual tour.

Interested in applying to Catalyst? Here's what Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Netherlands residents need to know about applications and funding.

Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Netherlands Funding Information

Application & Funding Information For Sweden, Iceland, Norway & The Netherlands

From this year’s twist on art and technology to exciting lineup announcements, here’s what to expect from Signals Festival 2021, taking place at Catalyst’s Funkhaus location from the 15th to the 16th of October.

Signals Festival 2021

Art and technology. Two of the greatest products of the human imagination, inextricably linked to inspire and challenge each other. When combined, they can lead to innovation which defines the human direction. It begs the question: in a world in which ideas spread like viruses and a spread virus can trigger transformative ideas, which way are we going? Signals Festival 2021 – taking place at Catalyst’s Funkhaus campus from the 15th to the 16th of October – asks whether we are heading for a utopia or a dystopia, and explores how art and technology can determine that direction.

Signals Festival is our annual showcase of our emerging and diverse creative communities: a non-profit, public, educational event packed with live performances, audio and visual installations, film screenings, workshops and in-depth dialogue. It’s the perfect place to discover next-gen music producers, sound artists, filmmakers, actors and VFX and digital artists from around the globe who have honed their talent in our vibrant corner of Berlin, and who are actively shaping what’s next in the creative industries. 

Plus, if you are interested in studying at Catalyst, you’ll have the opportunity to take a guided tour of our facilities, where you’ll find out firsthand what makes our community so special.

Last year saw the Signals Festival organisers, Hannah Deans and Suzana Benesova, triumphantly present a stimulating in-person and online programme to meet COVID restrictions. As we continue to adapt to a changing world, the 2021 event will once again operate in this hybrid format. For those of you who would like to join us IRL at the Funkhaus (limited tickets available), we are a 2G event, which means that you must show proof of full vaccination or recovery in order to gain entry. 

Ready for a taste of the future? Scroll down to discover some of the artists to look forward to, and be sure to follow Signals Festival on Facebook, Instagram and Resident Advisor for updates and further lineup announcements.

Performing and streaming live from the Funkhaus, we present an eclectic selection of musical talent.

Site-specific, immersive audiovisual installations to stimulate your senses.

Bringing together our own and our partner educators for specialist, collaborative masterclasses.

Telling stories in film from a diverse range of voices, genres and styles.

Opening up conversation on the trends, issues and challenges that creators face with special guests from the Berlin and global creative industries.

Signals Festival 2021 takes place at Catalyst Berlin's Funkhaus campus from the 15th to the 16th of October. Find out more and view the lineup.

What to Expect From Signals Festival 2021

Coming Soon to Catalyst: What to Expect From Signals Festival 2021

On the eve of 2021, we reflect on one of our most challenging – and most creative – years yet. Join us as we look back on some of our students’ outstanding 2020 creations.

2020! What a flop-at-the-box-office of a year. Oh, how we wish we could have watched the trailer to this dystopia. If 2020 were a tune, it would be the cool-sounding Beatport preview that failed to reveal its jarring breakdown. Either way, we can’t say this year didn’t make an impact. It will forever be marked on the calendar of our lives as a year that changed everything. 

2020 forced the whole world to step out of the hamster wheel and ask ourselves where we were going. It was a time where we learnt the innovative value of introspection and creative limitations. A reminder to cherish all the little things we took for granted. In spite of all the drama, we came out stronger. 

For the Catalyst community, 2020 was a hard-won success. For our tutors and staff, it meant overcoming unprecedented logistical challenges to continue to deliver a high quality of learning and experience. For our students, it meant conquering the uncertainty and exploring new – and often game-changing – ways to create. And talking of those creations, wow, has this year been great! 

Join us as we look back at some of our students’ most outstanding work of the year. Here’s to a 2021 full of inspiration, motivation and action!

Header photo: Signals Festival by Frankie Casillo

The Hustle - In The Night

“In these strange times, with empty streets and abandoned cities, we would like to present to you our first release.” 

In March, third-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering students David Stars and DJ Kitec banded together to release their debut track as The Hustle. We love the video, which shows Berlin in all its nighttime glory – excluding the bars and clubs, of course.

THE HIDING PLACE • An Animated Music Video

In April, second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering student Olívia Mamberti took advantage of quarantine time with her graphic designer and photographer mother, Patrícia Abreu. Olívia edited her mother’s photographs and illustrations to create a stunning animated music video for her and classmate Mikko Okker’s collaborative track ‘The Hiding Place.’

This is a little compilation from my online event, SoulBalm, last June 2020 in the midst of a lot of political + social heaviness. We connected online to meditate, paint, move, and be.

This is a blend of some released tracks, unfinished tracks, and sketches.
An insight into my works and their states at that time.

Enjoy <3 
~Geomi~

SoulBalm Stream ~ June 2020 by Geomi

“In the midst of a lot of political and social heaviness, we connected online to meditate, paint, move, and be. This is a blend of some released tracks, unfinished tracks, and sketches. An insight into my works and their states at that time.”

2020, the year of the live stream. Like many of us at Catalyst – including our Etikett Radio station – third-year Electronic Music Production & Performance student Geomi brought her performances to a whole new audience with her online event SoulBalm. 

MØREL // "UNDER THE RADAR" - LIVE PERFORMANCE

There’s been no stopping second-year Electronic Music Production & Performance student mørel this year as he continues to carve out his long-held dream of becoming a music producer. Thanks to a connection he made in Catalyst’s film school, he’s even twice forayed into film scoring!

His live performance in June was a particular highlight. Recorded at the Funkhaus by our film and music tech Rio Sierra, ‘Under the Radar’ is 10 minutes of electronic music bliss.

The sound I wanna make has no letters in English

The sound I wanna make has no letters in English by Gina Lo

“The sound I wanna make has no letters in English is a blend of elements from nature ambience and field recordings, illustrating a surreal soundscape. Instead of focusing on a style with boundaries, the primary attention of the EP is how the audio sources are altered, edited and rearranged into new forms, scattering across each track in the EP. The EP introduces itself with a meditative ambient vibe, slowly building up to what it feels like a ritual happening in the jungle, taking the listeners on an emotional journey derived from her experiences in the wilderness away from the human race.”

Second-year Electronic Music Production & Performance student Gina Lo released her debut EP in August – as beautiful sounding as it is brilliantly named.

“Load your tape deck and step into our sonic time machine.”

In September, we celebrated our transition from dBs Berlin to Catalyst in the most nostalgic way possible – for musical connoisseurs, that is. We released the inaugural compilation of our collectible cassette series, showcasing a curated, multi-genre selection of the very best tracks by the musical talents catalysed at our school.

The Metamorphosis Project - A Cinematic Soundscape

“I always push myself to seek discomfort and this collaboration forced me out of my comfort zone, and I loved it. We took the best parts of each other’s style and managed to create something we’re very proud of.” 

The Interface Project – Catalyst’s collaboration with Manchester music production and audio engineering school Spirit Studios – creatively bridged the gap between two of Europe’s most progressive musical cities, despite lockdown travel restrictions. 

The winners of the 12-week virtual exchange programme, Deckster from Spirit Studios and Parallel Processing from Catalyst, co-created a remarkable cinematic soundscape, The Metamorphosis Project.

A whole new way to explore Berlin – featuring the work of some of seven of our amazing music and film students and alumni: Raven Grace Janicello, Ludovic Laviec, Shehryar Ahmad, Kamilija Tekle Cizaite, Zac Roger Yeates, Samaquias Lorta and OIIA. 

Eufonia Festival's Sound Circuits, which ran throughout October, was an innovative take on public spaces, supported by Ableton and Catalyst. Catalyst students exhibited their sound and video pieces across Friedrichshain, to which you could listen and view via QR codes placed at various locations.

Signals Festival 2020 /// 16-17 October 2020

In October, Signals Festival wasn’t just a showcase event for the up-and-coming artists in our international community. Nor was it simply a real-world course assessment for our performance students, as it started out originally. In this unprecedented time, when Berlin’s clubs, galleries and other cultural venues have been reduced to ghost towns, when keeping each other at arm’s length is the new normal, Signals Festival 2020 was a triumph of unbound creativity over all.

Electronic music performers, sound and video artists, filmmakers, workshop leaders and panellists from the Catalyst community came together – at a safe distance – to deliver an extravaganza for the senses. 

NOTHINGMAN - TRAILER 1: The Watchers

5 reasons why you shouldn't ignore the NOTHINGMAN webseries

Film Production HE Certificate alumna Li Wallis decided that she wasn’t going to start her filmmaking career by creating a short film or even a feature film, but a whole six-part mystery thriller series: NothingMan. 

In November, we watched in awe as the ambitious project began to come to fruition with the release of both the first trailer and a teaser video, starring third-year Screen Acting students Siebe Schoneveld, Milena Rendon, Sabine Schröder and Juan Arthur.

PNKSAND - Master Kush

Singer-songwriter PNKSAND’s latest track 'Master Kush' was born from a moment of creative mind fog – which she then sang about. The third-year Electronic Music Production & Performance student took a break, then “came back and sang about feeling stuck on this uptempo beat: ‘Is there art in me or is it a part I play? The answer? Still don’t know, but does it even matter?’”

It’s a perfect example of a lesson many of us learnt this year: that creativity can be found in any mood or moment, as long as you’re willing to step back, explore your emotions and open your mind to new ideas. 

Lullaby - Jo Minje

We couldn’t get more excited than when students from our different schools collaborate on their projects. Harnessing the Visual Effects talent in his immediate community, second-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering student Jo Minje tasked Leo Alvarado to animate Francesca Sardella's striking cover artwork for his ‘Lullaby’ music video. 

Archaic Intellect - Lucid Dream [BLR025]

If there’s one thing Berlin could have done with more of in 2020, it was pounding, Berghain-style techno. Thankfully, third-year Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering student Archaic Intellect came through for us with a dark-as-coal holiday gift for the city’s techno sinners, released on Christmas Eve on Black Line Recordings.

catastream /// 2020 - Virtual festival for Catalyst first-year film students!

The ultimate lockdown movie night! In December, our first-year Film Production students hosted an impressive virtual film festival. 

The 23 fledgling filmmakers, hailing from 14 different countries, recently completed their first semester, in which they were each tasked to co-create 10 short films in just 10 weeks. Catastream was their opportunity to showcase 12 of their best films to the public – from comedy to surreal.

“When discussing it with some of my friends, I came to understand the extent of prejudice female boxers face: harassment, difficulty to be acknowledged as a peer by male boxers, no safe space, difficulties to find opponents in the same weight-class, and so-on. I knew I wanted to address these issues but I didn’t know where to start. What a story to tell.”

Fight Like a Girl is set in 1994, the same year the International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) lifted the ban on women's boxing worldwide. The film tells the story of Mel, a teenage girl who – driven by her passion and determination – fights against all odds to achieve her dream of becoming a pro boxer. She is helped by her father, a former heavyweight whose rise to the top came to a brutal halt. Together they try to flip the values of the male-dominated sport.

First-year Film Production student Maxime Demartin set the bar high for his filmmaking career with this extraordinary film. Having completed it in December, he is currently submitting it to film festivals. 

We reflect on a challenging, yet super creative year at Catalyst Berlin. Discover some of our students best music, films and more from 2020.

Outstanding Student Creations of 2020

We Look Back on Some of Our Students’ Outstanding 2020 Creations

Who should you call when you’re in a muddle with techniques or equipment? What exactly are the tech stores? How do you book rooms and studios for your creations? Here’s everything you need to know about Catalyst’s tech services.

Not all heroes wear capes – some carry a reel of cables. Catalyst’s tech crew are the backbone of our creative institute. Each team member a practicing professional in their own industry, their job is so much more than “making the sound come out of your speakers,” as music tech Mathew Johnson so modestly put it. 

The techs are always ready to run to our students’ aid when they’re in need of technical support or expert advice. They are also the gear gatekeepers of our music and film/VFX tech stores, as well as providing bookable access to studios. If you’re a student at Catalyst, chances are a tech will save your day on multiple occasions.

Want to learn more about Catalyst’s tech services? Scroll down to read about our tech stores and booking system, meet our tech crew and take a virtual tour of our facilities. 

What is it like to spend much of your working week surrounded by synths and musical instruments, or cameras and lighting equipment? Ask our tech crew, who – when they’re not out assisting students or "ensuring the cables are rolled up nicely" – you’ll find in our music and film tech stores. These special rooms are a gear hoarder’s paradise, stocked with all the premium equipment you need to make outstanding films and music.  What's more, access to equipment is generally unlimited, with only a few exceptions.

Choose from 2900 bookable items – including synths, drum machines, microphones, mixing consoles, preamps, FX, field recorders, MIDI controllers, decks, CDJs,  guitars, amplifiers, pedals, wireless systems, cameras, lights, fog  machines, filter kits, lenses and turntables.

Catalyst is home to 25 production and recording studios, one film studio with a green screen, six film post-production suites, one vocal recording studio and one acting studio. Thanks to our smooth booking system, our students have an equal opportunity to take advantage of these expansive creative facilities.

You can easily book a room or equipment online via Catalyst’s Moodle system. Bookable time – the number of hours per week or per month you may book a room or studio – varies per course. For example, first-year music students get three hours in the studio, first-year film students get three hours in the studio and four hours in the Postbox, and first-year Visual Effects students get eight hours in the studio and four hours in the Postbox. This allowance increases per year of the course.

You may also take advantage of additional hours with ad-hoc booking. If studios are free within the next five minutes, you can book them for two hours directly through a tech – without using up your bookable time. You also have access to certain classrooms, as long as there are no classes taking place.

Our tech team is here to provide you with expert technical assistance, facilities access – and a healthy amount of banter – as well as ensuring your safety. Click on their names below to read their bios. 

Want a peek into our music and film facilities? Step right into our world-renowned Funkhaus spaces in this virtual tour.

Join Nathaniel, Miche, Kyle and Jason from our tech team for a home-cooked tour of our facilities. In this video we'll be showing you around our acting, film production, visual effects and music production facilities to give you a taste of our spaces, housed in Berlin's iconic Funkhaus complex. 

In this video, you'll see that our facilities are built with one thing in mind: maximising ‘hands on’ access to DOING what you love. That means more studios, equipment and facility than all of our Berlin competitors put together!

We’re an international creative production and performance learning community (formerly known as dBs Berlin), based at the extraordinary Funkhaus. Our courses span electronic music production and performance, music production and sound engineering, film production, visual effects, and acting.

Catalyst Music, Catalyst Film and Catalyst Acting, share our state-of-the-art facilities with 30+ production studios and suites, a film studio, multiple IT worksuites, and several tons of tech production toys. Our progressive educational model is based on practice-based learning, empowering students with real life experience and collaborations from day one.

We provide students with a safe space to dream big, grow their own greatness and build a life they love. 

Find out more about our community and courses on our website: www.catalyst-berlin.com

Catalyst Video Tour

Read about Catalyst Berlin's tech stores and booking system, meet our tech crew and take a virtual tour of our Funkhaus facilities.

Learn About Our Tech Services

Everything You Need to Know About Our Tech Services

Applications for the 2021 course year are now open. Here’s everything you need to know about the process.

At the end of 2019, we imagined 2020 as the opening parade to a decade of opportunity. How could it be that a date so round, balanced and futuristic-sounding could be the setting for such a catastrophe? If 2020 were a party – albeit one taking place in Stranger Things – ambitions certainly didn’t make the guest list. Unless, of course, you joined us at Catalyst regardless!

As all creatives know, success never comes from standing still. The great news is that, thanks to rigorous Corona safety regulations, all classes at Catalyst are taking place onsite. And faced with this collective challenge, we’re feeling more driven than ever. 

Could 2021 be the year that you plunge head first into your goals? If you’re ready to kick-start your career in audio or music production, filmmaking, visual effects or screen acting, the time to apply is now!

Now is the time to apply for Catalyst Berlin's 2021 course year . Here’s everything you need to know about the process.

Information About the 2021 Application Process

Kick-Start Your Creative Future: 2021 Application Information

Germany is statistically one of the safest countries in which to weather the Coronavirus situation. 

Read on for our overview of the current data, plus the safety measures we are implementing at Catalyst in order to ensure the health and safety of our community.

Our overview of the current Germany Corona data. Plus information on Catalyst Berlin's hygiene protocol.

COVID-19: Germany is One of the Safest Places to Study

Here’s Why Germany is One of the Safest Places to Study During Corona

Signals Festival, our annual community showcase, took place on the 16th and 17th of October at Catalyst’s Funkhaus campus. Revisit the experience thanks to our event photographers Frankie Casillo, Dico Baskoro and Ian Dunham.

This year, Signals Festival wasn’t just a showcase event for the up-and-coming artists in our international community. Nor was it simply a real-world course assessment for our performance students, as it started out originally. In this unprecedented time, when Berlin’s clubs, galleries and other cultural venues have been reduced to ghost towns, when keeping each other at arm’s length is the new normal, Signals Festival 2020 was a triumph of unbound creativity over all. 

Our annual showcase of the work of our extraordinary music, film, acting and VFX students, alumni and tutors has always looked towards the future – what are the next generation of creatives making today that will impact the way we experience tomorrow? On the 16th and 17th of October, however – in the twilight of a reality-shifting year – the tomorrow had more weight than ever. 

Despite ever-changing Corona restrictions, Signals Festival co-organisers Hannah Deans and Suzana Benesova succeeded in creating a safe and stimulating space for electronic music performers, sound and video artists, filmmakers, workshop leaders and panellists. The result, against all odds, was as much an extravaganza for the senses as it was for community spirit. A big thank you to all who were part of it!

Join us below as we relive all of the colourful memories, thanks to the photography of Frankie Casillo, Dico Baskoro and Ian Dunham. You can also revisit all of the panel discussions and live streams via the Signals Festival Facebook page.

Photos from the Signals Festival 2020 creative extravaganza, which took place at Catalyst Berlin's Funkhaus campus on the 16th and 17th of October.

Revisit Signals Festival 2020 in Photos

We Relive 2 Days of Unbound Creativity at Signals Festival 2020

From key dates to our team’s warmest memories, join us as we look back on our school's incredible journey.

From dBs to Catalyst, Plymouth’s ‘deep blue sea’ to the heart of Berlin’s creative scene. Since opening our doors as the only non-UK branch of the dBs music production school, we’ve moved to our own beat as an institution. Making our home in the historic Funkhaus studios, we evolved into a wildly international community of musicians, filmmakers, actors and visual effects artists. 

Now, seven years after launching, we’ve rebranded to reflect the unique identity we’ve cultivated. But we'll never forget where we came from. Join us as we revisit our amazing journey of transformation. 

"When we took them to our large recording hall, their mouths dropped open. Bear in mind that these guys were used to doing sessions at Abbey Road – which also has an impressive main recording hall – but nothing as impressive as the Funkhaus. They were blown away."

"Being a part of an organisation that engages with issues, by catalysing discussion and transparency through events like the Dialogues, is what brings me the most pride working here."

“Finally we had a space of our own where we could make a mess! And the film students that year did indeed make a mess in there – a glorious creative mess. It was wonderful.”

"I completely broke down and we both hugged and cried for a while. The  student still put on one of the best performances of that showcase and I  knew then that I had definitely made the right decision to be a part of  dBs and a part of each one of these emerging artists’ journeys.”

"When I asked her for a tear, she was able to produce one with ease.  That's when I knew the training I was leading them through was working."

Watch the Partytime trailer (explicit content)

Read Philip's guide to building your own studio

“One of the most challenging tasks was the project management of the infinity-wall green screen build, new film production studios, the social spaces, meeting rooms, and studios!”

From key dates to our team’s warmest memories, join us as we look back on our Catalyst Berlin's epic evolution.

The History of Our Creative Institute

The History of Catalyst: We Look Back on Our School's Epic Evolution

Since we kicked off Dialogues back in January 2016, we've hosted three series of panel talks on a wealth of topics important to our creative community. The aim: to affect positive change in the industry. From women in music production, to mental health and creativity, to diversity, scroll down to discover our coverage of each of the insightful events.

In our third Dialogues season, we dived into diversity. Our school has become a second home for students from nearly 60 different countries, each representing many more cultures, traditions and identities. With every person a door to a different world, it presents a unique  opportunity to learn new perspectives, and combine them to create  amazing things. However, diversity is not without its challenges. When does diversity become culture clash? What impact do  these different identities have on creative output? And are we, in the  creative industries, fostering an environment that gives space to all  these voices? Find out more about each of the events below.

In our second Dialogues series, we talked about mental health in the creative industries. How does mental health affect the lives and future careers of our students? Do they have the tools to support themselves and others? What can we do as an  industry to change the narrative? The panel discussions focused on four particularly pertinent topics within our community. Discover what we learnt below.

Catalyst's conversation on mental health and creativity is always open! Click here to read what we learnt at our collaborative panel talk on the topic with Music Pool Berlin. Click here to get to know Dialogues creator Hannah Deans. And click here to read journalist Anna Codrea-Rado's recap of the series.

In our first Dialogues series, in conjunction with female:pressure, we addressed the issue of low female-to-male student ratios in music production education. Why aren’t more women studying music  production? What effect does this have on the learning experience? And what can we do about it? Over four panel discussions, the series opened up the conversation. Learn more about the individual sessions below.

From women in music production, to mental health, to diversity, discover our coverage of each of Catalyst's insightful Dialogues events.

Revisit Our Dialogues Panels on Creative Industry Topics

Dialogues Directory: Revisit All Our Panel Discussions on Creative Industry Topics

Work hard, play hard. Find out how our one-year Higher Education Certificate courses in  music production, sound engineering, film production, visual effects  and screen acting could fast-track your career dreams. 

It’s the mother of all obstacle courses: the track between the now  and the finish line of your ambitions. You wouldn’t enter an Ironman  without rigorously training. So why should breaking into the  super-competitive music, film and acting industries be any different?

We  see our one-year courses as ‘work hard, play hard’ industry boot camps.  To reach your goal is to leave your comfort zone. You’ll need  dedication and endurance. Teamwork isn’t just encouraged; it’s required.  In fact, our Higher Education Certificate programmes provide our most  intense learn-by-doing experience.

From day one, you’re propelled  by a whirlwind of challenges – industry-relevant assessments designed to  provide a near real-world experience. Think inspiring project briefs,  tough creative problem solving, practical training with equipment, and  acquiring crucial collaborative skills. All of this in a wildly  international learning community of fellow creatives.

At the end of the year, you’ll be equipped to jump into the industry and put your skillset to work. Take Screen Acting Certificate alumnus Giulio Brizzi as a shining example. Just months after graduating, he scored his first major role in the new Italian Netflix show Curon.

Want  to dive even deeper to refine and hone your skills, working on bigger  projects and collaborations? You’ll have the option to continue your  studies at Catalyst for one, two, or even three more years with the  Creative M.A. You’ll know which choice is right for you as you approach  the end of the year.

Ready to boot camp your career dreams? Read  on for an individual breakdown of our one-year courses in music  production, sound engineering, film production, visual effects and  screen acting.

One-shot web commercial produced for the dBs VFX course.

Director: Matthieu Schmit
Cinematographer: Masih Tajzai
Producer: Malachi Rempen
Music: Saints Sound

Starring: Erika Mitschrich, Anne-Louise Christiansen, Adam Donald, Daniel Straube, Malachi Rempen, Jur Kunaver, Alba Llach, Ergisel Dosti, Agostina Cerdan, Jayden Bailey, Pavlos Chalaris, Filippos Papazoglou, Kamilija Tekle Cizaite
Sound Recording: Jur Kunaver, Alfredo Lacorte, Juliana Saragosa
Sound Design, Editing and Mixing: Juliana Saragosa
Color: Matthieu Schmit

dBs VFX Course - Commercial

“Visual effects are tools to tell a story, and to tell a great story, you need to apply those tools creatively”
 

Visual effects are tools to tell a story, and to tell a great story,  you need to apply those tools creatively. That’s exactly what our Visual Effects programme is about: combining cutting-edge techniques with an artistic approach to create stunning imagery.

In the one-year Certificate course,  you’ll get a taste of nearly every subject in the broad territory of  VFX. Rather than tunnelling into one specific technical specialisation,  you’ll gain a solid foundation and practical experience in the majority  of tools used every day in the industry.

Some of the topics and  skills you’ll cover include: green screen and on set VFX supervising;  digital compositing and 3D animation; projection mapping and digital art  installations; creative coding and programming; miniatures and optic  effects; matte painting and image retouching; post production and colour  grading; physics, light and the science of visuals; fundamentals of  fine art and storytelling; future of tools including artificial  intelligence, robotics and other realities; training your eye; the  visual effects pipeline; filmmaking, camerawork and working on sets;  collaboration, giving and receiving critical feedback, and  introspection.

Through constant shooting, you’ll work on both  live-action projects and on-set supervision. You’ll explore the future  through technological arts, new realities, artificial intelligence and  human/machine interfacing. You’ll collaborate on projects with Film Production, Screen Acting and Music Production  students. Plus, you’ll walk away with a digital portfolio that will not  only contain your original work, but serve as a striking certification  of the software you’ve mastered and the technical skills you’ve  developed.

Read how our one-year courses in music production, sound engineering, film production, visual effects and screen acting could fast-track your career dreams.

Read all about it

Signals Festival: Live Stream Our Performances and Dialogues

Interface 2.0: We Announce the Winners of Our Collab With Spirit Studios

Application & Funding Information For Sweden, Iceland, Norway & The Netherlands

Coming Soon to Catalyst: What to Expect From Signals Festival 2021

We Look Back on Some of Our Students’ Outstanding 2020 Creations

Everything You Need to Know About Our Tech Services

Kick-Start Your Creative Future: 2021 Application Information

Here’s Why Germany is One of the Safest Places to Study During Corona

We Relive 2 Days of Unbound Creativity at Signals Festival 2020

The History of Catalyst: We Look Back on Our School's Epic Evolution

Dialogues Directory: Revisit All Our Panel Discussions on Creative Industry Topics

Boot Camp Your Career Dreams With Our One-Year Courses

Everything You Need to Know About Submitting a Late Application

CORONAVIRUS INFORMATION

4 Reasons 2020 is Still a Great Year to Start Studying

Here’s Why Berlin is Still a Budget Paradise for Students

Here’s What Our Community Has Been Creating During Quarantine

We Celebrate Our Students’ Meteoric Rise at Graduation 2019

We Meet the New Class of Creatives at Arrival Week 2019