It’s Sunday night and as usual, you’re in the studio working on a new track… On this particular day, you’re looking for the right synth lead. Then it hits you – the perfect synth for the job is one that you used last week, a preset in Operator. You fire …
Drum Layering 101
At its core, layering drums is about taking basic mixing principles and applying them to percussion. Layering drum samples is a great technique when used efficiently and correctly. Unfortunately, a lot of producers over-complicate drum layering when they first break into it. That’s why we put together this article covering …
KSHMR Melody Writing: Deconstructed
Let’s just put it this way – KSHMR is a brilliant producer. If you haven’t heard the name, he was broke onto the music scene as part of the group The Cataracs, the production force behind hits like Like a G6 and Bass Down Low. Now, he produces for some of …
Analysis: Mura Masa – Lovesick
Hey producers, welcome to the first installment of our newest tutorial series, Track Breakthroughs. In this series, we take a look at a wide variety of popular tracks, dissect them, and discover why they work. Ultimately, we aim to teach you the techniques used in each track so that you …
Ableton Production Tips #1: Use Default Effects & Presets to Save Time
A fast workflow is important when you want to produce well. Have you ever fiddled around with effect chains for 20 minutes, then lost inspiration for the bassline you were writing? Or spent 10 minutes making sure your main synth’s compressor is sidechained to the kick just how you like …
4 Ways to Keep Ableton Tracks Organized
Track organization is a key technique for staying focused and productive. This is especially important in the later stages of a track, when your tracks have many channel strips and sections. It’s also a good idea to keep your tracks organized when collaborating with other artists. Stepping into another person’s …
How to Finish Your Tracks and Produce Better Music, Faster (with the 80/20 Principle)
Have you ever sat down in front of your computer ready to write your next great track, only to go nowhere after hours of effort? Or maybe you have a dozen projects open but can never seem to actually finish a track? It’s easy to get caught up in unimportant …
Advanced 808 Processing Tactics
If you produce music that uses 808s, it’s essential that your 808s are perfectly crafted to fit your song, and creative enough to stand out. Crafting your own 808 style is a great way to establish a unique sound as a producer. However… Making the leap from dropping off-the-shelf …
9 Essential 808 Tips
Any modern producer knows that the low end is a key part of production. And for some genres, 808s are the core of the track (looking at you, trap music). So with 808s being so important, understanding how to properly use 808s is a key part of the producer’s arsenal. It’s …
How to Layer Synths: With Examples, Screenshots, WAV files, and More
Have you ever felt like your songs lack the clarity and power of your favorite producers? Part of the secret to creating a “big” sound is a technique called layering. Using this technique, you can stack several synths on top of each other to create a big sound greater …
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