The Anti-Loop Method vs The Writer’s Block

/in /by

Maybe you came here with the idea that I’d be discussing techniques to break the loop issue; I’m relating to the problem many have where they are stuck in a loop and can’t get out. As you can see, this comes on two levels. The first relates to working on a song, finding a loop you love, and deciding how to turn that into a song. Still, another level is a bit more meta, where your studio sessions feel like a loop as well, as you have the same habits forcing you to do the same things.

I often said that making music was the most therapeutic experience. I’m not referring to the fact that one might feel better after a session due to the release of endorphins generated by a productive studio exploration. Therapy, just like meditation, is not necessarily all about feeling good; it’s more about why you feel bad so that you can make room to feel better. When I gave some meditation workshops, there would always be someone who would say they couldn’t meditate or that they were meditating wrongly, to which I invited them to be curious about what successful meditation is. Interestingly, there is no right way to meditate (Mindfulness, MBSR). It’s more about being curious of what the brain does to you when you try to do it.

It’s the same analogy with music production/exploration. In a way, there is no right or wrong. The source of writer’s blocks and frustrations often come from your interpretation of what is a good session, as you’ll compare any session to that reference.

 

The enemy of productivity is your interpretation of what productivity/success is.

 

So far, this introduction might feel unsettling, and perhaps you’re wondering where I’m heading with this, but this is the basis of understanding the core of many issues regarding how one might get stuck with their music. While there are multiple approaches to getting out of a slump, you’ll always be pulled down towards your bad habits if you don’t attack the core of the problem.

 

Stepping back on your practice

 

If you’re experiencing a loop and are wondering whether your practice is trapped in habits, the first thing to ask yourself is whether it is. While this question may seem unrelated to music making at first, trust me that it is more accurate than you think. When I ask clients that question, I often witness them taking a long pause to think about it, and every time, they realize they are stuck.

Signs that one is stuck in their workflow can be:

  • Feeling there is no purpose to the studio session.
  • All the music one makes sounds terrible or has nothing to do with what they have in mind.
  • Procrastination.
  • Unable to finish songs or start new ones.
  • They have a loop, but something is always bothering them, so they constantly mutate it to another one.

 

As explained in a previous post about how one can use their studio time, most of the people who fall into a slump often do so due to a lack of understanding of their own workflow. This results in studio sessions that is mostly focused on making songs alone. Creating songs is exciting because there is tangible development where you see your project evolve and reach its end. It feels like something productive was done. But like I described in this article, it is more fruitful to organize your sessions into different activities so you’re not relying on the success of one activity to dictate how well your session was.

As someone who focuses on just a few activities in the studio, where making songs is the central one, it’s easy to conclude that you have been trapped in a series of habits that once worked for you, but it’s now time to review what you’ve mastered to give a few more options. This starts by breaking the loop.

 

Curiosity as your antidote

 

I came across a video with Anne-Laure Le Cunff, who explains how we grow and evolve using cognitive scripts, which can be useful but can also lead to misguided slumps.

 

 

One element that caught my attention was the critical role of curiosity in overcoming a negative mindset. The video covers the Escapist, Cynic, and Perfectionist mindsets, which are common mindsets we can fall into while exploring music production. While those happen, triggered by an event or multiple ones, it remains possible to rely on curiosity to step out of the mindset. It’s easier said than done, and it’s not a blog article that will entirely change how your brain is wired. But I could propose some activities that can stimulate your curiosity.

But before I do, let’s see how the three negative mindsets might be present in the music producer. It’s important to understand that one common trigger that can bring these mindsets is more than often related to the feeling of uncertainty. If you’ve been making music for a little while and did some releases (or not),  you’ll be exposed to multiple confusing situations, such as whether people like the music or not, whether it sold, if people played it, and perhaps why no one is relaying it to social media. Pair that with the adversity of working with abusive streaming sites like Spotify or seeing pirate websites selling music illegally, and your mind will go down the rabbit hole. Our human mind doesn’t deal well with uncertainty.

 

  • Escapist: In this mode, the mind will try to numb the uncertainty either with substances (alcohol, weed, etc) or by removing oneself from what they’re supposed to be doing (ex. playing video games, inventing stories to not go to studio, not allowing important time to create, etc). However, the escapist can also manifest himself in other ways, such as by acquiring new tools, plugins, and hardware or watching tutorials without practicing (skill hoarding).
  • Cynic: As the saying goes, in this mode, the person falls into a zone of negativity and hopelessness, being highly critical of other people’s success, mocking some other artform, or scapegoating the industry’s actors as the cause of their lack of success (releases, gigs, exposure).
  • Perfectionist: You might recognize yourself, as many musicians fall into this category. This mode often relies on the thought, “If this is perfect, it will succeed.” Sadly, this is not true, and history has taught us that even some imperfect art can succeed. Also, perfection is arbitrary and while one might feel they’ve converted all the important points, then will come someone who can point out a “problem”, based on their perspective.

 

Part of the problem with uncertainty comes from the perspective that we expect success to be linear growth, while it is not. If we see someone having success, we are tempted to think they’ve been growing towards that, but we forget that this person went through cycles where there might have been more failures than happy moments for a while. Competition feeds the uncertainty.

 

Music-Making Mindset

 

Knowing all this, how can it affect one’s music-making sessions, or how can we step out of that cycle?

What makes someone get caught in the loop syndrome is that they spent time tweaking the loop to perfection, and now, with the idea to expand that to a song, it feels overwhelming: both in the time to pay and in the potential failure it could represent to turn something perfect into something less than ideal. It could be multiple other things, but in general, tweaking something small will narrow your understanding of how to make it bigger.

Quite often, some people come to me with a loop and ask me if it’s “good.” I always reply, “I need a structure to know how you want to develop that idea.” Loops aren’t songs. They’re small, self-contained ideas. Perhaps they are perfect as they are, but that doesn’t mean they are a song. I like the imagery that it’s similar to someone showing me a very nice tomato and asking me if it will be a nice salad; I’m missing a lot of data to understand, and I don’t have access to the person’s imagination.

As said previously, curiosity can help.

The first part is thinking of ideas in variations before making a loop that supports it. Thinking of a concept for the song will help break it over multiple minutes. For instance, perhaps you have the motif of a few notes over one bar, so start by finding variations and complementary elements that can appear, then think of a call and answer, chorus, breakdown… before you know it, you have a whole arrangement for a song that needs to be assembled. It’s not possible to just be caught in a loop anymore. Plugins like Scaler 3 now have scenes that can help you do this job by breaking down chord progression and suggesting potential variations. I also like Instacomposer if you’re on a budget.

I know it sounds simple, but thinking globally is the first part of coming out of a loop. In past articles, I also discussed using a reference track to understand its structure to populate your song with the elements. Song Sketch also does a nice job at this, covering different genres.

I also suggested studio activities here that you can do in rotation to keep yourself rolling.

But now, let’s dive into some activities to keep yourself curious.

Randomize & React

 

  • Use random LFOs or MIDI generators to modulate parameters on your loop. I love working with randomized midi patterns to come up with new ideas and in this mode, the idea is to act quickly where you search for ideas, resample everything and then just either layer clips all together.

  • Challenge: Commit to using whatever the system spits out for 1 minute of arrangement.

The result can be a little 2-minute blurb or a more extended improvisation. But where the fun is, this is up to you to figure out.

 

Oblique Techniques

 

  • Write down verbs like “stretch,” “reverse,” “break,” “filter,” “chop,” and “double” on separate pieces of paper. Pick randomly one of the words when in front of a specific sound.

  • You can also create a small deck of these as part of a creative toolkit. That can be used with plugins, effects, and techniques.

 

Deconstruct & Rebuild

 

  • Bounce your loop to audio and chop it into individual hits or micro-samples. Carsten Nicolai once made entire songs based on one sound. Perhaps explore that.

  • Create a new groove or section using only the bounced audio.

 

 

Create a Mini Sound Story

 

  • Imagine your loop as a scene. Ask:

    • “What happened before this?”

    • “What happens after?”

    • “What enters and what leaves?”

  • Let these questions shape the intro, build, or breakdown.

  • You can also write scenes on different pieces of paper and shuffle them in different orders to explore a new narration of your song.

 Speedrun Arrangement

 

  • Set a timer for 15 minutes. Copy your loop to fill out a whole 3-minute track.

  • Don’t worry about transitions—move elements around instinctively.

  • The speed forces you out of perfection mode and into playful discovery.

 Role Reversal

 

  • Make your drum loop the melody.

  • Use your melody to trigger drums.

  • Recast sounds in new roles to see the project from a new angle.

Use AI or External Input

 

  • Ask a friend to suggest a weird transition or send you a sound to work in.

  • Or use AI text prompts to ask, “What could happen after this loop?” Get abstract ideas, then interpret them musically.

 Play a Movie Scene Over It

 

  • Import a muted scene from a film or a short video and play your loop under it.

  • Let the visual action guide the arrangement—timing, tension, and release.

 

Parametric sequencing

 

This concept is a bit more advanced, but the idea is to use snapshots or parameter sets and then morph between them. This kind of exploration produces very different sounds than what you might usually do.

Sound design is an endless field of exploration if you’re curious. Whenever I feel out of inspiration, I go back to that sphere and rediscover myself.

 

Polymetric arrangements

 

Polyrhythms are a vast field of exploration. It can be in the way you program your beats, but it can also be in how you modulate. If your modulation doesn’t match the length of your loop, it will give the illusion that your loop evolves over what it’s set for, giving it automatic expansion.

 

Music Curation And Tastes

/in /by

I was working with a client, and after I went through the basics of making a song, which he picked up pretty quickly, he commented, “So, in the end, it all comes down to music tastes.” What he meant by that is that technicalities are always a part of what anyone can learn, but if you don’t have good tastes, your music can’t be saved. If you’ve been working with me, you will know that one thing I coach students with is to avoid using words like good, extraordinary, cool, weird, or anything else that is an arbitrary term to refer to a sound. Besides being arbitrary, I avoid those terms because they don’t point out what one refers to; is it the punch? The clarity? The width? What does the student find cool, exactly?

Returning to music tastes makes an artist make or break it. But perhaps it is a bit more complicated, too. It fuels conversations and debates online, such as why some artists whose music we intensely dislike get much attention and praise. Is the problem the masses or our tastes?

This raised the question: can tastes be shaped or developed? Can we still strive if our tastes don’t match what the average listener wants to hear?

Or should one’s tastes adapt to the mass and lose their individuality?

Let’s examine tastes, where they come from, and how musicians become who they are.

Where Do Music Tastes Come From?

 

Music taste is shaped by a mix of psychological, cultural, and neurological factors. It combines exposure, emotional associations, personal identity, and cognitive processing.

 

Exposure & Familiarity: The Mere Exposure Effect

 

The first point regarding tastes and how they develop comes from what you’re exposed to. As a kid, your parents will be your first influences, as will the context in which you grow up. Countries like Brazil have a strong musical culture because people practice and grow up with music. I remember going there and seeing people singing or constantly listening to music. As I grew up, it was common to have the radio turned on, and it would either be talking shows or music that would play. Wherever you’d go, music was pretty much coming from the radio, often in restaurants or in shops. This is less common now as streaming has changed our surroundings, with people deciding what to play in their commerce.

We tend to like what we hear often. The more we’re exposed to certain sounds, the more we prefer them. This method was an aggressive method by commercial radios that could play the same songs over a rotation of a few hours. If the radio plays, people will get used to the same songs, and new ones will be introduced shyly until they become popular.

In this system, people are dictated to what they should appreciate. If I think of the average person not intentionally exposing themselves to new music, their tastes would be pretty rigid, and venturing off wouldn’t be an option. It’s the same for some people who go to a club and expect a specific musical direction not to change too much, as predictability is an element that can be reassuring if you have particular tastes.

Since exposure breaks the taste, some songs one might not like can grow on them. As a label owner, there are songs that I automatically flag as something that can win me over after a moment, and I listen to them a few times before deciding if I like them.

 

TIP: If you’re a musician, exposing yourself to random radio stations and visiting clubs you usually never go to is undoubtedly necessary to help nurture the plasticity of your music tastes.

 

If you read this blog, you’ll know that one thing I share about what people are looking for in music is familiarity but with a novelty twist. It is related to how we consume music as well. When there is a craving for music, more than often, we have a go-to genre or song we will go for.

 

Emotional Associations & Memory

 

Like scents, music can teleport you back to the past, bringing back certain moments or events with which it was associated. It is known that the brain releases dopamine when we listen to music that emotionally moves us. If we relate to events, festivals, or clubs, we can become interested in a new genre or song when seeing it in context, surrounded by a crowd of people who all move to it, creating momentum.

I have enjoyed going to festivals and loving to dance to music in the company of friends. I have vivid memories of spending quality time with people. We look at each other and are excited by appreciating a special moment where the music fits the mood perfectly. While I’ve been going to the MUTEK for 25 years now, there are people I exclusively see there and have been seeing them for that long, every year. After you meet people a few times and enjoy the music in their company, there will be more sharing and getting to know them, which leads to deeper friendships than just listening to music.

It’s one of the reasons I love the music I love today, which is partly linked to memorable moments of joy. Nowadays, I like to see people Shazaming music at events. It tells me they want to know more of the exact song they wish to bring to their life afterwards.

 

TIP: One exercise I give people I coach is to keep a journal of music that brings back souvenirs and emotions. Being in touch with your musical world is a way of reconnecting with periods of one’s life. As a musician, you are the sum of all the moments you collected, music-wise. To have your own glossary is also a way of getting inspiration.

 

 

 

Cultural Influence & Social Identity

 

The urban tribal music of today could be punk/Goth, techno, hip-hop, or ambient, as they gather people for community events of celebration. Those events have their codes, sometimes their dressing standards and habits, which is a way of creating culture and developing identity. People want to find their way to find their purpose in the eco-system, either by wanting to create events, be musicians, have a venue or any other way to contribute.

Music is the common thread that brings everyone together, which means it needs specific characteristics to fit the codes. If one is not a contributor in some ways, they are music lovers who are there for the atmosphere and a certain quality of sound. Seeing your community appreciating the music can shape your tastes. Seeing the crowd enjoying the music is a form of validation that one can go for.

Since each community follows specific music directions, while two places might enjoy the same music, they might also have different appreciations. Imagine two clubs enjoying the same music but one having a more extensive, more precise sound system. It might educate the crowd to be more attentive to details. Some venues with lesser-quality sound might rely on the friendliness of the attendees as their community glue. Having lesser quality sound might mean that artists who are selectors of a specific type of sound might work better.

This shapes the culture of the clubgoer.

TIP: Are you aware of the places and venues you attend for music and what makes it unique? Sometimes, thinking about what you love about it can reveal much about your music needs.

Cognitive Processing & Pattern Recognition

 

How your brain functions can influence your tastes. Some people like complex music (jazz, prog rock, avant-garde electronic) because their brains enjoy deciphering intricate patterns. Being exposed to more challenging music can also mean that you’ve come across many expositions to music and need to be challenged more. Your brain can influence how you listen to music.

For instance, if challenging music is your thing, there are fewer chances that you will listen to complex music in the background. While one might consume music in that way, it might also be mushed entirely up because if played at a low volume, all the textures might disappear.

Others prefer simple, catchy structures because their brains prioritize immediate emotional connection. The “Predictability vs. Surprise” balance is key: we enjoy music that surprises us just enough without feeling completely random. Your understanding of music makes you appreciate different aspects of music that one who doesn’t know much about it might not perceive. This is the same for any art or food. The more you know, the deeper the connection can be.

 

Regarding the various levels of music listening, here are some that come to my mind:

 

Deep Listening  (Intentional, immersive, full attention)

  • Pauline Oliveros coined the term deep listening, which is about fully immersing yourself in sound and absorbing every detail with heightened awareness.
  • It involves active engagement with the sonic space, textures, and emotions.
  • Can be meditative, introspective, or analytical.

Technique for Musicians: Try “blind listening”—close your eyes, take notes on timbre, structure, dynamics, and spatial depth.

 

Critical Listening  (Technical, analytical, mix-focused)

  • Musicians, producers, and engineers use it to dissect music on a technical level.
  • Focuses on sound quality, mix balance, stereo field, EQ, dynamics, and production choices.
  • It often requires repeated listens to analyze details like compression, transients, or stereo width.

 

Analytical Listening  (Structural, theoretical, compositional)

  • It is more about music theory, form, and arrangement than mix engineering.
  • It involves breaking down chord progressions, melody, harmony, rhythm, and motif development.
  • Often used by composers, instrumentalists, and theorists.

 

Focused Listening   (Engaged, but not hyper-analytical)

  • A balance between pleasure and analysis—you’re paying attention but not dissecting every note.
  • Common among serious music fans, critics, and artists.
  • It’s more about experiencing the entire track rather than breaking it apart.

 

Background Listening  (Passive, environmental, secondary)

  • Music playing while doing another activity (working, cooking, reading, driving).
  • Less conscious attention, but still influences mood and perception.
  • Often, lyric-focused genres become blurred into ambiance.

 

Emotional Listening   (Nostalgic, mood-driven, cathartic)

  • Music is primarily felt rather than analyzed.
  • Associated with memories, experiences, and deep emotions.
  • Lyrics and storytelling play a substantial role.

 

Physical Listening 💃🔊 (Bodily, dance-oriented, rhythm-focused)

  • Music is experienced through movement—how sound interacts with the body.
  • Often bass-driven and rhythmic.
  • Common in clubs, raves, live performances.

 

Algorithmic Listening  (Streaming, AI-influenced, discovery-driven)

  • A new mode of listening driven by streaming platforms.
  • People let algorithms decide what plays next, shaping taste over time.
  • This can lead to passive consumption rather than active music engagement.

 

Ritualistic Listening  (Spiritual, ceremonial, trance-inducing)

  • It is used for meditation, religious ceremonies, shamanic rituals, and profound mental states.
  • Often repetitive and trance-like, focusing on sonic immersion rather than melody.
  • Ancient traditions have used drumming, drones, and overtone singing to induce altered states.

Personality & Mood

 

While how your brain works can influence your tastes, it is the same for your personality. It is almost cliche to relate to how specific demographics of people tend towards certain types of music, but you can also get a few hints of someone’s personality based on the music they enjoy. Based on your mood, you might be tempted to complement your emotional state by combining a specific genre.

Studies suggest that certain personality traits correlate with music taste:

    • Open-minded people are more likely to explore jazz, world music, and experimental genres. This is also a state of mind one might have on specific occasions.
    • Extroverts: Prefer high-energy, danceable music. Outgoing music is often pop, appealing to people’s general tastes. Easy-going music is often for extroverts to sing on.
    • Introverts Tend to enjoy more profound, more atmospheric music. They might feel a need to escape through music.
    • Neurodivergent minds: Often gravitate towards intricate, detailed sound design or repetitive, structured beats (e.g., techno, ambient, IDM). It can also be music that needs to get them interested with many sounds.

TIP: Is your music craving based on your current mood, or is it to induce yourself into a different one?

Since many musicians are neurodivergent, they tend to worry that people will be bored by their music. The truth is that they often overexpose themselves to their music, trying to fix anything that might be boring.

Sound & Timbre Preferences

 

Our ears get trained over time. Producers and engineers often develop a taste for sound design and mix quality. However, non-musicians might also develop an interest in music with a specific tone or aesthetic. A good example is dub techno, where the common thread is the washy pads and reverb.

Some people love EDM music for the intense sound design modulation on synths and the predictable drops. Eventually, some characteristics of one genre might cross over to another, which is one reason people might jump from one genre to another. Overexposure might also create aversion.

Also, If you spend years tweaking synths, you may become hypersensitive to modulation depth, harmonics, and spatialization, influencing what sounds “good” to you.

TIP: Developing your vocabulary on specific sounds that are interesting can help you understand these.

Algorithmic Influence & Reinforcement Loops

 

Streaming platforms (Spotify and YouTube) subtly shape our taste by reinforcing what we already like. Their recommendation engines push us toward similar sounds, reducing exposure to new styles. Some say that some YouTube channels are a modern take on what labels used to be because they might publish music from certain artists. One strategy these guys have is blending their music with the recommendations YouTube will propose to people, gaining more traction and followers. Each streaming sites

Some people “fight back” by deliberately seeking obscure or challenging music to avoid getting trapped in a musical bubble. The recent surge in the popularity of vinyl records is another way for people to drop out of the algorithmic influence.

🔹 Example: If you mainly listen to ambient techno, your recommendations will continue reinforcing that unless you intentionally explore different genres.

TIP: Releasing music is not the only option for your music. You could also simply give it to a Youtube channel.

Final tips

Your music tastes might be internally rooted or be influenced by your surroundings. Creating a community and attending music that offers music to your tastes are essential, as well as following people known to have unique tastes. BBC Radio 6 have selectors known for their tastes, but you can also count on some DJs who run radio shows or have been playing for a long time to be references and educators. For a while, I remember that when we would play sets, we would always test the crowd with challenging music between crowd-pleasers. We’d look at each other, saying, “That one is for the education.” If the crowd slowed down, we knew we were probably opening new interest, but it takes time.

Music Discussion: Iridescent by Pugilist & Pod

/in /by

This post marks the beginning of a new type of blog article. I’ve been missing the days when music journalists would take the time to listen and come up with an article about albums or songs. For musicians, getting validation is not something that can quickly be done. Some find it through being signed to a label, but even then, it doesn’t fill that need, primarily because of a lack of significative appreciation. One can appreciate your music, but does that mean the song is well-produced?

With the ever-coming release announcements, finding music we can relate to becomes harder. As an artist, there was a period when you’d find music in batches for a genre, and it would take a moment to create a new bunch. This would leave you time to appreciate and digest it. Nowadays, there is constant work to do, digging through the waves of published music and checking an artist’s back catalogue or a label to find more of a specific sound you can appreciate.

As an audio engineer, label owner and artist, I often feel overwhelmed by the music I’m exposed to. Some music I find fascinating is not getting any attention, while some music that gets all the media press leaves me unimpressed. What do I love in the end?

I decided to team up with my partner Jan (somebody3lse), who’s constantly digging and unearthing gems, exposing me to music that is not exactly what I would listen to at first but that I always appreciate. We decided to open music discussions on songs we like. I never understood why the media would negatively review some music; I feel it is missing the chance to expose us to music that needs to be heard, and while one person might not like an album, why do I need to hear about it? It’s not like they’re saving me from an eminent problem.

We also don’t feel like we want to do reviews, but more likely, open conversation about music we like from two different angles: from a DJ’s point of view vs an audio engineer/producer.

In 2024, we started an event in Montreal named Sweet Spot, where we’d invite artists to share a song they made to have a real-time feedback experience from people who would listen to it in a very attentive approach. The idea is also to give the artist a moment to share their knowledge of making the song so that non-producers can raise awareness towards that reality.

These days, when Spotify is abusing artists’ reality, and people are still using it, perhaps there’s a disconnection between the two realities. Somewhat similar to people buying clothes made by people who are making them in slave conditions; if we were closer to those sweatshops, we’d care more.

That was my long introduction to why I’m starting a new branch of posts on my blog. TLDR;

  • Opening conversation about music we love.
  • Give some artists a nudge of appreciation.
  • Bring back honest discussions and descriptions about music instead of generic promo texts.

 

Our first post.

 

Iridescent by Pugilist & Pod

 

Words by somebody3lse:

Iridescent is the title track from a debut collaborative LP by Australian producers Pugilist & Pod released in November 2024.  I chose this track to share with Pheek because it’s a bit different to what I usually play and I wanted to step outside each of our comfort zones to explore something new.  As a downtempo track its a lot slower than the majority of music I play for others.

There is a clear intention from the start, with a percussive movement joined by the kick after 16 bars. From a technical perspective I appreciate the definite intro that allows me to beat match. I feel a warmth in the dub sounds and a gentle drive giving energy and direction.

It builds into a transition point around 3 minutes, where the mood changes and takes on more of an edge. A metallic call that feels like a submarine alarm brings some urgency and shifts the pace. Just before the 5-minute mark, we lose percussion and get lost in a swirling underwater tide. When the kick comes back, it’s more metallic and feels like we’ve been scooped back up out of the ocean again.

The intensity decreases over the last minute or so, which makes for a smooth transition. It also breaks down elements that would close out a set nicely.

It is very well-phased and structured, not in an obvious way, making for a track that is kind to the DJ playing it.  I would love more opportunities to play slower, more expressive music like this.  I can imagine this played at a festival with the sun rising at an alternative stage where people seek refuge from the intensity of it all.

 

Pheek’s view (transcript from audio):

 

The texture starts cold to me regarding sounds, which I have a different feel than somebody3lse, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this artist used the Elektron, the same machine I have. I could recognize the effect. So this is where I’m getting nerdy a little bit. I could hear that, and it was distracting me. As a producer, my mind constantly goes from listening to trying to understand how it was made. If I pinpoint how it was made, my mind relaxes a bit.

Anyway, the song felt nice because it was inspiring, and I liked it overall; I loved the track and bought it right after the first listen. Initially, I thought the arrangements were unsettling as I was a bit thrown off because he was using three voices, which is a bit of a risk. When you build a song, you start with your three voices; it can be challenging to keep them engaging. But the way he morphed and made the sound evolve, and alternate is very clever and flows well. It’s hypnotizing, and I like arrangements to be that way. I felt that the sounds were crunchy, but the stereo didn’t feel wide; it didn’t feel like it was open, but the frontal density worked as is, too. I guess it’s typical of that genre.

Some sounds fell before me, metallic and like those of Transformers. Moving and shaping are repetitive but constantly changing at the same time. It made it pleasant. The pace is slow and takes time; this is a slow tempo but intense mood. That’s not easy to execute in production because you might be tempted to go in one direction or another, resulting in flat results or overwhelming. They nailed the balance just right. Finding the right moment to play that kind of music as a DJ can also be challenging.

By the end, I couldn’t grasp an evident emotion out of it except for maybe something dark and mischievous but not in a playful way. It felt like there was a bit of danger or uneasiness. My synesthesia was not really triggered, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad or anything. Sometimes, when I hear music like that, I see geographic shapes and textures but in this case, it felt more like images, but blurry.

 

Conclusion:

We love this song because it’s well-crafted and builds energy, even if it’s slow. There’s a journey where we feel the direction is clear, and the journey to get there is emotive. The textures and sound design are lovely and aligned with our tastes because of the engaging craft put into them.

We’ve been thinking of making this into a podcast. Would this be something you’d be interested in?

 

My Favorite Sampling Techniques

/in /by

It’s quite ironic that after spending a year studying sound synthesis, I came back to becoming increasingly interested in sampling as one of my favourite ways to make music. But I need to say that while studying synthesis, we also looked into how sampling can be used in many ways to create simple to complex sound sources, so it is ironic that sampling came strong as an inspiration.

When I dove into music production and exploration in the late 90s, the first piece of hardware that became a favourite was the Yamaha SU700, a sampler with an internal sequencer. People like Gez Varley and Speedy J used it creatively to make music and for live performances. While its audio quality and converters were not the best, you could turn an austere sound into a synth-sounding source using the polyvalent internal LFOs. It was wild and would be pretty versatile when performing live by morphing simple sounds into melodic synth sequences. Someone told me it was a “mind-warping experience” after one of my sets.

With modern DAWs such as Ableton, sampling has been integrated thoroughly. Many have bells and whistles, with so many options that it can take a while to understand how to incorporate them into your music. I’ll cover some basics and more advanced ideas for you to explore.

 

Basic Sampling In Ableton Live

 

 

Let’s start by covering the definition of sampling.

 

Definition:

Sampling is taking a portion (or “sample”) of a sound recording—such as a drum beat, melody, vocal phrase, or any other sound—and reusing it as an element in a new composition. This technique can involve chopping, looping, pitch-shifting, or manipulating the sample to fit the new track. One tool that people who resample use is a “sampler.”

Initially developed in the late 1970s and popularized by hip-hop producers, sampling has become a core technique across various genres, such as electronic, pop, and experimental music.

The Most Basic Sampler

Whether you like it or not, dragging a sample or loop is a form of sampling but doesn’t involve a sampler. When you have imported a sample in Ableton, you’ll have access to some basic controls over that sound.

The goal of this post is not to be a tutorial for the basic features of Ableton, but for some people who are using the software, they tend to forget that a simple sample dragged in is wrapped into a limited sampler with features:

  • Loop: This will set if this loop, when played, will loop or not.
  • BPM: The Beat Per Minute speed at the sample was initially recorded. The division or multiplication button will shift the speed of the sample to one speed or another, altering the integrity of the sound.
  • Warp mode: If the loop is activated, Live will try to match it to the tempo of the current project based on the original tempo at which the sample was recorded. This means if the sample is at 133 BPM and my project’s at 120 BPM, it will slow it down, using the Warp mode. Depending on the mode, you’ll get different results. For instance, the Texture mode will reveal some details in complex sounds, while the Repitch will adjust the pitch up or down depending on the BPM adjustment.
  • Gain: Control over the amplitude of the sound (volume). I recommend using this to normalize the sound, which means getting it as close to zero dB as possible.
  • Pitch: To change it’s tonality (eg. note), which for harmonic samples, you will change it to another note, while inharmonic sound will feel higher or lower pitch
  • Direction: Reversed or Normal (Forward).
  • Transient control: This will detect the transient and cut out the tail of the sound detected. You can then make a longer sound shorter by reducing the amount applied.

One thing that is hardwired in the clip is the envelopes that allow you to change completely, through time, specific parameters, bringing the mangling possibilities to mind-boggling options.

I’m opening with these points to remind you that we can start with fundamental points and then complicate them. If these are clear enough, the rest of the other points will always point to them.

 

Resampling

 

This method, in general, whichever tool you use, implies that you’re going to sample (record) the output of your tool. An example of resampling would be that you have made a complex design for one sound and would like it to be recorded statically; you would resample it to be able to replay it as is each time. This is partially useful if your design is complex and gives you different results each time you trigger it, and you’d like your sounds to be more stable.

One use of resampling is to change a sound to personalize it to your tastes. In past posts, I often encouraged people to use premade samples, and this implies one risk: someone else might have used it before you, which means you might recognize it in other songs. Altering the sound and resampling it can help make the sound personal and unique.

Resampling is one of the first beloved techniques I’ve always used in every song. Sometimes, generating random material, resampling it, then slicing it, reusing it and resampling all over again. Another use would be to record myself tweaking a sound in real-time and recording the outcome, mainly the tweaking as a new file, which gives it odd modulation. I name this process “Generation,” where the first resampling is Generation 1 and when I resample again, it becomes a sample Generation 2, and so on. Complex-sounding samples are usually Generation 6 to 10 on most of my productions.

 

Other techniques

 

Micro-Sampling (Granular Approach)

What is Granular Sampling?

Granular synthesis is a sound processing technique that breaks an audio sample into tiny fragments called grains, typically ranging from 1 to 100 milliseconds in length. These grains can then be rearranged, layered, time-stretched, and pitch-shifted independently to create new textures, ambiences, or rhythmic patterns.

Unlike traditional sampling, which plays back audio linearly, granular synthesis allows you to manipulate sound non-linearly and fluidly, making it a potent tool for experimental and atmospheric music production. You can imagine it as a delay, looper, or real-time sampling.

Standard Controls in a Granular Sampler/Synthesizer

Most granular samplers include the following parameters:

  1. Grain Size – Determines the length of each grain.

    • Short grains create textured or glitchy effects.
    • Longer grains produce smoother, stretched sounds.

  2. Grain Density (Rate/Spray) – Controls how frequently grains are triggered.

    • High-density results in a continuous, lush texture.
    • Low density creates sparse, pointillistic sounds.

  3. Grain Position (Scan/Offset) – Sets the playback start position of grains within the sample.

    • Automating this creates evolving or rhythmic patterns.

  4. Pitch & Tuning – Changes the pitch of each grain independently.

    • Some granular synths allow randomization per grain for organic, shimmering effects.

  5. Time-stretching allows the sample to be slowed down or sped up without affecting the pitch, which is helpful for drone and ambient sound design.

  6. Envelope/Shape (Window Function) – Controls how each grain fades in and out.

    • A Gaussian shape produces a smooth, crossfaded texture.
    • A Rectangular shape makes the grains sound sharper and more rhythmic.

  7. Grain Spread (Stereo Width/Spatialization) – Determines how grains are panned across the stereo field.

    • High spread creates an immersive, wide stereo effect.
    • Mono settings keep the sound focused.

  8. Randomization (Jitter, Chaos, Modulation) – Introduces unpredictability in pitch, position, and timing for organic movement.

Tools: Ableton Simpler/Granulator II, Kontakt, Pigments, MGranular, Tasty Chips GR-1, Paul Stretch, GrainDad.

Use Cases in Sampling

  • Turning vocals into lush, evolving pads.
  • Creating glitchy, rhythmic textures from drums. It is also valuable for making drums fatter.
  • Transforming field recordings into cinematic soundscapes.
  • Stretching a short sound into an infinite drone.

Chopping & Rearranging

 

Historical Context: From Musique Concrète to Hip-Hop

The technique of chopping and rearranging samples can be traced back to Musique Concrète, a 1940s experimental music movement led by composers like Pierre Schaeffer. Musique Concrète manipulated recorded sounds (from everyday noises to orchestral instruments) by cutting, splicing, looping, and reassembling tape recordings in new, non-linear ways.

Fast-forward to the 1970s and 1980s. Hip-hop producers, particularly those working with samplers like the E-mu SP-1200 and Akai MPC series, revolutionized this idea by chopping drum breaks, basslines, and melodic phrases from vinyl records. Producers like DJ Premier, J Dilla, and RZA became known for their intricate chopping techniques, turning old jazz, soul, and funk records into new, rhythmically compelling beats.

Today, chopping and rearranging are standard sampling techniques across multiple genres, from hip-hop to electronic music, glitch, and experimental production.

How Chopping & Rearranging Works

At its core, chopping means slicing a sample into smaller segments and rearranging them to create something fresh. The process can involve:

  1. Slicing by Transients – Automatically cutting a sample at each transient hit (great for drum breaks).
  2. Manual Chopping – Selecting meaningful segments by ear, such as a particular note in a melody or a vocal phrase.
  3. Randomization & Reordering – Playing the chops in a different sequence to create unexpected grooves.
  4. Time-Stretching Individual Chops – Altering the speed of specific chops to add groove variations.

 

Case Scenarios: How to Use Chopping & Rearranging in Production

Recreating Classic Drum Breaks with New Energy

    • Chop a funk or soul breakbeat into drum hits (kick, snare, hi-hat).
    • Reassemble them in a new rhythm or shuffle pattern.
    • Layer with additional percussive sounds for uniqueness.
    • Example: Boom-bap drum programming using old jazz breaks.

 

Flipping a Melodic Sample

    • Take a piano or string loop from a vintage record.
    • Chop it into 4-8 smaller pieces and rearrange the order.
    • Add pitch modulation, reverb, or tape wobble for variation.
    • Example: J Dilla’s signature swing and off-grid melodic chops.

 

Chopping Vocals for a Unique Hook

    • Sample a spoken word or acapella phrase.
    • Chop it into syllables or individual words.
    • Rearrange the syllables rhythmically for an engaging groove.
    • Example: House and UK Garage vocal chops (Burial, Four Tet, Flume).

 

Glitch & IDM Experiments

    • Take a long synth pad or soundscape and slice it at random intervals.
    • Re-sequence the chops unpredictably, applying bit-crushing, reverses, and stutters.
    • Example: Autechre, Aphex Twin’s IDM approach.

 

Drum & Bass Rechopping (Jungle-Style)

    • Sample an Amen Break or similar drum groove.
    • Chop it into individual drum hits and rolls.
    • Re-sequence it with fast break edits to get rolling energy.
    • Example: Classic Jungle and Drum & Bass production (LTJ Bukem, Squarepusher, Photek).

Last year I bought the Digitakt II and this is a beast of a machine that I will write more about in the future but I now use it mostly for slicing.

 

Follow-Actions

 

One of my favourite ways of working with samples is to use the “Follow Actions” feature in Ableton. This method lets you chain multiple clips and give them “behavioural orders” for how they work. For instance, you could tell a clip to play, but jump to another clip once it’s at the end of the sample’s length. This allows you to duplicate the same clip multiple times, modify each clip with different parameters and then let the chain of effect jump between clips, perhaps randomly, to give you different sequences. But the fun happens when you play only parts of the clip, such as 1/4th of the clip and then jump to another random 1/4th, which is a way to deconstruct a clip into different patterns.

This is when you can use resampling to capture moments when random ideas propose new patterns, which can be used to create variations, fills, and happy accidents.

 

 

Layering for Hybrid Sounds

 

What is Timbre and Why Layering Matters?

Timbre (pronounced tam-ber) makes a sound unique, even when two notes have the same pitch and loudness. It’s a sound’s tone colour or character, shaped by its harmonic content, envelope, and dynamic response.

You are essentially sculpting a new timbre when layering samples by combining different sound sources. The goal is to create a hybrid sound with each layer’s best qualities while maintaining clarity and balance.

For example:

  • A punchy digital kick + an acoustic kick → Fat but organic-sounding drum
  • A plucked synth + a bell sample → Crisp, percussive, melodic sound
  • A cello layer + a synth pad → Orchestral-meets-electronic textures

 

Two Main Approaches to Layering

  1. Frequency Splitting Approach (Stacking by Frequency Ranges)

    • Each layer is designed to occupy a specific frequency range to avoid clashing.
    • Example:
      • Low layer → A sub bass for warmth and depth (20-150Hz)
      • Mid layer → A distorted bass or plucked synth for the body (150-800Hz)
      • High layer → A crispy top-end sound for presence (1kHz+)
    • Best use case: Creating massive bass sounds, rich pads, or full-bodied drum hits.
    • Tool to use: Multiband compressors, EQ separation.

  2. Envelope Shaping Approach (Stacking by Dynamics & Transients)

    • Each layer shapes the sound’s overall attack, sustain, decay, or release.
    • Example:
      • Sharp attack layer → Plucky or percussive sound to add bite.
      • Body layer → A midrange-rich sound for warmth.
      • Sustained layer → A pad or long-decay element to add depth.
    • Best use case: Designing hybrid instruments, tight basslines, or cinematic textures.
    • Tool to use: ADSR envelopes, transient designers.

Key Considerations When Layering (Common Mistakes to Avoid)

  1. Stereo Width Conflicts

    • Avoid stacking too many wide stereo layers—this can lead to phase cancellation.
    • Solution: Keep low-end elements in mono and let higher frequencies spread.

  2. Root Key & Tuning Issues

    • Ensure all layers are in the same key and tuning—some samples might be slightly sharp/flat.
    • Solution: Use auto-tune, pitch shifting, or fine-tuning for alignment.

  3. Frequency Masking (Clashing Frequencies)

    • Too many layers in the same range muddy the mix rather than enhancing it.
    • Solution: Use EQ to carve space for each layer.

  4. Envelope Mismatch (Cluttered Attack or Release)

    • Two layers with different attack speeds may not feel glued together.
    • Solution: Adjust ADSR envelopes to match transients smoothly.

  5. Overcompression (Killing Dynamics)

    • Layering too many compressed sounds can make the final sound lifeless.
    • Solution: Use parallel compression instead of full compression.

Recommended Tools for Layering

 

  • Ableton Live’s Instrument Rack → Stack multiple samples with macros.
  • Kontakt & Falcon → Multi-sample layering with advanced controls.
  • Serum & Pigments → Blend wavetables + samples for hybrid synthesis.
  • FabFilter Pro-Q 4 → Surgical EQ for avoiding masking issues.
  • Waves Vitamin → Multiband stereo width & harmonics control.

Creating New Instruments by Layering Samples

This technique is widely used to create unique, custom instruments that don’t exist in the real world. Some famous examples:

  • Hybrid Pianos (Real piano + Synth attack) → Adds warmth and futuristic textures.
  • Epic Trailer Percussion (Layered acoustic + synthetic impacts) → Powerful, cinematic drum sounds.
  • Organic-Sounding Synth Leads (Synth + real-world plucks) → Natural, expressive electronic sounds.

Practical Example: Layering a Hybrid Lead Sound

  1. Start with a plucky synth – This provides the attack and initial transient.
  2. Layer in a bell sample – Adds metallic harmonics for presence.
  3. Add a vocal chop – Gives the sound an organic, breathy texture.
  4. Blend a pad layer – Extends the tail for warmth and body.

 

 

Time-Stretching & Pitch Warping

 

Slowing down a vocal sample can transform it into an eerie pad, while extreme pitch modulation can create glitchy textures. You can pitch down your sounds and ideas by 2-3 octaves and then discover a whole new concept. Or down-pitch it randomly, and you’ll have the same idea but with a different key. This also works lovely on percussion if you want to unlock a dose of fatness and a feeling of old-school sounds. As explained above, another fun tool is the Paul Stretch plugin that slows down music to extreme levels, creating incredible scapes, odd melodies and textures.

Tools: Ableton Warp Modes, Ableton Shifter, Ableton Autoshift, MicroPitch, Elastique, and Pitchmap (for next-level ideas).

Vinyl & Cassette Resampling

 

Resample sounds by recording them onto a vinyl simulator or an old cassette tape. This adds warmth, pitch inconsistencies, and noise, giving the sample a nostalgic, lo-fi character. People have also been experimenting with VHS tapes, where they record their sounds externally to a tape and then resample them. This technique is a good way to convert your sounds into a new outcome, blurring the lines of digital perfection into a retro feeling. While this is not available for everyone, some plugins offer some emulation of that process. You can lower the sample rate and add some noises and inconsistencies, giving your sound a new edge. For some reason, when you take a sound that has received a Lofi treatment and pitch it down, you’ll automatically gain some ear-pleasing fuzziness (or at least, for me).

You can search on your local marketplace to find old tape players and explore some options.

Tools: RC-20 Retro Color, Super VHS, Klevgrand DAW Cassette, recording to the actual tape

Contextual Sampling (Field Recordings & Found Sounds)

 

You might have heard about field recordings before, or perhaps not, but that activity is a form of sampling. Picking up recordings of your environment is a fun hobby that has some valuable music uses. You can use field recordings to create lush pads, do percussion, or add a background to a dry song, but in any case, it will always bring an organic feel. But where things get fun is when you explore various types of microphones. Sennheiser MKH’s series offers high-end recording and picks up high frequencies you can’t hear. What’s the use, I hear you ask. You’ll listen to mysterious melodies and sounds if you down-pitch high frequencies.

Another type of microphone will pick up electromagnetic signals, discovering weird noises from your world.

There is also a microphone to pick up low sounds from the Earth with the Geophon.

Another type of microphone to explore is the contact microphone, which you can use to pick up little percussive sounds and turn a shoebox into a reverb space.

Tools: Zoom H5, Tascam DR-40, iPhone Voice Memo + FX processing

Music Mockups

/in /by

As I was recently revising a client’s workflow, I explained to them that mine had changed much in over twenty years. It has changed just a few times in the last few years, and if I were putting a number into my workflow, I think I would easily be at its 20th iteration. I recently realized the need for a phase in how I work on music. When working with clients, there is a part where we conceptualize an idea, and it becomes a bit tricky for them to imagine the end product. Perhaps my background as an engineer and label owner taught me to imagine how things should be in the end, so it’s never a problem to know where I’m heading when working on a song.

For a while, the phases of making a song would look like this:

With this new phase, I’m adding a part called Mockup. It’s similar to a mood board, but a song is closer to what it will be like. This is important in electronic music as we can access so many sounds and effects that a song could be anything. The concept itself is simple and pretty self-explanatory. The faster you know your destination, the easier it is to decide what to do to get there.

The advantages I’m experiencing when using mockups:

  • Understand quickly the potential of an idea.
  • See the flaws and lack of an arrangement.
  • Easier to self-validate your process.
  • Giving you an outlook of what the song is, you can sleep on it and test it in contexts.

 

By watching how people, clients, and friends work with music, I notice a lot of time invested in searching for sounds or trying to recreate something they heard in a song or their mind. This often leads to long sessions of unproductive noodling around, trying to figure out what is happening and how to make sense of it. There’s no direction or destination in mind, which I greatly encourage people to keep as a mindset. But this also has some downfalls, mainly for those new to music making. The lack of results makes it difficult to make decisions, and decision fatigue can impact energy and motivation.

I came up with a new phase because I needed to fix an issue with my production, which is about getting some results faster than just being explorative.

 

Research & Development of Ideas

 

There are two main modes for the early R&D (Research and Development) phase.

Explorative mode: Find some ideas, work and play around them to see how they develop. In this mode, the musician is invited to remain open and not try to control the outcome so much as it would limit the potential happy accident that can bring an unexpected twist. I usually encourage people to spend more time in this phase mode than in song-making. When you work on songs, you bring to term an idea that you thought made sense, and when that song is finished, it will be time to work on the next one. Since the ratio of gem ideas is very low, it is worth giving a lot of time to create new ones. Clients who consult me spend 90% of their time making songs and the rest on research, an unbalanced ratio that makes it tiring to keep going. Having exciting ideas makes it fulfilling to finish a song and work on the next one.

Goal-oriented: This state gives importance to finishing something. You’ll have a vision, and you will work in that direction. Sometimes, you might have compiled many sources or found something you love. I might want the desired outcome when working on an album or a specific project. Working with clients forces me to find precise ideas to fulfill their vision, so if I spend too much time in the explorative mode, I might not get anywhere, and if I only work towards a goal, I might lack originality. This is when the combination of both can bring some solid results.  You need to control this phase to feel like your ideas are being appropriately honoured.

 

While the R&D phase allows musicians to gather ideas freely without the pressure to finish or release them, you can come up with a hook, but this raises specific questions that one can’t quickly answer early on.

Is this idea catchy?

What does it need to be supported?

How many variations does it need to remain riveting through the song’s duration?

In my previous workflow, I’d go from R&D to Hook and then jump to Structure. Now, I bring in the Mockup phase between the Hook phase and the Structure. Working on the mockup can also replace the structure phase if that works.

 

Before diving into the how-to-mockup of your next song, I think it’s necessary to cover the search for hooks in more detail because we will rely on references and samples when working on mockups. We need to reflect on how we want to build a song with a prominent sound. Some songs have no hooks, and others have something similar to songs of the same genre.

I invite you to think about this because of the decision one might take regarding using a reference. Copying it would make your song a cover. There’s nothing wrong with that, as there are countless covers of popular songs. There are even covers of covers. In techno and house, some songs have the same structure and more or less the same sounds, which is quite the same for pop music. You can take all the hits of a year and find similar critical points.

If something works, someone will try to repeat the formula to get to the same place. It rarely achieves the same results. To see the viability of an idea, I’d encourage you to first make a miniature out of it. I covered the concept of miniature songs in this article, and to refresh your memory, the idea of a miniature comes from the principle of making a tiny song (30 seconds to 2 min) with one or two sounds alone. If your idea can work on its own as is, you know you have something you can develop into an elaborate idea.

 

Now, let’s see how we can streamline your next session.

 

1. Start with the Hook: Capture the Core Idea First

 

Prepare your mood board and load in a reference song to narrow down your direction and outcome.

 

Goal: Identify and record the central theme or hook quickly—this will anchor the rest of the Mockup.

How-to:

    • Determine the Key and Scale of your song. You can also check the details of your reference using a key detecting plugin.
    • Use a synth preset or a sampled sound that’s inspiring without worrying if it’s final. I usually start with sine oscillators for their natural tone and calming mood. They are close to the human voice and a solid foundation for your final sound.
    • Record a simple 4-bar loop that captures the mood or vibe you want. Analyze the hook of your reference in terms of the number of notes or the phrasing. You could start by mimicking that idea and tweaking it to taste.
    • Keep it raw—don’t worry about effects or mix balance yet.

 

Example:

  • Choose a preset in a stock synth, or try Pigments from Arturia for the number of presets available. Pick one that feels emotionally right.
  • Play and record a lead melody that has a catchy or memorable phrase. You can also start by placing one note (the fundamental) at all the places you want it to play, then add a different note. I also like just to place where I want notes to be in the phrase and then change their pitch while keeping the rhythmical position.
  • Loop it and move on—don’t waste time tweaking the sound yet.

 

2. Lay Down a Simple Rhythm: Establish the Groove

 

Your song’s groove relies on its accents, which determine its energy. Dilla would always say that the second note determines everything. This video here explores 5 different rhythms that you can also explore.

 

Goal: Create a basic drum pattern that gives the hook context and movement.

 

  • How-to:
    • Start by deciding the BPM of your song and the accents. There are usually 2 to 4 accents in a pattern, and I recommend starting with 2. You can validate the accents from your reference, if any, and do the same for the BPM if you can’t pick one. The accents are usually where kicks or snare/claps fall to.
    • Use pre-made drum loops or machines like XO or Playbeat to test patterns quickly. Why them? Because they come with a wide selection of patterns, you can swap samples quickly to get various flavours.
    • Focus on kick and snare for now—hats and percussion can come later.
    • Keep the pattern straightforward (4×4, half-time, breakbeat, etc.) to get a feel for the energy.

Example:

  • Drag a loop from Splice or sequence a basic kick-snare pattern in Ableton’s Drum Rack. I have a folder with a few snare patterns as well as kicks. I usually grab some from that folder as a placeholder.
  • Keep the BPM flexible—adjust based on how the hook feels.

 

3. Build Harmonic Support: Bassline and Pads

 

You might want to adjust your melodic content to the primary key and scale if your song has a key. One thing that music has is a background or atmosphere that will be tuned to the root key. Sometimes, it will have a chord progression, but sometimes, it won’t.

 

Goal: Add depth and context to the hook with a bassline and simple pads.

 

  • How-to:
    • Choose a bass preset with a solid fundamental (sine or triangle wave works). If your main idea can be played with a sine oscillator, I recommend a different one for the low end, as it will feel more stable.
    • Create a 2-bar bassline that complements the hook’s rhythm.
    • Use a single-chord or a two-chord progression for pads—keep it minimal. Going from the Minor scale to the significant scale might do the trick.

 

Example:

  • Use Arturia Mini V or Massive for warm analog bass. These two offer warm, fuzzy, and fat tones that usually fit any genre.
  • Sequence a bassline that follows the root notes of the hook. Think already if you want the bass to respond to the hook or support it. If it responds, the notes would play in a different position than the hook, just like a conversation, but if it’s helping, it can be a mixture of playing simultaneously mixed with some silence fillers.

 

4. Mockup the Structure: A Rough Blueprint

 

Goal: Sketch a quick arrangement (Intro → Verse → Chorus → Bridge) without worrying about transitions. This might not apply to some electronic music genres, such as techno, where sections are more fluid. In that case, think of variations or scenes you move through.

 

  • How-to:
    • Duplicate your loop to fill 2-3 minutes. Place it in the middle of the structure, starting from the heart.
    • Mute or solo different elements to create contrast (ex. drop out drums for a verse, bring them back for a chorus). Deconstruct to the end and the beginning from the middle.
    • Keep things simple to have a macro vision.
    • Avoid complex automation and focus on the bigger picture. At this point, only fades in and out are helpful.

Example:

  • Create a simple A-B-A-B structure:
    • A: Hook + Drums + Bass
    • B: Hook + Pads + No Drums (breakdown)
    • I sometimes import a structure using Instacomposer as a placeholder.

 

5. Placeholder Sounds: Fill the Gaps Quickly

 

Goal: Use temporary sounds to fill out the arrangement without getting stuck.

 

  • How-to:
    • Drag in samples or presets, even if they’re from well-known tracks, to test ideas.
    • Replace them later during the deconstruction phase.
    • Focus on vibe and energy, not originality at this point.

Example:

  • Use Splice to grab vocal one-shots or FX sweeps to test energy transitions.
  • Apply a simple sidechain or reverb if needed, but keep it light.

 

6. Live Play and Jamming: Test the Energy

 

Goal: See how the Mockup feels as a performance.

  • How-to:
    • Use your MIDI controller to mute, solo, and tweak real-time filters.
    • Record a live jam of manipulating the Mockup—listen back to identify high-energy parts.
    • Treat this as a “dress rehearsal” for the track.

Example:

  • Map knobs to a filter cutoff, reverb send, and volume for different elements.
  • Perform and record 5-10 minutes of tweaking live.

 

7. Export and Listen Away from the DAW

 

Goal: Get perspective by listening outside your studio setup.

 

  • How-to:
    • Bounce the Mockup as a WAV and listen on different devices (phone, car, headphones). Listen while walking. Music takes on a different persona when we listen to it actively.
    • Make notes on what feels repetitive, empty, or too busy.
    • Make a playlist with your reference to other similar songs and add your mockup. Listen while walking and in different contexts. Observe how your music fits in there.

Example:

  • Create a note in your phone with timestamps for what works and what doesn’t.

 

8. The Lynch Twist: Capture the Mood, Not the Details

 

I’ve always been inspired by how David Lynch taps into ideas to create movies. One approach is to write scenes on paper; when he has several, he knows he has a movie. I think of the same with music.

 

Goal: Focus on making the Mockup feel emotionally complete, even if it’s rough technically.

  • How-to:
    • Ask: Does this Mockup evoke a specific mood or story?
    • Does it evolve through the song, or is it stagnant?
    • Is there a tension related to it, and is there a release?
    • What is the opposite emotion of your hook? Can the sound be altered toward that emotion?
    • See if you can divide your hook into two segments and make it in conversation with itself.
    • Follow Lynch’s advice: If an idea feels wrong, cut it immediately and put it in a folder for future inspection. I usually like to close the project and return when I’m in a different state of mind to see if the wrongness remains.

Example:

  • Record a voice note describing the mood or story you want the track to tell.
  • Compare this vision with how the Mockup feels emotionally.

 

9. Deconstruct the Mockup: Rebuild from the Core

 

Once the mockup is ready for its next phase, you can rebuild it to taste.

 

Goal: Replace placeholders with original sounds and refine the arrangement.

  • How-to:
    • Consider whether the imported sounds can be altered to a new aesthetic. Sometimes, using a filter, distortion, or Shaperbox can completely redefine a simple sample or loop.
    • Swap out samples for your own recorded/imported sounds or synth patches.
    • Simplify busy sections—focus on the hook and main rhythm first.

Example:

  • Replace a Splice vocal with a custom recording.
  • Use a different reverb or effect to make it feel more original.

 

10. Final Check: Does It Still Resonate?

 

This is where things get delicate. You might still not feel the song, but it might still be good. Leaving it alone for a while can help make the best decisions. Asking for validation from a friend is also helpful. You can make different versions for a song too.

 

Goal: Make sure the track still feels fresh after listening multiple times.

  • How-to:
    • Take a 2-3 day break, then listen again.
    • If it feels stale, identify if the problem is the sound design, the melody, or the rhythm.

 

Example:

  • Replace one element (like drums or bass) to see if it refreshes the vibe.
  • Usually, I choose the kick at this stage, when everything has been set. The kick will give the song its final intention. A dirty kick can make it old school, while a punchy one can make it more dancefloor. Testing in context can be a surprising experience. Perhaps check your reference as a guide to what you can do.