The Inner Ear

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There are multiple definitions of what the inner ear can be, but for this article, I will use it based on my own experience.

In music production, the Inner Ear is the metaphorical space where intuition, emotion, and personal taste converge — it’s the internal compass that guides an artist to create without relying on external references or trends. It’s not about hearing with your ears, but listening with your instinct.

Where the outer ear takes in the world — what others are doing, what’s charting, what plugins are trending — the inner ear listens inward. It pays attention to the subtle spark of an idea, the unexpected resonance of a sound, or a feeling that demands to be expressed.

Cultivating the inner ear means trusting your musical decisions before others validate them. It’s about making art from within — raw, unfiltered, and often surprising, even to yourself.

The inner ear appears when one has worked with references for so long that they can now navigate on their own.

When I teach newcomers to music production, there are two main points I recommend starting with:

  1. Working with loops and samples. This allows the artist to understand sound curation and break the overwhelming feeling of wondering how to pick the right sounds.
  2. Working with references. That technique makes it easier to make arrangements and sound more organized while learning how songs are made.

 

These two approaches will remain useful at various points in a musician’s development, as they will address and resolve specific issues. Quite often, musicians need and want validation or sound like a particular artist, to be part of a label or community. Working with reference is the most effective solution to these challenges. One can argue that a mentor can also do the job, which is true, but that mentor is still an external validation instead of amplifying the inner one.

Some musicians build most of their careers on making music that fits in with others’ projects. What’s interesting is that for many musicians, this is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to survive, as you can follow trends, see what works, and get a piece of the action.

Questioning one’s ambitions is none of their business. Making music, especially if you’re venturing into the professional realm, is a harsh world where it gets easy to become cynical. But at one point, as someone who works in music, I encourage people to drop out of their survival mode or their routine and find their inner voice.

 

The Inner Voice

 

I’m bringing a second concept to this post by reflecting on the voice. In any music genre, the voice is not just about singing, but also about how they express their ideas through their music.

 

To clarify:

  • Inner Voice is what you say creatively — it’s your artistic expression, your identity, the message or emotional truth that comes out when you make music authentically. It’s what you want to express.

  • Inner Ear is how you listen to yourself — it’s your intuition, your ability to detect when something resonates or feels honest before external validation. It’s how you decide what’s worth expressing.

Think of the inner voice as the output and the inner ear as the input.
They’re two parts of the same internal dialogue: one speaks, the other listens.

For a producer:

  • The inner ear helps you recognize when a sound or groove “feels right” without needing a reference track.

  • The inner voice is what shapes that feeling into a musical idea that’s uniquely yours.

 

As you understand, the concept of these two goes hand in hand. When one artist starts and works with references, loops, and samples, they are mostly working with external factors, but still practicing being in touch with their inner voice. If I give the same sample pack to multiple people in a room, it will sound completely different in the end, because the participants will all have different inner world that alters the results. After doing that exercise with people, I saw how everyone has their vision of what sounds ok or not, which comes from their preferences in music, but where they have issues is mainly to be able to understand if their music can compare to others: sounding similar or relevant.

 

The Authenticity Paradox

 

Now and then, I come across artists who are deeply absorbed in their music-making art form, utterly detached from what is being created. Some of those people are so self-absorbed that they are technically off. This raises some potential issues, but also raises questions.

A good example is a heated email exchange I had with someone I gave feedback on their music. The person basically wanted to be told how good his music was but it had a lot of issues, technically. I provided a list of the issues, with details and how to fix it but that didn’t go down well as the guy took it the wrong way and felt insulted by my details.

 

If one is supposed to follow their inner voice and ear, does this mean they ignore technical conventions?

The answer is not straightforward. One doesn’t need to follow any conventions or rules, but this might result in issues when played in specific contexts. It might also not fit the music the artist likes. Now and then, I have a client who wants to do their own thing and ignores my recommendations. However, once their music is played in a car or club, compared to other songs, it falls short in terms of power and precision. That is the price to not follow a technical basis but this only happens when people compare themselves to something else. Some people don’t and will remain in their bubble, which is not an issue.

 

 

Voice vs. Echo: Creating Without a Reference

 

Creating without a reference is something many people do, and, as explained, can lead to issues. But when it comes to creativity, it can also be a good thing. The majority of artists I work with are people in the electronic music business. Many are DJS, but not all. For those clients, not working with a reference might be tricky; either you know perfectly how things should sound or have a clear idea in mind of how to set your sessions. What’s interesting for me with clients that I’ve worked for a long time is how they progress through a cycle of different phases. When it comes to the moment where they want to explore on their own, I feel we then enter a fragile but magical step into the unknown.

Working without a reference comes with no playbook. One has to find their way, and when I talk to those who work this way, it’s common to see they all operate through it in different ways. Some prefer starting with the rhythmic part of their song and then creating a melody. Others do the opposite. Depending on the genre, things may tend to go in a specific direction more than others. If you want to venture into that workflow for the first time, here are some points to consider:

  • Working in a non-linear is still relevant but if you can try to work fast, gather your ideas and wrap a first concept within a first session, that will feel more coherent.
  • Prepare your sessions in advance: gather sounds, presets, synths, and patches, and make sure you have everything ready so you don’t have to create and find all your sounds at once.
  • Keep in mind that when you’re in brainstorming mode, things may not sound right at first, but that doesn’t mean your ideas are bad.

 

I like to keep in mind this workflow:

  1. Ideas: Find melodies and sounds that you like and gather all rhythmic elements. You want to find everything your song is about.
  2. Sound: Fine-tune your sounds, swap samples and presets, and add layers.
  3. Effects: Colour your sounds with effects, distortion, EQing.
  4. Movement: Apply modulation here and there to add life.

 

When you have this in mind, you know that in phase 1, you might have some questionable ideas, but trusting the process will allow you to be patient and accept that your final idea might be something different. The issue people generally have is trying to complete those 4 steps within a session, which results in the four phases being done incorrectly, leading to discouragement. Quite often, music I love has straightforward ideas, but the work around them makes them sound much more elegant, complex and is just a smoke screen.

Regarding effects and movement, I encourage you to keep a notepad (either on your smartphone or in a paper version) to take notes on songs that inspire you. I sometimes hear a song and pay attention to the main melody, noticing a detail like a tremolo. I’ll note that down and apply it to some ongoing projects.

 

Let’s try some exercises.

 

Daily Sound Sketches (No Plan, No Pressure)

Set a timer for 15–20 minutes and create a sound or loop without any expectations of finishing or sharing it. The goal is to create something that pleases you, not to impress others. Skip templates and avoid genres. Trust your instincts and explore.

Why it works: It builds confidence in your gut choices and disconnects you from perfectionism or external judgment.

 

Record First, Analyze Later

Open a mic or MIDI controller, hit record, and improvise — melodies, textures, rhythms. Don’t stop to fix or judge. Afterward, listen back and highlight anything that feels “you.”

Why it works: This bypasses the inner critic, letting your subconscious ideas surface unfiltered.

 

Use Randomization as a Mirror

Load a random sample or synth patch. Randomize settings. Now sculpt it into something that feels like you. Let chaos be the starting point, and your taste be the sculptor.

Why it works: You’re not starting from taste — you’re arriving there. It sharpens your awareness of what feels aligned with your voice.

 

No References Rule (For a While)

Challenge yourself: go one month without listening to new releases, genre playlists, or YouTube producer walkthroughs. Instead, dig into silence, field recordings, or non-musical sources for ideas (poetry, dreams, textures).

Why it works: It detoxes your creative input and gives space for your impulses to grow louder.

 

Assign Emotion > Then Create

Before starting a session, write down a feeling, memory, or concept you want to express. Create sound to express that, rather than chasing a style. Use reverb, distortion, rhythm, or harmony as emotional tools.

Why it works: It reverses the usual flow — instead of emulating a genre, you’re using your emotional language as the foundation.

 

Tuning In: The Art of Making Music from Within

 

This is something I covered in a previous blog post, but I’ll share it again because it’s relevant to this one. There’s a weird thing that happens when you make music, where what you do doesn’t always match what you’d like to do. This dissonance can be frustrating for many people, as they feel they lack control over what they want to do. In a way, we shouldn’t have control over our output unless we are truly fluent in musical expression, both in theory and in performance. I like to remind people that whatever comes out of you at a moment when you’re trying to do something else is, in a way, your inner voice. As I explained previously, you can give the assignment to 5 people to work on one song using the same synth, and you’ll end up with different results, despite using the same tool. But if you ask them to do 5 songs, there will be a similar thread throughout the five experiments.

On the other hand, I see some clients who have the opposite problem, where each of their songs is entirely different and lacks coherence between them. I could say that the artist hasn’t yet discovered their inner voice, but that could be debatable. In a way, perhaps their inner voice is just diversified and has a lot to say or explore. Exploring all kinds of aesthetics is not an issue until you feel you want to be part of a community or a specific direction, then it becomes a bit complicated. The remedy for that is to focus on less variable playlist, spend time to understand what you want to emulate, expose yourself to multiple songs and then go back to the drawing board.

Whenever I make music, there’s a moment when I listen to music before creating, which always prepares my creative self to work within a particular aesthetic.

Should you want to explore being more in tune with yourself, here are a few exercises to try.

 

The One-Sound Challenge

Choose a single sound — a synth patch, a field recording, or even a drum hit — and spend 15 minutes exploring what emotional or musical message you can express using just that. Modify it, stretch it, loop it, layer it — but stay centered around the original sound.

Why it helps: It forces you to lean on your creativity and intuition instead of relying on variety or complexity.

Sonic Journaling

Start your session by writing for 5 minutes: “How do I feel right now?” Then make music as a translation of that mood. Don’t aim for something “good” — aim for something true to how you feel. Save the project and name it after the emotion or moment.

Why it helps: Builds the habit of associating inner states with sound — this is the root of an authentic inner voice.

 

Listen Without Labels

Pick a random track from a genre or country you have never listened to. Before reading the artist or title, play it and ask yourself:

  • What do I feel?

  • What stands out?

  • What would I change?

Don’t analyze — listen emotionally. Then do the same to your track-in-progress.

Why it helps: Refines your internal filter by separating style from feeling.

 

The Role Reversal

Ask: “If this track was made by someone else, would I still like it?”
Or: “If I played this to a friend, what part would I defend proudly?”
This shift helps identify what’s truly you, vs. what you added to fit in.

Why it helps: Clears out second-guessing and tunes you into what you believe in.

 

Unfinished Ideas Playlist

Make a folder of 10 unfinished projects that still spark something. Once a week, revisit them, but instead of finishing, ask yourself: what do these ideas say about me? Look for patterns — moods, grooves, textures — that keep reappearing.

Why it helps: Your inner voice is often hidden in the stuff you leave behind. Reframing these scraps as messages instead of failures can reveal your artistic fingerprint.

 

Have fun exploring.

The Secret Beauty of Weird Music

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This is not a conventional post, but I thought I would write it since no one talks about it. I’m often labeled as someone who makes weird music. Perhaps there’s something in electronic music where weird music is more acceptable, or maybe even appreciated, than other genres of music, but why?

What is weird music, and why is it essential are questions that have led me to multiple lovely conversations over the years. I think the first time I had this conversation was in the beginning, when I used to work at a startup where people heard I was doing electronic music. They were expecting me to make something like Daft Punk, which was the mainstream reference of quality electronic music. In Quebec, which has always been a place of folk and Rock music, there has always been a certain disdain towards electronic music, especially in the 90s, and so, if y90s be a weirdo to make that kind of music, you’d keep it to yourself. At the end of the 90s, there was a transitional period where post-rave music emerged as something more refined and thoughtful than standard dance-oriented music. That was due to people having been raving for a decade, exploring the production side of it, getting matured and coming up with something new that wasn’t meant for mainstream music.

 

Why would you make music for only a handful of people who would love it?

 

I once had that question after one of my albums came out, which wasn’t meant to be played on the popular radio. While I get that person’s point, I offered an answer that I still connect with today: “If you try to please everyone, you might end up pleasing no one as well as yourself.” In other words, I would rather follow what I love, explore it, and, down the road, connect with others who also enjoy that music.

Being passionate about music, going out to many events, whether raves, intimate loft parties, experimental events, festivals or any other performances, I would always leave the place with some personal notes. I’d try to remember what the peak experience of the event (eg, most decisive moment) was, what would stick with my mind in the following days, what made the crowd react, and what was something I loved that perhaps people didn’t. In many cases, as for my experiences, I felt that moments of surprise, where people were slightly caught off guard, were the memories that would stick with me. Many people would react strongly to drops and breakdowns, but it would easily get tiring after a few times. A trick can only be done a few times until people figure it out.

But the WTF moments were intense and stayed with me long. Even 30 years later, some are still on my mind. I think this comes mostly from how the narrative of a musician comes to create a flow with predictable music and then makes a moment of instability, the audience will be looking for the feeling of resolution. While EDM is known for its epic drops and breaks, there are other ways to do things but it’s not for everyone or every genre.

 

Why is it Essential?

 

When I used to perform on stage and improvise, I was known as the weird one with the most unpredictable dialogue and actions. Performers who did improv were interested primarily in making the audience laugh. I noticed that once the audience understood you can make them laugh, they would appreciate if you’d move away from the apparent joke routine to propose something else. I made the connection early that if you only serve the people one dish, they would quickly grow tired of it. A dose of unpredictability would always feed expectations of what would come next, such as “What other trick will he pull next?”

In music, I noticed people have some modes when they go out. Some people will attend an event to hear the music they love or know, while others want to discover something new. There’s a zone between the two where there is success, so you feed the audience with what they love and then step out of your comfort zone to educate them. If you start too weird, people won’t connect.

I remember this video of Villalobos sharing a view on this, regarding the first part of his sets:

 

I drop the easiest music to understand so we reset the dancefloor with a language everyone can connect with.

 

But when the crowd is warmed up and going, you can throw a few curveballs, and people will eat them.

So why is it essential to celebrate weirder music?

Especially nowadays, there are multiple reasons to share.

 

Weird is tomorrow’s normal

 

If you try new things and people love it, you might have discovered some ideas people want more of. In music, many people want to be validated, appreciated and be part of a community of music makers, which will bring them to follow trends, imitate what has success and learn the methods that deliver results. While this works, most of the time, it also brings nothing new to the table. We’re just recycling ideas and numbing people out with what pleases them. There’s no need for any intellectual effort to consume these; there’s nothing wrong with that. But it does not contribute to the viability of a genre.

Innovation is not consistently recognized at first, but it is necessary to bring excitement back. Some innovations never get endorsed, though. What happens is that you’ll be exploring some new techniques that will lead you to new sounds. Moving forward will help you access that zone where you’ll eventually feel at home.

I’m sharing a video I thought was pretty interesting. It shows where things can go based on what music has been offering. But it shows that music is about change and that things should always move forward, sometimes out of where we think it should head to.

 

 

One thing I noticed, as a mastering engineer, is that I have some clients who keep doing the same song, but slightly different each time. It feels like they either have fun doing it or they feel they will eventually find the right combination that will provide a hit. But they rarely go out of their way, where a new world of opportunities awaits them. After a coaching session, this client did the opposite of what he usually does. After exploring this new direction, he got some attention from a pretty respected label. Things started from there. I wouldn’t credit myself for that, as he did a hell of a job, but he needed this gentle nudge or encouragement to move on to something else.

 

Breaking Patterns

 

As I said in the previous point, exploring new ideas helps you acquire new skills. Venturing into a different genre forces you to break your habits. But where and how does one break patterns?

Here are a few things to explore.

 

1. Radio Garden

https://radio.garden
Spin the globe and tune in to live radio stations from almost any country. Fantastic for immersing yourself in regional music you’d never find otherwise. Try jumping into small islands or rural areas for unexpected finds.

2. Every Noise at Once

https://everynoise.com
A massive genre map built on Spotify data. Click on any genre (like “Deep Filthstep” or “Zolo”) and get a list of artists. It’s overwhelming in a good way. Use it to explore genres you’ve never even heard of.

3. Aquarium Drunkard

https://aquariumdrunkard.com
A blog and label that curates obscure, psychedelic, folk, ambient, world music and lo-fi gems. Great writing and lots of free mixes to discover long-lost or niche records.

4. Boomkat

https://boomkat.com
Known for leftfield electronic, avant-garde, and experimental releases. Their staff picks and album descriptions are very tuned into the strange and wonderful.

5. Bandcamp Explorer / Randomizer

  • Bandcamp Discover → use the tag browser to explore things like “ritual”, “glitch”, “field recordings”, “abstract”, “weirdcore”

  • Or try this random Bandcamp generator: bandcamp-random.com

6. Use Reverse Geography

Pick a country you’re completely unfamiliar with (e.g. Kazakhstan, Angola, or Tuva), then search:

  • “[country] experimental music”

  • “avant-garde [language or region]”

  • Search on YouTube or Bandcamp using that country’s name.

 

7. Shuffle through a Music Subreddit

Reddit has niche communities like:

  • r/ObscureMedia

  • r/ListenToThis

  • r/Vaporwave

  • r/ExperimentalMusic
    …where people post obscure or genre-bending tracks. Dig through archives and see what sparks.

 

8. Search Labels, Not Artists

Find a weirdo label (e.g., PAN, Sublime Frequencies, Important Records, Nyege Nyege Tapes, Black Truffle) and go through their catalogues. Labels often curate specific aesthetics more than any individual artist does

9. YouTube Digging

Start with a niche artist or keyword (“Japanese noise music”, “80s Iranian funk”, “French concrete”), then let the algorithm take you down rabbit holes. Tip: Find channels like “Vinyl archaeologist” or “Unheard Music” that post full obscure albums.

10. Ask ChatGPT (or use AI tools) like this:

  • “Give me 5 artists from Mongolia who make electronic music.”

  • “What are some weird genres I’ve never heard of?”

  • “Show me playlists that mix ritual and glitch aesthetics.”

 

Discovering what you didn’t know you loved

 

Discovering new music and exposing yourself to it is one thing, but you need to train your brain to like it. As an engineer who works with music of all genres and producers of all levels, I sometimes encounter music that challenges my taste. But I discovered a few tricks that let me appreciate music that I wouldn’t like in some cases. Strangely enough, outside my studio, I let myself to be picky, which is the same when I go out. But for the sake of my work, I need to love the client’s music to showcase its best parts.

 

But here are some tricks you can try:

 

1. Pair It With Familiar Habits (Associative Listening)

Your brain loves patterns and repetition, so sneak the new sound in during routine moments.

How:

  • Play the new music while doing something comforting or familiar, such as cooking, walking, journaling, or gaming.

  • Over time, your brain starts linking the music to that positive feeling, even if the music itself felt “off” at first.

Example: You might not love drone or glitch at first, but if it’s the soundtrack to your morning coffee ritual, it starts feeling like “home.”

 

2. Repeat Exposure Without Pressure (The Mere Exposure Effect)

Science says we like things more the more we’re exposed to them. The key is low-stakes repetition.

How:

  • Create a playlist of “not sure if I like this yet” tracks and loop it quietly while doing other things. Indirect and background listening can be a good way to expose yourself to music as many people have this relationship with it.

  • Don’t force close listening—just let the brain soak it in passively over a few days.

  • Pro tip: Your taste often lags behind your perception. What feels confusing on Day 1 might feel genius on Day 4.

 

3. Remix Context (Compare It to Something You Know)

Your brain can handle weirdness better when it has a frame of reference. Find a bridge between what you know and the new sound.

How:

  • Focus on one familiar element in the track (e.g., a beat, instrument, texture, or emotional tone).

  • Ask: “What does this remind me of?” or “If this were a movie scene, what kind would it be?”

Reframing turns confusion into curiosity. Once your brain has a “hook,” it opens up to the rest.

 

 

Also, there’s contextual imagining:

 

1. Contextual Priming

When you imagine a setting where the music is loved (e.g., a sweaty warehouse, a spiritual ritual, a sunrise rave), you’re giving your brain a frame to understand the music.

  • Our brains don’t judge art in a vacuum—they rely on context to interpret intention.

  • Simulating a positive environment creates emotional cues that make the music feel more meaningful.

You’re basically giving the music a narrative it didn’t have before, and your brain loves stories.

2. Mirror Neurons & Social Enjoyment

When you witness others enjoying music—even if it’s just in your imagination—your mirror neurons fire in response.

  • This system evolved to help us empathize and learn from one another socially.

  • Seeing joy or connection in others activates your reward circuits, and your brain starts linking that feeling with the sound itself.

 

3. Predictive Processing & Reframing

The brain constantly tries to predict what will happen next in sound. With unfamiliar music, it struggles at first. But when you reframe the music in a positive setting, you lower resistance and allow the brain to explore the sound with curiosity instead of defence.

 

 

Opening to new ideas

 

As I was relating how genres and techniques are tied together, I thought I would give you a few ideas.

 

1. Dub (Jamaica)

Signature Technique: Live mixing with tape delay and spring reverb

  • Originating in the 1970s, Jamaican sound systems.

  • Producers like King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry would take reggae tracks and strip them down, using the mixing desk as an instrument.

  • They’d drop out vocals or drums, and blast snare hits into space with delay and reverb.

  • Heavy emphasis on spatial effects and repetition.

 Great for exploring: Send automation, tape echo feedback loops, and spring reverb tails.

 

2. Glitch / IDM

Signature Technique: Micro-editing, granular resampling, and digital “failure” artifacts

  • Pioneered by artists like Autechre, Alva Noto, and Oval.

  • Often embraces “errors” like buffer underruns, bitcrushing, clicks, and skips.

  • It uses tools like Max/MSP, Reaktor, and destructive audio editing.

  • The music plays with the texture of malfunction and fractured rhythm.

 Great for exploring: Granular synthesis, sample slicing, probability sequencing.

 

3. Detroit Techno

Signature Technique: Machine sequencing with swing and analog character

  • Driven by hardware like the Roland TR-909, SH-101, and MPCs.

  • Often emphasizes cyclical loops, groove by timing shifts, and a futuristic aesthetic.

  • Producers like Juan Atkins and Derrick May fused precision with warmth, using step sequencers to build hypnotic momentum.

 Great for exploring: Step sequencing, drum machine swing, filter modulation over time.

 

I find there’s some homework one should do by exploring all genres to see how they approach their music. By understanding it, you won’t necessarily be qualified enough to make some music that would fit that community but you will have some material to explore to bring some depth to your art.

 

 

Guidelines for Introducing Weirdness Without Losing the Plot

 

1. Respect the Core Identity, Warp the Details

🔧 “Stay in costume, but improvise the lines.”

  • Stick to the genre’s structural skeleton (tempo, instrumentation, mood, or rhythm).

  • Pick one element to swap or distort—like replacing a standard hi-hat with metallic noise, or a pad with a vocal texture.

Example:

  • House music track with a 4/4 kick and bass groove, but all percussion is made from heavily processed field recordings.

2.  Alter Time Signatures Surgically

 “Keep the loop danceable—but sneak in a 5/4 bar once in a while.”

  • Maintain an accessible pulse, but inject odd time signatures or polymeters in short bursts.

  • You can also fake complexity by shifting note groupings, swinging subdivisions, or nested rhythms.

Example:

  • A 16-bar loop where bar 8 briefly switches to 7/8 before returning to 4/4—creates a jolt without derailing the groove.

3. Treat Weird Sounds Like Spices, Not the Whole Dish

  • Use unconventional sounds (granular bursts, detuned drones, glitch textures) at low volumes, or layer them beneath familiar elements.

  • Timbre management is key: use EQ, transient shaping, or saturation to blend weird elements into the mix more organically.

Example:

  • Replace a background riser with reversed vocal murmurs—weird, but texturally similar and easy to absorb.

4. Keep Arrangement Familiar, Play With the Microstructure

 “Structure gives you the right to be weird.”

  • Follow a typical arrangement (intro → drop → breakdown → rebuild) to anchor the listener.

  • Get strange in transitions, fills, and layering rather than in the overall structure.

Example:

  • An ambient techno track with standard phrasing, but each drop introduces one new disorienting texture, like an LFO-warped chord or sample slicing.

5. Introduce a Motif and Mutate It Over Time

  • Repetition gives listeners trust and memory—once they know the motif, you can gradually twist it.

  • Use pitch-shifting, reverb morphing, stereo movement, or envelope manipulation over time.

Example:

  • A melodic hook starts clean, and over 3 minutes, becomes a distorted ghost of itself.

6. Balance Predictability and Surprise

  • Think of your track like a journey with tension and release.

  • Introduce a surprising element after a moment of familiarity. People are more open to new ideas once they feel safe.

Example:

  • After a recognizable chorus or groove, introduce a full drop into an abstract ambient break—then bring it back.

Bonus Trick: Start with a Reference Track, Then ‘Corrupt’ It

Take a standard genre structure, recreate it as a template, then substitute one part at a time with something unexpected—like:

  • A modular synth patch instead of a piano

  • Foleys and texture in place of synths

  • Spoken word snippets as rhythmic elements

 

 

 

Live Recording Of Electronic Music

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It’s one thing to make songs by assembling them in the arranger of your DAW but playing your song to life is another thing. I have nothing against spending time in the arranger to make your song, but when I got interested in playing my music, I realized it was a totally different energy. When Ableton Live came out, we were crazy about using the given software in a live context. The software was still in BETA at version 0.5b. It was stable because it was pretty simple, but still, I feel it was a side of myself that was more adventurous than I am now.

In the early 2000s, I played live a few times a month, and I had this way of working that involved not doing the same set twice. I decided to force myself to find ways to be swift enough and count on my improvisational skills to juggle what I had into spontaneous performances. It wasn’t always the best, but it was impressive for that period. This meant that when we first realized we could play live from a laptop, that was a game changer.

Portability was one of the challenges we had. Imagine carrying a table full of gear to each gig. It was impossible without owning a car, and there wasn’t a single event where we forgot something or something went wrong. But it was part of the performance: if something was off or not working, that was a self-imposed limitation we had to cope with.

But that made me fluent at expressing myself out of the blue. If at one moment, at home, you’d figure out a nice loop, you’d stop for a minute, arm the recorder and then jam the song away. Sometimes 2-3 times but the first would always be the best.

Recording jams as songs was a way of creating, and much later in life, I rediscovered the pleasure of working that way. With the current state of technology, it’s easy to have too much gear, ideas, and material. All you need is a loop to start with.

 

I’ll cover a guide to how I prepare my sessions as well as my favorite piece of gear and soft tools.

 

Preparation, Organization, And Idea Gathering

 

This section is critical for the success of the recording and also for the fun aspect of the exercise. Some people don’t like organizing and prefer being spontaneous and wild, but good preparation will make things more fluid. There’s also the argument that organization comes as you rehearse, and I have to say this will happen indeed, but having a minimum done in advance will be a leap forward. One of the critical points related to recording your live song is that you kill two birds with one stone: by the end of the activity, your song will exist as a performance set and a song. I have many clients who only make songs in the arranger, and having in mind to do a live set makes it a bit unintuitive as you’ll need to deconstruct your song into a performance setup, which might not help. The solution people take is to play live with the side launcher, playing one scene at a time and basically replying to their song as it is.

I like to spend my studio time by always starting with a live jam that leads to a song. This way, you’re in the moment and’ll play the music as you feel it. The limitations of playing only certain things all at once help make the song focused and help you avoid adding too many elements and layers.

 

If I would guide you like a step-by-step method based on how I do it, here how it would go:

1- Focus on creating a 1 bar loop idea from MIDI material as your hook

 

Recently, I’ve been having a lot of fun with Navigator, a tool from Manifest Audio that lets you browse various MIDI phrases. I usually load a synth and browse various ideas that work with that sound. This usually turns into multiple ideas that are fun to work with and add content to support. From one bar, you can after duplicate it to 4 where bar 2 and 4 have variations, while bars 1 and 3 are the foundation. This is a suggestion, and you can explore combinations, but this method is an approach I see in multiple songs.

 

Navigator allows you to browse midi patterns

Duplicate it to 4 bars

2- Driving and Rolling Idea

 

The problem with Navigator is that it might generate random ideas that help find a sound or sound sequence, but since it’s a bit random, there might not be much rolling feeling. By rolling, I mean that it doesn’t naturally groove on its own, so adding a supportive idea for this works best if you have a percussive/rhythmic idea that can go on its own.

 

Either you punch it in, or you can use Euclidean patterns to have solid energy. If you want that idea to be expressive, you can start by putting down where you want the notes and then use a tool like Draw or Fluctuator to randomize the note values. This would be translated into a modular setup by having a sequence set to a step programmed like the ADDR.

3- Lower support

 

Once you have your main ideas programmed, you can add the steps in the lower end to fill that void. This can be done by adding a sub-oscillator to your main synth, which will then result in using the main melody but pitched down. But if you want your low end to not follow the main melody, you may have two choices: use the rolling method for energy or invert the main idea to create an answer.

 

4- Percussion

 

You can get carried away by adding too many layers here, so I usually approach it from two sides: Define the foundation and then set the decoration. You may not be used to these terms, so I will explain them. Your foundation should be the kick, snare/clap and hats. Depending of the genre and time signature, the foundation of a kick within one bar might also be where the accents are. The snare, which, for instance, typically falls on beat 2 and 4, will consolidate the groove and accent of the kick. The hihat might follow 1/4th of notes to 1/16th, where you can add a swing to give it a flowing or broken flow.

 

 

The interaction of these 3 can be seen as the foundational elements of your song. In other words, you define precisely how you want your first idea and the rolling one to flow on the given percussion that can help with the articulation.

Decorations are sporadic and sparse interventions that don’t take over the foundation but create subtle movements and accents by following it or embellishing it. They are also helpful for marking transitions, marking the end of sections, or filling space.

 

5 – Working with loops

 

If you have started your core making using some premade loop, you can start with the same approach as explained. I wouldn’t hesitate to follow the order of the previous steps. But once you have worked on your idea, you should now have a row of ideas that can be played. You will want to duplicate this row 3-4 times to have variations of the main loop. The idea is to alternate between variations to give depth and excitement to the initial core.

Some variation ideas:

  • Different loop length.
  • Introducing silences to create space.
  • Altering the rhythm by changing the position of certain sounds.
  • Changing pitch.
  • Use the envelopes of the various parameters with or without the clip’s length link option, which allows clips to feel longer than their current duration (e.g., it will break the loopiness).

 

You can also slice your loop or idea in a sampler and reorganize. I recommend that before jamming your idea, you have some main ideas and not get lost in fixing them while playing.

You might want to avoid following the session’s primary quantizing mode regarding variations. This setup means that when you press play on a loop, it will start at the beginning of the quantized position. By default, it should be 1 bar, which is helpful because it resets the loop’s position to the beginning of the bar, helping you have coherence should you be slightly lost. But for the variations, you could switch that to 1/4th, 1/2 or other, which means that when you press play on that clip, it will start on the following quantized note. This means that if you have a fill-as-one variation, you can introduce interventions that aren’t going to be starting at the beginning of the loop. But to do this effectively, you’ll need to activate the Legato mode. This means the loop’s playing point will continue where the previous clip was. It will give continuity.

The way I set this up is to define my base loop. That loop is where you will come back to as the core idea of your song or should things get too silly. Ideally, that base loop should follow the session’s global quantization at 1 bar. The variations will be set depending on your needs.

 

6- Modulations

 

This is my favorite part of the preparation. It consists of activating the modulation record button and then clicking on the arm button on the channel you wish to modulate.

This will allow you to manually record movements on some effects such as EQ, Utility, chorus or anything you want. The record option will pick up your movement and then loop it so you can boost sequences with the EQ, and then this will play in a loop, which can add a whole new range of variation to the original idea. You’ll need to unlink the envelope for a longer modulation duration.

I will then add modulation to every channel and clip, but I will also have one clip without any so it doesn’t get too crazy.

Another option is resampling. This means you can solo one channel and then apply all the changes you want while resampling. This will give you longer clips you can play as is or chop them into smaller clips for variations to jam with.

 

 

7- Follow Actions as Randomizer

 

This technique is quite known and fun. Take a clip (audio or midi) and duplicate it multiple times with a different play position or changes. You can then benefit from having follow actions on all of them to play randomly between the batches. By recording the results, you’ll have the same idea but arranged differently. This method is a way to remix clips or discover new hooks through a simple concept.

The Follow Action is fun when jamming or just when preparing. One way I like it is to have fills or melodies that play independently (aka generative melodies).

If you want your clips to remain short and play briefly before jumping, you’ll need to turn off the link and set the duration to something like 0.1.0 so that it plays only a note or so.

5- The Exciting Loop Method

 

The EL Method is about finding the simplest loop possible that excites you. Press the record button, then start jamming without a goal other than seeing if it’s fun. The recorded jam will be helpful as you can jam with the jam as if you have a partner leading the song, and then you can add new layers.

One suggestion is to start with your foundation, main idea and low end. This is the core of your song, and you can add the other layers after.

The idea is to jam your idea multiple times, recording every moment. You can then keep the best parts and edit the less-than-best.

That’s pretty much how you do it.

 

Bonus part: Gear

It’s common that when I teach beginners how to play electronic music, they think that it is only possible if they have a lot of gear and expensive material. Not having much often proves to be more productive, as you can focus on what matters. Even when performing live, I tend to focus on having as little as possible so I don’t lose myself, but if something goes wrong, I won’t have to look through a list of potential issues.

After performing live for almost 30 years using multiple setups, I would say that if you don’t have much, one good MIDI controller I recommend is the Novation Launch XL. This compact controller represents a mixing board where you can fade in and out elements or play with effects. As you jam using this, you’ll soon feel that automation and modulation with that tool give a much more organic movement than a mouse will. DJs who dive in production often miss the hands-on option that DJ mixing gives them. This is an excellent option for them to be able to add movement or play with levels, in a human way.

Stripped Down Tracks Guide

/in /by

Last year I got back into the art of DJing and was digging for music to play in a gig. As I blended a selection of music from clients (who allowed me to use their music) mixed with findings on Bandcamp, I focused more or less on minimal techno/house, genres often associated with my artist identity. As I asked for suggestions on my Facebook artist page, people were sharing and observing that my tastes weren’t just into minimalism but also fit under the umbrella term of stripped-down music. I knew that term and have clients who make that kind of music, but for some reason, I wasn’t aware how much I enjoyed it. Stripped-down tracks are an acquired taste, which is not for all, but through this post, I want to reflect on what it is and give tips on how to create it.

 

Definition: What is Stripped Down Music?

 

Stripped-down music is a bit difficult to explain to someone who is not versed in DJing. I think anyone who would come across that music and not be familiar with electronic music in the first place would automatically describe it as simplistic or alienating. If you’re familiar with the music I make, which, weirdly enough, is often labeled as minimal, it would be considered maximal compared to stripped-down tracks. What characterises that genre is the linear aspect of its structure, the focus elements used, and the low occurrence of changes. More than often, they would feel like it’s a simple loop repeating ad nauseam, but if you pay close attention, you’ll notice that some patterns change subtly or swap predictably. But never too much.

Honestly, it is one genre I find hard to make because if you spend too much time on those tracks, you’ll quickly ruin it by adding unnecessary elements. Someone once asked me if it was underproduced music, to which I replied:

 

There’s a thin line between underproduced music and the art of knowing what’s the minimum to make it viable. It requires much more experience than one would think.

 

Strangely enough, within that genre, there are a lot of producers who have a lot of experience and will relate that this genre of music induces whoever makes it into a state of perpetual doubt and let go. I like to believe there is some poetry in its making. You could easily compare it to modern art where the focus is simple, but the artist also had balls to go for a statement or simplicity over complexity. I worked a few times with artists making that music, and each time, it would boggle my brain with how simple the arrangements were. More than often, the number of channels was under the count of ten. Sometimes, it would be a live improvisation from a few machines, where the raw recording often made me feel it was perhaps just two machines and a long loop.

 

What is the point?

 

Some pop artists are anxious if they don’t have vocals and effects (swooshes and crashes) at every bar of their project, where the arrangements constantly go up and down, making it, in my opinion, annoying more than exciting. They’re the opposite, and I once tried to explain to one of those artists what stripped-down music is and its purpose. That didn’t go down too well. The artist could not get it, and listening to 30 seconds of it made them feel profoundly uncomfortable. To get what it is and why such music is made that way, you’ll need to understand for which context it is meant to be played and how it is intended to be used.

 

Context

 

I’m not an expert enough to relate where it came to be and when it started, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Detroit were where it first gained traction. Looking back at artists like Robert Hood, his early works were stripped-down techno. Linear, no bullshit and made to hypnotize the audience. To appreciate that genre of music, you need to be exposed to a form of listening that requires patience. But Hood’s music is fast-paced and hard, a form of minimal techno/house that is different from minimal techno/house. If you ask DJs about that genre and why it is what it is, they’ll agree that those tracks are DJ-friendly and meant to be used in a performance context. Being linear songs, one can play them on multiple decks, craft them into a new song using EQs and adjust them to tastes for the crowd’s needs.

In other words, if you listen to them as is, not much will happen, but when you start layering them, they give the DJ much creative output. If you’re not a DJ listening to a set played with those tracks, you might never guess that the sources are pretty simple in the first place. By keeping your tracks to only a few elements leaves room to layer other ones on top.

 

 

Living the music

 

I find it interesting that some people really developed an appreciation for stripped-down music on its own, without being mixed in a track. Those people are rare, but I’m one of them. How I live that kind of music in a club/party context is far different as an experience compared to how I would listen to it in my studio or at home. While some people would quickly call it boring or energyless, to me, stripped-down music brings me a lot of energy for the space it opens to move into. As I love to dance to it, I find it liberating and giving me a sense of freedom. I find it’s one of the rare kinds of music where time seems to stretch beyond what I expect, creating a moment suspended in time.

I remember explaining that to someone, and that person rolled their eyes as if I was too spiritual. Before getting upset, I showed that person a video about David Lynch explaining his music view. He’s the only person who has said how I feel about it. He sees it as an element, such as fire or water and relates how much power it has, making it almost magic. Just like our ancestors, we are mastering the art of controlling it, and if we let ourselves be open about how much it can change us, beyond wanting to control it, we can see how much emotional bounding we can create with it.

Years ago, I did a score for a dance troop that was performing in a show. The choreographer rejected the first presentation of the score I proposed. She explained that there was not enough negative space for the dancers to explore. That view impacted me as it was the first time I dealt with someone who was just as interested in the silences as the music itself. Miles Davis emphasises that silence usage is what makes music.

 

Considering that stripped-down music is based on repetition and the use of negative space, it makes me think that it’s a genre that commands more respect than we can initially give it. There’s a maturity to it that is overlooked by many.

While there is a genre named Spiritual Jazz, stripped-down music is a bit on that side of things. I think it is more aligned with that mentality than some other genres pretend to be, but this is purely from a personal view.

On the other end of the spectrum of stripped-down music, there are people like Petre Inspirescu (who I often mentioned as a model of creativity). The few sets recorded for the Japanese Youtube channel Dommune are pure masterpieces worth watching because they are calmer than Hood’s music yet have some hypnotic energy that makes his fans dance.

 

 

How to Make It

 

Perhaps you have jumped to this part because you want to have bullet points on creating that music. While I can provide some ideas, tips and techniques, it is evident that if you’re going down that rabbit hole of music making, you’ll need to first listen to a lot of it. If you’re unfamiliar with the genre, I would say it might be easier to start by asking some DJ friend of yours to the rescue because finding quality stripped-down music can be challenging mainly because you’ll need to train your ears on what is quality and what is amateur or under-produced music. The line between the two is blurry, and in some cases, people who are new to music will do this kind of music because their skills aren’t too sharp to venture into complicated techniques. But this is also good news because it means that some beginners might come up with a very simplistic idea that works, making a simple track but nothing else is required.

Many people also struggle with this. They compare themselves to the wrong references and spend too much time on the song, ruining the fresh initial idea.

 

Here are a few points if you want to explore the genre:

 

1—Listen to a lot of similar music: While this is a tricky point, I list it first because having models will help you make critical decisions and understand that you need simplicity.

2—Limit your number of channels/sounds: Keep it low. I would encourage you to try to limit yourself to a maximum of 10 to start with. You can do a lot with that number! One channel can have variations, which makes it feel like it’s progressing and captivating. This is where many people fail; they’ll add layers instead of variations to what they have.

3- Work fast: I often encourage people to do speed sessions where they’ll blitz through working on multiple tracks within a 1 hour of studio work. Taking the time to do just 3 to 5 changes to a song on what’s apparent stops you from altering what doesn’t need to change.

4- Limit the voices: I mean the melodic elements. You won’t need much, perhaps even one loop, with variation, might be enough. If it feels incomplete, remember that it’s meant to be layered with something else; therefore, negative space is needed.

5- Be OK with repetition: As it says, you can grab your starting loop, stretch it to the last moment of the song, then slice it into sections of 8 bars and add some variations here and there. You don’t need to articulate it or make it “interesting” by adding bells and whistles.

6—Test in context: Mix it as a DJ or ask a friend to (pick wisely). If you don’t DJ, you can do it within your DAW, beatmatch, and then layer two songs. Is the combination of the 2 songs complementary? If not, create space or adjust it based on another song’s arrangements.

7—Work with loops: I’ve said it multiple times, but using loops is a key asset in getting the job done quickly. You can also recycle all your unused sounds, ideas, and loops from other songs you’ve done. It’s also a way of seeing some of your ideas from a new angle without any pressure.

8- No rules: This genre can be as experimental as having a repetitive loop playing with some effects. There are virtually no rules, and that can be unsettling. But if you understand that what you’re creating is a tool for another artist to pick and layer in their set, you’d be surprised that some artists are looking for simple ideas. I did some songs in the past that were ridiculously simple but ended up being some of my most popular material, being played in podcasts and radio shows. It’s weird but quite exciting.

 

The Key Point

 

What makes a track successful is based on multiple points worth sharing. However, the key point comes down to a listening technique I love practicing and sharing: Deep listening. It consists of listening to your song with your eyes closed and paying tight attention to all the elements, going from one to another. If you have fewer elements, your mind will automatically go from one to another circularly. I’m unsure where I read that, but we can’t listen to more than three sounds simultaneously. Yes, you hear many elements, but you can’t deeply connect with more than 3 at once.

Finding the perfect dosage of the right amount of sounds to use is where the art starts. This requires a certain level of experience, maturity, and understanding of how music is perceived in various contexts. I can’t explain it easily. Perhaps listening to music will reveal things you like, which you can explore. But I’ll share that polyrhythms and polyrhythmic modulations unlock that hypnotic effect. A good way to explore this is to remove the host synchronisation on your modulators, such as LFOs, and to go off the clock, which will give an analog feel.

 

Why Making it

 

You might wonder why I encourage you to explore this. There are multiple reasons behind that encouragement. The first one is that it forces you to review how you deal with simplicity and patience, which are skills music producers often struggle with. It also teaches you to work fast, make critical decisions, and let go of expectations.

It’s also quite fun.