Sudden Aversion Towards Your Music

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Let’s go through a complex topic that hits pretty much any musician at one point, which is when they suddenly develop a total dislike towards their music. This commonly happens towards music that people usually work on, but it could also happen with music they released (made) in the past. In both cases, this is caused by the same few points that I will discuss in this article and propose some solutions to ease the tension this can cause.

 

Is aversion towards your music a writer’s block?

Not exactly, but they’re often connected.

Writer’s block typically refers to the inability to create, while aversion to your music is more about losing connection or affection for something already made. One can trigger the other, but they’re not the same beast.

What Is Writer’s Block?

Writer’s block is the psychological state in which a creator—a writer, musician, or artist—cannot start or continue creative work despite wanting to. It’s not a lack of ideas per se but a disconnect between intention and execution.

Common definitions include:

  • The mental state of being creatively paralyzed.

  • A psychological inhibition prevents the production of new work.

  • A cognitive or emotional barrier that disrupts the flow of ideas.

How They’re Related

  1. Aversion → Writer’s Block
    When you lose faith in your current music, it can lead to avoidance. You hesitate to open your DAW, fearing that anything new will be “just as bad.”

  2. Writer’s Block → Aversion
    When you’re blocked and nothing sounds good, your existing tracks can start to feel like reminders of failure, creating a feedback loop of negativity.

  3. Common Root: Self-Judgment
    Both often come from internal criticism, fear of imperfection, or loss of creative play. You’re evaluating instead of exploring.

Let’s break it down.

The Brain Is Wired for Novelty

 

When you first start a track, your brain is stimulated by newness. Sounds feel fresh, and ideas flow. But repeated exposure leads to desensitization—you stop hearing the magic. This is known as hedonic adaptation: what once felt exciting now feels bland simply because it’s no longer new. When I make music, I’m always looking for new ideas and by searching through loops, samples and jamming, I will encounter multiple sounds that make me think I want to make a song with it. I’ve come to understand that with time, my music production comes in phases and that I would rather slow down the process by isolating each phase, where I work on one task at a time.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that one of my focuses on production aims to make sure artists break the emotional entanglement towards their art and be more neutral towards how the songs are. The issue with emotional attachment comes with these thoughts:

  • “This is the song that will make me known.” Giving the song importance, purpose and a destiny before it is done.
  • Having a strong first impression of the song. If the artist always develops a music appreciation that they easily like and understand, it will make them more prone to simple ideas. The issue with these is that you might get fed up with them faster.

A lot of successful electronic music is also quite simple. Simplicity is an art, often accomplished in grace/flow. It was created quickly, and it worked. The issue with these songs is that you can’t go over the details over and over to fix things, as this will ruin the initial spontaneous effort.

This is when I also share a mode with producers who have mastered that way of working, which I call a Spike, inspired by the Agile System.

If working in non-linear mode makes you move through phases, taking breaks between songs and starting a new one to the point where you forget about the previous songs you made, a Spike is more about finding an idea and then quickly shifting it in a mockup, acting as fast as you can. Working fast and putting all doubts, while not aiming for perfection, is another way to counter the novelty envy and bottling down your ideas to move on. Usually, the main challenges people have when they’re doing a spike are:

  • Having an idea but not knowing what is missing.
  • Feeling limited by the sounds selected.
  • I didn’t know how to arrange the idea into a song.

These challenges usually stall you in the loop stage, where you play ad nauseum the hook you found and end up overexposing yourself to your sounds. This will likely tire you out, while your song has nothing wrong. When you work in Spike mode, you trust the process of having some adjustments later, and you focus on what you can do with what you have. This is also called working in layers, as you put down your main layers and have the option of adding what can emerge in a future session.

 

Focus: Taking distance from your ideas will be the right judge of their true potential.

 

New tastes, New influences

 

I think it’s in any musician’s best interest to appreciate multiple genres. One can’t bring anything new to a genre if they’re not getting inspiration from elsewhere. Imagine you grow up in the countryside and are only exposed to country bluegrass music; it might take a huge opening of your mind to discover new things, and once you do, you might have problems identifying social cues. What I mean by social cues are the ability to pinpoint what works in a song or what will please an audience. Label owners, for instance, have this internal radar for musical social cues because they’re in tune with the market, their audience and perceive the ups and downs of the label’s releases.

Being open to various music genres creates a general understanding of these cues, or the common patterns used within and across multiple genres. This is how the guys behind the Maurizio project translated the essence of Dub into making a new genre named Dub Techno in the early 90s. It was audacious, and it worked flawlessly. Honourable mentions were made to The Orb, who combined multiple genres, influences, and ideas in the same way, creating a genre that has taken over chill-out rooms.

The downside of venturing into different aesthetics or falling in love with a specific kind of track that one wants to emulate, you might have a hard time achieving it, which results into 2 issues:

  1. Achieving the tasks halfway, creating something that is not you, with a technical level that fails to meet the reference. The results will be easy to dislike.
  2. Creating a writer’s block where one doesn’t know the nature of the sounds, freezing in front of how to start.

In the face of new directions and challenges, you have more chances to dislike the music you make. This is common with newcomers to music making, especially people who have been DJs. They’ll know what quality music is and will be impatient with their own development.

In the spirit of using my non-linear approach, I always recommend consolidating your skills slowly and moving on. If you overtake a task that implies no use of the skills you have and requires a new definition of how you work, it will be harsh. I would encourage you to always start with a basis of what you know how to do and build on that, as a solid basis. This will ensure that you have one part of your exploration with elements you love and make room for new ideas that are in progress. Again, this is one reason I encourage using premade samples and loops. It’s to ensure that whatever you do has this basis of certainty, where you can add uncertainty.

 

 

Perfectionism Creeps In

 

As the track evolves, so do your expectations. You start comparing it to your favourite artists or your past work. The “inspired you” made the track; the “critical you” now evaluates it. And that inner critic is never easy to please. That good old internal critic is always trying to save your honour by finding all the faults, missing out on some essential points:

  • The typical listener to your music will listen to it 1-2 times, not finding the issues you’re hunting.
  • Imperfections are not what the listener pays attention to.
  • Some issues, if minor, might be interpreted as an artistic intention/decision.
  • Nothing is perfect, no matter how much you search for.

Perfectionism is something I could write an entire post about. It is an issue in many spheres of our lives and can cause mental health issues if not addressed. Some use the term OCD lightly, but that is a serious illness that requires intervention from a healthcare provider. The only thing one can do to address if it stops you from doing what you’re supposed to do is to go through the points I shared and perhaps print them, post them on your desk.

One advantage I shared earlier about working in layers or doing a spike is that you force yourself to be in the writer’s position and then you can revise later.

Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art. (Andy Warhol)

While you can’t reach perfection, that doesn’t mean you overlook issues. You can fix the obvious and let go of arbitrary things.

Tip: Separate creation from evaluation. Don’t mix these phases. Write first. Judge later. (analogy: right/left brain)

Emotional Projection

 

Sometimes, it’s not even about the music. You might associate the track with your mood during its creation—frustration, stress, loneliness. When you revisit it, you unconsciously relive that emotional state. This is the same for anyone you ask for feedback about your music; they might not be in the right state of mind to provide proper feedback. A critical point about putting an idea quickly in song form is to capture the intention and mood you had at the very moment of creating the song. While it’s important to take distance to judge the potential of the song, sometimes you won’t be able to jump back into the project because your emotional state has completely shifted from where you were. Making music under any influence can cause this issue, where you’ll feel a disconnection between where you were when you made the song and where you are when sober. It’s not always making sense.

I like to say that I see my songs as a statement or a Polaroid snapshot of where I was at a specific moment in my life:

  • My tastes.
  • My mood.
  • My influences.
  • My skills.
  • A current finding.

 

Once I adopted this way of relating to my music, I tend to be less interested in changing anything since I make a lot of music. Compare it to posting pictures on Instagram, for instance. Imagine you want to constantly retouch past pictures you posted by removing a tree in the background or changing the colour of your t-shirt. Would that alter the intention and context of the moment you captured? How important would it be?

If you can take that approach to your music, you’ll feel more at peace with whatever you create and see it as a milestone, with its flaws, innocence, and soul.

 

Tip: Change your environment when working. Pair each track with a fresh mindset and clear intention.

Your Skills Evolve

 

You might dislike your track because you’ve improved. What sounded “good enough” two weeks ago now feels amateurish because your standards have moved up. That’s a good sign. I don’t like to finish my tracks, which always surprises people. My goal is always to aim for a level of completion of 90%. I like to finish my songs when I have a context of release. If a label approaches me to release an EP, I’ll go into my folder of unfinished tracks, pick the ones that would match the label’s direction, tweak them, mix them, and share them. This approach allows me to review specific technical issues I didn’t know how to fix when making the song or perhaps change something I didn’t realize wasn’t working. Sometimes I show the music as is to the label and we both decide of the micro changes. It always works better.

With this mindset, I can trust that my future-me will have the wisdom and resources to do whatever needs to be done when I need to let go of the song to the outside world. I teach new producers this mindset, encouraging them to say “that problem is already fixed, but in the future,” for anything that seems like a decision to take or a technical challenge. What is important to fix in the here and now is more about articulating the hook/idea and selecting elements to support it, to the best they can do.

We always evolve. Each song I make, I try to learn something new or practice a new approach. Something learned can then be applied to past projects, but if you always follow the same recipe and routine, you’re not training your future-you to make better decisions later on.

Tip: Instead of trashing it, freeze the track as a snapshot of your progress. It’s a milestone, not a mistake.

Understanding Arrangements in Electronic Music Production

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We can agree that a song is an idea, which is developed into a story. The word we use for that is arrangements. As I explained in a previous post, the arrangement phase follows creating a mockup and involves creating a timeline in which sounds come in and out. At least, this is how I approach it. As I work with clients on their production or mixing, I’ve been exposed to a variety of arrangements. What I see is that some genres often recur, and some are also overused. This post will cover multiple questions I get with arrangements, as well as how I teach various techniques.

 

Common Arrangement Types in Electronic Music

 

Depending of the genre, arrangements are meant to be adapted to fit the other songs of the same direction. But there is also a factor to take in account regarding the intention, or purpose, of the given song. When I do listening events or provide feedback for clients, I always ask them to answer a few questions:

  • Who is this song for?
  • Where and when should it be played?
  • What is the context behind this project?
  • What is the intention or purpose?

It’s always surprising to me to see so many artists making music without giving any thought to these points. One can make music freely, without considering the listener, which is a bold move, but this can raise some problematic points when it comes to feedback. But most of the time, people will have at least one idea of where their song is going. These questions, if answered early in the creative process, will help focus the approach to the music, and this will significantly impact the arrangements. There’s a category of clients who have lovely and catchy ideas, but they struggle to bring them to life. This is a common thread amongst newcomers to electronic music.

Good ideas without execution become tiring and unengaging. This is the stuck-in-a-loop syndrome, where people struggle to get out of an idea and turn it into a song.

Poor ideas with strong execution can still be exciting to listen to. Some of my favourite techno tracks feature a handful of sounds and melodies that are only 2-3 notes long.

 

Who is it for?

This is simply understanding that your music is not for everyone. If you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one. Music that works focuses on a single audience and accepts that compromises must be made. Some music manages to reach broader audiences, but this is not an easy task. There is a consensus on what irritates in music that can create aversion. One way to see this is to remove as many divisive ideas as possible, while keeping the concept easy to understand. Divisive ideas are often what gives personality to a song, but they can make people feel uneasy at first. There is a thin line between what pleases and what does not. An example that comes to my mind is Gypsy Women by Crystal Waters. When it came out, 50% of people liked it, and the other 50% hated it. But it was being played over and over on the radio, growing on people’s mind and eventually got the recognition it deserved because it was pretty original at the time.

 

When it comes to electronic music, being intentional on the direction of the song can help make decisions easier on your arrangements. I like binary questions like these to help find the intention:

  • Is it for DJS to play in sets?
  • Is it danceable and meant to be mixed beat to beat?
  • Is the song for early sets, peak or closing time?
  • Is it meant to create a peak experience?
  • Is it a tool?

I could go on about the various angles one can approach a song. But these main questions will directly influence how the song is built. There’s also the genre, which is not a binary question; even within a genre, there can be various levels of intensity. Some house songs can be mellow while others are bangers. Peak experience songs are meant to leave a profound emotional impact on the listener: they can be peak-time music, but they can also be beautifully written melodies for the closing track of the night.

 

Where and when should it be played?

 

As previously described, the moment and context will influence how the song is built. Early on, music usually has arrangements that are less inclined to have punch. Mellow arrangements involve executing the sound progression with more fade-ins and fade-outs, while maintaining a relaxed tone and avoiding tension-building. When it comes to music that is club-oriented, you’ll have some options on hand to make your song exciting, but this is genre-dependent, once again. There is also another point to consider, which is the context of where the music will be played:

  • Home listening?
  • Small club?
  • Big club?
  • Commercial Club?
  • Festival?

While many people listen to festival music at home, there is some home listening music that won’t fit clubs because the context is just not appropriate. Home listening to music is intimate and leaves a lot of flexibility to explore subtle or audacious ideas. The difference between small and big clubs is often related to the intensity of the music. Some underground clubs are more open-minded when it comes to originality, while bigger, commercial clubs require music that appeals to a broader audience, as well as higher-energy, upbeat tracks.

 

What is the context behind this project?

 

Is this song an exploration of a genre or trying to emulate a label’s sound direction? Those simple questions relate to the context. We’re referring to the craftsmanship behind the work put into the song. Being aware of the context is sort of the original, or root, of the spirit of the creation of the music. If the context implies that you got signed and want to emulate the label’s direction, you’ll have a completely different context than someone making a song for their next DJ set. Being aware of your context is the first step in executing your idea.

 

What is the intention or purpose?

 

This is the fundamental question that will change everything, and it sums up all the previous questions. If you answered all the others easily, then this one will become obvious. Sometimes, the intention is clear and straightforward, but if it’s not, you might encounter challenges in building your song.

 

Arrangements 101

 

While I feel I could write an entire book on the topic, I’ll try to remain straight to the point about the essentials one should know right from the start.

 

The Essentials

 

Is there a minimum number of elements one needs to start making their arrangements? The simple answer would be no, but…

Once again, be aware that this will be a recurring point: your genre and intention will define what you need to start with. When I teach music production to newcomers, I feel there is an undefined’ level 1′ where one needs to learn how to create arrangements by copying those of references that one finds inspiring. Quite often, people give a lot of importance to the gear they need to make music, but one blind spot people frequently have is the quality of their influences and references. If you train your ears on questionable references, you’ll be building your inner vocabulary of arrangements on material that will lead to lower-quality results.

Studying your references will help you understand various points. It becomes the equivalent of learning how to write a book. There are a few points of interest to note, so let’s go through them here.

 

Song Form

This is how the song is built, with the number of sections. Also, there’s a concept I call Storytelling Perspectives, which involves dividing a song equally. Depending on your perspective, how you distribute it can yield balanced or unbalanced results. When I import a reference song into the arrangement side of my DAW, I put perspective points first, then check the song’s content to understand its sections. I love to see the correlation between the perspective and the sections. Sometimes it’s unrelated (e.g., unsimilar in the division points), while at other times, it’s almost the same, but with a few adjustments.

Arrangements organized with readability, colour coding and perspectives. Song by Barac analyzed for/with a client.

This example is how I read a song, and then, using ghost MIDI clips, I analyze how the arrangement is made. I place clips when I see a channel starting and draw them until the very end of the song. Sometimes I punch in the MIDI note of the given sound. This exercise provides a lot of information on how to build a song similar to one that I know works. One thing I also notice in songs that work well is a cohesive balance between the first third and the last one. Each has a part that the other doesn’t have, keeping the listener anticipating something to come. When perspectives are equal, the listener will intuitively know that something will happen at a given time, which rewards them for staying tuned. Also from this analysis, we see that this song starts strong with six elements right from the start, no break, and builds up. This type of arrangement is typical of techno, house, and minimal, where you want to provide a bed of intensity for the DJ to blend into their mix.

The main reasons I use MIDI clips are:

  • You can quickly import the reference template within any project you’re working on. It will adapt to the bpm.
  • You can import some of the channels and then test different sounds or instruments while keeping the pattern.

 

Tip: Define a colour coding that you’ll stick with through all your songs. This will allow you to open any old project and quickly get back up to speed.

 

Going deeper into the hook, we can now also analyze how things we built. This is what we refer to as “form” or, more specifically, “musical form”. Understanding the form will mean that you know the sections, such as these:

 

  • Intro / Build / Drop / Break / Drop / Outro (Organized, conventional, predictable)

    • Interpretation: Focused on energy cycles—build tension, release, rest, repeat. Great for dance floors, but often overused.

    • Tip: Try muting the first drop entirely and bringing it later than expected for a tension surprise.

  • Linear Progression / Techno Style (Simple, unconventional, hypnotic)

    • Interpretation: Evolution through subtle modulation. Encourages hypnotic, immersive listening.

    • Tip: Try working with 3-4 motifs only, but automate movement through FX, EQ sweeps, panning, or layering.

  • Loop-based Collage

      • Interpretation: Stream-of-consciousness or playful. Can feel chaotic or spontaneous.

      • Tip: Rein in the chaos by picking a key motif and returning to it as a “chorus” or anchor.

 

 

Hook Form

 

A hook in music is a short, memorable musical idea—often a melodic phrase, rhythmic pattern, vocal line, or sound—that grabs the listener’s attention and sticks in their mind. It’s usually the most recognizable part of a song and is designed to be repeated, often in the chorus or intro.

How you understand the hook of a song will give you insights into how to evolve your simple hook into something more. You’ve probably come across specific terms, so let’s go over a few basics.

 

  • A/B Structures (Verse/Chorus or Theme/Counter-theme)

    • Interpretation: Contrasts emotional states—such as question and answer, night and day, etc.

    • Tip: Instead of jumping A → B, try ABA, or ABAB’, where the last B is a variation to close a story arc.

  • Development
    • Is the hook remaining the same or developing through the song?
    • If it’s the same, what about the effects and sound modifiers?

 

 

Hook expressivity

 

This is about understanding the DNA of the hook to help analyze it. This can be covered with a few simple questions.

  • Is the hook a melody or a specific sound?
  • If it’s harmonic, what are the primary key and scale?
  • If it’s a melody, how many notes make the hook?
  • Are the notes short or long?
  • Is the hook over 1 bar? How long is it?
  • Which Octave is the hook occupying? Is it expanding over multiple octaves?
  • What is the rhythm composition? Fast? Slow?
  • Is the hook involving neighbour notes, or is there a jump?

 

Hook’s family

A hook is rarely alone in a song to carry it through the entire arrangement. If that’s the case, it often evolves or morphs, while still having some modifiers that alter its character. But in other cases, the main idea will have a supportive companion. In Jazz, the main melody might be played by the entire band, but sometimes it is one specific instrument that leads the song, while others complement, support, and interact with it. I like to use family terms to describe the supporting roles, but I also encourage anyone to come up with their terms.

  • Brothers/Sisters: These are usually closely involved in the composition of the hook with similar notes either in the negative parts of the hook or perhaps at the same time. These will often be the call and answer for the main idea.
  • Cousins: They are similar to the hook but diverge from the original idea. This is often a decorative or accent piece.
  • Father: I see the father as the root of the idea. A good example is a supporting pad that creates a tone, providing a grounding space for the family to evolve.
  • Mother: This element is a source of nurturing. It’s a bit difficult to explain because we’re in the world of metaphors here, but I imagine it as a sound that seals the emotion of the song.

Not all songs are suitable for the whole family. Many songs have perhaps only a few elements. One element is the antagonist, which creates tension and generates potential conflict as the music evolves. If the song has tension and builds up, it will need a resolution at some point (often described as the drop), which the mother might provide.

 

Sound Order

Learning arrangements involve understanding how sounds come in, including their order. The best technique for understanding this is to note down in your arrangements where sounds appear and where they end. This technique is the best teacher for creating effective sound interactions to achieve a desired effect. Starting a song with all the percussion won’t have the same impact as if you slowly began with a pad.

 

Building templates and Readability

 

The first thing I do is to organize the channels for easy reading. Arrangements can become a mess as people work on it, and not having organization means missing the opportunity to understand what is happening. I want to be able to read and understand a song even before I press play. To do this, I need to organize the channels from top to bottom, in the order they appear. This means that the first channels that play should be at the top, followed by the others as they appear below. When working this way, arrangements take shape into a structure. You’ll see below a few arrangement examples, along with their names and some notes on the kind of effect they create.

 

A Classic Stairs Progression example.

 

This arrangement type is classic with a stair progression. One thing to keep in mind about stair progression is to be conscious of the buildup it creates, and that you’re engaging in what I call climbing to the top. You then need to think about climbing down. Stair progression is easy to understand, evokes a sense of assertiveness, and can build excitement. There’s an importance to keeping a relevant distance between each step. They all should keep the same timing to create a sense of predictability. If you bring a few sounds at once (in this case, Hook and Perc3), one can come with a fade in, but if you want to keep it punchy, that’s your decision. In this example, there is a sense of balance and a moment of tension half way with a rebuilt.

 

 

Climbing with the Valley example.

This arrangement is a different take, where the arrival at the top leads to what I call a valley (the open area after the peak). This creates a dramatic effect on the listener, but it also has the drawback of disrupting the energy. This might be appropriate for EDM, where breakdowns are essential, but they could create a moment of stillness on the dance floor. That might be what the artist wants, which depends of the intention.

 

 

Donato Dozzy analysis of an ambient techno track of his.

Simplicity always works. If the hook is complex, arrangements can be simple, and if the hook is simple, you could make things a bit more complicated with the narrativity. But in both cases, simple arrangements make it easier for the listener to engage with the song. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dozzy record most of his arrangements from a jam or playing live, and in many cases, he keeps things simple, but it always works. After analyzing his song, I was impressed by the straightforwardness of the arrangements.

 

 

DJ Sneak is always effective in every single of his house tracks.

I wanted to know how Sneak always pulls his arrangements because his music is so practical and fun to play. His formula is basically about having a core and then having various elements alternating on top. This approach is helpful for repetitive songs where the listener can focus their attention on a pattern, but then it shifts to the different upper elements that come in and out. That gives the listener an experience of being hypnotized and explains why house music has never gotten out of style since its invention. It’s simple, uses a limited amount of elements but is all about how they gel together. Simpler arrangements invite to analyze the patterns. They’re often over 2 bars long and alternating with variations every 4.

 

 

Melchior keeps it linear but introduces long valleys.

Melchior is one of those artists that, just like Sneak, creates an experience when you listen to his music. There is a lot of space in the repeating patterns, and he is not shy about letting sounds play on their own for a while. And it works. I wanted to analyze that song of his because it was so catchy that I wondered how he kept me hooked. The analysis revealed a very unconventional approach to his music, which pleases my brain.

 

Two techniques: Macro pattern repeat and channel substitution.

This snapshot covers the last two points I will share. The first is macro pattern repetition, which involves taking a pattern and creating a pause of equal duration (see the yellow line). One mistake people often make with music they find linear is not considering adding rests. Having a pause keeps the listener on the edge and gives a sense of slow, evolving progression. While many people feel that their music stagnates and will add more layers, the best solution is usually to subtract parts instead. A negative space creates room for wanting the sound to return. The other technique is channel substitution, which is simple and effective: if you want to remove a sound, add another one to compensate. In this case, the blue line gets a rest but is compensated with the light blue one. This is an excellent way to make swift changes, preventing the energy loss as the listener’s point of view shifts from one element to the new one. They might not even notice the change at first. This can be done with any sounds (ex., percussion for bass, vocals to kick, etc).

 

Duos, Trios, conversations.

The conversations between the parties are essential. See it like in jazz, where one instrument has a solo and then a duo with another. It’s the same for your elements. I find the perfect balance for a song is to have 3 interacting elements, as this gives you many options, as seen above. The 3 blue lines represent melodies:

  • Dark Blue starts solo
  • Dark Blue is in the duo with second blue.
  • Dark blue goes quiet, and the three secondary blues then have a moment together.
  • Dark blue comes back, forms a trio with two others, while one goes quiet.

This alternating energy creates many different sections you can play with throughout the song.

I hope this was helpful!

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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.

 

 

The Anti-Loop Method vs The Writer’s Block

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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

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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.

 

 

Digital Hoarding and The Electronic Music Producers

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If there’s one thing I miss from making music in the ’90s, it is how my choices for making music were limited compared to now. What we saw as a limitation was an opportunity to be creative and get the most out of what you have. In the 80s, as kids, it was also the same thing: we would get some toys, but it was limited. Being forced to be creative with what you’d have was the perfect training to jump-start my electronic music exploration. I remember going to the music store, where there was a section in the back where they would sell synths, samplers, and effect units. The selection was pretty small, and if you wanted something special, such as a 909 or 808, you’d have to search because stores couldn’t get them at all.

Softwares were also limited in terms of selection and what they’d do. I remember getting some software, and we’d discuss our wishes and options. It was both frustrating and, in hindsight, liberating because the lack of options meant you’d be done quickly when you ran out of possibilities. In my latest album, I tried to get back to that state because after following numerous classes online, I realized that I was doing some digital hoarding and had to focus on the essentials to decide of a direction on how I would do things for my project.

Credit Gearspace.com

So, what would be digital hoarding?

 

Digital hoarding for electronic musicians tends to accumulate a vast collection of digital resources—such as plugins, samples, presets, and templates—without fully integrating or mastering them in one’s creative workflow. This behaviour often stems from the constant influx of new tools and content in the electronic music scene, leading to a cluttered digital library that can hinder efficiency and focus. Instead of exploring a few tools in depth, the musician has an overwhelming array of options, which may result in creative paralysis or a diluted artistic identity.

Some symptoms or actions that could indicate you’re tending to do hoarding would be:

  • Over-Accumulation Without Use: Continuously downloading or purchasing new plugins, sample packs, and presets, yet rarely revisiting or using many of them in actual projects.
  • Disorganized Digital Libraries: A cluttered folder system where files, presets, and samples are stored haphazardly, making it difficult to find what’s needed quickly.
  • Procrastination on Mastery: Spending more time exploring and acquiring new tools than mastering the ones already in your arsenal.
  • Analysis Paralysis: Overwhelmed by choices when working on a project, resulting in indecision about which tool to use or a tendency to switch between tools without fully committing.
  • Redundant Purchases: Repeatedly buying similar plugins or samples, often influenced by trends or free offers, without a clear plan for integration into your workflow.
  • Neglecting Cleanup: Rarely revisiting your collection to organize, delete unused items, or update your setup, leading to an ever-growing pile of digital clutter.

For hardware, the GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) syndrome is often pointed out as a problem musicians have because it is apparent that hardware physically brings new material to the studio. It is less evident for software and digital tools because they are within your computer and so easy to lose/forget.

This doesn’t only refer to digital tools but also to skill hoarding. Some people spend hours watching tutorials or buying classes to learn how things are done but without putting what they just learned into practice.

Hoarding impact on one’s workflow

 

This leads to some pitfalls. Let’s discuss some. I will also propose ways to address the issue with practical tips.

Shallow Mastery vs. Deep Expertise

 

Mastery of a skill or a tool comes from hours of practice. Having too many options divides your time of practice between multiple tools. One thing in electronic music that can pose a problem is when a musician decides to do everything by themselves. This means they’ll be set to become a jack-of-all-trades. The DIY culture within electronic music has gone a long way since the early ’90s, but in today’s competitive market, aiming to do it all means you’re not maximizing your output’s quality. The positive side of having multiple tools means you’ll have the proper material to go through the various phases of song development. But you’ll still need to sit with the tools and learn them, before adding new ones to your toolkit.

Some essentials for each phase can be a game changer. If I had to start all over, I’d focus on the minimum tools per phase. This lets you organize yourself better.

The phases I teach to newcomers are:

  • Research, analysis, ideation and development: In this phase, you basically need a Splice account to fill up your moodboard with ideas to start with. Once you have some ideas, you can create a song mockup, reworking your imported samples with tools like Shaperbox alongside a few synths of your own. If you want a versatile synth that can answer pretty much all your needs, I’d go with Pigment. Honestly, that’s pretty much all you need.
  • Hook: This is where you trim the chaos and ideas from the previous phase and find your song’s hook. You don’t need anything here, but a powerful drum machine like XO can help structure an idea.
  • Structure: To see if your hook has potential, sketch a structure. This will reveal your idea’s strengths and flaws. A tool exists that will build up some basic structures for you. Song Sketch is a lovely tool to speed up the process.
  • Arrangements: This is all about how you use your DAW. The best DAW is the one that you know and have fun with. Some prefer Ableton Live, some Bitwig or FLStudio. They all have a different way of working.
  • Mixing: While there are countless tools needed for mixing, I would say that sticking to your DAW’s compression, EQ, and dynamics can do the trick. If you feel like you’re reaching the limits of one of them, perhaps expand to upgrade that specific tool with a third-party plugin.

I like to make buying decisions based on two things:

  • Can my stock plugins fix it? If not, what else can?
  • Am I using a tool that works but compromises on the quality?

 

If my tool is creative, I usually will ensure I finish a few projects before buying a new one.

 

Overwhelm and Decision Fatigue

 

This is a topic I have covered before, but decision fatigue is something tangible that can impact a person more than they imagined. I have been teaching newcomers lately, and one of their first comments about making music was about how tiring it was to work on music. Each time you have to make a decision regarding your song, a chunk of your mental energy dissolves. If you also need to think about how to solve a problem and have multiple options, this is another chunk that is taken away. If you have various tools for numerous issues, you’ll be draining yourself down faster, and what was supposed to serve as leverage will tank you down.

There are ways to solve this, though. One is to keep a notepad with :

  • Nature of the problem: Does this problem have a name, or can I formulate it in my own words?
  • Potential solution: Ex, for phasing issues, you might want to control the width of a sound.
  • Tools available: If it’s the width, perhaps learn the limits of how much you can widen a sound or rebalance your mono signal.
  • Link to use. Youtube or another tutorial.

Fine-tuning your workflow comes from decluttering tools and habits that slow you down. Keeping simple notes is a fast way to get your answers. The more you have tools, this can not only drain you but also make you lazy. Tools with tons of options are the combination of multiple existing tools but with an interface that makes it easier for you to use. For example, a compressor could be replaced by an Envelope follower and a utility unit, but the compression has a few more options. Having less forces you to understand the nature of the problem and the tools you have to work around it.

 

Clutter and Inefficiency in Workflow

 

As mentioned previously, a workflow works best with a minimum of tools. The more you add to it, the slower you get because you have more parameters to handle. This is an issue someone with much experience, like myself, faces when starting to work on a new song because I already see the long list of all the things to take care of. One thing about being a helpful beginner is that by knowing less, you work with what you know alone. It might be less perfect, but at least it progresses quickly. Collecting tons of samples and libraries is also something that slows you down, mainly because there are not so many tools that will help you organize everything properly. Even some DAWs will let you face chaos if you’re not organized. Ableton has recently added tags in version 12, which can help you categorize your samples and tools. However, if you do it halfway, you’ll quickly lose control over your digital environment.

Just like plugins, whenever I buy new samples, I ensure I use them on a specific project before adding new ones. Some people stick to presets, which can get messy if you collect many of them. In Ableton, I haven’t found the best way to organize all my macros properly, which sometimes forces me to redo a patch that I did previously.

 

Financial Drain and Resource Misallocation

 

Constantly chasing the latest plugins or sample packs can quickly add up financially, diverting funds from investing in quality tools or learning resources. The temptation to acquire “free” tools often leads to a glut of subpar options that may not integrate well with a streamlined setup. There was a time when the number of plugins coming in was limited, but nowadays, multiple ones have been added. A site like KVRaudio is quite handy for following up on what is coming in, and they recently added a plugin manager to keep track of your installed plugins. Plugin Boutique has also been quite helpful if you have to reinstall all your tools because it is a portal to all the plugins you bought. Both have user reviews that come as applicable when you want to know how to invest correctly.

But if you are obsessed with the latest options and buy anything fancy that gets released, knowing which plugins are helpful for your workflow will be challenging. Considering how much money one gets from their investment, it is worth buying carefully. Using trials is undoubtedly something to consider.

 

Stunted Creativity Through Overexposure

 

The barrage of new sounds and tools might lead to analysis paralysis, where too much inspiration prevents a focused creative direction. I see this with people who have difficulty finding their own sound signature or identity as a musician. Instead of nurturing a unique style, producers might mimic trends or switch approaches too frequently. This means that if you don’t know how one tool works, you’ll be using the first few presets instead without going deeper into the options your tool is providing you. With an overabundance of content, listeners might find it hard to develop a personal taste or to follow an artist’s evolution, as the constant turnover of music can blur the lines of musical identity and innovation.

Each time you add a layer of tools to your kit, you are also potentially distancing yourself from your natural self-expression. One might have a challenge of not sounding like others or professional, but there are always simple ways to get there. If you always rely on audio cosmetics, you will be limited to the outcome of the tool’s options.

When I teach newcomers, I insist they work with the minimum possible. This limitation might be frustrating at first, but if you’re curious, it pays off quickly.

 

Reduced Value of Curated Experiences

The art of crafting a coherent track or album can be compromised when the production process is scattered across too many tools and ideas. Well-developed sounds tend to create a more cohesive and impactful musical narrative than a collection of half-explored ideas. If you go back to the 90s when the acid house or early techno had similar aesthetics, you may understand this was not a choice but because of the limitation of tools. Not having all the necessary tools might be a good thing for you. Perhaps organizing your ideas in batches of material where you can plan your next round of song exploration based on what you just acquired can direct how you want to use them.

 

 

Digital Hoarding can happen even if you don’t realize it. You are officially hoarding if you find yourself overwhelmed and disorganized and gathering more tools than songs being produced. The more you are conscious of this, the more organization you’ll have for your next studio session.

 

Guide To Templates

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I’ve recently finished an album. The tracklist has 19 tracks, which means I had about 40 songs and discarded half of them. For some, this feels like much, but when I work on an album, there’s a point where the more I make songs, the more new potential ideas emerge. This motion feels like a force where all falls in place with ease, and the efforts become less intense.

But there’s a secret weapon that makes it all easier and fun. Well, a few tricks come together when I work on multiple tracks at once because, speeding through the ideas, I have to save macros that fix an issue; the same goes for presets and eventually, I create templates where I can pick up tools.

I thought I’d write a post about templates. People overlook this tool and don’t see the point of exploring it. It deserves some attention because it could bring you speed and efficiency.

 

Productivity, Speed and Organization in Creation

 

I’m not sure where I read this, but this person said something like:

 

“I don’t believe in efficiency while creating because it is normal to be messy, lost. and chaotic; it is the core of troubleshooting, which is what creativity is about.”

 

While I understand and relate to it, I also see the benefits of having some tricks when working on more significant projects, whether mine or a client’s. There are things in art where your intuition will guide you to make decisions, and that will get you to take steps towards zones that aren’t controllable. However, regarding electronic music, we have multiple steps towards the end of the projects, and some are purely technical. Frequently, I get clients who come to me because they’re on the verge of giving up. Once you go through the multiple layers of everything to be handled, you get to overhear your music and, perhaps, start changing things that were working in the first place. This is why if you can use some tricks, tools and organization, you’ll cut out some time from the wrapping part.

That said, you can have the best of both worlds: You want to remain intuitive and explorative, but you want to achieve results rapidly when it is time to conclude.

Being organized solves multiple issues, such as:

  • Time saving. One challenge electronic musicians face is digital hoarding, which means they constantly get free or bought plugins, tools, and macros more than they use them. This results in having more options than one can easily integrate into a solid workflow. Organizing this will give you quick decision-making.
  • Better understanding of technical needs. Having templates helps you separate your workflow into modules, where you will already know what tasks to do next.
  • More energy. A challenge that new electronic musicians face is mental exhaustion from exploring music. This is partly due to decision fatigue. The more you have to make decisions, the more you’ll feel exhausted quickly.
  • Effective validation process. When you have a process that is also a checklist of all the elements you need to decide if your song is done, you will rely less on others to know if you’re finished.

 

Regarding templates, if I look at what I do, I have multiple templates categorized according to the tasks and needs. There are also various ways to use them, which I will cover. Let’s go through the categories and how they can be done and review the tools I use regularly.

 

One Template Per Need

 

The point of making a template is to turn something that worked into a tool you can reuse. If you think of any tool you have, such as a stove, hammer, drill, or MIDI controller, they are all the results of people having to solve an issue they wanted to address and turn it into something that can be used repeatedly. Using someone else’s template could be a shortcut for your workflow but it’s essential to keep in mind that it was made from someone else’s trial and failures. I believe it’s essential that you develop your templates so you can learn and tweak tools to your needs. Other people’s needs will never be precisely adapted to what you do.

I want to share some template ideas and tips for turning your work into future shortcuts. My work approach involves multiple phases, so I have made my templates based on that to avoid having to redo the same repetitive tasks.

 

Default Template

The Default template in Ableton is where your day starts. It’s helpful to have a few things ready, so you don’t have to prepare your environment each time you open your DAW. There are a few things I want to set up my Master/Main channel, the default audio and midi channels, and organize your sidebar properly to avoid searching.

 

Master/Main Channel:

  • EQ: Handling garbage low frequencies means you want to have a high pass at 20Hz. You can leave it with a smooth curve, but if you do this, you’re already solving many issues beginners have with their mixes. I would suggest not doing many changes and keeping it flat but if you have tendencies to compensate for your listening environment, you could do a default EQ to fix that problem. Compensating implies that your listening environment might be badly treated with acoustic padding, making you push or cut frequencies that don’t need changes. People who don’t have a sub in their studio tend to push the lows too much or completely miss it.
  • Utility: This simple stock plugin is probably the most useful of all your plugins. Having one on the main channel lets you sum your low end to mono, which fixes most phasing issues and solidifies the mess that stereo low end can create. Some songs have a stereo low end, but this is not something I would encourage newcomers to explore. The width is also a good way to balance your mono versus stereo ratio. Then, the gain allows you to compensate for too much or too little volume coming in.
  • Limiter: When we make music, we might lose track of the main channel, and the signal might overflow. The limiter is your friend to control that. It’s that policing tool that can also scrap a mix if you leave it as is when exporting.
  • Metering: While experienced musicians tell others to use their ears to know what’s wrong, I still rely on visual representation of what I do to validate what’s happening quickly. Working on a mix for a while, you will lose sense of flatness in the frequency distribution. You can look at a visualizer to see what’s happening.

 

While stock plugins will do for a while, you can get some third-party plugins, some for free.

The King of Metering is free and offered by Voxengo as SPAN. It covers everything you need to understand what’s happening. Make sure to configure it properly using Dan’s tutorial. I also love T-Rack Meter. It is visually appealing and has a waterfall/spectrogram analyzer. You can also use this one for free if you want to add it.

For Utility, you can also look into other plugins, such as Track control by DMG and Melda’s own MUtility. Both are free.

For Limiters, the one in Ableton got a lovely upgrade with v12 and is now very powerful. You can achieve solid results with it. If you’re looking for something with a bit more bells and whistles, you could check Smart Limit, which is not too expensive, versatile and easy to use.

 

Send/Returns

I’m always baffled by how people don’t use return channels that much, but they’re efficient in many ways. One of those is global effects, which means you can route multiple channels towards them and have a more coherent result. It also saves CPU. I believe the default ones in Ableton are a reverb and a delay. Those 2 effects are common in electronic music production and other genres, so it makes sense. The stock plugins usually do the trick; you don’t need much more. But there are an extra 2 return channels I would encourage you to add:

  • Stereo/Sides: You may add a utility plugin sent to be in Sides Mode only on this channel. I’d pair that with the EQ and set it in Mid/Side mode.
  • Mono sum: This would be the opposite of the previous one. This means you put a utility plugin in mono mode.

 

Why do this?

Some sounds might need to be sent towards the stereo return to increase presence in that zone. You can also add “side” effects, where the effects will only affect the side part of the channels routed there. The mono channel is in the same logic, but this one is focused on the mono signal. Many clients focus on getting width for their music and forget the importance of the mono signal, which is critical to impact multiple contexts (e.g. phone, car sound system, headphones, etc.). If you use premade loops, there may be some imbalance between the stereo and mono. Using sends is a fun way to control that because once you have multiple channels routed there, you can adjust the entire track simultaneously.

 

Default Audio

Some plugins can be added automatically each time you open an audio channel. This saves some time, but if you add many, it will hog your CPU drastically. In theory, you don’t need much but if you think of general needs to its bare minimum, I would recommend adding the Channel EQ as well a Utility. These will let you control the tone of your signal and its input gain and stereo adjustment. If your CPU can handle a bit more, I would also suggest a few:

  • ConsoleX8056: This suite is badass. It’s an analog emulation suite with a console emulation, vintage EQ and compressor, and a coloured gain staging utility. When mixing, I’ve been ditching my pricy Universal Audio VSTs for these. Using the console on all your channels will bring some non-linearity to your mix, blurring the lines of a digital signal. The Gain unit is not transparent; you’ll get some crunch if you push it.
  • Envelope Follower: This is undoubtedly my favourite tool in Ableton. It will read the amplitude envelope of your incoming signal, allowing you to control the channel’s parameters or any other channel, which opens the door for creative sidechaining.
  • EQ8: The advanced EQ in Ableton with more filters than the channel EQ.
  • Compressor: If you want to control the density of your incoming signal.
  • Channel strip: If you want to turn your channels into an analog console with a similar look and feel, these aren’t available in Ableton. My favourite option is to turn to Brainworx with their numerous emulation of legendary consoles. I have a preference for the Neve (AMEK)‘s sound, and therefore, the 9099 is my default option.

 

Pheek's Default Audio chain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Default MIDI

This one comes with a few options that I would recommend.

  • Scale: You want your midi signal to have the option to follow the global key/scale of the project, so scale allows you to handle that easily.
  • Expression Control: This tool intercepts the signal’s characteristics (Velocity, aftertouch, slide, etc.) and can map them to the parameters of the synth in the channel or something else in the project.
  • Velocity: Useful for tweaking the velocity to taste, including randomization and midi compression.
  • Note Lenght: Allowing you to tweak the length of your incoming notes
  • MFA S&H Pro: Reading the incoming notes will generate random information, which helps modify your instrument in the channel. This pro version of a simple S&H is very powerful in the numerous options to control the random signal.
  • Chance Engine: This allows you to add probability to the notes with the option to modify the notes. It’s convenient when you want to deconstruct a repetitive melody.

 

Pheek's Default Midi chain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sidebar

Organizing your sidebar will speed up your searches. You can use the colours to tag anything and have quick access. Mine has been a bit of a mess until I discovered a new feature on Ableton v12. You can now add custom folders on your sidebar with any content you have, but it will be essential to tag your plugins properly. To add a custom folder, you need to search and then click on the “+” to add that search as a dynamic folder. If you made a side folder for compressors, the folder will be automatically updated each time you add a new compressor to your library.

 

R&D Template

 

I have a template dedicated to research and development (ideas, theories, concepts, tutorial exploration, etc.). This template aims to have quick tools to test whatever is on my mind. The way my mind works is perhaps similar to other people’s. I often have an idea of a sound based on something I heard in a song playing (maybe I’m driving or walking and not in my studio), and then I reverse-engineer what it could be. Being on the Mac ecosystem, I either use Notes or Voice Memos to write down what I have in mind and then I will try ideas in the studio later on.

Here are some ideas for an Ableton template dedicated to research and development. You could start with the default template and then build this one since some needs overlap.

Signal Analysis & Visualization

 

The first channel would be for sound inspection, and the second for testing. Therefore, these analysis tools are needed for both channels.

Visual feedback is key since the goal is to deconstruct and understand sounds.

  • Spectrogram & Frequency Analyzer → To see how harmonics evolve, check the previous link to the free Spectrogram and SPAN. I also love Fabfilter ProQ4, which has a beautiful Frequency Analyzer. One thing I like about this EQ is the matching EQ option, which will be useful for understanding the frequency shape.
  • Oscilloscope → To analyze waveform shapes. I love using the one in Shaperbox because it can pair with some signal modification tools. Otherwise, Melda has a free tool that can be helpful.
  • Envelope Follower → To extract dynamics from a reference sound and apply them elsewhere. I’d use the one in Ableton.
  • Peak & RMS Meter → To monitor amplitude behaviour. SPAN can convert this.

I would drop Shaperbox on both channels to modify and analyze. That alone will be very useful.

 

Sound Deconstruction Track

The third track will be about making tests from a song.

  • Reference Track → Load in the sound you want to analyze.
  • Sampler & EQ Matching Track → Use an EQ Match or Sampler to isolate key frequencies.
  • Transient Isolation Track → Use gates or transient designers to extract attack portions. While you can do a fair job with Ableton’s gate plugin, my favourite gate comes from Oxford Drum Gate.
  • Sustain Analysis Track → Loop specific sections to analyze their behavior.

 

Reverse-Engineering Tools

 

This channel will explore some sounds from your reference or sound to analyze. This one is optional and not necessarily one to use de facto. Instead, you could prepare this as a series of macros you import when needed.

  • Granular Sampler Rack → A Simpler/Sampler preset pre-loaded for quick granulation. The Granulator III is pretty impressive for exploring.
  • Resonator Bank → A rack with multiple resonators (Corpus, Collision, EQ) to extract tonal characteristics. Again, you can see notes from what you hear using Pro-Q4 paired with a stereoscope.
  • Modulation Extractor → A chain with an LFO, Envelope Follower, and Sidechain Compressor to mimic movement in the reference sound.

 

Synthesis & Rebuilding Section

 

This channel is also optional but comes in handy.

  • Oscillator Matching → A synth (like Operator or Wavetable) to manually match the tonal structure.
  • Noise & Texture Layering → A track that adds noise, static, or other micro-details. Melda has a noise generator that is free and very useful.
  • Dynamic Modulation Rack → LFO + Envelope tools to reconstruct movement.
  • Harmonic Enhancer → Using Saturators, Waveshapers, or FM techniques to match reference overtones.

 

 

Possible Enhancements

  • Randomization Macros → To introduce variations while testing.
  • MIDI Note Extractor → A MIDI effect chain that converts audio to MIDI for better tonal deconstruction.
  • Spectral Freezer → A track that can “freeze” spectral snapshots for close inspection.

 

Song Structure Template

 

These templates are from a different mindset, and they’ve been explored in my blog numerous times, but it comes down to deconstructing a song you love for its arrangements. This implies dragging the song in Ableton’s arranger side, matching the tempo to the project, and then looking at the waveform.

  1. Listen to the song and pay attention to all the sounds.
  2. Add a MIDI channel per sound that you can hear. For example, one channel named Kick, one bass, clap, synth, etc. These ghost midi channels don’t have any instruments loaded and are there as references alone.
  3. Once you have listened to the song and noted all sounds with a MIDI channel, you listen again and add MIDI clips to the timeline when you hear the sound coming in.
  4. By the end, you should have the song’s structure in MIDI clips, indicating the order of all sound appearances.
  5. You can go beyond by putting midi notes in the clips to see when the sounds appear precisely.
  6. Group the reference with the midi channels, then drag and drop it in your sidebar within a folder for your structures.

 

 

This can be saved as a template for later use. Once you have a solid loop and want to turn it into a song, you could import a structure you previously made and know works. This can validate a structure and the number of sounds you need to complete a song. Some people can never pinpoint whether they have enough or too many sounds.

Mixing Template

 

While I offer a mixing template here for you to check, I can explain how to create one.

The logic of a mixing template is to rely on groups you can import into an ongoing project. Then, you can drag your project channels into the imported group. I would do a group per family of sounds:

  • Kick (on its own): I’ve been enjoying Cableguys’ new tool for percussion. Pair it with Shaperbox, and you will have your compression, transient shaper, and overall volume adjustment tools all in one.
  • Low End: Bass or whatever bleeds under 100hz. An EQ like Pro-Q4 or TrackSpacer will do for clean ducking, but you could also use a simple stock EQ from your DAW.
  • Percussion: Percussion potentially needs a bunch of tools, but Neutron will cover that for you. Tools that are useful here are an EQ, Gate, Transient shaper, Compression for glueing and some saturation.
  • Melodic elements: This one is tricky because it could combine synth stabs and more extended notes like pads. Some compression can help glue them together gently, and I love using a leveller for that. The LA-3A is perfect for that. EQing and stereo control are going to be essential. Please don’t overdo it with the width enhancements.
  • Background: This is low in presence. Compression and EQing, as well as the track spacer, are useful here once more for clean results.
  • Vocals: This is a tricky one, but I would say the LA-3A is going to be your best friend and a vocal rider like Melda. Pair this with your favourite reverb, delay, and chorus for cosmetics.

 

I hope these were useful!

 

 

Where Do I Go Next?

/in /by

In case you missed it, I recently recorded a video announcing I wanted to make more YouTube videos and shared that I’m working on a series of courses. Making videos came from the need to stop repeating the same information to new people I coach. The first few hours of my coaching cover multiple aspects of music production, mainly focused on organizing your workflow, which will help set what to practice next. In the video, I invited anyone wanting to create and learn to get in touch so I can connect with others about where they’re stuck in their journey, but mainly, to understand why they are blocked.

There has never been as much help, resources, tutorials, plugins, and tools as now, yet people are still blocked. They are told and sold that this solution will fix their needs, yet it doesn’t. My meetings with these random people aimed to see how they’ve been surfing the waves of music-making, mainly electronic music. In the end, the same stories come up over multiple connections.

 

It seems the main issues people face aren’t technology-based. Yes, some technicalities will be a hurdle in the race to a goal, but people can find solutions with some research.

 

One of the main issue people face is asking the simple question “Where do I go next?”

 

This will manifest in multiple ways, and while each participant had different issues, the underlying problem was that, whatever they did, they felt the next phase was unclear.

 

Let me explain more. Based on 2 main categories, I will explain contexts and solutions.

Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash

The Hobbyist

 

This type of musician usually has a job, perhaps a family and makes music a hobby. Maybe that person had a moment where they’d party and go to concerts more, but at some point, they felt like they’d also want to make music. One common need the hobbyist will have is to balance their busy life with some activity that is fun and creative, and this leads to finishing some music. If you work 30-40 hours a week in a corporate job (or anything not so creative), you might find your life redundant and lacking one passion. The call to have a purpose self-imposes, and if music is something you live with, it becomes clear that it can be an exploration. But working full time comes with one challenge: spending more time in front of your computer after a full day of screen isn’t super exciting.

 

Making music has multiple uses other than spicing up your life:

  • It actualizes and crystalizes a moment in your life. When you work on a song for a little while, it creeps into your life as a score. It can follow you as an earworm while doing something not studio-related. It can also be like a story that unfolds gently, where you aren’t sure how it will end, but something emerges as you work on it. This is why it’s essential to finish projects more than perfecting them. It allows you to learn something, feel you’re progressing by learning new skills and leave a chapter behind.
  • It has health benefits. Countless studies show that making music triggers hormones that benefit mental health and sharpen cognitive abilities. It can also help prevent dementia, develop emotional intelligence, and encourage troubleshooting.
  • It regulates emotions. Making music helps you experience some emotional states. It is a way of letting go of emotional blocks, allowing you to focus on a particular feeling and not explode randomly later.
  • Music is communication beyond words. Ultimately, we share music as stories in a bottle, thrown at the world in hopes that someone will find it. While making music for ourselves, we want to connect with others through the sounds we love.

 

But these also can backfire in certain conditions. For instance, if you need a studio session and, within the first minutes, you run into technical issues related to technology failing you, that can impact your need to create. One of the challenges the hobbyist faces is a lack of time to dedicate to his art. If most sessions are organized in the time left, they have, not only is their mental energy isn’t sharp but their patience as well.

Successful hobbyists usually set studio sessions in the “green zones.”

 

Everyone has moments during the day when they have more energy. These are considered “green zones,” followed by”yellow” or “red” zones, which are different levels of energy.

  • Green. This is your peak attention time. You’ll be very effective at creating and solving issues and facing challenges that require attention and concentration. The only downside is that you have only one per day, and it has a time limit.
  • Yellow. You have less energy, but you’re still going. This zone is perfect for organizing, cleaning, and preparing tasks. Yellow zones are more extended, but if you handle them with patience, they can morph into spurts of energy.
  • Red. This state is almost lethargic. You are just unable to focus, and your motivation might be low. In this zone, you can approach the studio time to handle software updates, organize cabling, fix decorations, and, most importantly, use it to listen to music and take notes.

Setting your studio session at the best time is essential, but you can set a session’s activity based on what you can do during that moment.

 

Most hobbyists who struggle with music face a contextual issue: they either don’t go out to music or/and don’t have friends with the same interests. Perhaps one of the key points of my meetings relates to the lack of social validation.

 

Not everyone knows an electronic musician that can share knowledge but also, that can understand where one is and wants to go.

For the hobbyist, some have songs, but what are their options?

 

Having a few songs, you might want to push it to the world because the need they want is related to validation and a feeling of belonging. There’s some desperate need to connect with someone who will get it, and putting it out to the world seems like the best option. But since the person doesn’t go out and perhaps has a restraint network, reaching people might most likely end up being lost in a sea of noise where millions of people also want to be heard. I’m not sure where I read that, but there was a quote that said:

If you want to receive, you have to start by giving.

 

So, for the hobbyist, one strategy and activity to consider is listening to other people’s music and being curious. Connecting with those who share your views can provide potential artistic connections. I coach hobbyists and tell them to spend time digging for music on Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Knowing music and exposing yourself to new ideas is essential to expanding your vocabulary, but you might also come across another musician who, just like you, is waiting to connect.

With too many options, we disconnect from them and tend to focus on our little habits, tastes, and routines. It makes it hard to see potential possibilities for where we can go next. For hobbyists, having a few friends who are also making music will undoubtedly answer many of their questions—not just about what they can do with their music but also about getting updated on trends, tools, and techniques.

 

Where can they go then?

 

This is a bit of a puzzle for everyone, honestly. If I take Montreal as an example, I will speak on behalf of a city I know and share some ideas that come to my mind. Montreal is a very special city, but you might be able to find similar resources locally.

 

Record stores: If you’re a music lover and rely only on digital for listening, diving back into record stores might be interesting to get out of the algorithm bubble. We have multiple vinyl stores that also sell some cassettes and CDs. There’s a market for that still. You might see other people digging and listening to music in a store. This is always a good opportunity to talk with the clerk and ask for music recommendations, but perhaps venues. If you’re not going out to clubs, there might be alternative indie places that are intimate and worth checking out local talent.

 

Music instruments stores: Similar to record shops, those places might have some gear you could consider picking up. You might want to buy basic percussion instruments to spice up your music with interaction. Talking with the staff, they might even suggest some ideas to try. Adding just a few acoustic options to the studio already makes it more playful, and sound-wise, it becomes personal. Someone like Bruno Pronsato would always record his claps and egg shakers manually. A little touch like that gives your music colour. In both cases, those places are spots to meet up and expose yourself to other music lovers of all ages.

 

Exhibits, activities, cafes and random places with DJs: Montreal always have DJs playing in random places, such as a street festival or presentation in a park. Again, befriending DJs is an excellent step in building a network, and perhaps someone can play your music in the sets or podcasts.

 

Independent Radio events: If you can find your local community radio that plays the type of music you listen to, you’ll perhaps hear about events when shows are related. It’s always a form of promotion we overlook, but local radios have a good reach in communities.

 

Follow local artists on Instagram: Instagram or other social media are places where artists usually share news about their creative activities, events, and recommendations. It’s also a place where you can send direct messages; in most cases, people will interact with you. Don’t expect much news back if you reach out to artists with many followers who are often on tour. But following your artists on multiple platforms, even streaming services, is a resource to find venues for the following shows.

 

Production Groups on Social Media: Many groups exist on Discord or Facebook. You might have to search the web a bit, but you might be able to find a community focused on a specific genre or DAW. Of course, you can be in multiple communities.

 

We have places in Montreal with an open mic concept where everyone can showcase a song. The format changes frequently, so a bit of research is worth it. However, playing your music publicly requires preparation. Releasing music is, in fact, the worst approach to getting attention and a network compared to the ideas I shared above.

 

The Semi-Pro

 

I have another category of people I work with: artists who have found a way of releasing music, perhaps also DJs, and, in some cases, are making revenue out of their exploration. This kind of artist is usually pretty aligned with what they want to do; they have perhaps an alias, a music direction, maybe a few releases on specific labels, and a taste of the different aspects of production. Music making might be one of the main activities of their lives and also takes an essential amount of their free time that overlaps work. Some have a part-time job that might be in the creative realm, but sometimes, the money income is purely functional.

 

For these people, music has benefits similar to the hobbyist’s but also:

  • Some make music in a way that promotes certain bookings. Some festivals aren’t interested in DJs who haven’t released music.
  • Endorsing a specific aesthetic can make you join a community. Some genres have leading record labels, and making music in that direction can dictate your identity, attracting people who love that music.
  • Making music for their DJ sets.

 

For the semi-professional musician, making music is not necessarily only for the sake of releasing, as there are various nuances of self-accomplishment. While many want validation from a broad public, some have focused that need on a close circle of people, which makes it easier to be attuned to where they want to go. But now and then, I see people’s mood tanks when they’re not getting attention or if they’re not releasing music. It might be seen as validation; doubt will creep in if that source isn’t fulfilled.

At some point, that category of people will also encounter a moment of not knowing where to go next. This usually happens when the routine of releases/gigs/social media exposure does not provide what the person was hoping to get. It’s easy to think that a release will be the catalytic moment where you imagine one song getting traction and giving you exposure, and then things unfold themselves. While this can happen, it is more from wishful thinking than an actual domino effect leading you elsewhere.

 

The Role-model Problem

 

I see how people spot an artist they like, then look at what they released, what they did, and where they’re playing and then put this information as milestones that made them who they are. For instance, for a while, people would look up to Perlon because of its lineup of talent and think that this was the angular piece of the puzzle that was the doorway to being validated. I know a few people who did everything imaginable to get on that label, and it never worked. Some got signed, but 10 years later, they’re still waiting for the release, which will probably never happen.

The main reason one person succeeds over another artist is mainly related to the network of people they know. But this also raises a few issues. One is the buildup of cliques and closed circles of people where some intrinsic system of politics and approval is mostly unstable. Any group that is impermeable and exclusive can most likely come to a quick end when gossiping and fights erupt. With the lack of new people, it is not set to strive healthily. The second issue with exclusive groups is the lack of open opportunities but cutting networking, and ultimately, you see members leave as soon as they succeed elsewhere.

I’ve seen many scenes where people get cynical and bitter in those situations.

Seeing how others succeed will not be your path to success. While it can inspire, you might find yourself in situations that have nothing to do with your hero’s journey.

 

What are the options to explore?

 

For anyone who has hit a wall on where to go next, there are multiple things you can look into.

Change of scene, genre, alias. Expanding and exploring other genres are fun. Artists rarely limit themselves to one genre, so it might be time to step out of your comfort zone to see what awaits you.

 

Releasing hiatus. If you are fueling on releasing to manage your ups and downs and your music validation, I strongly encourage you to take a hiatus. A pause from releasing is like taking a break from social media or smartphones. It improves your mind, and you can focus your energy on other things. Try supporting a friend in their first release or study reference tracks.

 

Go to a festival abroad. Find a festival of your choice and go on a vacation to participate. Try to go far and be somewhere you’ll know no one. Experiencing the feeling of being new again can spark fun and inspiration. Not only is going to a different city and seeing other people healthy and inspiring, but sometimes we also discover micro-communities that resemble ours. That was one thing that was constantly surprising me when I toured. I would meet doppelgangers from my Montreal crew in various places, and people who would love the same music as me would connect easily with me on a personal level.

 

Listen to music from clubs you’re new to. This is the same as above, but locally. I name clubs, but if your music is for any other context, you need to visit those places and hear your music, leaving it up to the people there. Very often, artists are studio hermits and forget about the outside world. Hearing certain songs you love in context gives a better understanding of how you can translate your ideas out there.

 

Spend time in Record Stores. Just like the hobbyist, this activity explains why we’re making music. To see records and people shopping gives an outlook to a passion. I like to see this as someone who grows crops and then can go to a restaurant where they use it for their meals. It connects the dots. Sometimes, you might even be able to play your music to the shop owner and see people’s reactions.

 

Collaborate. As it says, opening up a project with someone else, perhaps someone who is not a musician, to see what happens can lead you to unexpected places.

 

Take a class. Learn anything. It can be visual design, coding, or electronic soldering. Having another hobby is very welcomed by the brain that will appreciate the new information, and this is proven even to feed your ongoing desire to learn.

 

Music is more than releasing. It comes and lives in various ways. I hope this article inspires you to try something new.

 

Electronic Music Is More Than Making Tracks

/in /by

People have become increasingly interested in making electronic music in the last decade. I find it more exciting than people getting into DJing. It’s clear to me that one or the other is a hobby that everyone who enjoys electronic music should explore. As you explore the art of DJ, you learn how to dig, get familiar with the roots of artists you love, discover music you didn’t know you loved, and build some obsession over tracks. It’s a fun hobby that fuels the scene, supporting artists and labels and feeding more energy into what you believe in.

Making music is a pretty deep activity. I mean it. Some people get curious about making beats, and before they know it, they’re engaged in an inner journey where they rediscover parts of themselves and create sounds they never thought possible. Making music mirrors its creator’s psyche, reflecting subconscious emotions and triggering memories.

Photo by James Kovin on Unsplash

Maybe you’ll think I’m crazy, but most people who have been exploring the art for a while will confirm that it’s not so silly. This is why I get it when someone wants to make songs first, but I am also excited to tell the newcomer that there is more to explore than making tracks. What’s a bit tricky to explain is that to make tracks, you need to do multiple activities first. Making a song is like writing a story or a novel. You need to live some adventures first to share a story. Or perhaps you have a lot of imagination, but real stories always bring substance.

I like to see songs as stories from the studio. They are a collection of moments built into a more cohesive narrative. Sometimes, a few related stories can also be paired into a conversation.

Regarding categories of songs, in my case, I have two main buckets:

  • Reference-inspired music: This refers to songs that are built with a precise purpose, such as making music for DJs, and is built to fit sets.
  • Personal agenda: collecting moments and miniatures and finding sounds that I would love to put into a live performance where I record the outcome.

 

The issue I see for people who start making electronic music is that they focus on creating a song but lack the experience, tools, and general workflow to get things done. They will then compare themselves, and the gap between what they made and other people’s music will be significant. Many want to make a personal song combining the two categories I mentioned. This is even more difficult because the person will lack one of the primary essential music skills: vocabulary. That skill comes with playing, rehearsing and repeating the techniques.

I found many tutorials on making songs and known artists showing how they made music or how to make one from scratch, but this is a steep activity for a newcomer. We could relate to that kind of video, such as sharing how to build a house. It is helpful, but you’ll practice someone else’s way of working, and it won’t show all the learning they’ve been going through, which includes failing, dealing with various issues and how they resolved them. Electronic music is supposed to be a playground where you play with all those toys and software to see what comes out of it, and then, down the road, you record something you want to share.

 

To record something without exploration is the equivalent of sharing a made-up story that you haven’t lived: it lacks the essence. Memorable stories are partly inspired by personal experience.

 

Making sounds without a purpose might not be romantic or exciting, but it is an activity that develops deep listening. That skill is essential for understanding sound, reverse engineering what you imagine, and mixing. Sitting there and listening to sounds you make or have found is valuable.

 

Besides making music, sound activities that have to be added to your rotation of studio sessions should include:

  • Listening to music.
  • Listening to samples, videos, non-related sounds.
  • Update plugins and gear.
  • Learn a specific effect by testing all the knobs/options.
  • Backup projects.
  • Rename and organize past projects and ongoing ones.
  • Use MIDI controllers paired with plugins and play with them.
  • Design one sound at a time: ex. Bass hit or percussion.
  • Turn loops into structures
  • Create Mood boards and fill them with samples, designs, and sounds.
  • Analyze Reference tracks and create templates for them.
  • Modular patching.
  • Create grooves alone
  • Create Hooks alone
  • Create beats alone
  • Design an arpeggio.
  • Try chord progressions.
  • Deconstruct the song structure of a project of yours and see what are the different alternatives.
  • Practice playing an instrument or a keyboard.
  • etc.

 

 

I will share some activities and exercises I do daily that you can also do. These provide me with some ideas and remind me that electronic music is more than just making songs; it’s just spending time tweaking, listening, and adjusting.

 

Studio Activities to Try

 

Here are eight studio activities that mix challenge, logic, and analysis. Each is designed to be a focused exercise in sound exploration that lets you practice a new skill and gives you material to play with at the end. These exercises allow you to treat individual sound elements as mini-compositions (miniature) while keeping things structured enough to evolve into a conclusive five-minute segment.

 

Focus: Parameter Modulation Mapping

 

Challenge: Explore manual modulation with the 2-hands Technique

 

Activity: This requires a MIDI controller and mapping some parameters to a plugin instrument or effect. One of the most straightforward yet most potent explorations you can do is to map two knobs to 2 parameters. Then, using your hands, you’ll explore the different results when one hand does something while the other does something else. As a starter, if you need an idea, you’d control the frequency cutoff of a filter, and the other parameter would be the resonance.

 

What happens when you move slowly one parameter while the other squiggles quickly?

What does it sound like when the two move in opposite directions, quickly vs slowly?

You could ask yourself many questions, but being curious is the best guide.

 

Outcome: This transformative manipulation can drastically shape sound. You might want to add a limiter immediately to avoid hurting your ears. Recording the movement can test various sound sources through your effect. Resample everything.

 

 

Focus: Layered Texture Sculpting

 

Challenge: Create layers for a sound to make it more complex or richer.

 

Activity: You can layer textures to a simple-sounding sample using an envelope follower and a few filters. If the sound is mostly a mi-oriented synth, you can layer higher-pitched texture by putting a filter in highpass mode. Since many sounds have content in various areas of the frequency spectrum, you can explore parts of it with an EQ that isolates a section. You can also practice FM modulation to make the sound richer and then have fun with multi-band processing (eg. compression or saturation) to blend it.

 

Outcome: Practice adding layers to sounds, which gives you options when exploring new hooks. You can use previous experiments,, or if you build macros while exploring, you can create them on the fly.

 

 

Focus: Micro-Rhythm Manipulation

 

Challenge: Explore a sound when repitched, stretched or sequenced.

 

Activity: There’s this interesting fact that a sound in a library can have multiple lives, just like a cat. You can use the same sample multiple times, and to avoid repeating yourself, you’ll change it so it feels anew. Changing pitch is one way of exploring a sound’s potentially new outcome. Pitch it down for darker moods and high for exciting overtones. Explore the sound in a different scale, as a chord or reversed. Changing its length and sequencing can also turn it into an unpredictable turnout.

 

Outcome: After resampling the new ideas, you can save them as new hooks or post them on mood boards that need fresh air.

 

 

Focus: Algorithmic Sequencing Experiment (Or any sequencing that isn’t usual to you)

 

Challenge: Use an algorithmic sequencer or generative tool to create evolving note sequences or parameter changes.

 

Activity: You can record the MIDI output to new clips using a complex sequencer or MIDI clips with probabilities on some triggers. Recording multiple new clips allows you to save practical and fun sequences to reuse. In Ableton v12, you can make a drum kit and then shuffle the sounds with similar ones. Shuffling sequences and drum selections allow you to preview sounds with a specific sequence. Sometimes, we have a melody we love, but the sound doesn’t fit, and vice versa. Exploring one or the other lets you see a broad palette for a selection. Algorithmic sequencing is a powerful tool to spit out ideas from your habits since you’re not in control of the sequence.g

 

Outcome: If you save them, the result is in 3 spheres with new drum kits, midi clips, and audio clips.

 

Focus: Resampling and Transformation

 

Challenge: Reshape a sound entirely

 

Activity: Using the option to record modulation to clip in session view, add multiple effects of your choice on the channel of the sample and then record yourself moving parameters. Tieing your modulation recording to a loop-based time creates a lot of change to the initial sample. When we play with effects, we rarely automate multiple parameters at once, so this activity is about exploring exaggeration and going to places you might not explore. Once you have some action going, resample the entire playful session.

 

Outcome: Recording a long exploration as this will always offer alternatives to the original idea. Those recordings can be new hooks or extra material to support the initial sound.

 

Focus: One-Plugin Challenge

 

Challenge: Choose a single instrument plugin and use it exclusively to sculpt your sound for 5 minutes.

 

Activity: Similar to making a miniature, this activity is about taking enough time not to achieve anything other than using your curiosity and seeing what comes out of it. Very often, we are task-driven with something in mind, which narrows the outcome of what your tools can do. Set your root key to C to resample the exploration in those moments. Being in C will let you import the recording to a sampler for easy manipulation.

 

Outcome: Limiting your tools forces you to explore every nook and cranny of a plugin, and not having a goal keeps you open to finding sounds you aren’t usually going far.

 

 

Focus: Dynamic Arrangement via Automation

 

Challenge: Turn a simple loop into multiple versions of itself using generative techniques.

 

Activity: Use the follow-action option in the session view to select multiple clips with a hook and create variations. The idea is to start with a simple loop, but the outcome will be different each time you play it. The record button allows you to save the order of the clips played, creating new hooks and unexpected arrangements.

 

Outcome: Either you resample the session or record the clip launching activity, but the outcome will provide a way of exploding the initial loop trap one can fall into. You can also revisit old projects and apply the same activity to recycle solid ideas in alternate versions of themselves.

 

 

Focus: Spatial Field Exploration

 

Challenge: Explore using space through panning, reverb and filters

 

Activity: Using a few samples from a new project or idea, spend time meticulously positioning them in space using panning. Quite often, that production phase is overlooked and left to be done at the end, either in the mixing phase or at some other point. Taking the time to explore what a sound can be like in the panning distribution can reveal potential flaws or strengths of a sound.

 

Outcome: The recorded performance might inspire spatial arrangements in larger tracks and help you consider sound positioning as a compositional element. Sometimes, moving around a sound will help make sense when paired with another. It’s a nice activity to listen to how sounds relate to each other, but from a spatial perspective. Also, exploring reverb use can give a new mood to the most straightforward sound.

 

Focus: Preset Owning

 

Challenge: Explore all the presets of your plugins and tweak them.

 

Activity: It is an enjoyable experience to go through all the presets of a plugin or synth and modify them to taste. You can, after that, either save them over the original preset or as a new one. Electronic musicians often disdain using presets, but you can see them as a starting point. You can also make them yours by changing them to your needs. Going through multiple presets helps you understand how a specific plugin works and how to configure it to achieve a particular result.

Alternative: My friend Jason likes to try to “break” plugins by pushing them to extreme settings to see what happens. By pushing them far, you can then roll back to less intense results.

 

Outcome: An expansion of your presets and a better understanding of your tools.

 

If you have suggestions, please share!

 

 

 

Self Promotion And The Music Business

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There’s something weird going on at the moment with the music business. I’m unsure where to point fingers, but I’ll explain what I’m seeing, and perhaps you’ll understand what I mean.

As you know, I’m not new to music making or the business. My first record was out in 1999, and since then, I’ve seen the business change much, going through mutations, transformations, and various crises. From the whole peer-to-peer system, Netlabels, and music piracy to the appearance of streaming services and the almost crash of vinyl record sales to the huge boom.

As they say in Buddhism, change itself is the only thing that doesn’t change.

Looking at how things are going at the moment, we have many options, both for making music and consuming it. We’re being almost feed fed to new music multiple times a day. It’s hard to keep up and dive deeply into the music because we’re chasing everything we might miss. 2024 is the first year I bought plugins and things, and then the week after, I completely forgot about them because something else came up. It’s hard to think there was a time when we’d see new interesting audio tools coming every 3-6 months.

For many musicians, this situation raises multiple questions as the challenge of being heard and seen becomes more than a puzzle. For many newcomers, being able to finish a song and then publish it with a few clicks motivates them to enter the electronic music world. There’s a brutal awakening down the road when there are not many results.

 

In the past years, we’ve been sold that we could reach out to the entire world with the abundance of music promotion options available on the market. But it is clear that after some experimentation, these false premises left us a bit lost on what those tools are doing. James Blake even said he couldn’t reach out to his fans, so he started his platform. He’s not wrong, though, because when one posts to their fan, it seems like social media are trimming the size of people who will see it to a bare minimum. I’ll see an artist share their new release multiple times a day, and the number of likes I see is often around 10, sometimes more if the artist is widely known. I have 17k followers on Soundcloud, yet only 10-20 will listen when I post a song.

 

The numbers don’t mean anything anymore.

 

It seems that releasing music is making people shrug. It is no longer special unless you have a real following of caring people.

Let me summarize a few points that could help anyone with music promotion. In the last six months, I’ve worked with many clients on taking new approaches to their music, and so far, I’ve seen some encouraging results.

 

Immediate Promotion

 

The first step to promotion is to understand who your music is for. In electronic music, it is often, in the end, for DJs. Technically, those are your clients and the bridge between yourself and the public. If DJs aren’t your bridge, you need to sit and find out who your promotion proxy is. Perhaps it’s radios or blogs.

Whoever it is, you need to be able to pinpoint locally and in your surroundings who can promote your music. In this phase, the focus of your promotion is that you must avoid promoting your music, yourself, directly to the masses. The soapbox promotion method is not a good one. It is the opposite of the word of mouth promotion. We all know that word of mouth works.

TIP: There are many coffee shops, yoga studios, or other public places that are open to playing music by local artists as a way to give them a first try.

While this might initially seem counter-productive, it is yet what I’ve seen working the best. In a past post, I was relating to the Circle of 5 method, where you need to have people test your music for you and pass the word around.

I’ve been suggesting that people contact DJs to pass on their music. This can be demanding for networking as you must use social media to get in touch. From what I’ve seen lately, using Instagram seems to be a good way. Soundcloud is dead, but it works for finding talent and checking how to contact artists. That said, DJs are always looking for new music, and having the chance to discover talent is something they all want. Using Bandcamp is also another solid way of finding labels and artists and discovering music that could be similar to what you make.

The point is that you want your music to be played and tested in context. Something that drives people crazy, especially DJs, is hearing a song in a set and being unable to find out what it is because you can’t Shazam it. This is why promoting your music that way can create a buzz. That method is called Shadow presence. It’s a derivative of artists who use anonymity to create some mystery

 

The immediate promotion dynamic’s way is to invert the communication flow; You want to bring people to you instead of running after them.

 

I’d encourage you to use this method to communicate with whoever you contact.

  1. Whenever you contact someone, don’t drop a link to your music in the first contact. Don’t sound like a vacuum salesman; be human first.
  2. Establish a friendly conversation, get to know the person, be polite and explain your intention of networking.
  3. Ask permission to send music. But first, do your homework and make sure your music fits the artist’s music tastes/direction.

 

These tips for communicating with DJs are what you’d use with a label. They’re pretty much the safe list approach that makes it possible as you’re not seen as intrusive. But basically, just use these three steps through your career to avoid issues in general.

 

Labels vs Self-Release

 

This is probably one of the topics I discuss the most with clients. Too often, I get clients who just finished a song, and their first idea is to send it immediately to a label. What baffles me about this is:

  • The song has never been tested. Songs need to be played by a few experts to see if it fits the market.
  • The song never got played in a club. If your music is club-oriented, it needs to be played out to see how it fits a set, touches the crowd and fits among other songs of the same genre.
  • The song was never peer-reviewed. Music has to be heard by artists to get some feedback.

For many, the idea that every song should be promoted, sent to labels, or released is a validation-seeking exercise. They are completely disconnected from the music release process, ultimately filling the market with space-filling music. Releasing music means you want to commercialize the song(s), and the promotion must be done before.

You commercialize music because there is a demand for it. If you commercialize music to promote it, it will compete with other music (promoted properly) on the market and be lost at sea. Even more prominent artists go through a routine check before releasing their music. Some who don’t might create a backlash with their followers or the press.

The best approach to establishing a relationship with your music’s promotion is to develop patience first. Labels are there to facilitate the commercialization of your art, but there is leverage work of consolidating your online image and making your music solid. Once you have set yourself, partnering with a label will be smoother. They will get you in touch with a community, have channels of sale, and push you through their promotions. But you need a basis first.

 

Conversely, some people jump quickly into self-release without understanding the consequences or having a solid basis. Before going there, ask yourself if someone mentioned they would like to buy your music. If someone wants to buy it, you can self-release it because that is how you sell it. However, self-release is not a helpful promotion method.

 

There is no rush or need to release music whatsoever. A release doesn’t set any standards and it doesn’t make you more of an artist than you are already.

 

It’s not because your music is up for sale that it will sell. I often see clients who immediately put their music on Bandcamp and have two or three sales over a few years. This doesn’t look good and can be interpreted as unprofessional by industry professionals.

Mainly for these points:

  • It makes you look like you have no network or support.
  • It gives the impression that you’re not doing your self-promotion properly.
  • It can give the impression that there’s something off with your music.
  • It will mostly make you look like a hobbyist more than a pro or semi-pro.

 

That said, I would refrain from trying that.

Instead, keep your music to yourself and people who want to play it as a way of building yourself a network. People who succeed mostly can say they made it happen because they knew the right people at the right time. Yes, there is an element of luck, but the chance factor is multiplied by the number of influential people you know.

 

Direct Action

 

If we think that one of the artists’ goals with their music is to be heard, it is easy to be tempted to reach out to all the promotion options. Yes, sites like HypeEdit, Groover, and others will perhaps provide a window of possibilities for getting through. But then again, it might not be happening. That desire can divert you from the underlying need for validation. Once that is met, you will feel more comfortable waiting for things to happen. Therefore, what can make a difference is what you can control. This involves a series of different things.

The first action you can take to promote your music is to pass it on to interested people. Whether that person uses your music for DJ sets, a podcast, or to play in a local coffee shop, all these micro-actions make your music move. I emphasize working on what you can control.

 

Quality in your music.

Whatever and however you make music, a certain level of professionalism will pay off in how you sound to others. Some clients will book me for a mix and master, but the song does not have much content or depth. While solid production certainly can be impressive, people usually remember the hook and feeling coming from the song. If the production is a distraction from the idea, that might say that your hook is weak.

Quality combines several elements: sample quality, hook catchiness, idea articulation, execution, and development. That will eventually be the topic of a whole post. Still, if I had to sum it up, I’d say to make sure you use quality samples (not MP3 or YouTube rips) from sites, and if you find a good way to integrate it in a pattern that develops appropriately, then you’ve done a large part of the assignment.

 

Quantity and Consistency.

This has been covered multiple times in the blog, but I’ll reframe it again (until people know it by heart). To find fun and exciting ideas, you need to dig for many. The first one you see might or not be “good,” which will only be more apparent with time. This means starting new ideas every day. Make a tons. The usual ratio of gems is about 3 to 5%, good ones will be maybe 10%, and the average is 20%. So, if you make 100 new ideas, you will get a rough idea of how it will go. If this can help, I will start with about five ideas daily (for the last 20 years), but only a tiny amount will be released.

The quantity is necessary because you will be exposed to exploring multiple techniques, so you won’t repeat yourself. Eventually, you’ll end up with a lovely catalogue of songs and ideas.

 

Regular Networking.

The name of the game is networking. Your success is directly related to who you know and how you position yourself with your local community. Knowing people online is one thing, but having in-person contacts is even better. That has been said enough, and I’ll leave it to this as that is something you control for the most part. I’m aware some cities have fewer communities, and some people do not live in big cities with an active scene. But if you’re serious about what you do, organizing road trips to nearby places and making new friends might be something to add to your vacation plans in the future.

 

Expressiveness Sound Design

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One of my favourite topics is about one of the most helpful tools involved in music sound synthesis: Envelopes.

Years ago, I was searching online for essential tips on sound design and ended up in an interview with someone who worked in the industry. While I don’t remember who it was or what he was talking about, the one thing that struck me was how he explained that the most exciting part of his design was related to envelopes. In other words, he said that what made some sound designs “next level” was how they were used.

 

Every sound around us has envelopes, even constant background sounds such as a the low hum of a fridge.

 

In sound design, an envelope is a reactive control mechanism that shapes how a parameter, such as amplitude, pitch, or filter frequency, evolves in response to a gate (a signal that remains active as long as a note is held) or a trigger (a short, one-time event). Envelopes modify a sound’s dynamics, giving it motion and expression.

When you trigger a note on your keyboard or punch in some notes for your melodies or percussion, you’re using an envelope to shape the personality of a sound. If the envelope modulates the amplitude (e.g., volume, gain), it defines how it starts and ends over time.

 

There are two main types of envelopes:

AD Envelope (Attack-Decay):

This more straightforward envelope consists of just two stages:

  • Attack: The time it takes for the sound to rise from silence to its peak level after being triggered.
  • Decay: The time it takes for the sound to fade from the peak level to silence after the attack phase is completed.

It is commonly used for short, percussive sounds or when simplicity is needed, as the sound always returns to zero regardless of how long the gate is held.

Since you don’t need to hold a key down for the envelope to work, a simple tap will do, and this is why we often use this one for percussion.

 

From The Wolfsound webpage

 

Rampage (Befaco)

This module is similar to another module named Maths. It is a double AD module, meaning that one trigger can trigger two envelopes at once or be used as a multi-stage envelope (see below) where the end of the first envelope triggers a second one. It can also trigger one another into a feedback loop, a technique named Krell patching.

This highly versatile module also has speed adjustment for envelope movement, from slow to fast, once again valuable for creating textures and movement.

ADSR Envelope (Attack-Decay-Sustain-Release):

 

A more versatile and detailed envelope with four stages, often seen in synths. This one requires a gate to operate because it’s following the time of the gate itself. If the envelope’s settings are shorter than the gate, it will shift to the release stage.

  • Attack: Time to rise from silence to the peak level when the gate is activated.
  • Decay: Time to fall from the peak level to the sustain level.
  • Sustain: A constant level is maintained as long as the gate is active (note is held).
  • Release: Time to fade from the sustain level back to silence after the gate is deactivated (note is released).

 

This type is ideal for shaping sustained or evolving sounds like pads or leads, allowing for more dynamic control. It can also be used with percussion but must be longer than shorter sounds. Cymbals and gongs are good examples.

 

ADSR explained (Native Instruments)

Ableton’s Envelope MIDI is a simple modulator you can map to anything in your project. It also has different parameter adjustments for tweaking it in detail.

Envelope Reactivity:

 

  • When a gate signal is applied, the envelope begins shaping the sound according to its defined stages (AD or ADSR) and reacts dynamically depending on how long the gate remains active.
  • The envelope completes its cycle regardless of the input length for a trigger signal, making it suitable for one-shot sounds like drum hits or effects.

 

Envelopes are fundamental tools in sound design because of their reactivity. They enable precise control over the evolution of a sound’s character over time.

 

A function and an envelope share similarities in that both are time-based modulators, but they differ in flexibility and application:

 

Envelopes:

  • Typically, predefined stages (e.g., ADSR or AD) control how a parameter evolves in response to a gate or trigger.
  • Envelopes are tied to musical events like note on/off signals and are specifically designed to shape sound characteristics (amplitude, filter cutoff, pitch, etc.).
  • They repeat their behaviour consistently when triggered.

 

Functions:

  • Functions are more generalized and programmable time-based modulators that perform various tasks beyond standard envelopes.
  • A function can trigger a single event (like an envelope) and include custom curves, loops, or conditional behaviours (e.g., cycling, repeating with variations, or modulating multiple parameters).
  • Unlike envelopes, functions may not rely on a gate or trigger. They can operate freely, following internal timing or external synchronization.

 

In essence, envelopes are a subset of functions purpose-built to shape sound, while functions are more flexible and allow broader modulation possibilities.

 

What Is a Multi-Stage Envelope (Chained Envelopes)?

 

A multi-stage envelope extends the traditional envelope concept by adding additional stages, creating a more complex and customizable modulation shape. It consists of multiple chained segments with their curve, duration, and target values, allowing for intricate and evolving modulations beyond the simple ADSR model.

One thing I like in the modular world is having multiple envelope modules with an EOC (end-of-cycle), where when one ends, you can have another one starting. If you have 3-4 envelopes, they can all have different settings, and the modulation will end up being like a function because it is more programming than static and repetitive.

The best application for this is for complex fluctuating modulations. Background design, textures and drones are good examples here.

 

Key Features of Multi-Stage Envelopes:

 

Customizable Stages:

    • Each stage can have different time lengths, target values, and shapes (e.g., linear, exponential, logarithmic, or even user-drawn curves).

Chained Behavior:

    • The envelope moves through each stage sequentially, often in response to a single trigger or gate. It can also loop specific stages or groups of stages.

Looping and Re-triggering:

    • Certain stages or sections of the envelope can loop, creating cyclic behaviours (e.g., for LFO-like modulation or rhythmic effects).
    • Some multi-stage envelopes allow conditional behaviours, such as advancing to the next stage only when a specific condition is met.

Applications:

    • Multi-stage envelopes are perfect for creating evolving textures, rhythmic patterns, or modulating parameters over extended periods.
    • They are often used in modular synthesis and sound design software like VCV Rack, where granular control over modulation is needed.

Practical Example of a Multi-Stage Envelope:

 

Imagine a multi-stage envelope used to control filter cutoff for a pad:

  • Stage 1 (Attack): The cutoff rises slowly from low to high.
  • Stage 2 (Decay): The cutoff drops slightly to add subtle warmth.
  • Stage 3 (Sustain 1): The cutoff holds steady.
  • Stage 4 (Rise): The cutoff climbs again for a sweeping effect.
  • Stage 5 (Release): The cutoff fades out smoothly.

This setup can loop stages 2 through 4, creating a hypnotic movement in the filter.

 

Followers as Mimic Envelopes

 

An envelope follower is a tool that extracts the amplitude shape (or envelope) of an incoming audio signal and converts it into a control signal. This control signal modulates various parameters in a synthesizer, effect, or other audio processor. While it shares similarities with traditional envelopes, it differs in how it derives its modulation shape.

 

Similarities Between an Envelope and an Envelope Follower:

 

Shape Control:

  • Both create a time-based modulation shape that can control parameters such as amplitude, filter cutoff, or pitch.
  • In both cases, the “envelope” defines how a parameter evolves.
  • In many cases, envelope followers have rise-and-fall controls that are used to smooth out the shape of the read signal.

 

Dynamic Modulation:

  • Both can introduce expressiveness and movement to a sound by dynamically modulating parameters.

 

How an Envelope Follower Works:

 

This is a modulating tool you put at one point of your chain, and it will read the incoming signal. The signal read is then translated into a modulation. It usually comes with a Gain knob so you can control how much movement you want it to read.

 

Input:

  • The envelope follower analyzes an incoming audio signal and measures its amplitude (volume) over time.

 

Output:

  • It generates a control signal (CV or MIDI automation) corresponding to the input signal’s amplitude.
  • For example, a loud signal produces a high output value, while a soft signal produces a low output value.

 

Filtering:

  • To avoid overly rapid or jagged modulation, many envelope followers include smoothing or attack/release (rise/fall) controls.

 

Ableton 12.1’s new Envelope Follower has a Sidechain signal, allowing you to intercept the signal from another channel and mix it with the incoming signal, creating a more complex movement that refers to 2 independent sources.

 

 

Using an Envelope Follower to Modulate Another Sound:

 

Extracting Modulation:

    • The envelope follower “follows” the dynamics of one sound (e.g., a drum loop, vocal, or bassline) and creates a modulation signal that mirrors its amplitude shape.

 

Applying Modulation:

  • This modulation signal can be applied to another sound’s parameters, such as:
  • Filter cutoff: Make the filter of a pad “pulse” with the rhythm of a drum beat.
  • Amplitude: Shape the volume of one sound (e.g., a synth) based on the dynamics of another.
  • Pitch: Add a wobbling or dynamic pitch effect driven by the input signal.

 

Practical Example:

 

  • Imagine a drum loop being fed into an envelope follower.
  • The envelope follower generates a modulation signal based on the drum’s transients (e.g., the kick and snare peaks).
  • This signal controls the filter cutoff of a synth pad, creating a rhythmic filtering effect synchronized with the drum loop’s dynamics.

 

Creative Uses of an Envelope Follower:

 

Sidechain-Like Effects:

  • Use an envelope follower on a kick drum to duck the volume of another sound, similar to traditional sidechain compression.

 

Rhythmic Modulation:

  • Apply the rhythmic envelope of a percussive sound to non-percussive elements, such as reverb or delay levels.

 

Dynamic Layering:

  • Use an envelope follower to match the dynamics of a secondary layer (e.g., adding texture to a lead by dynamically modulating it with a vocal track).

 

Cross-Synthesis:

  • Combine the dynamics of one sound with the tonal qualities of another, creating hybrid and expressive textures.

An envelope follower is similar to a traditional envelope in providing dynamic, time-based modulation. However, while conventional envelopes are pre-programmed shapes triggered by a gate or trigger, envelope followers derive their shape directly from an audio signal. This makes them a powerful tool for dynamic, real-time modulation, enabling producers to “borrow” the amplitude shape of one sound and creatively apply it to another.

 

How I use Envelopes and these movements in electronic music

 

There are multiple insights I discovered while studying sounds, and one of them is how the sound fluctuates and modulates based on an envelope more than LFOs. For instance, deeper kicks often use envelope-based pitch shifting for multiple purposes.

 

  • A fast pitch shifting up can make a kick’s transient snappier.
  • A medium shifting down will create a downward pull, with a feeling the kick is dropping low towards your hips.

 

Both are common and have the advantage of bringing life, therefore making them more engaging. If the envelope constantly changes, it will feel more acoustic sounding. Considering that one envelope shapes the kick’s amplitude and another one, the pitch, reminded me of what the interviewed sound designer mentioned. I realized that when I use a sound, I always try to have 2 to 4 envelopes and an envelope follower. It became a “by default” macro for my channels.

 

The advantage of having multiple envelopes is you have them have 3 ariations: slow/fast/medium attack and slow/fast/medium release.

 

That realization was a 180-degree shift compared to my old approach, where I’d use multiple LFOs per channel/sound. Something about LFOs made the sounds feel more mechanical, while envelopes made the sounds more organic/human. It was also a way of ensuring that one sound would shape the characteristics of the sound of another channel. It made me stop using side-chaining compression and instead would use amplitude side-chaining. But that’s just one example because the applications are pretty vast.

 

Ideas to explore:

  • An envelope is used to open up an LFO’s amplitude. If an LFO modulation is constant, it will give more of a mechanical result. Still, if the envelope opens the amplitude, there will be this little temporary movement (think of bird singing). An envelope for exciting evolution can also alter the speed of the LFO.
  • Opening the wet-dry of an effect such as a reverb.
  • Envelopes are used to modulate the panning of a sound to make room for another. This is an excellent alternative to predictable aut0-panning and can also avoid phasing issues in some cases.
  • Using the envelope, a sound but inducing a delay can create a cleaner call and answer for your arrangements.
  • Create a MIDI channel without an instrument, but instead, add a few envelopes. The envelopes will follow your notes whenever you press keys on your keyboard, and you can then assign the envelopes to a few parameters across your project.

 

For mixing, envelopes have helped add cleanliness and clarity to songs. Side-chain compression became obsolete more than ever for me as compression alters the envelope more than an envelope will. Compression also alters the density of a sound, which is not always necessary.

You can also create a macro that captures the movement of a sound within a frequency range (e.g., everything over 4kHz, where transients are). Transient shapes can be used to make the texture for another sound.

 

The exploration is vast here, and I’d love to read your application.