Whatever your level of mastery of Ableton Live is, you might have occasionally seen some advanced tutorials on YouTube and wondered if these were for you. While I will cover some of the advanced techniques I use below, I want to introduce the topic of what advanced techniques are and why you’d like to use them. It’s one thing to be interested in them, but sometimes, simple might be even more powerful than something advanced and complicated unless you want to do something complicated.
Whenever I have students who ask about advanced techniques, we always end up in a rabbit hole conversation about what is advanced in the first place or why one would want to use that. We talk about ambient music, IDM, EDM, or music that seems to be advanced. The thing is, techniques are always divided into categories, and that’s where it all begins.
Live performance.
Arrangements.
Sound Design.
Mixing.
While music production is a non-linear series of phases that go round and round, you initially use a technique to replicate a specific effect/sound or solve a roadblock. To know which technique you want or need to use, you’ll first need to be able to name the issue you’re facing. That might be difficult because sometimes, we don’t even know we have an issue.
Circular learning Instead of Linear
One of the issues many students who work with me have faced with traditional learning or online classes is that they use a linear approach to teaching and a mono-directional state of lesson sharing. The linear approach is basically like cooking, where you follow steps on the how-to with a result at the end. This issue in electronic music-making is that experiences are more like a tree of possibilities than a unique result. Think of a tree as an entity with multiple roots merging into a core and expanding in multiple branches. It’s the same with music: your roots come from various spaces, and your future should lean towards a wide expansion of possibilities instead of a one-directional place.
Mono-directional lessons mean that you receive information and then apply it. I don’t believe in that method so much because I’m curious, always wanting to know more. Curiosity is one of the most important traits for learning electronic music. I prefer a bi-directional method, which means I will get to know the student, where he’s coming from, how he learns and where he wants to go.
The approach we use is circular when it comes to learning, and it is mainly about understanding the roadblocks and then using strategies to overcome them. This will lead to explore techniques.
Notes from a private class I gave. Working, learning in a circular motion.
As you can see, we start by keeping the student in a state of flow, but when they encounter a roadblock, we have a strategy for finding solutions within an approach.
Now, let’s see how some techniques will work for them.
Problem Solving and Fixing them
It’s one thing to encounter technical difficulties, but it’s another thing to face technical limitations. Sometimes, you don’t know that you don’t know there is a problem, and that’s tricky. In teaching, passing all the knowledge to a student never proved to work. One of the best ways to learn is to start making a song, a miniature or a little live experiment.
As Live came to 2024 with a new version (12), one of the first things that came to my attention was how the whole midi section evolved with the direct implementation of max patches within the clip’s properties. Not long after the new version was out, two developers proposed a series of advanced tools, and I’ll explain below some of the potential issues they’re covering.
The first one that piqued my curiosity was Phillip’s MIDI Tools collection. As the name states, it’s a collection of MIDI-oriented tools divided into two categories.
The categories are new in Live 12. They consist of containers that transform signals or create new ideas. This approach is similar to modular synths, where you have sources and modifiers. So, it is not alien to anyone who comes from that world. It was like that in version 11, but it was not explained in that fashion.
In a way, the new version of Live goes to its roots: playing live.
The tools Meyer offers are numerous. Here they are and what they do.
Blocks
Blocks
Category: Generator
What it does: Mainly used for rhythmical generation. Creating abnormal patterns in an unusual way
What issue it can help with: Breaking your percussion habits, making breakbeats or strange beats. Useful for breaking writer’s block.
I think this one is my favourite. You say how many beats or notes you want and then play with the sliders. Depending on the position given, the notes will be placed proportionally. It’s not euclidean sequencing; it’s a logic of its own.
Phase Pattern
Category: Generator
What it does: Creates sequences logarithmically.
What issue it can help with: It can create a bouncing ball effect, meaning that beats can take speed or change halfway. This is useful for breaks, transitions, effects, and rolls.
This one is fun. It is a good way to create elastic-sounding patterns where things speed up, and it can also be a way to change pace during a song.
Turing Machine
Category: Generator
What it does: Emulates what the Turing machine does in the modular world.
What issue it can help with: Coming up with new melodies and patterns. It is excellent for breaking writer’s block or providing complementary, supportive ideas.
If you’re unfamiliar with what the Turing machine does, I’d encourage you to look at this. It’s a system invented by Allan Turing during WWII to decypher the Nazi codes. Now, we can use it to generate sequences, melodies or patterns.
Polyrhythm
Category: Generator
What it does: Makes multiple patterns at once.
What issue it can help with: Making complex sequences, percussive or melodic.
If you’re unfamiliar with polyrhythms, I would encourage you to look into this. Basically, polyrhythms are a way of programming patterns that aren’t the same length, making the sequence non-linear and not always falling under the same loop. It can have a hypnotic effect and confuse people about where an idea starts and ends, typical in African percussion. This generator uses Euclidean algorithms to create its sequences.
Condition
Category: Transformer
What it does: It takes an idea, and it can propose alternatives upon certain conditions.
What issue it can help with: Finding different variations for a sequence.
Why settle on an idea when you can have unlimited alternatives and choose the best for your arrangements? This transformer will do exactly this.
Develop
Category: Transformer
What it does: Similar to condition but time-related. It takes an initial idea and then develops it, fades it out gradually. See it as an intelligent note-enhancing tool.
What issue it can help with: It can be a good way to develop an idea unexpectedly.
This one is similar to the conditions. It works well in the Arrangement section, where you take an idea and then see multiple ideas evolve from an initial idea. It’s not condition-based but more of a way to have an idea evolve.
Divs
Category: Transformer
What it does: It takes a note and subdivides it.
What issue it can help with: it’s not a problem that it fixes, but it makes ratcheting out of anything.
This technique has been popular with Trap lately. It is made as a buddy for the Blocks tool.
Draw
Category: Transformer
What it does: Gives a melody to pattern or life in different ways
What issue it can help with: Turn a sequence you generated into a melody. You can easily draw pitch or other characteristics and see how it goes.
It is a spontaneous way to create melodies and transform quick patterns into something else, automatically giving them a second life.
Pattern Transform
Category: transformer
What it does: Take a pattern and, upon certain rules, revise melodies and make decisions for you.
What issue it can help with: Slight modifications to a hook can help you create alternatives for other sections of your song.
See it as a condition-based decision-making assistant.
Segments
Category: transformer
What it does: Subdivise a note, but it is condition-based.
What issue it can help with: Similar to Divs but with an approach similar to condition.
Ideal for complex IDM micro glitch patterns.
Feel
Category: transformer
What it does: It’s a humanizer.
What issue it can help with: To break from a robotic, stiff sequence and induce it with a swing and a human fee.
Shift
Category: transformer
What it does: Take a pattern and then shift it around, either pitch, duration, velocity, etc.
What issue it can help with: Useful for having variations on a sequence or to test the shift of its characteristics across a loop.
These tools are what I would call a good selection of roadblock removers. They’re not basic, but anyone can use them, and with a bit of patience, they can provide solid ideas or help move forward to variations.
I would say they’re part of my essentials.
https://audioservices.studio/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/midi-tools-ab.jpg10801080pheekhttps://audioservices.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/logo-menu.jpgpheek2024-04-29 19:04:062024-04-29 19:33:03Ableton MIDI Tools And Workflow Optimization
One thing I noticed with people who want to learn how to make electronic music, is that they face a lack of information on where to start. I stumbled upon an interview with Mr.Beast recently where he was suggesting that if you want to learn about how to make viral videos, you need to start by practicing making videos. His suggestions sorts of overlap how I teach music where the importance of practicing is more important than, let’s say, finish songs perfectly. He was suggesting that one could aim at making 100 videos where they practice one element in each, trying to improve by 1% instead of overtaking something huge to start with. But mostly, to remain a bit private about the whole thing until you become more solid at what you do.
Songs are stories based on a personal finding. If you think about you sharing a personal story to a friend, you’ll focus your story on one element and you might, in your storytelling, bring it to a final punch. Music is a bit similar but for many people who start making music, they really don’t want to disappoint or want to look like a beginner. So they try too hard, in most cases.
As you advance in learning music production, you don’t know that there are many different techniques out there unless you find them by searching or by someone who tells you. You might not know that your music has different issues unless reviewed by an experienced mentor. So it can be quite confusing.
This is why I decided to take on Mr. Beast idea of 100 projects and made a list for you here.
There is no right or wrong way to use it. It’s basically 100 ideas that you can take. Most of them also come with a Youtube video you can look at to learn about the technique to practice. As for projects or song, I would say that try to make songs that are between 1 to 5 minutes long. It’s not something to impress, but for your own development. I added enough videos and links per project for you to practice one technique. Try your best to use it but you can of course start at one point and end up in a totally different result. There are no rules here.
This project is directly linked to my Patreon Program. There’s the “Road Map” tiers that allows you to join for constant support.
Building the Basics – Projects 1 to 10
Loops, MIDI, and Arrangements
Making electronic music usually starts by using samples, loops and MIDI. Let’s start with the basis.
Round 1: Loops and Basic Arrangements (Projects 1-3)
I would encourage you to get a subscription to Splice to get some loops and sounds. You can also visit Freesounds.org to get free ideas but the quality can be questionable sometimes.
If the song key and scale confuses you, this article will help. Also this video.
Project 1 – Loop Exploration
Title: “Loop Groove”
BPM: 100
Duration: 1-2 Min.
Key: C Major
Scale: Minor Pentatonic
Element to Practice: Importing, duplicating, and arranging pre-made loops effectively. The focus here is to import a few different loops and play in the arranger section. See how you can place them to create a timeline. This is the most basic introduction.
Project 2 – Loop Transformation
Title: “Loop Evolution”
BPM: 110
Duration: 1-2 min.
Key: D Major
Scale: Major Scale
Element to Practice: Modifying loops, adding fades, and creating variations. Try slicing loops and re-arrange them into different versions of themselves.
Project 3 – Basic Arrangement
Title: “Simple Structure”
BPM: 120
Key: G Minor
Scale: Natural Minor
Element to Practice: Building song structure with loops, including patterns, sections, and hooks. Try to aim at having distinct sections such as verse, pre-verse, chorus, bridge, outro.
Round 2: MIDI Basics (Projects 4-6)
Have a look at this tutorial and practice them fundamentals of midi for the next projects.
Project 4 – Introduction to MIDI
Title: “MIDI Essentials”
BPM: 95
Duration: 2 min.
Key: A Minor
Scale: Aeolian Mode
Element to Practice: Understanding MIDI, note input, and basic MIDI editing. Use a soft synth like Operator to receive notes and start doing melodies using a key and scale.
Project 5 – Melodies with MIDI
Title: “Melodic MIDI”
BPM: 130
Duration: 2 min.
Key: E Major
Scale: Mixolydian Mode
Element to Practice: Creating melodies using MIDI, exploring notes and scales. Open a loop that is a melody and you can try either reproducing it (a bit more advanced) or complement it. Make sure to know the root key of that loop. Extract a melody from a loop.
Element to Practice: Apply everything learned to create your first complete song.
These first 10 projects will provide a solid foundation in loops, MIDI, and basic arrangements. After completing these, the student will have the skills needed to create a complete track.
Building the Basics – Projects 11 to 20
Loops, MIDI, Arrangements, and References
Round 4: Loops and Advanced Arrangements with References (Projects 11-13)
Round 6: Applying MIDI and Arrangements with References (Projects 17-20)
The idea here is to take your reference and while it’s in the arrangement section, try tapping down some midi notes along the reference to reproduce notes, percussion or anything else, to hit at the same time.
Project 17 – Combining MIDI and Loops with References
Title: “Hybrid References”
BPM: Analyze and match reference track
Duration: 2-3 min.
Key: Analyze and match reference track
Element to Practice: Combine MIDI elements with loops inspired by referencing the track’s bass.
Project 18 – Layering and Texture with References
Title: “Textural References”
BPM: Analyze and match reference track
Duration: 3 min.
Key: Analyze and match reference track
Element to Practice: Creating textures and layers using references. Learn how to use field recordings for backgrounds.
Project 19 – Advanced Arrangement Techniques with References
Project 20 – Milestone: Advanced Track with References
Title: “Elevated Creations”
BPM: Analyze and match reference track
Duration: 2-3 min
Key: Analyze and match reference track
Element to Practice: Apply all concepts learned to create an advanced track with reference track influence.
Building the Basics – Projects 21 to 30
Loops, MIDI, Arrangements, References, and Effects
Round 6: Loops and MIDI with Effects (Projects 21-23)
Project 21 – Loop Manipulation with Delay
Title: “Delay Loops”
BPM: 100
Duration: 3 min.
Key: C Major
Scale: Minor Pentatonic
Element to Practice: Importing loops, applying delay effects, and creative arrangement. Focus on the different types of delay plugins and have fun tweaking parameters.
Project 22 – MIDI Effects: Arpeggios and Phaser
Title: “Arpeggiated Phases”
BPM: 110
Duration: 4 min.
Key: D Major
Scale: Major Scale
Element to Practice: Using MIDI for arpeggios and applying phaser effects.
Project 23 – Effects-Driven Arrangements
Title: “Effects Arrangements”
BPM: 120
Duration: 4 min.
Key: G Minor
Scale: Natural Minor
Element to Practice: Creating arrangements with effects-driven transitions, where you use automation to change the delay’s parameters as the song evolve.
Round 8: MIDI Mastery with Effects (Projects 24-26)
Project 24 – MIDI and Reverb for Atmosphere
Title: “Reverberant Atmosphere”
BPM: 95
Duration: 4 min.
Key: A Minor
Scale: Aeolian Mode
Element to Practice: Using MIDI to create atmospheric sounds with reverb.
Project 25 – MIDI and Delay for Texture
Title: “Delayed Textures”
BPM: 130
Duration: 4 min.
Key: E Major
Scale: Mixolydian Mode
Element to Practice: Crafting textured soundscapes with MIDI melodies and delay/reverb effects.
Project 26 – MIDI and Flanger for Movement
Title: “Flanged Movement”
BPM: 85
Duration: 3-4 min.
Key: F# Minor
Scale: Harmonic Minor
Element to Practice: Adding movement to MIDI percussive elements using flanger effect.
Round 9: Advanced Arrangements with Effects (Projects 27-29)
Project 27 – Arrangement and Filter Sweeps
Title: “Filter Swept Arrangements”
BPM: 115
Duration: 4 min.
Key: Bb Major
Scale: Dorian Mode
Element to Practice: Creating arrangements with filter sweeps. Play with the filter on different elements to practice opening and closing frequecies.
Project 28 – Arrangement and Stereo Panning
Title: “Panned Arrangements”
BPM: 105
Duration: 3-4 min.
Key: C Minor
Scale: Phrygian Mode
Element to Practice: Adding depth and movement to arrangements with stereo panning (auto-pan). Turn the auto-pan into a tremolo.
Project 29 – Milestone: Advanced Track with Effects
Title: “Effects-Driven Mastery”
BPM: 125
Duration: 4 min
Key: F Major
Scale: Lydian Mode
Element to Practice: Apply all concepts learned to create an advanced track with a focus on effects. Explore the use of Chorus.
Project 30 – Remixing and Effects
Title: “Remix and Effects Showcase”
BPM: Analyze and match reference track
Duration: 4 min
Key: Analyze and match reference track
Element to Practice: Remixing a track while integrating Beat-repeat effects techniques.
These projects will allow students to explore the creative possibilities of effects while further enhancing their skills in loops, MIDI, arrangements, and references. If you have any specific effects or tools you’d like to emphasize in any of these projects, please let me know, and we can tailor them accordingly.
Building the Basics – Projects 31 to 35
Loops, MIDI, Arrangements, References, Effects, and Modulation
Round 10: Modulation Essentials (Projects 31-35)
Project 31 – LFO Modulation on Synth
Title: “Synth LFO Groove”
BPM: 100
Duration: 3 min.
Key: C Major
Scale: Minor Pentatonic
Element to Practice: Using LFO modulation to add movement to a synth sound
Project 32 – Envelopes for Dynamic MIDI
Title: “Dynamic MIDI Envelopes”
BPM: 110
Duration: 4 min
Key: D Major
Scale: Major Scale
Element to Practice: Applying envelopes to shape the dynamics of MIDI elements
Project 33 – Effects and Envelopes for Vocal Processing
Title: “Vocal Envelope Processing”
BPM: 120
Duration: 4 min
Key: G Minor
Scale: Natural Minor
Element to Practice: Using envelopes in combination with effects for vocal manipulation. Learn how to use Shifter. You could use filters or reverb as something to be modified.
Project 34 – Advanced LFO Techniques on Effects
Title: “LFO x LFO”
BPM: 95
Duration: 4 min
Key: A Minor
Scale: Aeolian Mode
Element to Practice: Applying LFO modulation to another LFO parameter for creative sound design. Use the Shaper tool.
Project 35 – Modulation Showcase and Milestone
Title: “Modulation Mastery”
BPM: Analyze and match reference track
Duration: Your pick.
Key: Analyze and match reference track
Element to Practice: Learn to hear modulation into songs you know. Try to reproduce one sound effect. Explore effects on Splice.
Building the Basics – Projects 36 to 40
Loops, MIDI, Arrangements, References, Effects, Modulation, EQ, Filters, and Compression
Round 11: EQ, Filters, and Compression Techniques (Projects 36-40)
Element to Practice: Using groups, learn how to apply side-chain to open up space for a lead.
Project 50 – Advanced Bus Processing
Title: “Bus Driver”
BPM: 85
Duration: 4 min.
Key: F# Minor
Scale: Harmonic Minor
Element to Practice: Utilizing buses and groups for mixing.
Project 51 – Return Channels and Reverb
Title: “Return Channel Reverb”
BPM: 115
Duration: 3 min.
Key: Bb Major
Scale: Dorian Mode
Element to Practice: Incorporating return channels and reverb for spatial effects. Use 2 return channels with one set to Hall and the other, short reverb. Send various channels towards them.
Project 52 – Mixing with Reference Tracks
Title: “Mixing References”
BPM: 105
Duration: 4 min.
Key: C Minor
Scale: Phrygian Mode
Element to Practice: Learn about Gain staging and adjust your channel’s level to these.
Project 53 – Effects and Mixing
Title: “Dynamic EQ”
BPM: 125
Duration: 3 min.
Key: F Major
Scale: Lydian Mode
Element to Practice: Learn how to use dynamic EQ in ableton.
Project 54 – Vocal Production and Harmonies
Title: “Vocal Production Excellence”
BPM: Analyze and match reference track
Duration: 4 min
Key: Analyze and match reference track
Element to Practice: Learn the main effects used for vocal treatement: Shifter, Delay, Reverb, Chorus/ensemble.
Project 55 – Milestone: Mix and Routing in action
Title: “Mix and Routing Exercice”
BPM: Analyze and match reference track
Key: Analyze and match reference track
Element to Practice: Apply all concepts learned to create an advanced mix with intricate routing and processing
Going Modular has been in trend in the last years and the concept got momentum with the arrival of VCV Rack. One of the best way to learn about modular techniques, is to install VCV which is free as a stand alone DAW. I learned more about sound design with it than years studying it.
Round 14: Advanced Sound Design and Modular Concepts (Projects 56-65)
Element to Practice: Apply all concepts learned to create an advanced sound design piece
These projects will allow students to explore the fascinating world of sound design, modular concepts, and synthesis techniques, enabling them to craft unique and expressive sonic textures.
Round 15: Resampling, Recording, and Voice Manipulation (Projects 66-70)
For these projects, the duration doesn’t matter as long as you can build ideas over a few minutes. From here, try to always have an introduction, middle part and outro.
You’ll want to try to have a hook per song as well as supporting ideas. You know enough from here to be able to create songs and should now put a bit more energy to get them as done as possible.
Project 66 – Creative Resampling Techniques
Title: “Resampling Magic”
BPM: 100
Key: C Major
Scale: Minor Pentatonic
Element to Practice: Exploring creative resampling methods to transform audio.
Project 67 – Field Recording and Sampling
Title: “Field to Sound”
BPM: 110
Key: D Major
Scale: Major Scale
Element to Practice: Capturing and incorporating field recordings into music production. Learn how to simply use your smart phone to record sounds and import them.
Project 68 – Vocal Recording and Processing
Title: “Vocal Doctor”
BPM: 120
Key: G Minor
Scale: Natural Minor
Element to Practice: Recording and processing vocals with resampling.
Project 69 – Voice Manipulation and Sampling
Title: “Voice Transformation”
BPM: 95
Key: A Minor
Scale: Aeolian Mode
Element to Practice: Manipulating and resampling voice recordings for unique textures from the clip’s warp mode.
Project 70 – Resampled Soundscapes
Title: “Resampled Soundscapes”
BPM: 85
Key: F# Minor
Scale: Harmonic Minor
Element to Practice: Creating intricate soundscapes through resampling and manipulation.
Project 100 – Milestone: Generative Music and Final project
– Title: “Final Project”
– BPM: Analyze and match reference track
– Key: Analyze and match reference track
– Element to Practice: Generate ideas randomly and with the techniques learnt then make a whole song with it.
Congratulation if you went through all the exercises. You should now have a strong basis to know your way into making a song. There are so many topics that could have been covered. If you have any suggestions to add, let me know in the comments.
https://audioservices.studio/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/begin-ableton.jpeg10801080pheekhttps://audioservices.studio/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/logo-menu.jpgpheek2023-11-29 20:18:042023-12-05 11:05:42The Road Map To Learn Music Production
We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
Essential Website Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
Google Analytics Cookies
These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.
If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:
Other external services
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
Other cookies
The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:
