Want to learn excellent sound design tricks in Ableton that make your listener go “WOW”? Then look no further. In this article, we’ve gathered three sound design tricks that only a few producers know – skills that impress your listener and sounds way more complicated than they are. Let’s explore these sound design tricks right now. 1. Haas Effect For Ultra-Wide Sounds Have you heard of the Haas effect? You've undoubtedly heard and been wowed by it in your favorite music. The best way to describe the Haas effect is ultra-wide. You know, sound so wide that it makes your...

If you're looking to finish more music and stop abandoning projects, you've come to the right place. As fun as producing music in Ableton Live can be, a lot of times, it feels like straight-up work. Producers who lack a 'Finisher's Mindset' slow their momentum in the critical moments of the production phase. Lacking the right mindset to finish tracks leads to tens, hundreds, and even thousands of unfinished project files taking up space on hard drives. And constant frustration. Getting into the habit of finishing music as often as possible can be a defining characteristic that separates the professional producers...

What makes a sample pack great? If you have been producing music for a while, the chances are that you have built up an extensive sample pack library. If you’re new to the scene, chances are you’ll end up there eventually. It could be "royalty-free loops" that you got in exchange for signing up for a newsletter, other free samples, and professional packs that cost you a few dinero. You have gigabytes of sample packs – and yet most of them are terrible. Why? To learn what makes a sample pack great, we need to know what makes them bad....

Are you stuck and looking to beat writer's block as a music producer? I feel you. Not being able to come up with anything in the studio is the most frustrating thing that happens to you as a producer. Defining what writer's block is can be difficult. Some call it an excuse. Others call it the harmless resistance found when we do difficult, meaningful work. But how 'harmless' is it really if it consistently stands between you and your goals of finishing more music in Ableton Live?  Here are our four ways to make you effectively beat the writer's block, every time you are struggling in...

How do you maximize your unfinished project files, and what can you do with them? There comes a time in the lifespan of many Ableton Live project files where we must face the fact that it is not worth finishing. Whether we have spent an hour on a loop, a day on a track, or weeks polishing a record that just did not hit the mark, admitting to yourself it's time to move on is difficult.  But just because that loop or arrangement will never see an official release does not mean that the hours spent shaping it are wasted.  Here...

What's holding you back from the finisher's mindset? Nothing defines a producer more than their ability to consistently finish music. Possessing a 'Finisher's Mindset' is a highly desirable trait in any creative industry.  But what's the finisher's mindset in music production? It's a producers ability to follow through and actually finish the tracks they started. Habits define how a producer works, and having good habits is vital to develop the right mindset. These habits can be simple things like basic workflow techniques to more complicated concepts like mixing/mastering decisions.  So why don't more Ableton users work towards developing habits and mindsets that lead to finishing...

How do you create and develop your own signature sound? All super-star producers making the most significant moves in electronic music have something in common: a signature touch to what they produce.  If having a 'signature sound' in Ableton Live is so crucial to lasting success in such an over-saturated industry, why are so many amateur producers okay with only imitating their idols? Developing a habit of finishing music can be a task by itself. But these habits are only half of the battle if you want to leave a lasting impression on the music industry. Developing a unique sound...

Developing your music production skills enough to make professional-sounding music takes years of dedication and hard work. But there are effective ways to make this process a lot faster. There is a learning curve involved in making arrangements that hook listeners, interesting sound selection, and crystal-clear mixing and mastering. You generally learn step-by-step by discovering things as you spend time in the studio. But to shortcut the process and put your learning on a fast-track, the best thing to do is referencing professional material. This technique can help you avoid spending years in the studio, trying to discover all the...

What are the critical elements your techno track needs to rise to the next level? There are five, ranging from deep bass all the way to intricate effects. I mean, what's a techno track without that heavy, rumbling kick and bassline with crispy hi-hats in between? If you do these things solidly, chances are you're a proud artist and creator of an excellent techno track. But if you're just starting out, use this list as a guide-line for the critical techno elements your track needs, with included pointers on things to think about. Let's dive straight in, starting with number one. ...

You know that deep, pounding techno kick and bassline that makes you want to pull an all-nighter at an industrial rave in an abandoned warehouse? The boomy, rumbling techno kick that you can't help but dance to?  Johannes Menzel is famous for making heavy techno music that makes the crowd go absolutely wild. Many of his tracks feature this classic rumbling kick, the gritty essence of deep techno that shakes the subwoofer almost to destruction. Today, he kindly decided to share his secret of the rumbling techno kick with us.   1. Choose A Kick Sample The first step to make a...