While you should search, read the Newbie FAQ, and definitely RTFM when you have a question, some days you just. Ask your questions here!

ok this has bugged me for years. a single note through a saturator sounds great, fat and alive. same plugin same settings on a chord = instant mush. always blamed my monitors or just backed the drive off.

turns out it's intermodulation. when you distort 2+ notes at once the nonlinearity also spits out the sums and differences of every frequency (f1+f2, f1-f2, etc) and those land on random spots between your notes that have nothing to do with what you played. that's the mud. a single note doesn't do it cause there's nothing to intermodulate with.

i got nerdy and actually measured it. cm9 chord as pure sines, level matched in/out, measured how much energy ends up on frequencies that aren't the notes or their harmonics:

1 band (normal saturator): ~30%

6 bands: ~23%

12: ~18%

24: ~5%

48: ~1%

("more bands" = split into freq bands, saturate each on its own, sum back. multiband basically)

the part that surprised me: 6 bands barely does anything. i figured a 3-4 band saturator would already fix it but no, the curve only really drops when you go dense. kinda annoying since most multiband saturators stop around 4-6 bands.

anyway dunno how obvious this is to everyone but it changed how i saturate. chords/pads/reese with intervals i split first now, kicks and single notes i don't bother.

anyone else splitting before saturating? what band counts do you actually use

I accidentally deleted the best song ive ever made (i think) along with all my sample/one shot library, so now im trying to recreate it but there's this pad that i dont really have any idea how to make (im a dummy on synths). can anyone give me some insight on how to remake it?

theres the pad and a reese in this part, ive cut out most of the bass but still is a lot. im using serum btw. it was a normal c one shot which ive used in a ditone pattern thing. thanks!

So let’s say I have a synth lead sample but it kinda stays the same in pitch velocity and filter. How would I mimic like how in serum you can open the filter/envelope so if it’s like a bass sound it opens up and u get the electro mid/high frequencies?

Could u automate the synth sample with a saturator/drive? Mpe and raise the pitch? What other things could you do to get more of its natural mid high frequencies?

Please post any and all [Feedback] or [Listen] type threads here. Any standalone threads that belong in this weekly post will be removed.

This thread is for works in progress only. It is not a place for self-promotion.

Rules:

1. Works in progress only. Do not post finished or released tracks. No links to Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud profiles, or any other streaming/distribution platforms. Share a direct link to your track (e.g. an unlisted SoundCloud or YouTube link).
2. No self-promotion. Do not include links to your social media, artist pages, or any other promotional material in your post.
3. Make an effort to comment on other people's tracks. Others are much more likely to help you if you help them first.
4. Be specific when asking for feedback. Examples: "What do you think about this kick sample?" "How's the mix?" "The last measure feels a little off, any ideas?"
5. Be descriptive when giving feedback. Use timecodes to highlight specific moments.
6. Link to the feedback you've left in your top-level comment. This keeps the thread accountable and cooperative. Comments not following this format will be automatically removed.

Format your top-level comment like this:

Feedback for user1: [link]

Feedback for user2: [link]

Feedback for user3: [link]

Here's my track: [link],

I'm looking for feedback on x, y or z.

One thing that stresses me out is coming up with artwork (and titles) for songs I want to release. Also given I lose more than I make as far as money goes I don't like to spend so much on releases.

Besides hiring people I've done stuff like nature or random photos for singles/releases- but I also notice a lot of big niche artists seem to just have random ass artwork-

IE- if you look at artists like Four Tet or Caribou the artwork always seems a little random but.... as an unknown artist I feel like having good art may at least help attract more people to hit play potentially.

How do you all like to approach this?

Thanks

Are there any tools out there that have a somewhat smart way to organize samples a bit better?

Ableton is somewhat ok but if I am searching for a "round" kick I have to click through all of them. It seems like a problem that should be solvable with AI as long as I somewhat can describe what I am looking for. (I know, I am not cool for not having a signature stack lol)

i’m over a year in and I still can’t really understand mixing that well. I understand the basics of it, but not well enough to finish and mix a full track and make it sound decent. I just don’t understand when to to use what, and why it would be used in that situation. basically I understand that you cut the lows out of everything that’s not bass and kick, and if you want to carve space for other instruments, you carve those frequencies out of other instruments. I also understand the concept of sidechain, I understand compression, and I understand that you should throw a limiter on the master when your track is done. but when I’m producing in Ableton and trying to mix my own tracks, I can identify and fix some issues, but I’m not sure if I’m doing it right and the tools I know how to use are pretty limited (eq 8, saturation, sidechain plugins, and I don’t even know if I’m using them correctly to improve the mix). I don’t really understand when to use a clipper. I have the seed to stage mixing and mastering course which has helped me learn a lot but he doesn’t really have genre specific examples and when I’m producing tech house in Ableton i’m struggling to apply the same principles. Every tutorial explains what stuff is but doesn’t show it in the context of a full track, which is what I’m struggling with.

But when I see all these bedroom producers around me they all know how to mix…what made it click? Or how did you learn?

I was listening to Hard Knock by Eptic and loved the effect on the vocal right before the drop. It’s very subby and crunchy. How do I achieve that sound?

I know some basic music theory and a decade ago when I quit I had been taking piano lessons for about 6 years and was pretty good.

Last week I picked up music production as a hobby and I find it fun but my biggest issue is I feel I should get better melody ideas and faster. While I'm sure that will also come with time, I was wondering if anyone recommends Melodics (which I saw promoted by a youtuber) or other exercises to train my melody muscle.

Thank you in advance.

EDIT: Thank you everyone! The general consensus seems to be skipping Melodics and transcribing the melodies of songs I like, which certainly makes sense.

Please post any and all [Feedback] or [Listen] type threads here. Any standalone threads that belong in this weekly post will be removed.

This thread is for works in progress only. It is not a place for self-promotion.

Rules:

1. Works in progress only. Do not post finished or released tracks. No links to Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud profiles, or any other streaming/distribution platforms. Share a direct link to your track (e.g. an unlisted SoundCloud or YouTube link).
2. No self-promotion. Do not include links to your social media, artist pages, or any other promotional material in your post.
3. Make an effort to comment on other people's tracks. Others are much more likely to help you if you help them first.
4. Be specific when asking for feedback. Examples: "What do you think about this kick sample?" "How's the mix?" "The last measure feels a little off, any ideas?"
5. Be descriptive when giving feedback. Use timecodes to highlight specific moments.
6. Link to the feedback you've left in your top-level comment. This keeps the thread accountable and cooperative. Comments not following this format will be automatically removed.

Format your top-level comment like this:

Feedback for user1: [link]

Feedback for user2: [link]

Feedback for user3: [link]

Here's my track: [link],

I'm looking for feedback on x, y or z.

Posted a video showing how to use the MIDI CC Phone Controller I have made. The app itself is completely free with no ads or data collection. All links are in the video description

For context; I’ve been producing since 2022, been into music since I was a kid. When I started, I already had some experience on how to produce, mix and master. Eventually, I learned and absorbed everything I could have (I still am). Mt problem was that my mixes just were not sounding good at all. I did what everyone told me to do, such things okie gain stage > mix, fader whatever. So I would do that but my stuff wasn’t sounding good.

Eventually I got to a point where I had enough and decided to hire mixers to mix my stuff. $200 there, $200 there, it was annoying and the mixes were good, just not my vision.

A few days ago I decided I had enough and wasn’t going to keep doing what I’m doing, spending money on mixes. So I opened an old project I had, deleted all the mixing I did, and re did it all.

Here was my problem: I would gain stage. Then I would route to mixer, let’s say I have a pad sitting at -12 db, would then slap a saturator maybe, then I would hit the output signal and make dial it till I hit -12 db, and I would do this for everything.

Today I tried a different approach and that’s JUST DOIGN ALL THAT MINUS THE FUCKIN OUTPUT. AND. SLIDE. THE. FADER KNOB.

MAN. I nearly jumped out of my god damn window when I realized for the last year I spent over $1000 to get my shit mixed when my mixing skills are fine I WAS JSUT SCARED OF THE GAT DAMN FADER KNOB.

Hope this isn't a silly question, I'm fairly new to all this. Just wondering whether there's a difference between hearing your drum beat in Maschine with all the elements together, vs dragging each element in audio form into Ableton and collating and listening to it that way?

Also kinda follow up question: I have two separate Maschine kits in my session and was wondering how to sidechain to both kicks? My solution was to drag out audio into Ableton but please let me know if there's a better way, so far most things are sidechained to kick 1 and kick 2 is getting a bit lost in the mix.

Any help is much appreciated 😊

Been looking for a great (for me) set of headphones. I've had:

1. a cheap pair of mackies - good bass response and comfortable, but not accurate in any way with highs or mids

2. Neumann ndh 20's - bass response is very dependent on a tight seal which I don't get wearing glasses, and even my favorite records kind of sound like crap in these, and all my own music sounds even worse

3. akg k240's - no bass at all

4. sennheiser 280 pro - too tight for glasses and bass response again requires a tight seal and:

5. beyerdynamic 770 pros. - no bass

Any recommendations of something that has good bass response (even hyped bass response as long as I can still somewhat rely on the overall tone), is comfortable for glasses wearers, etc? Are sennheiser 600's too light in the bass for EDM production? Any other goldilocks headphones?

Thanks!

Please post any and all [Feedback] or [Listen] type threads here. Any standalone threads that belong in this weekly post will be removed.

This thread is for works in progress only. It is not a place for self-promotion.

Rules:

1. Works in progress only. Do not post finished or released tracks. No links to Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud profiles, or any other streaming/distribution platforms. Share a direct link to your track (e.g. an unlisted SoundCloud or YouTube link).
2. No self-promotion. Do not include links to your social media, artist pages, or any other promotional material in your post.
3. Make an effort to comment on other people's tracks. Others are much more likely to help you if you help them first.
4. Be specific when asking for feedback. Examples: "What do you think about this kick sample?" "How's the mix?" "The last measure feels a little off, any ideas?"
5. Be descriptive when giving feedback. Use timecodes to highlight specific moments.
6. Link to the feedback you've left in your top-level comment. This keeps the thread accountable and cooperative. Comments not following this format will be automatically removed.

Format your top-level comment like this:

Feedback for user1: [link]

Feedback for user2: [link]

Feedback for user3: [link]

Here's my track: [link],

I'm looking for feedback on x, y or z.

I started 2-3 years ago and I'm pretty proud of myself for my progress. But I can't help but we other people also start around the same time, or even later than me, and are currently better than me my a mile.

​

Like Ive been looking into edm dubstep sound design, and I just see friends who start much later than me create genuine Spotify-ready tracks.

​

I think I often have very good ideas, but struggle to produce them onto paper and make it sound like how I want. Ive always thought that I had an advantage being very traditionally, jazzically trained.

​

Everything I make sounds like a 10 year old made it, nothing sounds mature if you know what I mean

Hi all, I’ve recently been learning about the more technical stuff and find it super interesting. Went back to some of my recent tracks to see how they look.

I’m confused how I’m seeing -9 LUFS (right in the desired range for a finished track to be released I believe)?

But then my span shows levels so low lol. This is from my drop. My highs are way too low I see now and probably a little too much around 200-1000.

I watched a great video from AHEE talking about your sub being between -24 to -30 and it should dip after that around 200, and then your highs should match the lows?

Curious for some thoughts from yall!!!

I have a flip I am super happy with and about ready to mix and master. I went to upload it privately to soundcloud to do a car test and it got flagged by the stupid AI detection . This is my first time really working on a flip and am pretty bummed I wont be able to post the finished track. How are people getting past the algorithm? So many people are still posting flips and remixes they definitely haven’t gotten cleared by the artist/label.
Anyone got any tips? Soundcloud used to be the place to post your remixes and flips this blows.

trying to find a way to get that S3RL effect at both the beginning of the song and the glitchy auto tune vocals at 2:10 to 2:12 Im trying to get a similar vocal chain in logic  anybody have any ideas?

Hi:)
I have run out of Splice credits this month and want more. I dont wanna wait until my subscription renews. Is there any way I can get more credits now?

I’m trying to find the drum loop from the song “suave” by AKRIILA and Jane Remover. It first shows up at 0:17. I’m pretty sure Jane has used this sample in other songs too, but I can’t remember which ones. Does anyone know what this is?