CREATIVE

STRATEGIES
Techniques & strategies
for each stage of the
production process.

SAM MATLA
 Creative Strategies (for Electronic Music Producers)

Version 1.0

© Copyright 2016 EDMPROD LTD.

All Rights Reserved.

This publication, including any of its parts, may not be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without prior written con-
sent from the publisher. Inclusion of brief quotations in reviews and educational material
are permitted.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this book is based on the author’s experience,
knowledge, and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the misuse of
the information in this book.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Setup 6
2. 3 Starting Workflows 29
3. Idea Generation 40
4. Arrangement Workflow 71
5. Mixing Workflow 84
 INTRO
The Producer’s Guide to Workflow & Creativity was originally intended to in-
clude the following material, but I decided to split the content up and create two
separate (but closely linked) books instead.

There are two main reasons for this: including all the material (40,000-50,000
words) in one PDF eBook makes it incredibly long and cumbersome, and having
a separate book for the more practical strategies makes for quick and easy refer-
ence without having to scroll through a hundred pages.

Creative Strategies is to be read after the workflow & creativity guide.

I started with the theoretical—concepts and ideas—because I feel it’s crucial to

understand them before focusing on the practical strategies we’re about to un-
cover. If you don’t understand why concentration is important, why distractions
are bad, how to be creative and overcome creative block, and everything else we
covered, then the practical strategies that follow are useless.
Separation vs. Preparation
Three of the five following chapters contain advice for specific stages of the pro-
duction process. There’s one chapter on idea generation/composition, another
on arrangement, and another on mixing.

It must be noted that while I’ve split these up into distinct stages, it doesn’t
mean that it’s the best way for you to work. For many producers, separating the
production processes is effective—it helps them work fast and complete ideas.

But sometimes, you’ll find yourself so deep in creative flow that everything hap-
pens organically. It’s during these moments that you should ignore such strate-
gies and methods, as they’ll only slow you down and impede your creative flow.

If your track is making itself, keep doing what you’re doing. If it isn’t, the strate-
gies laid out in the following chapters will help. Refer back to them when you get
stuck.
1
SETUP
 BUILDING A TEMPLATE
Creating a default production template can have a huge impact on workflow, es-
pecially when it comes to getting ideas from your head into your DAW.

Simple things like having a few tracks laid out, basic routing done, and common
plugins already on channels can save a ton of time in the production process.

The whole point of having a template is to take the setup processes that you per-
form in almost every project, and have them in place before you start your track.

For instance, if you normally have 5 MIDI channels for your drums, synths, and
basses, then it makes sense to add those to your template so you don’t have to
worry about creating them every time you start a new track. Likewise, if you
know you’ll EQ each of those 5 channels, it makes sense to have an EQ placed on
those channels in your template.

This seems pedantic, and to be fair, it only saves a few seconds. But those few
seconds add up, especially when there’s a lot of these types of processes. Beyond
that, you want to reduce the friction that exists when attempting to transcribe an
idea from your head into your DAW, and having to do mundane things like in-
sert MIDI tracks can detract from that.

Template vs no template
Templates speed up all areas of production, leading to higher output.

Default tracks speed up idea generation, as you don’t have to worry about creat-
ing them.

Default arrangement markers speed up arrangement.

Default mixer routing speeds up mixing.

7
But there is an argument to be made against templates—that they inhibit cre-
ativity.

When you start with a default template, you’re not really starting from scratch.
If your default template contains 5 MIDI channels just for hi-hats, then you’ll be
inclined to fill those 5 MIDI channels even if it’s not fitting to do so.

In some cases, by not working from a blank slate, you won’t have as much cre-
ative freedom.

Between me and you, I don’t think this is a great argument. I think creativi-
ty flourishes when there are some guidelines as opposed to none. There’s just
nothing more intimidating than a blank slate.

Regardless of whether a default template affects creativity or not, it is a good

idea to produce from a blank slate every now and again just to change things up.

Basic vs advanced templates

A complex template which features several tracks, extensive routing, numerous

send channels, and preset plugins will speed up the production process more
than a basic template, but can easily lead to creating similar tracks every time
(though, that might be your goal).

I prefer to make templates sufficient enough to save 80% of setup time. My tem-
plates tend to include a few core channels, basic mixer routing with send tracks,
and some arrangement markers.

It’s important to note that there’s no objective best option. Some producers uti-
lise complex templates extremely well, whereas other producers prefer to start
from scratch every time. You’ll figure out what suits you best over time, as long
as you experiment with different options.

8
During this section, we’ll be making a basic template. If you purchased the stan-
dard or complete package, you’ll have access to a video on advanced template
creation (use code: BOOK19 to take the price of the book off any package if
you’d like to upgrade)

Note: I’m using Ableton Live to create this template, but most of what I do can
be replicated in other DAWs.

Step 1: Basics tracks & color scheme

We’ll start by laying out the core tracks:

• Sidechain (MIDI)
• Reference (Audio)
• Kick (MIDI)
• Bass (MIDI)
• Chords (MIDI)
• Melody (MIDI)
• Noise (Audio)

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If you typically use a plugin like LFOTool for sidechaining, then you don’t really
need the side chain channel.

Note: Not sure what the reference channel is for? It’s a channel where you place
a professionally made track similar to what you’re trying to create so that you
can reference it during stages of the production process (especially during the
mixing and mastering stage).

Color scheme

You don’t need a color scheme, but it does speed things up. We respond faster
to color than text, so if you come up with a color scheme and use it for a while,
you’ll be able to work faster because you know that the color blue, for example,
correlates to your kick drum.

I recommend coming up with a color scheme that suits you. Perhaps you already
have one. If you’re not sure what to use, copy mine:

• Drums = blue (kick is dark blue)

• Basses = orange
• Synths = green
• FX = purple
• Vocals = yellow
• Other/Misc = white or grey

Update the existing template tracks with your color scheme.

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Step 2: Default effects/instruments
We could leave the template as it is, and it’d be an improvement on Ableton
Live’s default template, but we can also go further.

Let’s populate these tracks with the bare necessities to speed up workflow. By
bare necessities, I mean things that we know we’re going to use. For instance, I
may end up using a distortion plugin on my melody channel, but because I rare-
ly do so, it doesn’t make sense for me to add one in the template. An EQ on the
other hand is something I know I’m going to use.

Sidechain
The sidechain channel needs to have some sort of trigger sample, so we’ll add a
kick drum with Ableton’s simpler and pull the sustain and decay down until it’s
just a click (a short sidechain trigger gives you more control over the attack and
release when adding sidechain compression on another channel)

We’ll make sure the trigger is hitting at or around 0dB, and then we’ll mute the
track (we don’t want to hear the sidechain trigger itself).

While we’re here, let’s add a simple MIDI clip to the channel that contains a note
on every beat. We’ll copy this over to our kick channel too.

If you create a genre that doesn’t generally use a 4/4 kick, then adjust according-
ly.

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Kick
The only thing we’ll add on the kick channel is a sampler. Again, change this
according to your production style. I rarely process my kick drums, so adding an
EQ and compressor isn’t a good idea.

Bass
Some producers like to add their favorite synths to different channels, but be-
cause I use a few different ones, I’m not going to add any synths to the bass,
chords, or melody channels.

For the bass track, we’ll simply add a compressor with sidechain enabled, and a
default EQ.

We’ll do the same for the chords and melody track, except the compressor won’t
be sidechain enabled (because we don’t know if we want to use sidechain on
them) and the EQ will be high-passed by default (because it’s likely that the in-
struments will need to be high passed as to not clash with the kick and bass).

12
We’ll also add this same chain to the Noise channel.

Step 3: Arrangement markers & key

bindings (Ableton)
This is more Ableton specific. There may be workarounds in other DAWs, but if
you’re not an Ableton user, do realise that this step is really just an enhancement
and you’re not missing out on much.

Our default channels are set up with a few effects and instruments, so it’s time to
add some arrangement markers to speed up arrangement, and some key bind-
ings which will speed up our workflow overall.

Arrangement markers
I like to keep markers as simple as possible. If you add too many and get too
specific, it’s easy to overcomplicate your arrangements and stray away from
using simpler arrangements (and simpler arrangements are typically better,
they’re just less sexy).

So: intro, verse, chorus, breakdown, and outro. You can arrange these rough-
ly around the playlist, but be prepared to move them around when it comes to
structuring a song.

13
Key bindings
If you’re not aware of Live’s key binding feature, then you’re in for a treat.

Essentially, it allows you to assign a key on your keyboard to a function in Able-

ton Live. You can see what can be bound by clicking the button located
near the top right of Live.

The first key binding will be the solo button on the reference track. We want to
be able to quickly flick between our mix and the reference track, and the best
way to do that is to assign a key to the solo-button on the REF track (make sure
to mute the reference track after doing this).

Use any key you like. I’ll use R.

Note: To add a key binding, simply click on the button you want to assign a key
to, and then press the key.

14
Pro-tip: Assign key-bindings to the solo button on track groups (drums, basses,
synths, vocals, etc.) to quickly hear how they sound in isolation.

The second thing we’ll do is add key bindings to all the arrangement markers.
This will come in handy throughout the production process but particularly
during the mixdown where we need to briefly hear how certain sections sound
after changes have been made.

It’s a good idea to use the numbers 1-10 on your keyboard for this. I’ve found the
best way to do this is to set it with the lowest number, 1, being the intro, and the
highest number being the outro.

There are a ton of other key bindings you can use to speed up workflow, so make
sure to experiment yourself and think about what you can assign keys to. A good
rule of thumb is to key-bind things that you do frequently.

15
Step 4: Save it
There are two ways to save a production template, at least in Live. You can
choose to save it as a default template, which means that it will be there every
time you open Live, or you can save it as a normal project file and open it manu-
ally.

To save it as a default, head over to Live -> Preferences -> File Folder and click
on “Save Current Set as Default.”

Note: You can always restore the original live template by clicking Clear.

Note 2: If you save your template as a normal project file and open it every time
you make a track, remember to save over it as a new version. There’s nothing
worse than killing your production template by making a full track with it!

16
 PRESETS & DEFAULTS
Aside from using templates, one of the most effective ways to speed up workflow
is to use presets and defaults for your most used plugins (native and non-na-
tive).

We often think of presets in terms of synth patches. These patches are pre-exist-
ing sounds that can be tweaked to fit a project instead of us designing something
from scratch.

We can use effect presets to save time the same way we use synth presets or
patches.

In this section, we’ll be looking at how you can leverage presets and defaults to
speed up your workflow and shave time off the production process.

First, we’ll go over defaults, what they are, why they’re important, and some
ideas for defaults. Then we’ll do the same for presets.

Defaults
Open up your DAW, drag in your stock EQ. What do you see?

If you haven’t changed anything, you’re probably looking at something like this:

17
The default EQ.

Now, what if 80% of the time we used that EQ, we used it to highpass some-
thing? Would it make sense to keep that EQ the way it is?

It wouldn’t hurt, but it also wouldn’t be optimal. We could change the default
preset for the EQ to include a highpass filter at 100Hz, which means every time
we use the EQ, it already has a highpass.

That’s what a default is. It’s a preset that’s there initially to save time. It’s not
something you insert after you’ve dragged in an effect or instrument, it’s just
how the effect or instrument is by default.

Why use them?

Because they save time. A high-passed EQ is one example, a compressor with

certain settings suited to your production style is another. If you use effects in a
certain way that differs from how they’re set up originally, (and you do so more
than 50% of the time), then it’s logical to change the default setting.

It’s easy to look at something like this and see it as “over the top.” After all, add-
ing a highpass filter in an EQ takes mere seconds. But those few seconds com-
bined over several effects, over several tracks, does add up.

How to create them

If you’re an Ableton user, creating defaults is easy.

Simply right-click on one of Ableton’s native effects or instruments and select

“Save as Default Preset.”

Warning: doing this WILL overwrite the existing preset, so make sure you re-
ally want to use the default you’ve made.

18
‘

If you don’t use Ableton, then it’s a matter of changing the default/initialised
preset for whatever DAW you use, and then overwriting it.

When creating defaults, it’s crucial that you keep it simple. The point is to make
small adjustments that speed up workflow, but not the point where you find
yourself having to “undo” the default.

For example, a high-pass enabled by default on Ableton’s stock EQ is reason-

able, because most of the time I’m going to need it. In the 10-20% of cases where
I don’t want something high passed, it’s easy to disable it.

However, if I was to create a default EQ that had a highpass enabled, a dip at

300Hz, a peak at 1Khz, and a lowpass at 15Khz, then I’d have to disable those ev-
ery time I didn’t want them. If you have to undo your defaults and change them
often, it kind of defeats the purpose of having defaults, doesn’t it?

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Ideas for defaults
Pick and choose defaults (or come up with your own) based on how you use the
effects. If you frequently use mid/side EQ, then it’s a good idea to have that en-
abled on your default.

Note: Some of these ideas can be combined. For a compressor default, you can
obviously choose to disable makeup gain AND enable sidechain.

EQ:

• Highpass at 100Hz
• Highpass at 30Hz, lowpass at 20Khz (for easy filtering)
• All 8 bands enabled
• Mid/side enabled
• Qs pre-adjusted on each band to fit most common use

Compressor:

• Compressor type changed

• Sidechain enabled
• Threshold at pre-defined, most common level
• Ratio at most common level
• Preferred display setting

Reverb:

• Dry/wet at most common setting

• Hi-cut and low-cut turned off
• Decay time at most common setting

Reverb:

• Dry/wet at most common setting

• Feedback at most common setting
• Time at most common setting

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Should you add defaults for every effect?

It’s generally not worth making custom defaults for every effect, unless you use
every effect on a regular basis. The purpose of defaults is to save time, so you
don’t need to create a default for a flanger if you use it once every 10 tracks (also
because you won’t have any clue what kind of default is necessary if you rarely
use such an effect).

Add defaults for all plugins and effects you use on a regular basis, i.e., in every
project.

Presets
Defaults are great, but they can’t be applied to every circumstance. You’ll always
need to make adjustments.

So what if you have situations that often repeat themselves, but just not enough
to warrant a default?

You use presets.

You could have a preset for your EQ that has a highpass at 500Hz and a lowpass
at 10Khz to make a signal sound lo-fi and “radio-like.” You probably wouldn’t
want to use that on every track, but it’s easy enough to drag in if it’s a preset.

Likewise, you might have a compressor preset called Harsh Sidechain with low
threshold, high ratio, and a long release.

How to create them

If you’re an Ableton user, saving presets is easy. Simply click on the disk icon
in the top-right of any native plugin (for third-party plugins, save presets as the
plugin suggests. Read the manual if you’re not sure how). You’ll see it pop up in
the browser, where you can give it a name.

21
Next time you want to use that preset, simply click the down arrow under said
effect or instrument and click on it.

If you’re not an Ableton user, the method for saving and using presets will be
different. If you’re not sure how to save presets for native plugins, read your
DAW’s manual.

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Ideas for presets

EQ:

• HP at 500Hz + LP at 10Khz for tinny radio sound

• LP at 100Hz to check low-end on master
• HP at 1Khz for hats and other high-end percussion
• Notch at 200-300Hz for mud removal
• Slight shelf boost at 5KHz+ for extra sizzle
• Slight shelf boost at 100Hz and below for extra low-end
• Slight notch boost at 2-3Khz for extra “slap”

Compressor:

• Sidechain enabled with low threshold, short attack, and long release for
harsh pumping
• High ratio with 50% dry/wet for instant parallel compression
• Makeup gain enabled for quick level control
• Long attack and high ratio for instant punch

Reverb:

• 20s decay time for long tails (good for use in breakdowns/transitions)
• Hi-cut enabled for low, boomy reverb
• Short-size and decay
• 100% wet for use on return tracks
• Long pre-delay

Reverb:

• 100% feedback for perpetual delay (good for transitions)

• Different, common timing
• 100% wet for use on return tracks
• Short, non-synced 100% wet delay for stereo-width

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An easy way to build your presets &
defaults library
While sitting down for 30 minutes to create defaults and presets is a good idea,
it also pays to take a more natural approach to building up your library.

One way to do this is to look through your old projects and see how you’ve used
effects. If you find that you’ve used a certain effect in a specific way frequently,
then save it as a default. If you find something unique or that you didn’t use reg-
ularly, consider saving it as a preset.

Going forward, try and remember to save presets when you use a plugin in a
cool way. For instance, if you decide to use a long, washed-out reverb in your
current project, take a few seconds to save it as a preset so you can use it quickly
and easily in future projects.

Pro-tip: If you find yourself using a stock preset for a particular plugin, consid-
er saving it as the default. I use Ableton’s OTT preset for Multiband Dynamics
often, but I rarely use the plugin in its original form, so it makes sense for me to
make the OTT preset the default.

24
 FOLDER & SAMPLE
ORGANIZATION
Now that you’ve created a basic production template and made a few presets
and defaults, there’s one step left to ensure that your production setup is as opti-
mized for workflow and creativity as it can be.

File organization. Your project files, third-party plugins, and sample packs.

Most of you won’t need to do much at all here. My plugins and sample packs are
organised by brand in alphabetical order, which is the default way Ableton ar-
ranges them. However, if your samples folder is messy, or you always struggle to
find plugins, then it’s worth taking some time to organise stuff.

Project file organization

If you’re anything like me, you have a tendency to save project files everywhere
and anywhere, telling yourself “I’ll move it later.”

The problem? You don’t move it later, and stuff starts getting messy.

If you don’t have any method for organising projects, things are going to get
messy. It’s as simple as that.

My method for organising projects is to use 5 folders:

• Ideas: contains small ideas, this is where each project starts

• In Progress: tracks that are on their way to being finished. Ideas have
been developed, arrangement is mostly done, etc.
• Finished: self explanatory.
• Practice: Remakes, tutorial files, experimentation, and everything else
related to practice.
• Templates: specific templates for specific genres and tasks, I.e., sound
design.

25
I recommend using the same method if you don’t already have one.

A quick note on naming

Even if you do have a method for organising your project files like the one above,
it’s still easy for things to get messy if you don’t title your projects properly.

I recommend giving each project a name (if I recall correctly, Zedd said he was
more likely to finish projects if he named them). If you can’t come up with a
name, just look at objects around you and use them. Otherwise, title them by
date.

It’s also a good idea to use descriptive file names in case you need to visit an
older version of a project. You should already be saving projects as new versions
each time you make a major change. When you do, use a word or two that de-
scribes the change.

For example, let’s say I’m working on a song called Water.

Early on in the production process, I decide to change the bassline, so I save the
project as a new version titled: Water_basschange_2

The number 2 signifies which version it is, and the “basschange” tells me what I
did.

Doing this is important because you’re bound to reach a stage during the project
where you feel like you’ve gone overboard and made the track worse instead of
better. Knowing that you can go back to a certain point quick and easy is rather
helpful.

26
Sample & plugin organization: two
methods
There are two main methods for organising samples and plugins. One is easy,
while one is difficult but perhaps better for workflow.

I like to organise everything by brand. Ableton does this by default for plugins,
but it has to be done manually for samples.

I save new sample packs I download in the samples folder under their brand
name. If I download a new pack from Freshly Squeezed Samples, then I’ll place
it inside the Freshly Squeezed Samples folder.

The other method that some producers use, is to organise samples and/or
plugins by type.

That means all the kick drums in one folder, all the claps in another, and so
forth. This might speed up workflow, but I’m skeptical. It’s easy enough for me
to use Ableton’s search function, type in Clap and scroll through all my clap
samples.

Organizing by type could be more useful for plugins, though. Having all your
compressors in one folder and all your synths in another, would likely make
browsing for a particular plugin type faster.

If you want to use this method for samples as well, go ahead and let me know

27
how it goes. The prospect of organising everything like that personally scares me
(it would take so much time).

Using a favorites folder

I’ll admit it—I don’t use a favorites folder.

I probably should, but I simply don’t at the moment. I tend to gravitate towards
the same set of samples every time (that’s not to say I use the same samples in
every track, but I know exactly where my favorite samples are).

That being said, I think using a favorites folder is a great idea and should be
done if you procrastinate by browsing sample packs.

If you don’t know your samples that well, it pays to take 20-30 minutes to go
through some packs and find your favorites, then add them to a new folder
called… well… favorites.

A favorites folder allows you to focus on what’s important—the composition—

without having to trawl through hundreds of samples trying to find ones that
work. That’s the last thing you want to do when you’ve got a good idea itching to
get out of your head.

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 2
3 STARTING
WORKFLOWS
 CHORUS FIRST
The chorus-first strategy involves starting your track by making the chorus or
“drop” first, and then working backwards from it.

In practice, this strategy might look something like this:

1. I loop 8 bars and build a chorus idea

2. I develop that idea to make it sound “complete”
3. I create a buildup to lead into the chorus
4. I create a breakdown to lead into the buildup
5. I create a verse/chorus to lead into the breakdown

This is generally what the sequences looks like, however it may change depend-
ing on how you like to arrange.

Why it’s a good strategy

One of the key benefits to using the chorus-first strategy is that you get the most
important thing done first. A song is only as good as its chorus, and I’ve heard
plenty of songs that sound exciting and interesting until the chorus plays.

Another upside to using the chorus-first strategy is that it’s easy to arrange your
track after you’ve created a decent chorus as you can repurpose ideas from the
chorus and use (or tease) them elsewhere.

For example, you might have a melody playing in the chorus that you can slim
down and edit to use in your verse. Or you might have a tom fill that can be used
throughout your track at the end of each 16-bar phrase.

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Downsides
The chorus-first strategy isn’t a golden strategy that will work every time (there
is no such strategy).

One downside to this strategy is that it’s easy to get “stuck in the loop,” where
you keep working on the chorus loop without really developing the track. Be-
cause of that, I don’t recommend this strategy for people who are prone to get-
ting stuck in this fashion.

Who’s it for?
The chorus-first strategy is ideal for those who always get stuck at the chorus/
drop when making a song. If you typically start with the intro, work from left-to-
right, and stop when you reach the chorus, then this strategy is for you.

This seems a bit stupid at first, but it makes sense. If you get stuck at the chorus/
drop, then it means you need to learn how to make them. It means you need to
practice making them. And the best way to do this is to start by making the cho-
rus/drop.

Note: if you really struggle with making drops, commit to remaking a couple of
drops from professionally made songs. Analyse them: how many instruments do
they contain? Is the melody simple or complex? What is the drum pattern like?
After remaking a few drops, you’ll be more clued in and will find it easier to cre-
ate your own.

The chorus-first strategy is also great for producers who frequently have good
ideas come to them, randomly, during the day (I’m envious, by the way).

Most of the time, when an idea comes to you in this fashion it’s an idea for a
melody or lyric, and is best suited for the chorus. Using the chorus-first strategy
makes sense because you don’t want to add any friction between the idea in your
head and its realisation in your DAW, Using some other strategy such as work-
ing left-to-right adds friction because it adds delay, which means you’re more

32
likely to forget the idea.

Tips:
• Add as much as you can in the chorus/drop loop to make arrangement
easier later on (it’s easier to subtract than it is to add).
• Pick your primary instrument (whether it’s a bassline, melody lead, or
vocal) ASAP and build the rest of your chorus/drop loop around it. Pro-
ducers often get stuck because they add sounds and instruments blindly
without thinking about how they work relative to the primary instrument.
• Keep it relatively clean. You don’t have to mix down your chorus loop,
but it helps to keep it tidy. There’s nothing worse than trying to work on a
muddy sounding project

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 ARRANGEMENT FIRST
The arrangement-first strategy is unorthodox.

It’s a workflow that involves arranging with blank MIDI clips first before doing
anything else (that includes coming up with an initial idea).

These MIDI clips act as placeholders, which are then filled during the next stage
of the production process—idea generation. Typically idea generation happens
before arrangement, but this workflow reverses it.

The arrangement-first strategy can be used in a simple or complex way. Some-

times, 5 tracks is enough:

And other times, you might want to add a bit more:

Why it’s good

The arrangement-first strategy gives you a template or “roadmap” to work off of.
Instead of coming up with an idea and fumbling around trying to arrange it and
develop other ideas around it in the playlist, with the arrangement-first strategy,
you have a rough sketch to fill in.

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Another benefit to the arrangement-first strategy is that it helps you think more
critically about your arrangement. You can’t hear anything because you’re not
working with audio right from the start, so you need to actually think about how
one section will flow to the next. You learn to think conceptually.

It also makes starting and finishing projects easy.

Starting is easy because you’re working with blank MIDI clips. You’re not really
writing music. For the most part, structure and arrangement are generally more
clear-cut than writing a melody.

Finishing is much easier because you’ve got an arrangement laid out from the
start. You feel like the track is closer to being finished and thus it’s easier to work
on.

Downsides
While great, the arrangement-first strategy doesn’t come without its downsides.

For one, it can be an incredibly boring way to start a track. Especially if you’ve
been using it for a while. After all, you’re really just adding placeholders in the
form of blank MIDI clips. Not super fun, but maybe that’s just my cynicism leak-
ing.

Another downside, or perhaps something to mention, is that it’s hard to find the
balance between a too simple arrangement and too complex arrangement. Do
you add 5 tracks of blank MIDI clips or 20?

If the blank arrangement is too simple then it means you’ll have to spend more
time later thinking about what to add. This can make the production process
difficult.

But if the blank arrangement is too complex, it can be daunting and overwhelm-
ing, making the project harder to work on and to finish.

34
There is no ideal level of complexity. It differs for everyone, and is genre-depen-
dent to a degree. I personally like to use between 5-10 tracks. I don’t get too de-
tailed (I won’t add tracks for individual drum hits: clap, hat 1, hat 2, tom, etc.)

Who’s it for
The arrangement-first strategy is great for producers who often find themselves
stuck in the dreaded 8-bar loop, because when you follow this workflow, you’re
not creating a loop straight away. You can’t really get stuck in the 8-bar loop be-
cause you’ve already got an arrangement to fill in.

It’s also good for producers who struggle with arrangement. It’s easier to ar-
range with blank MIDI clips than with actual musical ideas. And as long as you
reference arrangements from other tracks, then arranging with blank MIDI clips
is pretty easy.

Finally, if you find it hard to finish tracks, it’s worth trying out. It’s much easier
to finish something when you’ve got an outline. Before I wrote this page I creat-
ed an outline. If I hadn’t, I would have found it much more difficult to write and
complete.

An outline breaks things up into small parts. When you have an arrangement
set in place, you can look at the project in pieces instead of as one big, daunting
project.

Tips:
• Reference other arrangements. Drag a song in the DAW that is the
same style as what you’re trying to make. How is it structured on a mac-
ro-level?(where does the chorus come in? How long is the breakdown?)
How many instruments does the chorus feature?
• If an idea comes to you during arranging, then explore it. Drop everything
and see where it leads.

35
• Don’t go overboard. Creating blank MIDI clips for all the tiny details is
pure procrastination. Some things have to be left until later.
• Don’t view your blank arrangement as something set in stone. It should
be flexible. You don’t want to force ideas into a template that doesn’t
showcase them well.

36
 LINEAR
The linear workflow is less common than the chorus-first workflow but more
common than the arrangement-first workflow.

The linear workflow involves working in a linear fashion—from left to right. So,
you’d start by working on the intro for your track, then move on to whatever
comes next, maybe a breakdown, and continue from there.

With a linear workflow, it doesn’t mean you can’t go back to earlier sections and
make edits, rather, it’s a way of starting a track, just like the arrangement-first
and chorus-first workflow. If you created an intro that led into a verse, and then
had a great idea for a breakdown later on in the track that didn’t follow that
verse, then you work on that. It’s not a rigid framework that needs to be fol-
lowed.

Why it’s good

One of the key benefits to this workflow is that it results in a smooth arrange-
ment. It forces you to have good flow, since you’re spending so much time on the
transitions between the sections.

By starting with the intro, you know you need to build tension into something.
As you go through the motions and add or remove things to build that tension,
your head will be filled with ideas that fit well in the next section but also fit with
the prior section.

Another benefit to the linear workflow is that it forces you to develop or “evolve”
simple ideas rather than work on complex ideas from the get-go. You aren’t go-
ing to feature some crazy complex melody in your intro, but you might start with
a simple motif which you then develop and expand on in the next section.

37
Downsides

The linear workflow isn’t kind to producers prone to getting stuck in a project.
It’s very easy to hit a wall—you work on an intro, perhaps a verse afterwards,
and then your mind just goes blank. There aren’t any ideas. This is where the
chorus-first workflow succeeds because it’s easier to work backwards from a
chorus rather than up towards it. The linear workflow is like climbing up a
slightly steep hill slowly, whereas the chorus-first workflow is akin to performing
a difficult and rapid ascent, and then coming down slowly on the other side.

Another downside to this workflow is that it’s easy to end up with similar results
every time you work on a project.

Because you’re working on an intro first each time (though, perhaps the solution
to this is to instead work on a verse or breakdown to start with), you’re probably
going to do similar things: add in a kick drum, create an 8-bar build up, etc. And
if you’re working on a build-up the exact same way you did in the last track, then
it can be easy to create a drop in the exact same (or very similar) way you did it
previously.

Finally, you can end up tweaking and spending too much time on things that
should wait till later. The intro is a good example. You don’t want to spend hours
on the intro, unless you’re making music that isn’t club-oriented (in which case
the intro is the most important part of your track).

With that said, there’s something about putting a good amount of time into a
section before moving on to the next one. When you spend time on a section and
make it good, it gives you momentum. If you work on a section half-heartedly,
it’s easy to do the same during the next section.

38
Who’s it for?
The linear workflow is ultimately something you have to experiment with. For
some people it doesn’t work at all, for others (like myself) it typically leads to a
unique track.

That said, it suits producers who make any sort of progressive genre well, be-
cause progressive music (in the traditional sense of the word) evolves over time.
By working in a linear fashion, you can develop and evolve a simple idea per-
haps more easily than you could if you started chorus first.

It’s also great for producers who struggle with song flow, tension and energy.
Because as mentioned, it forces you to focus on those things.

Don’t skimp on sections

This point is counterintuitive and contradictory to a lot of what I’ve said in this
book, but if you skimp on a section while following the linear workflow, your
track will end up as weak as the section you skimped on.

If you spend time and make your intro quality, then it’s going to have a bear-
ing on the quality of the next section. You’ll want to make sure they fit. In other
words, the quality of the prior section has an impact on the quality of the next
section (especially when it comes to ideation).

At the same time, don’t spend too long on one section or you’ll end up spinning
the wheel. If the ideas are good and it sounds clean, move on.

39
 3
IDEA
GENERATION
 THE SONG PALETTE
STRATEGY
The song palette strategy is something I’ve passively developed over the years.
It’s a 3-step process that involves extracting ideas from existing music for use in
your own productions. This is not the same as copying or remaking songs. It is
not “un-artistic” as some might have you believe. It’s simply a way to transition
quickly into creative mode and also produce more interesting music.

Now, I’d be lying if I said I came up with this strategy all by myself. It’s some-
thing that already exists in one form or another. Jaytech does something similar
when creating tracks. According to his Pyramind Elite Session, he’ll take a listen
to the Beatport Top 10 and write down the “themes” that stick out to him. Those
themes will form the foundation of his next song.

A similar technique is featured in Dennis DeSantis’ book, Making Music: 74 Cre-

ative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers. In his book he introduces the
idea of building a “catalog of attributes” from a song: the process of listening to a
song and studying the hell out of it. Every layer, element, effect, and so on.

My version differs from both of these. It’s more complicated than Jaytech’s
strategy but less so than DeSantis’.

As the name suggests, the key objective of this strategy is to build a palette of
ideas that can be used to create an original work. The same way a painter would
have a paint palette at the ready, the producer has a palette of ideas and sounds.

There’s a 3-step process that I like to use to build up this palette. It should take
no more than 30 minutes.

41
Choose at least 5 songs
To build a palette of ideas, we need to find those ideas.

Pick five songs to use throughout this process. The more diverse, the better. I
strongly encourage you to select one song from outside your genre, and another
from outside EDM as a whole.

For example, my five songs might be:

• The Thrillseekers – This Is All We Have (Andy Moor Remix)

• Genix – Sunstruck (Original Mix)
• Outlook – Zeal (Original Mix)
• Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song
• Hot Natured – Benediction (Lxury Remix)

The first three are close to the genre I want to make (trance/progressive), but
the bottom two aren’t. Why would I use a Led Zeppelin track as inspiration for
an EDM track? Because there are bound to be ideas in there that can translate to
the genre I’m making.

Step 2: Listen and take notes

The next step is to listen to each song from start to finish. While listening, write
down one thing that stands out in terms of:

• Composition
• Arrangement
• Mixdown

These “things” can be anything. You might find that one particular song has a
dynamic filter placed on the hi-hats to give them movement, or that the main
lead is panned slightly to the right. Just write down whatever comes to mind. If
you’re struggling to find key ideas in the song, think about:

42
 • Melody: how is the melody structured? Is it happy and euphoric or dark
and depressing?
• Drums: are the drums punchy? Are they complex or simple? Is there
anything interesting happening?
• FX: how are FX being used in the track to add tension and smooth transi-
tions?
• Effects: are certain tracks being processed in a unique way?

Note: You only need to listen to each song once. It should be more than enough
time to write down three ideas that interest you. Don’t use this strategy to pro-
crastinate and not make music.

Having done that, you should have several ideas at the ready. Some of them
might be rubbish, but that’s okay.

Here’s what a list of ideas might look like:

• Vocal stabs panned to the left and right

• Highpass filter used before the second drop
• Quick synth scale fills
• Instruments fade out instead of stopping abruptly
• Stereo-widened mid/high-end bass layer
• Heavy side chain compression continues in breakdown (even though
there’s no kick)
• Longer than usual breakdown, kept interesting with automation
• Two choruses, one before the breakdown and one after
• Long intro - 48 bars
• Short 8-bar break before the first drop
• Heavy swing on melody
• 2 different claps used, one on the second beat and the other on the fourth
• Basic 4-bar chord progression
• Melody makes use of call and response

43
The next step is to start working on a track using these ideas as a reference when
you get stuck. The important thing to note here is that these are simply starting
points. They are not guidelines. You shouldn’t follow them exactly, but rather
use them as a safety net or roadmap. If you’re in creative flow, follow your ideas
where they take you.

44
 USING PROMPTS
What is a prompt?

It’s something that prompts you to create something. It gives you an idea -
something to work towards or try. It fills the daunting gap between a completely
blank project file and the ideas in your head by giving you a head start.

Prompts are most common in the writing world (all kinds of writing from essays
to creative writing). Here’s a quote I found on Warren Wilson College’s website
in an article about writing prompts:

“Many creative writers use prompts to generate new material. Prompts can be
challenges -- for example, write a story using only one syllable words or craft
an alphabet story where the first sentence begins with the letter A, the next
sentence B, and so on -- or themes provided by journals, or a poem to which a
writer can respond.”

As producers, we can use prompts similar to how writers use them. In fact, we
should. They help us get unstuck and lead to more interesting ideas (they’re also
fun).

Using other songs as prompts

Open your DAW, drag in a song that you’ve never heard before. Literally go to
Beatport or iTunes and buy a song without listening to it.

Then, look at the waveform to find where the breakdown is. Cut it out, and then
trim it back so it stops 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through.

Listen through to it, and then start working on your own track. Use what you
just heard as a prompt for your own original creation. Maybe it’s a continuation
of what you heard, maybe it’s a variation or a simpler version. Let your imagina-
tion run wild.

45
Using scenarios
A scenario can be in your head, on paper—pretty much anywhere.

For example, I might produce a song based on my trip to Barcelona last year.
The scenario already exists in my head because it’s based on memory, but there
are certain feelings and themes attached to that scenario: sunny, happy, relax-
ing, new, exciting. The ideas I come up with due to that prompt will probably
incorporate some of those themes.

But you don’t need to use a scenario based on memory. Adam Young, also
known as Owl City, has been putting out new scores every month based around
a particular theme or scenario. The last one was called Omaha Beach, and is in-
spired by the invasion upon Nazi Germany which eventually lead to the reclama-
tion of occupied Europe.

You can do this yourself. If you’re a history buff, there’s plenty of material there
for you. But even if you’re not, there’s no shortage of ideas. Read a fiction book!

Short prompts
Using other songs and scenarios as prompts is fine, but you don’t need to get
that complicated if you don’t want to.

Short prompts work just as well. Something like:

Produce a song that fuses the old and the new.

That prompt is deliberately vague. What does the old and new mean? Does it
mean that you fuse together classical music with EDM? Does it mean you use an
old sample from a classic dance track and merge it with modern samples?

There’s no right answer - do what you think is right.

As the earlier quote suggests, short prompts can also be challenges:

46
Produce a song with only 8 channels of audio (no MIDI).

Not as inspiring, perhaps, but certainly a fun challenge.

10 prompts to get you started

Here’s a list of 10 prompts/challenges that you can use to start new projects.
You’re welcome to change these to your liking.

Note: If you purchased and downloaded the complete package, you’ll have ac-
cess to 40 extra prompts in the form of a PDF.

1. Create a song without using MIDI.

2. Write the song you wish to be played at your funeral (Requiem)/wed-
ding/other special occasion.
3. Make something that would work well as background music at an out-
door barbecue.
4. Write a song that doesn’t contain a bassline (it can be done - listen to
When Doves Cry by Prince)
5. Write a song about a current event that upsets you.
6. Write the song you wish you heard during the happiest moment of your
life.
7. Produce a track using only one synth (even for the drums) and no audio.
8. Make something twice as long as usual.
9. Make something that would fit in a modernised version of your favorite
classic film.
10. Make something that reflects your country’s values.

47
 THE FUNNEL METHOD
The funnel method isn’t aptly named, it’s much more simple than it sounds.

Essentially, it involves starting off with a large quantity of ideas and then choos-
ing the best one and developing it.

So, instead of starting a new project by coming up with one idea and developing
it—your first session involves coming up with ten ideas. That’s the only objective
of that first session.

This is not an easy thing to do, but it does have its benefits.

Why it’s helpful

The funnel method leads to better ideas. It’s as simple as that.

First, when you come up with ten ideas before starting a project, you can expect
at least one of them to be song worthy. Even if 9/10 of them suck, you’ve still got
an idea that doesn’t suck.

Second, you’re not thinking about the end product, or how you’re going to turn
the idea into a song. Your goal is just to come up with ideas. You know some of
them will never turn into a completed song. The lack of pressure means you’re
more relaxed, more creative, and less rushed, meaning you’re better able to
come up with good ideas. It’s perpetual.

How to do it

Step 1: Create ten ideas

Why ten?

48
It’s difficult but not impossible. Fifty is an absurd number, and five isn’t quite
enough.

By “idea” I mean something simple like a melody or chord progression. Not a

full 8-bar loop containing several instruments.

The way I like to follow this method is to use a piano VST and create ten MIDI
clips in the same channel (using session view in Ableton). Using a piano VST
allows me to focus on the composition rather than the sound, and keeping it to
just MIDI clips means there’s no temptation to develop it straight away.

Step 2: Pick the idea you like most

The second step is to choose the idea that you think is the best.

Most of the time you’ll already know what it is, but sometimes you might have to
take extra measures such as auditioning ideas with different instruments to get a
better idea of their potential.

If you’re really stuck, ask a friend what they think about the ideas.

Step 3: Develop the idea into a song

I won’t explain how to do this here, as the next two chapters will cover that.

Tips:
Don’t think about how you’re going to turn the ideas you’re coming up with
into a song. Just focus on gathering new ideas. As soon as you think about how
you’re going to turn an idea into a song, you start analysing it and telling your-
self you need to change this and that. You end up in the closed mode instead of
the open, and your ability to come up with ideas is inhibited.

Remember, just coming up with ideas is beneficial in itself. Even if your ten
ideas absolutely suck, you’ve practiced. You’ve learned something. Do it again
tomorrow.

49
 ITERATIVE PRODUCTION
Iterative production is something many producers do already, they just haven’t
thought about it.

It’s a workflow that involves building upon simple ideas rather than trying to
come up with something complex and polished straight away.

Iterative production will not help you if you’re already good at coming up with
polished ideas from the start. It will actually hinder you because it slows the pro-
cess down.

But if you’re stuck—you can’t come up with anything at all, or your ideas lack
something, then iterative production is a brilliant solution.

Iterative production helps you avoid

perfectionism
When you’re producing iteratively, you start extremely simple. You know that
your first idea—iteration 0—is not going to sound amazing. But by iteration 5, it
will.

Heading into a project with the knowledge that the first thing you come up with
isn’t going to be perfect, and doesn’t need to be perfect, is relieving. You feel less
pressure.

Iterative production helps you build

momentum
When you try and write an amazing melody right off the bat without any itera-
tion, you’re prone to getting stuck and giving up. But when you’re following the
iterative production methods and making small improvements continuously, it’s

50
more difficult to get stuck because you’ve built momentum. Each improvement—
each iteration—you make is a small win.

Iterative production gives you

flexibility
There have been many times where I’ve been writing a melody, only to take it
in a different direction and wish I hadn’t. Of course, I can’t go back because the
earlier idea I had was lost.

When you use iterative production, all your past ideas are right there, in the
project, until you delete them. If you follow a certain idea and decide it isn’t
great, then you can simply go back a few iterations to where you started it and
try again.

What about CTRL/CMD + Z? Surely you can just undo things?

Many DAWs only allow you to undo a certain number of edits. Ableton will only
allow you to undo up to the save point, so if you’re like me, and have the habit of
saving your projects frequently (you develop this habit after experiencing crash-
es many times), then you can’t go back that far.

How to do it
Because iterative production is a flexible workflow, you should find what best
works for you. Most producers will prefer to make tiny improvements, while
others might prefer to make larger, less frequent changes.

To explain the process better, I’ll run through the creation of a chord progres-
sion using iterative production.

51
Step 1: The bassline
If you don’t know music theory, this workflow is great because it forces you to
use your ear.

In session view, using a simple piano VST (it’s good to use “neutral” sounds
because they don’t affect your composition as much), I’ll write a simple 4-note
progression in A natural minor.

Note: You should be able to do this even if you’re a beginner. Keep it simple,
and keep changing notes around until you hear something that sounds pleasant.

I’ll then duplicate this in session view to work on the first iteration.

Next, I might change the rhythm slightly to make it more interesting. This will
be my first iteration (I could make a bigger change here and add more, but I’m
keeping it simple).

52
I’ll duplicate this sequence again, rename it to “It. 2” and make another im-
provement, this time adding a 5th to each note.

Next, I’ll add two extra notes to each chord. One an octave above, and a third on
the top. I’ve also changed the last chord. (Iteration 3.)

53
In iteration 4, I repeat the second to last chord again to make the progression
flow better.

And there we go, a decent chord progression using iterative production. We

could then take this further by changing the rhythm, adding a melody on top, or
pretty much doing anything.

One thing that’s important to keep in mind when using this workflow is that you
don’t need to keep iterating after you’ve got something good. It’s easy to go over-
board and make things unnecessarily complicated. Make sure you’re conscious
of how far you’re going, and always ask yourself whether your current iteration
is good enough. If it is, move on to the next thing.

54
 KEEPING A MUSICAL SWIPE
FILE
The idea of keeping a swipe file comes from the advertising world.

A swipe file is a set of tested advertising ideas or sales letters that can be used as
templates for new ads, or simply as inspiration.

Swipe files are also used outside of the advertising world in various fields, but
I’ve never seen any producers use them.

How to keep a musical swipe file

As an advertiser keeps a swipe file of sales letters and ideas, a music producer
can keep a swipe file of musical ideas that they’ve picked up from elsewhere.

Let’s say you’re listening to a new song and you appreciate the way they’ve tran-
sitioned into the breakdown. Perhaps they used the classic reverse reverb trick
but also chopped up the reverb to make it glitchy.

Now, you’re likely going to forget that if you simply think “that was cool, I
should try it sometime.” So, instead, you add it to your swipe file which is per-
manent and can be referred back to at any time.

The easiest way to keep a musical swipe file is simply to write things down in
a document or notepad. If you heard the reverse-reverb transitional technique
then you might write down like this:

Transition into breakdown using chopped-up reverse reverb.

Next time you’re struggling with a transition, or simply want to spice one up,
you can look at your swipe file (ideally an organised one which has the category
Transition Ideas) and find something helpful.

55
Another way to keep a musical swipe file, which can certainly be used alongside
a simple document, is to cut out snippets from the songs that inspire you. Let’s
say you’re listening to a track and you like the way they’ve layered two sounds
together. You could cut out a few seconds and place it in a folder that can easily
be referenced in your DAW.

Note: If you use this second approach, make sure to name your snippets in
a way that will remind you what they are. For example: Bass_Synth_Layer-
ing_Technique_1.wav instead of just Name_of_song_snippet.wav. If you don’t
name it properly, you’re likely to forget why you saved it as a snippet.

Keep it organized
You want to keep your musical swipe file organised for easy access and refer-
ence. You don’t have to do this in the beginning when it’s small, but you might
as well.

This goes for both approaches, by the way. If you’re simply writing stuff down
in a doc, use headers (or individual docs) that represent the ideas underneath
them. If you’re cutting out audio snippets, create subfolders with appropriate
titles.

Use category names that you think make the most sense. Here are some ideas:

• Interesting sounds
• Melody/compositional tricks
• Motifs
• Fills
• Techniques
• Drum tricks
• Transition ideas
• Misc

56
 35 WAYS TO COME UP WITH
IDEAS
1. Play an instrument

A change in environment sparks creativity.

If you play an instrument, but hardly ever touch it, now is the time to do so.
Sticking your head further into your DAW is not going to help you come up with
ideas, so get out of the box and jam.

2. Use your MIDI keyboard

I can’t even play keyboard. I put my fingers in the wrong place and hit the wrong
notes all the time. But 90% of all my tracks start on a cute little 25-key MIDI
keyboard.

Not sure how to come up with ideas on a MIDI keyboard? Start hitting some
notes until you come across something cool (if you’re really stuck – just hit the
white keys. You can’t go wrong.)

3. Use Ableton’s Scale device

If you have a complicated relationship with music theory – that is, you always
put off learning your scales – then Ableton’s scale device is a great solution.

Why?

Because when you’re trying to come up with ideas, the last thing you want to
think about is what notes you need to use. Ableton’s scale device will stop you
from hitting the wrong notes.

You’re not cheating if you use this tool, you’re being smart. That’s why these
things are made.

57
4. Lay down the drums first

C’mon. You don’t need a spark of inspiration to lay down a drum section.

Set up a 4 to 8-bar loop containing a bunch of drum and percussion sounds, and
then wait to see if anything enters your head.

Usually it will, simply because it’s easier to imagine ideas when there’s a back-
drop in place compared to a blank canvas.

This leads me to my next point…

5. Go through the motions

I envy the producer who frequently gets gifted ideas while doing day-to-day
tasks (eating, taking a shower, etc.)

It’s easy to think that you need an idea in your head before starting a project.
That you need to wake up some day humming a brilliant melody.

But this isn’t how it works for some people. In fact, I’m not sure if I’ve ever made
a song with an idea that came to me outside of a production session.

Instead of waiting around for the idea to come to you, take action. Go through
the motions: open your DAW, set up your project, add structure markers, lay
down some drums. I guarantee you’ll come up with something.

6. Use another track as a starting point

My first ever signed remix came together in a matter of hours after being in-
spired by an electro-trance tune I’d bought a few weeks earlier.

How?

Well, I needed to remix a track for this label, but nothing was coming to me. I
tried, but as I tried I became more stressed.

58
So, I dragged the electro-trance tune into my DAW, and literally copied the intro
hit for hit (using different samples, of course).

After the first 8 bars, I had a ton of ideas for my remix, which ended up sound-
ing completely different to the track I used as a starting point.

7. Use an older project as a starting point

Noah Neiman talks about this in his interview on the EDM Prodcast (Episode
21)

He’ll open up an older project and use it as a template for a new project, saving
him A LOT of time (which I imagine is helpful considering he’s a doctor as well
as a successful producer).

But beyond the workflow benefits, this trick can be used to generate new ideas.
You could lower the tempo and change the main instrument, for instance, re-
sulting in a stream of fresh ideas.

The key isn’t to make something similar to the old project, but rather use it as a
palette for new ideas (instead of starting with nothing).

8. Save your projects properly

Wait…what?

How does saving your projects properly lead to new ideas?

It’s simple.

You’ve probably worked on a project where you felt you could have gone in a few
different directions. You could have used a different drum pattern, changed the
lead sound, or made a significant change to the arrangement.

Because creativity benefits from experimentation, it pays to actually follow these

different directions to see where they lead. Some of the directions you go down

59
will end up sounding terrible, and you’ll want to backtrack, which is why you
need to save properly.

Here’s how…

Filename: nameofsong_draft.als

This is your core project file. The file you use from the start until you reach the
point where you’re presented with various possible paths.

You decide to change the melody to something a little darker, so you change
your project file to…

Filename: nameofsong_darkmelody.als

As you try out the ideas presented to you, and save as a new version each time,
you’ll end up with a few different versions. You’ll choose to pursue one of these
(hopefully), but the others can be used as a basis for new songs.

TL;DR: Save as a new version every time you do something significant. Non-fi-
nal versions can be used as a basis for new tracks.

9. Preset scrolling

This is an underrated technique.

It’s also not complicated AT ALL.

Pick your favorite synth and scroll through presets while jamming on your MIDI
keyboard. You don’t need to buy preset packs either, as most synths have a ton
of great presets already (have you heard some of Spire’s default presets? Wow.)

10. Sample scrolling

You can scroll through samples the same way you can scroll through presets.
Eventually you’ll come across something that sparks an idea for a song.

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It pays to scroll through the right samples, though. If you’re just browsing
through drum hits, you probably won’t find anything that generates an idea. Vo-
cal chops and synth hits will be more likely to spark something.

11. Remove the pressure

“During pre-production, [Rick] Rubin tries to steer his artists away from the distraction and
pressure of the Hollywood spotlight and striving for commercial success.”

— Jake Brown, Rick Rubin in the Studio

This isn’t as much a technique as it is a mindset.

If you feel pressured to make something great, to impress others–if you feel you
must make a masterpiece, then you’re not going to come up with ideas.

And even if you do, you’ll ignore most of them because they don’t fit your un-
reachable standard.

Ideas benefit from a relaxed environment. Focus on the music, not what it will
necessarily do for you and your career.

12. Design sounds

This goes hand-in-hand with preset scrolling.

When you spend time designing sounds, you invariably hear surrounding ele-
ments pop into your head.

If you’re designing a bass sound, you might hear some drums. If you’re design-
ing a pluck sound you might hear a melody pop into your head.

Even if you don’t come up with any ideas, your time hasn’t been wasted as
you’ve (hopefully) designed some great sounds.

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13. Remix

This one’s obvious, but it works.

When you remix another track, the ideas are already there for you. You don’t
need to write a new chord progression or melody, and in some cases it’s a good
idea to keep the original composition intact.

14. MIDI files as a starting point

Before you get all up in arms and tell me that using MIDI files is cheating, don’t
worry, I agree.

I don’t have a huge amount of respect for producers who use construction kits,
unchanged, to create a track and then release it.

But using a construction kit or MIDI file as a starting point for something new is
a great way to come up with new ideas, especially if you’ve been going through a
dry patch.

15. Collaborate

Collaboration helps idea generation in a few ways:

• You’ve got two minds attempting to generate ideas compared to just one.
• You can bounce ideas off each other, ultimately refining them.
• Each person feels a heightened sense of responsibility, meaning laziness
won’t be the cause of a lack of ideas.

16. Use a new plugin

I’ll preface this way by saying that downloading new plugins frequently is a bad
habit. It can lead to analysis paralysis, and besides, no one needs 100 subtractive
synths.

But if you are stuck, downloading a new synth or audio effect can help with idea
generation, even if it’s just for the presets.

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17. Blindly process

If you ever feel like you’re taking music production too seriously, do this:

1. Insert a synth with a basic patch (I like to use the init patch, but you can
use anything)
2. Create a simply rhythm or melody (it can literally just be one note if you
like)
3. Start adding audio effects with the aim to completely mangle and change
the sound. I recommend using Max for Live audio effects.

Most of the time you do this you’ll end up with something that sounds ugly,
but you’ll have had fun doing it, and you’ll have likely come across an idea for a
track.

18. Use a visual

As you already know, there’s a strong link between visual and audio. That’s why
films are so engaging, they make use of both.

You can use a visual to come up with ideas for a song. Consider:

• Writing to your favorite scene from your favorite film.

• Creating a song around a landscape photo that inspires you.
• Drawing a line on a piece of paper and composing a melody that follows it
(read more about this process).

19. Learn a new technique.

The first uplifting trance track I made happened because I wanted to learn how
to program a rolling bassline.

Watching YouTube tutorials and learning new techniques almost always lead to
new song ideas, so if you’re stuck, spend some time learning.

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20. Do what you know

I almost left this one out, because it’s dangerous.

Experimentation is a much better way to come up with new ideas, but some-
times, when you spend all your time experimenting, you feel like you’re a bit out
of your depth.

And being out of your depth is not a good space to be in if you want to generate
new ideas.

So, if you are in that position, stick to what you know. If you know how to make
a killer rolling bassline or groovy tech house drum loop, do that.

Note: As I said, this one is dangerous. If you always stick to what you know,
you’re not going to pick up anything new, and eventually your creativity will
stagnate which will lead to a lack of ideas.

21. Steal ideas from other genres

This one’s super easy.

Listen to a genre you don’t normally like and use one of the key characteristics
of that genre in another.

For example, progressive trance music often uses a monophonic, harsh-sound-

ing lead (like the one in Lost Connection by Jochen Miller at 3:20). You could
take this sound and use it in a drum ‘n’ bass track. Not the exact melody, but the
style and sound.

22. Keep it simple

This relates to removing pressure.

You don’t have to come up with the most amazing, complex idea. In fact, simple
ideas often work better.

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Take Fifth Harmony & Ty Dolla $ign’s Work from Home as an example. The riff
that plays throughout is incredibly simple, but it works.

23. Forget making a “song”

It can be overwhelming thinking about everything involved in creating a song.

Sometimes, it inhibits us from coming up with ideas because we know how
much work there is to do afterwards.

Tell yourself that all you need to do is come up with one idea. Don’t pressure
yourself into making a full song. When that pressure is gone, it’s much easier to
come up with ideas because you don’t feel obligated to develop them.

Think about this as building up your “ideas bank.” You create a melody, store
it in a folder called “melodies,” and you may come back to it later if you feel in-
spired.

24. Write around a vocal

Get your hands on an acapella (look for remix competitions if you can’t find
any), drag it into your DAW, and write something that fits underneath it.

I do this often if I don’t feel like writing from scratch. Working around a vocal
means you have limitations in place, which can make idea generation easier
than if you have little or no limitations.

25. Start with the rhythm

I don’t know about you, but I find it A LOT easier to come up with a solid groove
than a melody.

If you’re the same, it might pay to start that way. Figure out how the kick and
bass are going to interact in your song. Make them sound tight. Then worry
about the melodic content.

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26. Motif then melody

Coming up with a good melody is hard.

So, instead of trying to write a great melody from the start, focus on writing a
simple motif.

What’s a motif? According to Wikipedia, it’s “a short musical idea…musical frag-

ment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is character-
istic of a composition.”

So, just write a few notes. You can then use your motif as a basis for a ful-
ly-fledged melody.

27. Go to an event

As I mentioned earlier, a change in environment sparks creativity.

So, if you haven’t gone out in a while, consider going to a festival or club event to
re-ignite the fire. You’re bound to come home full of new ideas.

28. Chop up a vocal

If you’re an Ableton user, your life has been made easy.

Right-click on a vocal loop or acapella in your playlist and click “Slice to new
MIDI track.”

Make sure the slice setting is on transient, and then click okay.

BOOM. You now have a drum rack with a bunch of vocal chops. Play a bunch of
them on your keyboard until you come across something awesome.

29. Emulate someone else

Try to emulate one of your favorite artists and make a song in their style. I don’t

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mean you should remake one of their tracks, but rather, take inspiration from
their sound.

30. Force it (the timer method)

This one isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it normally works.

People assume you can’t force creativity, and there may be some truth to that,
but successful artists of the past will be the first to tell you that sometimes, you
just have to sit down and push through the resistance.

So, if nothing else is working, set a timer. Don’t make it too long. 30-60 minutes
is fine.

Force yourself to sit there and come up with something during that time. Don’t
leave your chair until the timer is up. Chances are, you’ll come up with some-
thing okay that can be developed into something decent.

But Sam, what if I don’t come up with anything good?

Don’t worry about it. That’s part of the process. Cut your losses and try again
tomorrow.

31. Listen to more music

This is less a “way” than it is a necessity.

I find it odd that some producers brag about the fact they listen to hardly any
music.

“Oh, you know, I like to be original and creative. I don’t listen to any music be-
cause it will influence my creations too much.”

Stop kidding yourself.

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Sure, pure consumption without any production is useless if you’re an artist, but
there does need to be a high degree of consumption.

You’ll know how powerful this is if the following has happened to you…

…you’ve had a rough week. You’ve tried to sit down and make music but nothing
came to you.

You’re feeling like you’re not cut-out for the job. You don’t feel inspired in the
slightest.

All of a sudden, you hear a new song on your Spotify playlist. You haven’t heard
it before, but you’re immediately impressed. You get excited… and the next min-
ute—you’re in the studio starting a new project.

32. Cultivate consistency

One reason producers find it hard to come up with new ideas is that they aren’t
consistently making music every day.

Take exercise as an example.

If you’ve ever had a break from exercising, whether it’s cardio or lifting weights,
and you start up again, you know that the first day you “restart” is tough. You’ve
lost strength, fitness.

And it’s similar with music, or any creative discipline for that matter. You be-
come rusty, you aren’t used to is, and it’s hard to restart.

By staying consistent, your subconscious is constantly working on new ideas for

you.

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33. Record something

I mentioned earlier that a change in environment often leads to creative ideas.

Getting “out of the box” is one way to change your environment, even if it’s on a
micro-level.

Buy a mid-range field recorder (I use the Zoom H4N) and start recording a
bunch of stuff. Make your own sample pack.

A few ideas:

• Head to the beach and record the sound of waves crashing

• Sit in a cafe and press record. Soak up the atmosphere and use it in a
track.
• Record kitchen utensils, pots and pans to use as samples.

34. Use paper

“There’s just something about paper and pen and sketching out rough ideas in the ‘analog
world’ in the early stages that seems to lead to more clarity and better, more creative results
when we finally get down to representing our ideas digitally…”

— Garr Reynolds

I’ve recently been reading a book called The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs
by Carmine Gallo.

One of the first sections in the book talks about the importance of planning in
analog. That is, with paper or on a whiteboard.

You can do this as a producer.

Sketch out ideas for a track. How does one section flow into the next? Use key-
words, create diagrams, draw arrows, exercise creativity and thought.

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35. Live production

If you’re an Ableton user and have a MIDI keyboard, you can do this.

Set up an 8-bar basic drum loop in session view and start recording stuff over
the top.

Improvise. Don’t analyze.

Pretend you’re actually playing live and adding new stuff.

Note: Standing up helps with this.

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 4
ARRANGEMENT
WORKFLOW
 SUBTRACTIVE
ARRANGEMENT
“If the traditional arranging workflow is analogous to painting, the subtractive workflow is
analogous to sculpting. You’re beginning with a solid block of raw material and then gradual-
ly chipping away at it, creating space where there used to be stuff, rather than filling space that
used to be empty.”

— Dennis DeSantis (Making Music: Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers)

Subtractive arrangement is a method of arranging that typically involves dupli-

cating a loop for the desired length of your track, then removing (or deactivat-
ing) parts to create a logical arrangement.

Here’s how it works:

I have an 8-bar loop that I’ve made in Live’s session view:

I’ll select all the tracks, hold down my mouse, click “tab” on my keyboard and
drag it into the arrangement view, making sure that all the clips line up with the
tracks.

Then, I’ll drag them out so they’re all the same length (8 bars).

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At this point, I’ll duplicate the loop until it’s roughly 5 minutes in length.

Now comes the fun part—I’ll start deleting clips in certain areas to create a more
logical arrangement. Here’s what the end result looks like:

Now, obviously at this point the arrangement still needs a lot of work. It’s not
interesting enough, there’s no FX, no automation, and the transitions aren’t
smooth.

But it’s a start. And it took all of 5 minutes to do.

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Why subtractive arrangement is
beneficial
Subtractive arrangement has its drawbacks, but it’s generally a great way to ar-
range loop-based genres.

The first reason it’s beneficial is that it’s fast. To get the basic arrangement down
takes no longer than 20 minutes, and after that things tend to go pretty smooth-
ly.

The second reason it’s beneficial is that it forces you to focus on the big picture
first. You don’t get bogged down in the details which can often happen when
you’re arranging piece-by-piece.

And finally, arranging subtractively benefits idea generation. You don’t have to
worry about adding too much while making your loop, because you’re going to
be subtracting from it anyway.

Note: If you’re someone who likes to make transitional or organic music, or just
music that’s less loop based and more composition based, then subtractive ar-
rangement will be more difficult for you.

Tips:
• Add more than you think you need to in the initial loop. Remember, it’s
easier to subtract than it is to add, so get as much addition as you can out
of the way first.
• Write notes. You’ll likely have a few ideas pop into your head while ar-
ranging. You don’t want to break the flow of what you’re doing by explor-
ing those ideas straight away, so write them down on a piece of paper and
work on them immediately after. You want to get your basic arrangement
done in one sitting.

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 NATURAL (PIECE BY PIECE)
When the subtractive arrangement workflow doesn’t suffice, the next best option
is to arrange in a more natural fashion, piece by piece.

There are no guidelines for this, you simply work on what you want to work on.
Perhaps you start with the chorus and then work on a verse. Maybe you start
with the breakdown and build into the chorus.

I do encourage you to work on a section until it’s finished, though. You’ll be

tempted to jump between sections while working on them, but this doesn’t really
help in the early stages of composition and arrangement as you can end up go-
ing round in circles tweaking everything.

Let the idea dictate how you arrange

When you focus initially on the idea rather than the arrangement, you often get
a sense of how to start arranging your track.

For example, if you start working on a chord progression and it turns into a mel-
low piano piece, you might decide to start by working on your breakdown, and
then build that into the chorus. Or, if you’re like most producers, you’ll probably
just start with the chorus. Either way works fine, just remember to experiment
to find out what works best for you.

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 BIG PICTURE FIRST
Focusing on the “big picture” first is helpful in every stage of the production pro-
cess.

If you’re composing, it’s important to think about the core elements that are re-
ally going to make the difference in your composition. That is: a strong melody,
chord progression, and groove. The random motif, fill, or fancy pitch-bend at the
end of a phrase aren’t nearly as noticeable and thus don’t need as much atten-
tion at this stage.

If you’re mixing, it’s important you think big picture and focus on how your in-
struments are laid out before focusing on the faders and effects. If you have too
many sounds in one section, no amount of fader balance or EQ is going to make
it sound good.

And when you’re arranging, it’s also important to focus on the overall arrange-
ment first. Fancy transitions and quick tricks will not make up for a poor ar-
rangement that lacks tension and energy, or drags on in one section.

Tweaking as procrastination
Focusing on the big picture before anything else in the arrangement stage helps
you avoid endless tweaking.

You know what I mean. You play around with some automation on a soft-synth,
only to automate ten extra knobs and morph the sound into something crazy.
You tell yourself that you’re arranging because it changes over time while in re-
ality you’re putting off working on the harder stuff.

Now, there’s a time and place for this stuff. Tweaking is important. It’s often the
difference between a mediocre track and a great track. But it’s futile if it doesn’t
rest on a good foundation.

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If we don’t think big picture first, we’ll end up tweaking, because it’s easy to do
so. We feel like we’re making progress as well. But it’s akin to polishing an un-
washed car. You need the foundation first.

When you focus on the big picture first, tweaking gets put aside until after,
where it has the most impact.

Wide brush strokes

Another way to think “big picture” is to use a painting analogy.

Typically, but depending on the style of painting, artists will start with wide
brush strokes to get a general outline and then focus on the smaller details.

Likewise, a writer will start by thinking about how his book is going to be laid
out in terms of ideas and concepts before focusing on the details.

When you’re arranging, whether it be through the subtractive method or piece

by piece, focus on making wide brush strokes. Ask yourself questions like, “Is
this section really necessary?” “Do I need to lengthen or shorten anything?” and
“What can be added or removed to make this arrangement more impactful?”

Just as a painter thinks about how they’re making their wide brush strokes, or a
writer thinks about how they’re going to structure their story, you as a producer
should think about how you’re structuring your track to elicit the best possible
response from the listener.

Put yourself in the listeners shoes: would they get bored in this section? Would
they want a little more of your melody? Would they want something unexpect-
ed?

After you’ve thought about and made your wide brush strokes, then you can
start tweaking.

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 HOW TO FILL IN A TRACK
One of the most common questions I get asked through email and social media
is…

How do I fill in my track?

It’s a common struggle, and it’s not hard to understand why. We all want to
make music that sounds interesting the whole way through. We want the listen-
er to be impressed. We want to be impressed with ourselves.

Unfortunately, a lot of people who ask this question miss a crucial point, which
is that you can only fill in a track that needs to be filled.

More is not always better

The assumption is that the more you add, the better.

Somehow, magically, the song becomes better as you add more and more minor
elements.

Except that doesn’t happen. In fact, in most cases, it’s the other way around.

If your goal is to make a dance track, something to be played in a club or at a

festival, then the more simple it is, the better (why do you think big room music
became so popular?). That doesn’t mean you can’t be creative, it just means you
shouldn’t aim to fill in every single gap in your song.

So when you find yourself wondering how you should fill in your track, ask your-
self whether it’s actually needed. Don’t add for the sake of adding.

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Consider making it shorter
Sometimes, it’s not that we need to “fill in” the arrangement, it’s that the ar-
rangement is too long and that’s why we find it boring.

A shorter arrangement can leave the listener wanting more (which is a good
thing), but it is harder to pull off than you think. You need to introduce ideas
faster. You need to be more creative with transitions. And most importantly, you
need to rip out everything that’s not important.

Key problem areas

The most common sections where tracks tend to “drag” are:

• The chorus
• The breakdown
• The build-up

A chorus that’s slightly too long will bore the listener while energy levels drop.

A breakdown that’s slightly too long will create an imbalance in overall energy
(too much low-energy in a section vs. high-energy) and also lead to boredom.

A build-up that’s slightly too long will make the listener feel uncomfortable and
cause the chorus to lack impact.

When you’re trimming your arrangement, pay extra attention to these parts of
your track.

Questions to ask yourself

To avoid subjectivity and work out exactly what you need to do in order to tight-
en your arrangement, there are four key questions you can ask yourself:

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 • Does this section really need to be that long?
• Is this section dragging on, or is it just lacking change in energy?
• In my current project, what is non-essential? What doesn’t need to be
there? If I removed it, would the track be any worse off?
• If my track had to be 30 seconds shorter, how would I make it shorter?

Tips for reducing length:

• Start on the macro-level: If you feel your arrangement is too long and
you want to shorten it, you need to look at it from a bird’s-eye view. Does
your intro need to be 32 bars? Could your breakdown be shorter? Are
there any sections that drag?
• Don’t avoid abruptness: Long arrangements tend to have long transi-
tions. If you want to shorten something, it’s likely that you’ll come across
a part where you have to transition from two completely contrasting sec-
tions very quickly (drop > breakdown for example). Don’t be afraid to
transition abruptly.
• Study other music: Look at songs in the style you’re making and study
their structure. If it’s shorter than yours, figure out why it’s shorter. What
have they emphasised? What have they kept short?

1. Fix the fundamentals

It’s easy to think that your track needs more fillers your ideas are weak or need
improvement.

If your chorus isn’t strong enough, you might feel like you need to add more to
it, when in reality the solution might be to write a new chord progression.

So, before doing anything else, make sure your key ideas are solid and that your
songwriting is tight. Adding more stuff to fix bad songwriting is like putting a
band-aid on a severed leg.

The easiest way to fix this is to start with your chorus, or the most important
part of your track. If you can fix the composition in your chorus/drop and make
it interesting, the rest will follow.

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A few things to keep in mind when doing this:

• You don’t necessarily need to change a lot: Sometimes it might be a

single note that needs adjustment to add variation, other times you might
need to write a completely new chord progression. But don’t think that
you need to make some sort of drastic change, only do so if it’s necessary.
• Less is more: If you have a phrase or melody that’s too complex, it can
actually reduce interest instead of adding it. The listener needs to under-
stand your music. A short, catchy melody works much better than a com-
plex melody that has no defining motif or structure.
• Iterate, iterate, iterate: You won’t get it right first time. Make some
changes, ask for feedback, and then do it all again. Eventually you’ll find
the sweet spot.

2. Motifs
What is a motif?

It’s a small idea that repeats itself multiple times throughout the arrangement.

In a lot of electronic music you’ll hear the first few notes of the main melody or
vocal being played during the intro (and often outro). This can be considered a
motif.

Motifs fill in your track and also make it more memorable. They also don’t need
to be melodic or vocal-based. A motif can be a simple drum fill that repeats itself
regularly throughout your track. It could be an interesting effect that plays time
and time again. Be creative.

Tips for adding motifs:

• Keep it short but powerful: A motif should be remembered. It doesn’t

have to be a sequence of notes, but this tends to work best in terms of
interest and memorability. Another option is using obscure samples or
sounds that listeners will remember.

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 • Figure out the frequency: No, not the Hz, but how often your motif
going to play in your arrangement! Do you want your motif to sound every
16 bars? 32 bars? Find a frequency and stick to it.
• Use vocals: If you find it hard to write your own motif, scroll through
some vocal chops and loops to find a phrase that could be repeated
throughout your track. Some of the best dance tracks of all time have a vo-
cal hook, that keeps the track interesting (and also makes it memorable).

3. FX
A lot of producers go overboard when using FX. They feel like they have to add 5
different crash cymbals or other producers will call them out on it.

No one cares if you use the same crash cymbal every 16 bars, in fact, it’s proba-
bly a good idea to do that as it adds cohesion to the arrangement.

If for some reason you do come across a producer who bashes you for something
so frivolous and objective, shake it off, it’s probably just a way of masking their
own insecurities about their music.

So, when it comes to adding FX—be it crash cymbals, white noise, downlifters
and snare rolls—be liberal when adding them, but don’t feel you need to have 20
different channels of FX. Sometimes you just need a few core sounds to build up
the bulk of your FX sequence.

Tips for adding FX:

• Make your own: It’s not hard to make your own FX, and you’ll have
much more control over how they sound if you make them yourself. In-
stead of taking the easy way out and looking for a riser in a sample pack,
why not make one in a synth? Take a square wave with multiple voices ->
detune it -> high-pass it at 200hz -> drown it in reverb -> sidechain it ->
automate the pitch from -12 semitones to +12 over 8 or 16 bars.
• Think push and pull: If a crash cymbal on the downbeat is your push,
the reverse crash cymbal that leads into it is your pull. Make sure you
have both in your arrangement.

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• Ask: Does this make the track more interesting? Sometimes a lack
of FX can make a section more interesting. Take a heavy bass drop for
instance. If it’s a unique drop, adding a crash cymbal to it can reduce the
novelty and actually make it less interesting (at least initially). If the mu-
sic (drums, bass, leads) can hold itself for the first 8 bars, then it might be
a better idea to let them stand out.

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 5
MIXING
WORKFLOW
 MIXING “AS YOU GO” vs. AT
THE END
The age-old debate: should you mix as you go? Or do a final mix at the end.

The answer is that you can do both, and we’ll get to that in a moment.

Mixing as you go is what most modern electronic music producers do. It’s natu-
ral to want to make things fit together as you go along.

Performing a final mix at the end is a more traditional approach, which certainly
has its merits. If you’re a modern producer, performing a final mixdown during
the end of the production process may involve anything from tweaking a few
faders to pulling everything down and mixing from scratch.

The important thing to note is that it’s not one or the other. You simply can’t
avoid mixing as you go. In fact, mixing is something that starts with composition
and sound design. Composition and sound design are inextricably linked to mix-
ing.

If you use a big, 7-note chord, then it’s going to fill up more of the frequency
spectrum than a 2-note interval, right? It’s going to be harder to place elements
around that chord. This is a compositional decision that affects your mix.

Likewise, if you decide to design a bass sound that has a crispy high-end, then
it’s going to clash with your hi-hats. It’s a sound design decision that affects your
mix.

So, you can’t avoid mixing as you go. The real question here is: should you do a
final mix as well?

We’ll look at the benefits for both approaches in isolation, and then I’ll share my
opinion. But before we do that, please note that there is no best objective ap-
proach, it’s up to your personal preference. If you think you mix better at the

85
end, then don’t let anyone tell you it’s the wrong way to do things.

Mixing “as you go”

Benefit 1: It’s more natural
Mixing as you go is a more natural process. When you pull in an instrument and
it’s too loud, you’re going to lower the volume. When you pull in an instrument
that has a harsh resonant frequency, you’re going to cut it out with an EQ.

When you rail against this and decide that you’re not going to mix as you go at
all, then you are going against your natural tendency.

Because it’s natural, it’s generally easier to mix as you go.

Benefit 2: It’s more enjoyable

Mixing as you go is more enjoyable for two reasons. The first is that it’s natural,
as explained above, and the second is that your project doesn’t sound disgusting
as you work through it.

There’s nothing less inspiring than trying to arrange and work through a clut-
tered, muddy track. When you mix as you go, your track sounds more or less
decent, and you can take pride in that fact.

Benefit 3: Your track takes shape differently

Remember what I said about composition affecting the mix? Well, it works the
other way as well.

When you mix as you go, you have a better idea of where things are and how
much room there is. You know whether or not you can add in a new instrument
or drum sound, and how it will affect the mix if you do.

When you don’t mix as you go and everything is muddy or cluttered, it’s much

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easier to just throw something in, because it’s not like it’s going to make your
mix significantly worse.

The problem with that, of course, is that it just makes your final mix down even
more difficult.

Benefit 4: It’s more intuitive

At one point, I spent a few months trying my best to avoid mixing during the
production process, and rather did a final mix at the end.

What I found is that a lot of my mixes sounded worse off than they did before
the final mix. That is, the few mix decisions I inevitably made during composi-
tion and arrangement resulted in a mix than my more calculated mix at
the end.

The only thing I can attribute this to is the fact that it’s more intuitive to mix as
you go. Of course, there is danger in over-thinking things, especially your mix.
But when you’re focusing on a key area of the production process—say, com-
position—you’re less inclined to spend twenty minutes dialling in the right EQ
settings. You’re much more likely to drop on an EQ, spend ten seconds moving
things around until it sounds reasonable, and then move on.

Downsides:
There are, of course, downsides to mixing as you go. The first is that it can break
up flow during composition, sound design, and arrangement.

It’s hard enough trying to focus on one thing, and when you bring mixing into
the equation, it gets even harder.

In fact, I would go so far as to argue that mixing as you go actually results in

many unfinished projects. You try to make your 8-bar loop sound perfect and
don’t move on, because, as you and I both know, nothing ever sounds perfect.

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Another downside is that it can be a lot slower. This goes for the merging of pro-
duction processes as a whole: if you arrange while you compose you’re going to
be slower. If you compose while you synthesize you’re going to be slower.

Merging production processes is fine when it’s intuitive, but it’s often not, and
it’s better to separate them and focus on one at a time (again, to each their own).
(If you struggle with speed then it’s worth experimenting with more rigid sepa-
ration, but if you aren’t having any troubles then all the more power to you).

Final mixdown
The key benefit to performing a final mixdown is that it’s more critical and
thought-out. It’s easier to address the more subtle mix problems that aren’t as
obvious to the ear: phase issues, low-end muddiness, panning imbalance, etc.

It also allows you to take a more objective look at what’s in your track. You can
ask yourself whether you really need this or that track, or if you need to make
this section so busy. It’s much harder to ask these questions during the produc-
tion process because you’re too attached and involved. For instance, if you just
spent 30 minutes adding a new instrument, deleting it 30 minutes later is going
to be harder than trashing the idea during the final mixing stage.

Downsides
There are obvious downsides to only doing a final mix. The first is that your mix
can be incredibly messy by the time you get to the final mix down stage, making
the mix far more difficult and less enjoyable.

Another downside is that it’s hard to know whether or not your final mix sounds
better than it would if you had mixed as you went, and this can lead to a dissatis-
faction and a feeling of wasted time.

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My opinion? Do both, but be careful
I advocate mixing as you go and doing a final mix at the end. The balance be-
tween the two is something only you can work out. Do you do the brunt of your
mixing work as you go where the final mix is a process of tweaking and fixing up
small things? Or is it the other way around, where the final mix provides 80% of
the results?

Two things to keep in mind when you’re mixing as you go:

• Don’t try to make things perfect. You’ll get stuck. If something’s going to
take a long time to fix and it’s not urgent, then leave it until the end.
• Always focus on what’s most important—mixing shouldn’t take prece-
dence over composition. If you haven’t written your melody yet, focus on
that first

And when you’re mixing at the end:

• Deactivate rather than delete. If you want to mix from a clean slate, make
sure you deactivate the effects you’ve added during the production pro-
cess rather than deleting them. You’ll want to keep a lot of them enabled,
because a lot of them will have been good, intuitive decisions.
• Always save your project as a new version. You want to be able to compare
your final mix to the mix you had before. Most of the time your final mix
will be better, but not always, so you might want to revisit the earlier mix.

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 MIXDOWN PREPARATION
Preparation is an often overlooked aspect of mixing that more producers would
benefit from. Not only does it save a ton of time during the mixdown, it almost
always leads to a better mix.

It doesn’t have to be hard, either. In fact, it’s best that you keep your preparation
as simple as possible.

Note: You don’t have to follow this method exactly. I encourage you to add and
subtract from it so as to adapt it according to how you work best.

Step 1: The pre-mix checklist

There’s no point mixing a half-finished track.

Before you start preparing to mix, it’s important to make sure everything’s in
order with your composition, arrangement, sound design/sample selection, and
track as a whole.

Here’s a simple checklist you can use:

• No half-finished or half-assed ideas [ ]

• No redundant sounds or instruments [ ]
• The core musical idea(s) is/are presented clearly [ ]
• Pre-mix feedback has been gathered [ ]
• I’m satisfied with the track as a whole (not the mix) [ ]

Step 2: Cleaning up the project

If you’re like me, by the time you get to mixing down your track, your project is
an absolute mess.

You can mix your track when the project file is messy, it just takes twice as long.

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After you’ve gone through the pre-mix checklist, take some time to remove:

• Excess audio material,

• tracks you’ve muted because they didn’t work,
• long reverb/delay tails that don’t need to be there, and
• any unnecessary/deactivated plugins.

It also pays to tighten everything up visually. If you’ve got long 32-bar MIDI
clips that only have information in the first 8 bars, for instance, delete the other
24. It looks better and you’ll feel better when you get to mixing down the track.

This may seem pedantic, but the cleaner and more organized your project file is,
the more enjoyable the mixdown will be.

Step 3: Naming, coloring & grouping

Having cleaned up your project file, the next step is to organize your tracks in a
way that makes the most sense visually.

You don’t want to be in the middle of a mixdown and forget where you placed
that pluck sound or what title you gave it (if you even gave it a title). You also
want to be able to find things quickly, which is why coloring is important.

Naming
I shouldn’t really need to tell you how to name your tracks, but I’ll remind you
anyway—you should name your tracks logically. This means calling a pluck a
pluck, and not something like “straight lit fire plvck” unless you know exactly
what that means.

It can also pay to have an identifying word when you name your tracks. Let’s
say you’ve got three plucks, you might name them (based on their sound): soft
pluck, transient pluck, and sharp pluck. Doing this means you can find them
easier when you need to.

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Coloring
There are a few ways to color your tracks, but I find the most logical and easiest
way is to color by category of sound.

For me, this means:

• All drum tracks are colored blue

• All bass tracks are colored orange
• All synth tracks (including instruments like piano) are colored green
• All FX tracks are colored purple
• All MIDI triggers are colored white
• All vocal tracks are colored yellow

It also pays to have your tracks in the same place every time. I like to have my
MIDI triggers (sidechain compression trigger, for example) at the very top of the
playlist view, then my kick & drums group, then bass, synths, and FX one after
another.

Why is this important? Because over time it allows you to work much faster. In
my case, if I’m playing through my arrangement and I hear a crash cymbal that’s
too loud, I know that I need to look for a purple track somewhere near the bot-
tom of the playlist. Sure, it might take only a few seconds less time than if it was
placed somewhere random and had no color, but in a mixdown you take actions
like this A LOT, so it adds up.

Grouping
Grouping or bussing tracks is important, both from a workflow and a processing
perspective.

Let’s say, for example, you want to highpass your drums during a build-up. One
way to do this is to add a highpass filter to each individual drum track and filter
up during the build, but that approach is inefficient mainly because you need to
use multiple filters (which eats up CPU power) and it takes time to implement in
the project.

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A better approach is to group all your drum tracks so that you can process the
whole group with one main track. Instead of adding the highpass to each indi-
vidual track, you add it to the group.

I like to group as follows (example project):

Kick (not grouped)

Group 1: Drums

• Hats
• Claps
• Percussion

Group 2: Bass

• Bass layer 1
• Bass layer 2

Sub (not grouped)

Group 3: Synths

• Lead
• Pluck
• Piano
• Pad

Group 4: FX

• Crashes
• White noise
• Impacts

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Now, this varies by project. For instance, if I’ve made a sound that contains 7
layers, I’ll probably give it its own group to tidy things up.

You can also go more granular than this. You could have a group for crashes or
one for claps. Keep in mind, though, that the more granular you go, the harder it
is to keep track of and manage all your groups.

Should you bounce to audio?

Some producers like to bounce their tracks to audio before mixing down. The
question is, should you do the same?

Like many other things, it’s something that comes down to personal preference.

However, there are some key benefits to bouncing everything to audio:

• It forces you to commit ideas: Once everything’s bounced down to

audio, you can’t go back and tweak any synth parameters or change the
MIDI. You’re forced to work with audio only, and focus on what’s import-
ant—mixing.
• It saves CPU: When you near the end of the production process and
start your mixdown, it’s likely you’ve got a ton of plugins lying around
eating up CPU power (*cough cough* Serum) . You can run into issues as
you add more plugins during your mixdown. Bouncing your midi to audio
frees up processing power.
• It’s easier to work with: Audio is much easier to work with than MIDI.
If you have a reverb tail that you want to cut on a MIDI track, you need
to automate the reverb on/off which takes a number of steps. If you want
to cut the reverb tail on an audio track, you simply need to split the clip
where the tail starts and you’re done.

Are there downsides? Of course:

• It’s hard to make tweaks: Converse to the first benefit I mentioned

above, when you’re working with audio and desperately need to make a
tweak, it’s more difficult.

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 • It makes your project heavy: If you’re collaborating with someone
else and sending a project file back and forth, it’s much easier to do when
your project is mostly MIDI. MIDI files are small, .WAV files are not.

My recommendation? Try both. If you haven’t worked solely with audio before,
then give it a go. If you haven’t mixed down a MIDI project before, then switch
things up and try it out.

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 FADER FIRST
After preparation, the next priority should be your faders.

That means avoiding EQ, compression, and any other effects.

A fader-first mix is one of those unexciting things that’s crucial to a good mix. It
isn’t novel or shiny, but it works.

In fact, top mixing engineers argue that focusing on your faders should be able
to get you 80% of the way toward a good mix. Here’s what my friend Nicholas Di
Lorenzo (professional mastering engineer) has to say about it:

“Too often do I see people solely rely on “compression” for dynamic control. Yes,
compression is an amazing tool on so many levels, however there is something
that sits at the foundation of a mixing engineer’s arsenal and is commonly left
unexplored. The fader.”

Effects like EQ and compression are extremely helpful, but they won’t fix bad
balance. If your faders are out of whack, no amount of EQ or compression is go-
ing to help.

In fact, it’s a lot easier to add EQ and compression after balancing your faders
because:

A) The levels are set right, so it’ll be easier to notice how processing affects
the track in relation to the rest of the mix and
B) you’ll know where to add EQ and compression instead of just slapping it
on and experimenting.

How to do it
Many people think that you should perform a fader-only mix as fast as possible.
I disagree. The fader-only mix is the most important part of the mixdown pro-

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cess, so it makes sense to give it time and attention.

The first thing you need to do is pull all your faders down. Unless you’re a vet-
eran mixing engineer (in which case, why the hell are you reading this?) it’s un-
likely that you can mix well with all faders up. Pull them all the way down so that
nothing can be heard.

Note: There’s no need to pull the faders down on busses and sends, as these
don’t generate audio by themselves.

Once this is done, it’s time to find the most important section of your track and
loop it. For most, this will be the drop or chorus.

You’re ready to mix.

Start with a target

It’s easy to get carried away when mixing and sub-consciously move faders up
until your master is clipping. To prevent this from happening, I recommend
setting a target level for your mix. Most people like to leave about 6dB of head-
room, meaning the master channel shouldn’t reach above -6dB consistently (the
odd peak is fine).

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It’s easy to get carried away when mixing and sub-consciously move faders up
until your master is clipping. To prevent this from happening, I recommend
setting a target level for your mix. Most people like to leave about 6dB of head-
room, meaning the master channel shouldn’t reach above -6dB consistently (the
odd peak is fine).

Work in order of importance

When mixing, you should work in order of importance.

This means making sure the balance between your kick and bassline is decent
before adjusting the fader for your crash cymbal channel. If you’re making dance
music, then 9 times out of 10 you should start with your kick drum and then
move onto your bassline. If you’ve got vocals in your track, then consider start-
ing with them instead.

Working this way is important for several reasons, but the most obvious one is
that mixing is easier when you have less going on. It’s easy to work out the right
level for your bassline in relation to your kick, because the kick is the only other
element playing. Later on in the process when you’ve got 20-30 tracks playing,
however, it will be much more difficult to fit a new element in your mix with just
a fader.

Narrowing down
Most people are very liberal when setting fader levels. They set them at a level
that sounds okay, and then move on to the next one.

This is lazy.

You should start by making fader movements that are significant, and then nar-
row them down. For example, you move a fader up 3dB and find it’s too loud, so
you move it back down 2dB and it sounds alright. Then you move it up by 1dB.
Does it sound better? If not, move it down by .5dB, and so on.

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Doing this well requires you to listen closely. If you’ve been producing all day
and have ear fatigue, you can expect your levels to be way off. A fader-only mix
is best done with fresh ears.

Don’t rush it
It’s more fun to add compression and EQ than it is to do a fader-only mix. You’ll
be tempted to rush so you can move on to the next stage and start adding those
effects. But by doing this you’re just going to end up with a mix that hasn’t
reached its full potential.

Don’t rush the fader-only mix. If you feel you haven’t put in your best effort,
then take a break and make changes, or start from scratch. Yes, it can be boring
and frustrating, but it’s worth it.

Tips:
• If you’re struggling to set the right level, move your fader up so that it’s
too loud, then bring it down slowly until you hit the sweet spot.
• Use reference tracks, but don’t rely on them.
• Cross-reference on headphones frequently.
• Take notes (e.g., if you find you have to keep moving a fader around, it
probably needs compression. Note this down for later on when you add
compression).
• Don’t be afraid to remove tracks from the project if they aren’t contribut-
ing enough to the mix.

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 CONCLUSION
There you have it.

A bunch of strategies for each stage of the production process bar mastering (I’m
a huge advocate for mastering engineers. I think it’s important to have a second
set of ears, professional ones at that, to judge your work).

If you’ve read this the whole way through without stopping, then I encourage
you to take action straight away. This is intended to be a reference file, not a
novel. Feel free to print pages out, highlight things, experiment with strategies,
and even come up with your own.

Note: This book will be updated at least once yearly. Please send all your feed-
back to sam@edmprod.com