Blog - Page 2 of 14 - EDM Tips
Ableton Automation that Music Porducers Actually Use

Amazing Ableton Automation Tricks PRO Producers ACTUALLY Use

If your music lacks dynamics, movement, life and generally excitement or if you get stuck in an eight-bar loop and don’t know how to finish your track, this is for you! Ableton automation (or automation in any DAW), is one tool that every single professional music producer knows how to get the most from. Make sure to read to the end because the real power comes when you apply all of these techniques together.

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How to Write Catchy Melodies from Scratch (The Ultimate Guide)

This guide will show you how to make catchy melodies from scratch – the kind that your listeners won’t be able to forget! These techniques work even if you don’t know music theory – and they work for any genre of modern and electronic music.

We go into every step of the melody-writing process from…

  • Defining the vibe
  • Choosing a scale
  • Writing a bass line
  • Building a chord progression
  • Writing the ideal melody for your track
  • How to make your melodies evocative and unique
  • Common mistakes producers make when it comes to writing melodies
  • Tips and tricks that the professionals use to get their melodies really catchy and really memorable. 

I’m also going show you something I haven’t seen on any other tutorials – how to create effective counter melodies – which will really make your track stand out, so let’s get to it…

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classic EDM sounds

Popular EDM Sounds (Every Producer NEEDS to Know These!)

These are the most common EDM instruments and sounds from across the decades! Sound selection and sound design is one of the key parts of electronic music production – and knowing some great sounds to use in your own electronic music will save you years of guesswork.

I’ve put together a list of the most common EDM instruments and sounds from the last 40 years – that are still used in modern tracks today – that you can use in your own music.

I’ve also included examples of existing music where these sounds are used, so you can hear them in context.

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How to Start a Song and Beat the Writers Block

Start a Song With These 11 Easy-to-Follow Hacks (How to SMASH Writer’s Block For Good)

Starting a song (or track) can be very intimidating – especially if you’re not feeling inspired. Do you ever struggle to come up with original ideas for your music? Maybe you find a blank DAW project COMPLETELY INTIMIDATING! I know I used to. 

Recently we covered strategies for finishing your music and today, I’m going to share with you 11 song-starting hacks I’ve developed to enable you to start a song and come up with song ideas at any time without even needing to be inspired.

It’s a skill unto itself – and super-important if you rely on music production for your living – or even if you just want to become really good at production for pleasure’s sake!

Just follow these 11 steps and you’ll soon get into the swing of things…

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Frustration_as_a_musician

The Ultimate Guide on How to Finish Your Music

Recently I published a video on our YouTube channel where I explained some of the techniques I regularly use to finish my music. 

That video started an engaging online discussion with other music producers worldwide on the challenges and struggles we all face when trying to finalise our tracks. The discussions and interest in the topic encouraged me to write this article and further expand the theme examined in the YouTube video.

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