Production Tips, Tricks and Advice

[LostLegend]

Another great one from Bthelick on the importance of getting a second set of ears on your music.

Funny story. When I was working on my remix of Solarstone's 'Shards' (which started life as a bootleg) I sent the finished version over to @Julian Del Agranda for his opinion. (We were trying to get Solarstone's attention for an original track of mine, which Julian had remixed)
In short, he said that the bass was too loud, the breakdown was too long and the vocals were to quiet.

So I took another listen to the track on a few different speakers & headphones and decided that he was right. The bass was too loud and the breakdown was too long, so I made some changes, but left the vocals as they were as they sounded alright to me.

Eventually the track ended up in Solarstone's hands and he really liked it & thought it was well produced and as he sent me the original stems to finish the remix proper, he then asked for the only change that he thought the track needed. "Can you make the vocals a bit louder, please?"

So, yeah, getting a fresh pair of ears to give you some feedback can be really helpful!

 

[Bobby Summa]

Popular Sounds - Trance Classics (V2.0)

If you always wanted to play your favorite Trance Classics or wanted to use the sounds in your own productions, you have now the chance.With Popular Sounds Trance Classics, 132 presets, 27 shapes, 5 wavetable, 21 Multisamples, 26 Drumkits have been c...

payhip.com

Classic Trance Sounds Preset pack.

Those who own the vst VPS Avenger 2. Some great sounding classic trance sounds here from the Golden era of Trance. The YouTube demo highlights 25 classic trance tracks remade with sounds from this preset pack. Tracks by BBE, Paul Van dyk, ppe, Nalin & Kane ! it has the drum kits too.

Looks as if it needs Avenger 2 (might not work on original version)
The sounds sound really quite authentic to my ears. 132 presets €39

Previous link includes on its page a video of tracks with these sounds. This link has the individual sounds
.

- Juicy!

 

[Bobby Summa]

Popular Sounds - Trance Classics (V2.0)

If you always wanted to play your favorite Trance Classics or wanted to use the sounds in your own productions, you have now the chance.With Popular Sounds Trance Classics, 132 presets, 27 shapes, 5 wavetable, 21 Multisamples, 26 Drumkits have been c...

payhip.com

Classic Trance Sounds Preset pack.

Those who own the vst VPS Avenger 2. Some great sounding classic trance sounds here from the Golden era of Trance. The YouTube demo highlights 25 classic trance tracks remade with sounds from this preset pack. Tracks by BBE, Paul Van dyk, ppe, Nalin & Kane ! it has the drum kits too.

Looks as if it needs Avenger 2 (might not work on original version)
The sounds sound really quite authentic to my ears. 132 presets €39

Previous link includes on its page a video of tracks with these sounds. This link has the individual sounds
.

- Juicy!

Edited above as this sound pack is likely not compatible with Avenger 1. Details say it requires v2.1.0

 

[erickUO]

Glad I have a copy of Live lite, this was fun

 

[Bobby Summa]

Glad I have a copy of Live lite, this was fun

That looked really neat. I’ve only ever used presonus studio one but will possibly change daw one day. - I have live lite i believe somewhere. Does this definitely work on lite? I reckon it could be a cool tool for live performances based stuff too.

 

[erickUO]

I love these videos, they showed how different everyone's creative flow is.

Here, Lawrence Hart finds a vibe and playing around with musical ideas.
He doesn't even do any mixing, just focusing on the music then go straight to mastering.
.


While Djrum letting himself diverted by new ideas that popped up during the process.
He usually works on several projects at a time, jumping between ideas, adding small bits to each.
He didn't see having unfinished projects as unproductive.

 

[Bobby Summa]

Hi guys. I have no experience of Native Instruments hardware or NKS or komplete kontrol.

Anyone use Native Instruments NKS and Komplete Kontrol ?

I’m considering changing my setup and buying the latest Native Instruments kontrol S 61 Mk3 midi keyboard and running everything from it with no need for separate controllers I’ve never been able to sync or set parameters for and can’t use. I find anything controller based so complicated. So maybe as NKS & komplete kontrol is supposed to immediately sync knobs to software parameters and all sorts of ‘make life easier’ features, I might be able to implement the ideas in my head for the tracks I make. Inspiration completely saps when I can’t.

this is what attracts me most. Using knobs. Immediately get in there and experiment & record parameter movements as it’s displayed immediately a vst or plugin is loaded (I would gather ? ) . What the knob does is written above, no fuss. No remembering, no setting anything up. No pulling your hair out on something that should be simple that I ‘never’ find simple.

 

[badass]

I have some really good tutorials but not YouTube links tho. Great thread BTW

 

[Bobby Summa]

I have some really good tutorials but not YouTube links tho. Great thread BTW

Thanks @badass. Doesn’t have to be YouTube. There’s probably a way to post if pdf or something similar. If it’s a video not from YouTube there might be a way but I’m not sure how. Cheers.

 

[badass]

Thanks @badass. Doesn’t have to be YouTube. There’s probably a way to post if pdf or something similar. If it’s a video not from YouTube there might be a way but I’m not sure how. Cheers.

What I meant was I have FULL ON tutorials I bought over the years (for example, on LOTS of music production topics) on how to produce trance and lots of theory stuff like the theory of melody/counterpoint etc. These files are fucking huge and also IDK if I'd publicly share them but IDK about privately tho if you get my drift COUGH COUGH DMs are open

 

[Progrez]

Finally found some old Ajunabeats arps and sound whiteand epic etc and cirrus it's a shame that these can only be used on Logic I am not a mac user. What are my options?

Standalone | ES2 Sound Bank

'Standalone |ES2 Sound Bank' is a collection of 128 patches for Logic's famous synth ES2, programmed to be perfect for "up to date" productions and it's top-notch for Trance & Progressive, House & Electro, Eurodance, Hardstyle & Hardcore, Chillout, Pop & R&B music.

www.producerloops.com

 

[Altair]

Hi guys. I have no experience of Native Instruments hardware or NKS or komplete kontrol.

Anyone use Native Instruments NKS and Komplete Kontrol ?

I’m considering changing my setup and buying the latest Native Instruments kontrol S 61 Mk3 midi keyboard and running everything from it with no need for separate controllers I’ve never been able to sync or set parameters for and can’t use. I find anything controller based so complicated. So maybe as NKS & komplete kontrol is supposed to immediately sync knobs to software parameters and all sorts of ‘make life easier’ features, I might be able to implement the ideas in my head for the tracks I make. Inspiration completely saps when I can’t.View attachment 2899this is what attracts me most. Using knobs. Immediately get in there and experiment & record parameter movements as it’s displayed immediately a vst or plugin is loaded (I would gather ? ) . What the knob does is written above, no fuss. No remembering, no setting anything up. No pulling your hair out on something that should be simple that I ‘never’ find simple.

I own a Komplete Kontrol S61 Mk2 and an older version of Komplete (I've updated pieces of it here and there). It's not my prime controller; I only use it for controlling Kontakt libraries mainly. But it does come in handy with that because all those libraries come pre-mapped over multiple pages. Since I'm an Ableton guy, my Push 3 is my prime controller for nearly everything, and it is similarly pre-mapped to all of Ableton's native devices. Even so, I only default to the knobs half the time vs. using the screen, and moreso when it's for a rack preset where I've already mapped a bunch of parameters to custom macros. 8 knobs is nice, but it can be limiting - I literally just bought an auxiliary controller with 24 knobs and 8 faders to give me hardware-style control over my software synths, and that's already become a game-changer.

Having physical knobs is important, but just keep in mind that you will still need to manually map some things in the software. For the Kontrol S series, that will entail launching your compatible plugins and devices inside the Komplete Kontrol VST wrapper, and while anything marketed as NKS-ready (which is a decent amount of plugins nowadays, to be fair) will be pre-mapped and available through the browser on the hardware, some stuff won't, and it will take a bit of extra elbow grease to get it to work. But a lot of that is one-and-done, so once you've put in that work you'll be off to the races.

That elbow grease can also be important when it comes to making default templates for your DAW - set that up right and every time you open it up, all your preferences, mappings, important samples and instruments, etc. will be all there ready for you to use. I've put a HUGE amount of work into own my default template in Ableton over many iterations (screenshot below is what I get whenever I open it up now, featuring my custom kick drum synth), and I honestly can't make music without it now.

 

[Bobby Summa]

I own a Komplete Kontrol S61 Mk2 and an older version of Komplete (I've updated pieces of it here and there). It's not my prime controller; I only use it for controlling Kontakt libraries mainly. But it does come in handy with that because all those libraries come pre-mapped over multiple pages. Since I'm an Ableton guy, my Push 3 is my prime controller for nearly everything, and it is similarly pre-mapped to all of Ableton's native devices. Even so, I only default to the knobs half the time vs. using the screen, and moreso when it's for a rack preset where I've already mapped a bunch of parameters to custom macros. 8 knobs is nice, but it can be limiting - I literally just bought an auxiliary controller with 24 knobs and 8 faders to give me hardware-style control over my software synths, and that's already become a game-changer.

Having physical knobs is important, but just keep in mind that you will still need to manually map some things in the software. For the Kontrol S series, that will entail launching your compatible plugins and devices inside the Komplete Kontrol VST wrapper, and while anything marketed as NKS-ready (which is a decent amount of plugins nowadays, to be fair) will be pre-mapped and available through the browser on the hardware, some stuff won't, and it will take a bit of extra elbow grease to get it to work. But a lot of that is one-and-done, so once you've put in that work you'll be off to the races.

That elbow grease can also be important when it comes to making default templates for your DAW - set that up right and every time you open it up, all your preferences, mappings, important samples and instruments, etc. will be all there ready for you to use. I've put a HUGE amount of work into own my default template in Ableton over my iterations (screenshot below is what I get whenever I open it up now, featuring my custom kick drum synth), and I honestly can't make music without it now.

View attachment 2931

Thank you so much @Altair . The information you have provided is a very substantial amount (and just the kind I needed) and will become very helpful for me. Infinite thank you’s. I’m not in a position financially to really change my setup as have decided to keep my loving hardware synths (I think ) . But when the time arrises and I get a new controller, your info will be most helpful.

- (I’m kinda still tempted to sell my hardware synths just for a workable set up via a native instruments controller as can get hardware synths again later but… that would be sad ) it’s a quandary actually.

 

[Allan_Morrow_AM_Studios]

I have one here

How To Make Trance Music | 10 x Tips, Sound Design Techniques & FREE Presets

How To Make Trance Music | 10 x Trance Production Tips & Tutorials that will help you get a professional Trance production.

allanmorrowstudios.com

 

[workid]

So I find that a good way to train your ears is to try to work out the melodies/chords/patterns of tracks that you like.
It also helps you see how other musicians build their melody & chord structures. It's not very difficult but it has helped me a lot over the years (plus it's fun)

Here's a few I've done recently in MIDI format should any of you want to drag them into your daw for educational or bootleg remix purposes.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

ARTY - Save Me Tonight
Cold Blue - A Beautiful Mind
Driftmoon - Tribe Of The Sun
Lost Tribe - Gamemaster
Slipstream & Sonic Element - Forgiven
Solarstone - Sky
Tony Walker - Fields Of Joy

Plus the midi from a couple of my tracks should you want to have a look: Running Man & the forthcoming Sagittarius A

@Magdelayna I seem to remember you were looking for the midi for Fields of Joy a year or 2 back? Or am I losing the plot?

I should do this more, or to be more precise I should get into the regular habit of doing this.

Thanks for the midi btw

 

[workid]

I'm still familiarising myself with the forum

Some great info on sound design and examples of different theory/rave chords etc.
Great for you folks looking to make more 'classic' sounding tracks.

Ben (BTheLick ) is a hero. I would've posted him here if he hadn't been already. I owe so much to him, he helped me get past a lot of problems I was having. Thoroughly recommend his channel and tuning into his livestreams on the last Sunday of every month.

I'm subbed to him through kofi but he's typically far more responsive on youtube, because hats off to him he does it for the love of teaching. He will answer most (if not all) questions, even if you ask really vague universalising questions like me.

 

[workid]

My humble contribution to this thread

Minosaur

I help electronic music producers finish more hard-hitting tracks. And actually enjoy the process. I don't just teach production. I train producers to actually finish what they start. As former Editor of Computer Music magazine, I've been making and releasing electronic music for 20 years...

www.youtube.com

He's one of the lads from CableGuys who make ShaperBox. He come from a bass music and DnB standpoint but his videos are always incredibly insightful and have fairly universal application. His mailing list is worth a look also, he sends out genuinely decent advice and its not a dickens novel or clickbaity.

 

[Jetflag]

Oh god. This is so painfully relatable

I really overthought this... #musicproducer #memes #musicproduction #ableton #producer #fyp #dj #edm

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

 

[LostLegend]

While this is aimed at techno producers, there's a lot of crossover appeal here if you are going for any 90's era sound.
Specifically how to dirty up and give your tracks that low budget, 90's bedroom producer feel.

Very much a more advanced tutorial here. Liking the fact he has tried to keep it to free plugins as well, I'll deffo be checking a few of them out myself.

 

[Altair]

This series is pretty old, but very informative - the psy-tech producer Ryanosaurus recording the entire process of him making one of his glitchy prog psy tunes in Ableton Live. You can see how he gets into a workflow of constantly resampling and sample chopping to get all those textures and ear candy.


And here is the finished track in question:


Having used Live from version 8 to 12, the interesting thing about watching him do this in Live 9 is that a decent amount of what he's doing here with creating new tracks and resampling can be done much faster and more fluidly with newer versions.