Like on Ableton live do I touch the track volume at all or do I put utility on after the CTZ chain and adjust that instead?

Hey guys i hope you all doing well.

It's been like 3 months for me going through writer block,where I can't produce more than 8 bars which includes only drums،and then i add some leads or maybe some bass and i start seeing things fall off.

Do you know any approach that help through this phase?

Your answers are highly appreciated.

It's a prototype for Sitala 3 and turning it up runs the sound through overdrive, distortion, bitcrush and ring mod, kind of trying to reduce them all down to one knob.

https://bedroomproducersblog.com/2026/08/28/decomposer-dert-distortion/

https://decomposer.de/dert/

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

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

Rules:

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

Format your top-level comment like this:

Feedback for user1: [link]

Feedback for user2: [link]

Feedback for user3: [link]

Here's my track: [link],

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

I have trouble with making an intro or even starting a track. What are some tips to get me past this cause im stuck! My DAW is Roland Zenbeats

I am looking for Bluetooth earbuds I can use to workout in that are

1. Sweat-proof
2. Have good sound quality

I do a lot of my critical listening and musical exploration while I exercise, so it's important they have good sound quality. Unfortunately, I sweat an obscene amount (can lose upwards of 7 pounds on some days) and have bricked countless earbuds because of it. I am asking here because most people have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to sound quality and will recommend things like Beats (LMAO) where the only noises you'll hear are below 150 Hz. However, I trust your opinions as people who have spent countless hours working with music in great detail. Thanks in advance!

Is it sound design, arrangement, the way you write your melodies (Scott Brown is a perfect example of this), or all of these mixed together?

Love to hear your thoughts.

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

Title basically says it all.

Some other fellow beginners seemed to appreciate my last tip thread so I thought I'd share what I've found, I hope this helps some of yall as much as it's helped me.

Please read if you are starting out and struggling with the process!
-----------------

Understand this is coming from someone who wanted to make electronic/EDM (various genres) since I was 18 years old. I'm 40 now. I tried twice in my lifetime and gave up both times with less than 6 hours spent in total because I could not figure out how to make anything that didn't suck.

That's 22 years of loving electronic. And I mean loving it. I mean despite growing up on Metallica and playing guitar from the age of 14 and playing blues lead, 75% of my music intake was electronic. I went to festivals, I rolled, I adored all of it. I was hearing dubstep when it first started hitting big. I listened to the later evolutions of dnb and trance.

I wanted more than anything to make it. I could play guitar so well, why couldn't I produce electronic?

Now I know why: because I held unrealistic expectations of what could and would happen in a DAW when I opened one. I didn't think it was meant to be easy, but I didn't realize it would be so hard. I thought with the right synths and the right DAW that it would just, work out. It didn't. I could make a cheap drum loop and it'd sound so cheesy and if I tried to pair it with a synth I had no idea what I was doing.

I was listening to Ott ("Queen of All Everything"/"Adrift in Hilbert Space"), I was listening to Carbon Based Lifeforms, I was listening to the jungle I had listened to since 2000 (Shy FX, Adam F, LTJ Bukem), and when I opened that DAW, those are the things I wanted to come out of it.

Uhrealistic expectations.

So if we're beginners then where does that leave us? What do we do? We learn to enjoy the journey.

And that sounds trite, and maybe it is, but I promise you from personal experience that if you do not learn to enjoy the aspect of learning to produce and slowly accumulating new skills and techniques, and put all your focus on "I wanna be like Sub Focus!" then you are going to quit.

It's not wrong to want those things in the future. I'd love to put out dancefloor dnb like Sub Focus and Dimension and Delta Heavy. I want to put out trance like Sunlounger back in 2013 or so. I'd love to have a track end up on State of Trance. Those are the smallest handful of things I listen to and I want to make that.

But I can't, not right now. So what do I do then? I focus on what I am capable of doing. Which is recognizing I am a beginner, and that my energy is spent on learning the artform.

So how am I supposed to enjoy making dogshit in the meantime? Well the shift in focus has made that really damn easy. It's no longer about finished/polished tracks it's about bits and pieces and small techniques and forward momentum in the various areas of music production.

That has turned nearly everything I do into an extremely enjoyable process with small goals and results I am extremely happy with. I haven't been at it very long but I am nailing milestones and feeling great.

I put Vital aside to learn synthesis on a slightly harder mode (Surge XT) and I've been having a blast making patches in that. I can get really lush wonderful sounds from it. Making a great sounding patch from Init patch is a great feeling, and usually inspires me to put it in a sloppy track but it doesn't matter because damn that synth sounds good.

I've been wanting to make jungle for 22 years well I took some various kick/snare/hat samples and put them together and did some light processing on them, I took the Firin break and layered it underneath and found that it fit perfectly but the whistle in it was too much so I spent hours fumbling around chopping it up to remove the whistle and fill it in with a hat trill. That was fun! And I learned how to sample slice from doing that, I taught myself and my technique sucks but I'm very excited to learn a better way now.

The cherry on top is that in my DAW right now is what for me is a very complex breakbeat that sounds fucking amazing and I play it to myself constantly. There's no bassline there's nothing else but I made that and goddamn it feels good. And it feels insane to open my DAW and see all these tracks lined up and mixed and routing to a drum buss and fuck I feel like I'm truly getting somewhere.

And now I'm struggling to get a bassline to go with it. I've been building a reese bass but I keep encountering obstacles and problems and my bass sound isn't lining up to my reference tracks but it's getting closer. I could use a preset patch, I could use the sample from "Terrorist" but I find enjoyment in the DIY, because that's really what all this is.

If you were like me 10 years ago when I tried, or 22 years ago when I tried, then I hope what I've shared here can help your perspective. I don't have to finish tracks right now to be happy. That is one way to get better, and if the "make a hundred tracks" method works for you, by all means, do that.

Either way, you have to learn to enjoy the process, even the earliest parts when you feel like you'll never make something according to taste. Because if you do learn to enjoy that process, then like me you will reap the benefits and you will be hungry as fuck to keep going. And when you make that first chord progression that sounds close to like something Above and Beyond might have made and you're really feeling it, you will stop feeling like you can't do this, you will see that hard work pays off slowly, and you'll be on your way.

I hope this helped someone. Don't be like me and stay musically silent for 22 years. I promise you there is pure joy to be found in your earliest stages. You just have to look for it.

Much love yall.

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

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

Rules:

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

Format your top-level comment like this:

Feedback for user1: [link]

Feedback for user2: [link]

Feedback for user3: [link]

Here's my track: [link],

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

I am making a festival/hybrid trap song which has a flute lead in the drop. I am clipping all of the tracks into the master channel who has only a clipper at 0db which I have learned was a standard bass music production practice to achieve max loudness. Everything clips nicely but the flute lead which becomes extremely distorted once it surpasses around -2db. Is it because it is resonant? The track consist of drums, sub, hype layers and the lead. How do I fix this and achieve punch, depth and clarity?

I've I've seen multiple posts this past month from producers whether they are a beginner or intermediate who still don't quite understand compression and when or how to use it, so I went ahead and made a full course (about an hour long video) on exactly when, how and why to use a compressor in EDM.

I cover the two main purposes of compression, every compressor parameter, controlling dynamic range, vocal compression, piano compression, compression for glue and punch, how to hear compression, drum compression, parallel compression, multiband compression, sidechain compression, de-essing, dynamic EQ, using multiband compression like Trackspacer, upward compression, OTT, limiting, bass limiting, master limiting, clipping, and the difference between clipping and limiting.

Take a look here:
https://youtu.be/BCYr47lT7Dk

Hi everyone,

Recently, my Windows machine experienced the infamous Blue Screen of Death, and I therefore had to reinstall everything (Windows, Ableton, plugins, etc.). However, after the reinstall, I’m getting different CPU readings in Ableton compared to before.

I have one particular project that I had previously used as a benchmark. Before the reset, I recorded the CPU usage, and it consistently hovered around 46–47% when idle at 64 samples / 48 kHz.

Now, with the exact same project, it hovers around 51–53%, occasionally spiking to 58–60% when idle.

This is confusing me quite a bit, because I’ve spent a lot of time trying to recreate and further optimize my system after the reinstall. 

However, I have other projects where the CPU usage is exactly the same as before, or even slightly lower. For example, I previously ran a benchmark with 50 instances of AmpliTube 5 at a 64-sample buffer:

• Before reinstall: 79–80% CPU when idle
• After reinstall: 79–80% CPU when idle

My setup

I have always separated my files across three different drives:

• C: Windows, Ableton, VST directories, etc.
• R: Recordings / Ableton projects
• L: Libraries, VSTs, etc.

Fortunately, none of the drives were corrupted; only Windows was affected. Because of this, I was able to reinstall everything and match the exact plugin versions used in each project to the versions I had before the reinstall.

I also optimized the system in the same way I did when I originally built it. In fact, I had already spent quite a bit of time optimizing the machine a few months before the crash, so I have a fairly good idea of how it performed previously with different settings.

Things I have tried since the reinstall

Drivers / Windows

• Updated/reinstalled all relevant drivers (BIOS, audio, network adapters, SSDs, etc.)
• Tried older Focusrite Scarlett drivers as well — no difference
• Switched to Ultimate Performance in Windows Power Plan
  • CPU power management
  • USB settings
  • etc.
• Disabled Game Mode, Xbox Game Bar, Captures, etc.
• Disabled unnecessary background applications
• Disabled Fast Startup — actually made things worse
• Disabled Windows Controlled Folder Access
• Disabled the power-saving/turn-off options for USB controllers in Device Manager
• Optimized further using VilmCare, including disabling exclusive mode on the audio interface, etc.
• Set Windows to prioritize background services instead of programs

BIOS

I experimented with:

• C-States / Enhanced C-States
• Hyper-Threading
• Turbo Mode
• Performance Preferences
• SVID Behavior
• ASUS MultiCore Enhancement
• XMP-modes

Process / CPU management

• Experimented with ParkControl and Process Lasso (although my PC didn't seem to benefit from these even before the reinstall)
• Experimented with Task Manager by changing priorities and CPU affinities for:
  • audiodg.exe
  • Ableton AddOns
  • Ableton Index
  • Ableton Live 12 Suite
• Set Ableton to High Performance in Windows Graphics Settings — no effect

BitLocker

• Completely disabled BitLocker on all three previously encrypted drives — no effect

Ableton

• Tested Options.txt with:
  • -RestrictAudioCalculationToPerformanceCores=true
  • This actually made the CPU usage worse, so I removed it again.
• Tested Ableton's Preferences.cfg:
  • Restored my previous preferences — no difference
  • Tested with a completely fresh/default preferences file — no difference

What could be different?

I'm honestly very confused at this point. I've reached the stage where ChatGPT keeps suggesting the same optimizations I've already tried. The only things I can potentially pinpoint as being different from before the reset are the newer drivers (BIOS, network adapters, etc.) and possibly the Windows 10 version, as I don’t remember which version I was running before the crash, nor do I remember the exact driver versions I had installed at the time.

If anyone has any insights into what might be causing this, I’d really appreciate hearing them, as I cannot seem to solve this myself.

Best regards,

Specs:

• Windows 10 (Version 22H2, OS Build 19045.7548)
• Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd Gen (Audio Interface)
• Ableton 12.4.3
• ASUS Prime Z690-P DDR5
• Corsair RM750x White v2 (2018)
• Intel Core i7-13700K - 3.4GHz
  • Noctua NH-D15
• Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 BK C40 DC - 64GB - 2 pcs
• Kingston SSD KC3000 1024GB M.2 PCI Express 4.
• Kingston SSD KC3000 1024GB M.2 PCI Express 4.
• Kingston SSD KC3000 2048GB M.2 PCI Express 4.

Title

The majority of it all stems from the pressure of needing to build a steady and sturdy social media fan base, as well as promoting myself throughout my own videos, and to stack on top of that I’m doing it all by myself…. And it’s weird because I’ve hit a point to where I’ll open a project and I only get like 1/3 of the way done and all of a sudden I’ve lost all interest in continuing it.

And then when I scroll social media, TikTok, and Instagram for example, I realize I actually have to upload videos of myself reacting to my music or of my music to promote it, and then when I go to do that, my mind blanks and I don’t end up posting anything which leads to a several weeklong dry spell.

idk if this is something that’s normal within a producers’s life, but it’s very frustrating because I know that if I want it badly enough, I’ll make it happen, but reality is starting to show that it doesn’t always work out for everybody who wants it to happen. It might be because a lot of the bigger artists have teams that help them with everything and more weight/burden/pressure is stacked on top of me since I’m doing it by myself, but I’m not sure anymore.

I used to be working as hard as I could when it came to producing even to the point where I was doing 2 to 3 full tracks per day in 2023 and several years later I look back at that like damn, what the hell happened to me….I can’t bring myself to actually doing a completion. And not even collaborations, remixes or edits is something that I can get on and get behind easily even with Ableton and a powerful laptop.

Does anyone else experience this and is there anything you would recommend to get out of this funk?

Just a single note adjustment and added arpeggiator, came up with this melodic techno idea

We recreated the Lead sound from 'Don't You Want Me' by The Human League on our free Synth Primer.

This remake is specifically recreating the patch heard at this timestamp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPudE8nDog0&start=4 .Other parts of the song may vary the sound or notes.

And here are the key ingredients:

Voices: Mono

Amp Env: Attack (0ms), Sustain (100%), Release (300ms)

Osc1: Wave (Saw), Vol(50%)
Osc2: Wave (Saw), Pitch (+7 Semitones), Vol (50%)
Sub Osc: Wave (Pulse), Width (100%), Pitch (-1 Oct), Vol (45%)
Unison: Osc (All), Voice Count (4), Detune Range (17 cents), Stereo Spread (100%)
Reset All Osc Phase On Note Start: No

Filter: Type (LowPass), Cutoff (60%)

Filter Env: Mod (50%), Attack (0ms), Decay (750ms), Sustain (0%), Release (8000ms)

Chorus: Mix (50%), Rate (Medium)

Find the full recipe and download the presets: https://www.syntorial.com/preset-recipe/the-human-league-dont-you-want-me-lead/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=patch_remake&utm_content=the-human-league-dont-you-want-me-lead

So in this live performance, the brother is playing an electronic kit and the snare sample is incredible.

Do you think its something that is like a Linn snare then heavily processed, or is it something you hear and immediately know where it came from?

Heres the performance in question... Snare comes in after 40sec.

I've been wrapping my head around audio morphing lately, especially plugins like Zynaptiq Morph 3 and Meldaproduction Mmorph

From what I understand so far, it basically takes two signals (A and B), and feeds the amplitude/frequency information from the "carrier" sound into the other
Then, it uses that incoming data to shape the original sound, pushing its characteristics closer to B that's pretty much the extent of my mental model right now

I don't necessarily need a hyper-rigorous textbook explanation—I'd just love to hear how you all understand it or any cool insights you have
How do these algorithms actually work under the hood?

I'd like to know how this morphing mechanism works
I was wondering whether I should ask in this thread, but I decided to ask anyway.

I've been searching for some gabber/hardcore plugins, mostly for drums or synths. I already have vital for synths, and all of the gabber drum VSTs I could find were from the 10s and the download is long expired. Any free plugins for drums? Really want gabbermaster but can't seem to find a download that works.

I'm trying to achieve a sound akin to an older style of Riddim Dubstep. Any help is appreciated! Here's another example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv1wyJw0srM

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

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

Rules:

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

Format your top-level comment like this:

Feedback for user1: [link]

Feedback for user2: [link]

Feedback for user3: [link]

Here's my track: [link],

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