Delays on vocals can do many great things. For starters, it increases depth and can make your vocals fit in more nicely with your mix. But delays can also improve your rhythm and effectively fill out silent gaps in your track. This article will teach you five great ways to use delay effects and plugins on your vocal tracks. Let’s start with the first tip – using the legendary slap delay. 1. Slap Your Vocal The slap delay effect is as classic as the king of pop, Elvis Presley. In fact, the effect became popular in the early 50s in...

According to Wikipedia, active listening means “Active listening is the practice of preparing to listen, observing what verbal and non-verbal messages are being sent, and then providing appropriate feedback for the sake of showing attentiveness to the message being presented.” But how does active listening work with music? And how can you use active listening to become a better music producer? Well, you can start to understand how great music is built and replicate it in your own music. This article will teach you what to listen for when using the active listening approach for music. 1. Really hear the...

Reverb is a fantastic audio effect that can take your music to the next level by introducing exciting space and depth. But like with most things in life, too much of a good thing can turn it into a bad thing. And it's the same with reverb. This article outlines five common reverb mistakes that many producers and even mixing engineers make – so you can avoid them and make clearer and more beautiful mixes. Let’s dive in with the first mistake, using reverbs on all your sounds. 1. Using Reverb On Everything There’s a reverb for every possible scenario....

In this article you'll find 10 workflow tips for Ableton live. Let's get started! 1. Take advantage of session view One of the best features of Ableton Live is being able to work in two modes: Session and Arrangement. Ableton is the only DAW out there which allows you to freely mix and match different clips super easily. This is especially useful at the beginning of the production process. At that stage you’re just coming up with ideas - and it’s always useful to try different clips together to check how they sound. This is going to be very useful in...

In this Ableton Tips video tutorial our instructor Julian from Bound to Divide is showing you how to make a section of Stephan Bodzin’s Singularity. First up we're going to be remaking the bass, then a leading bass synth layer, a synth arp - and we’ll add an amazing drum beat. Julian uses only native Ableton synthesizers - Analog as well as Wavetable. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to layer synthesizer basslines the right way. Let’s get started with this tutorial on how to make signature bass lines like Stephan Bodzin! If you want to take a deeper dive...

  Jonas Saalbach is the owner of the label Radikon, producer, DJ and artist with every breath. His techniques are not always conventional, but the result is always stunning and makes people dance around the world.In this Studio Jam Jonas shows you his entire process of making a track from start to finish. You’ll learn how to create amazing melodic techno patterns, basslines and drums just like Jonas Saalbach and the label Radikon.“Hey friends! My name is Jonas Saalbach. Today we have a very close walkthrough of one of my new album tracks called “Transformation”. I think we should just...

  In this Ableton Tips video tutorial our instructor Max shows you how to make the vocoder from Kavinsky’s “Nightcall”. You can download today's full project template in the video description. The first thing we need to do is record our speech. We’ll add Wavetable or another synthesizer with a saw wave. Max uses the native ableton effect Vocoder on the vocal track in External mode, as well as Erosion and Cabinet and Pedal. Let’s get started with making retro futuristic sounds from the 80’s like Kavinsky - Nightcall! If you want to take a deeper dive into music production...

  Jonas Saalbach is the owner of the label Radikon, producer, DJ and artist with every breath. His techniques are not always conventional, but the result is always stunning and makes people dance around the world. Jonas walks you through his process of sample treatment, effects, arranging and using hardware synths to spice things up. In this video you’ll find: How to select samples for music production How to process the kick with Ableton Audio FX How to create Bass Loops and make them unique Making shaker / hihat top loops  Creating percussion grooves Sound design with analog synths Mixing...

In this video, Ben Böhmer shows how he plays live (like for Cercle in a Balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey). He explains his live setup (with hardware and software) based in Ableton Live’s session view. Ben goes over all the necessary elements you’re going to need to create your own live set. If you’re a music producer, check out this tutorial on how to play live in Ableton. At the end of the video, Ben performs a few tracks in a unique live set. Make sure to check it out! “Hi! My name is Ben Böhmer and I'm going to show...

In this video tutorial, Italian electronic music producer Cioz presents his technique of creating tracks in Ableton Live. He makes a complete awesome tune in little over 40 minutes. Cioz has a unique way of coming up with ideas - he uses very interesting drum rack macros, sample manipulation techniques, DJ effects, and composition practices. Check out this video to find out which techniques you can incorporate into your own productions. If you want to take a deeper dive into music production in Ableton Live, check out our PML Academy - with over 35 full-length online courses, spreading over topics like writing...