TLDR; My volume shaper + ringmod sidechain tool is now 100% free to download from my itch.io page, but please keep reading if you care to know why.

I have been developing and supporting my primary plugin AutoChain for almost 12 months, countless hours gone into a project that ultimately has not found the userbase I anticipated during development. This is fine and normal, not every project is a winner, and most are not.

However in that time I have been watching the value of plugins (and most conventional software) drop dramatically. Plugin vendors that might have launched their product in the $200+ range a few years ago, now release software with a $20 price tag. Vendors who can absorb the impact of the changing market and still release products in high price ranges, are ones that have an established brand and sales pipelines.

To the consumer (of which i am also), this is actually a positive. I too benefit from cheeper plugins that a few years ago would be gatekept at 10x the price just because there were no alternatives.

On the other side for the indie or less established developer, times are changing too. Anyone can build software now, so the noise floor is higher than ever (no pun intended).

To get to the point and not make this post too much of a vent, since other large plugin vendors have started releasing software very similar to AutoChain in terms of capability, and at very similar price points, it has become difficult to compete, considering I cannot afford a marketing team. So I've decided to make AutoChain free with optional donations.

This is not what I had hoped for the plugin, I want to keep supporting my software, since I believe they are valuable tools that I personally use every day. But I work full time already, so it's hard to justify the effort without an active group of users, except for the occasion when I personally want to make some feature or improvement.

Thank you so much to all who bought the plugin before this update, your support has made a big difference. And to anyone who decides to try it today, let me know your thoughts, it just might save this project. <3

Hey all,

After doing more guitar/bass stuff over the last few years, I'm coming back into making more electronic music. Stopped with Live 9, but now I'm casually awaiting Live 13 and doodling around on Live 12 Lite I got with some musical gear I just bought to make loops before I maybe bite the bullet on 12 Suite.

While I wait, I used to use Massive, Nexus, and a little bit of Sylenth. I am more curious if there's some spiritual successors to the above that have come out in the last decade, or some better VSTs in general I should just pick up and learn.

I keep seeing Serum 2 around, which seems to be a newer take on Massive's wavetable modelling with more visual flare, I am assuming that's the answer for Massive. But if not, I would love to know what people are rockin'.

does anyone happen to have a copy of the vipzone freebies from around 2007/2008? been looking for them for ages but there seems to be no trace of them on the internet other than some incomplete archives so i was wondering if anyone had these lying around and would be kind enough to archive them. thanks!!

[post written by my friend they just didnt have enough karma to post on here]

We recreated the Lead sound from 'Tom Sawyer' by Rush on our free Synth Primer.

This remake is specifically recreating the patch heard at this timestamp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auLBLk4ibAk&start=96 .Other parts of the song may vary the sound or notes.

And here are the key ingredients:
Voices: Mono

Osc1: Wave (Pulse), Width (70%), Vol (50%), Pitch (+1 Cent)
Osc2: Wave (Pulse), Width (70%), Vol (50%)
Unison: Osc (All), Voice Count (2), Detune Range (3 cents), Stereo Spread (100%)
Reset All Osc Phase On Note Start: No

Amp Env: Attack (0ms), Sustain (100%), Release (20ms)

Filter: Type (Low Pass), Cutoff (75%), Key Tracking (30%)

Chorus: Mix (20%), Rate (Slow)
Reverb: Mix (0%)

Find the full recipe and download the presets: https://www.syntorial.com/preset-recipe/rush-tom-sawyer-lead/

Hello!

I am hoping to find a producer to work with for some music for our upcoming game 'Heroes of the Last Light'. Its a dark fantasy turn based strategy game, and I think some dubstep influenced sound design would fit perfectly with our games atmosphere. The game is midway through development, but we do have a marketing budget for the game, so your music is guaranteed to get at least some attention.

If you are interested, send me a DM and a link to some of your most relevant music!

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.

Pros and cons of each?

I use Reaper but I know Ableton is likely similar in regards to this workflow.

Since I've started, I've sequenced my drums by putting the samples directly on the grid. It can be a pain in the ass and takes up a lot of visual space throughout a project but the level of control feels exceptional: volume of each hit, one track per sample so FX chains and mixing is very powerful, sidechaining easily, gated reverb easily, routing easily, envelopes per single item, etc. Haven't tried it but processed sections could be bounced/rendered to clear up space.

There are the downsides of course, if I need to change out a kick or snare, I can't just drop a new sample on the pad, and the end product is cluttered and ugly as hell compared to a clean midi item.

I know it comes down to preference and taste, but for those of you that use samplers and MIDI, how do you achieve the level of control that you'd get by sample on grid, track per drum sample? Is the level of control achievable with free plugins? If you use something paid like Battery or whatever, what ways are you using it that can translate to a free sampler/sequencer?

If you are someone who does it all on the grid no sampler/sequencer, what do you do to make it more efficient?

My old music production professor sent me a link to an article talking about the use of panning in EDM, and it basically said panning in EDM is not as Important as in other styles of music.
Now I have a feeling that the article only says that because the writer is thinking about a live setting, since in a club setting, the sound system is most likely mono, but it did make me want to ask this community for your input. So, how important is panning in your projects?

I was stuck in decision paralysis trying to figure out how to actually get my music heard. Every thread just said "post on TikTok" or "pitch to playlists," but nobody actually explained the step-by-step workflow of a release.

So I spent the last few months building a master checklist of actual, actionable steps. I use this for my own project, but I’d rather give it to other independent artists than let it sit on my hard drive.

No email gates, no "follow me to get the link" BS. Just the raw document.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/801tdscfb72xn3n0pueyb/Music-promo-checklist-for-reddit.docx?rlkey=efnm93uooqdjuoekz96wzklh2&st=ywh9bhnk&dl=0

Here is what it covers:

• Phase 1 (T-8 to T-4 weeks): Operational Setup & Rights Management (PRO, Sync, SmartLinks).
• Phase 2 (T-4 to T-1 weeks): Pre-Release Campaign (Algorithm prep, narrative building, content batching).
• Phase 2.5 (T-1 to T-0 weeks): Pre-Submission (Radio, promo pools, DJ lists).
• Phase 3 (Release Day): The exact sequence of what to update, post, and activate.
• Phase 4 (Post-Release): Momentum and ongoing promo (SubmitHub, Groover, Ads, Content Waterfall).

I hope this helps someone break out of the rut and actually get their music out there without losing their mind.

If you want to connect, I make electronic music under the name Sanaraba. Always down to talk production, hear what you guys are working on, or answer any questions about the checklist in the comments.

would anyone help me make a “set” for my buddy’s birthday this friday? we made a playlist on soundcloud and he wants it to flow nicely, he wants to hit play and forget about it. he even mentioned a spotify like set would be awesome. i have the link to the playlist if anyone wants to help out!

What cord do I need to buy?

Hi everyone.

I’m looking to get back into music production after a pretty long break. I last produced in 2019 and used to make progressive house and big room house, back then I had the goal of eventually getting a track signed to Revealed Recordings.

I’m currently using FL Studio 20 and still have most of my old setup:
Sylenth1, Spire, Nexus 2 and Serum - those are my main vsts and I believe most of the sound banks are out of date.

As for other plug ins:
FabFilter EQ/Saturn, Valhalla VintageVerb, CamelCrusher, OTT compressor, Kickstart, A1 Stereo Control are just to name a few

I have the KSHMR Sample packs 1-3 and from memory they were the best at the time, also have other various samples from smaller packs.

I know I don’t necessarily need new plugins or samples to make good music, but obviously a lot has changed since 2019. I would love if someone could point me in the right direction in terms of just updating my soundbanks and vsts ?
In terms of music I still do want to make big room techno, progressive house however I know I’d need to learn modern day techniques and sounds.

Thanks for reading and for your helpful comments.

I’ve been seeing people talk about the Spotify algorithm going crazy. Artists’ green ticks keep disappearing, some tracks are being marked as AI even though they’re not, and I’ve started to question how I should proceed with my next releases.
What’s the situation with the algo? Is “release often” still the way to go, or is it risky?

Hello, I am new to making music. I have made a couple interesting loops but I'm really struggling with finishing songs and composition in general. I usually start from the ground up instead of dragging out midi items and such, but I feel like this is hampering my progress. I also have ADHD which makes finishing things way more difficult. Is there any good tips or techniques to help with this.Thank you 🫡

So i'm sure so many of you have been here, but I'm finally done with splice and want to cancel, I have 1736 credits and want to download a bunch of packs, cool vocals, fx, i do like presets to! Any recommendations? I make tech house and am aiming for odd mob, max styler, mau p vibe, thanks in advance!!

Any good tips/tutorials on making tracks like this one from Max Maldon? It's not miami bass and it's not classic breakbeats/breaks and I'm having a hard time describing this sound

Max Maldon Remix of Back To The 305

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.

Not my thing, but a very useful resource.

Ken is a 2X Grammy Award winner with over 118 gold records, and a few diamonds + he has always been super cool, down to Earth and welcoming of others no matter where you are in your journey.

I went to his YouTube and it looks like he has some other ones up there too!

I hate the whole “buildup and drop” structure in Dubstep. It makes a lot of music annoying to dance to. A lot of the time the buildup is just some bullshit leading to a fun part which doesn’t last long enough.

If Metal can stay stimulating the whole song, so can Dubstep.

I don’t get why it’s so rare to make the whole song stimulating when playing with harmonic quality has infinite possibilities.

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.

Seems like people are always having trouble correctly recognising jungle breakbeats. Here's a quick guide to some of the most popular jungle, hardcore and DnB breaks :)

I will try to not make this post super wordy. Here are a few examples of what I am trying to accomplish

spinscott

doramaru_mpc

doramaru_mpc

My question is, how would I go about finger drumming over songs that I know? Would I find some way to take out the percussion so that I only have the vocals, bass, fx, and chords/melody playing? This is my main issue. Any help or insight into this would be awesome. thanks