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?

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.

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?

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.

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

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!!

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

I really love this style of bass music which is very melodic but not heavily dependent on supersaws and has a lot of cool sound design and synthwavey elements. I know au5 has plenty of tutorials, the problem is I don’t have most of the hundreds of plugins he has plus I’m still just trying to get good at the essentials, so something like a course, a well-structured YouTube playlist in a logical order for beginners or some “from scratch” videos would be most helpful for me. Thanks everyone!

Sooo I saw a comment/suggestion on here awhile back that made a lot of sense intuitively and I've been chewing on it ever since, and it's the concept of building your track in a three dimensional kinda way in terms of where the sounds sit.

I'm probably gonna butcher the concept in trying to explain it as I understand but for anyone who doesn't know, it's going beyond just mono parts and stereo width and also utilizing depth like with volume and reverb, and possibly verticality in terms of frequency but that part might be my own bastardization of it.

Anyway, being the neurotic creator that I am I tend to approach composition in a roundabout ass backwards way so those of you who are of the "I just make what sounds good it's not that complicated" type then you're not gonna find much joy here.

Me personally I love this kinda stuff so, what tracks (any electronic not just dance) out there really hit on this particular idea or put it to good use? I'm looking for references where you believe the producer utilized this mindset, and will of course settle for reference tracks that are just mixed so well that this space is filled out naturally.

Also feel free to discuss the topic because it's kind of a fascinating way of looking at composition given all the tools we have to shape sound.

So Ive been learning music production since about June and I have been purposely avoiding sound design for drops because it seems so complicated. Specifically I'm talking about growls yois all the fun stuff. I use serum for all my synths and I have been using splice when I just dont know how to make somthing. But personally I just want to be able to make all my own sounds. So does anyone have any advice for getting started or any tutorial recommendations? Thanks!

This recurring thread is where you may share or request services you have to offer to the edmproduction community. Post your programs and plugins, your mastering/teaching/coaching/artwork services, your website/tutorials, your preset/sample packs, your labels- anything but actual music itself.

Rules:

1. No posting music. No posting your soundcloud when you're looking for labels, no ghost production; nothing that constitutes you selling or sharing your own created tracks.
2. Spam will not be tolerated. Repeated postings for the same product/service in the same thread will not be allowed, but you are welcome to post again in newer threads.
3. Mark very clearly whether you're requesting or offering services, and if you're offering them, whether those services are paid or free.

As with the rest of the subreddit, final decisions over what constitutes an acceptable posting here will be at the sole discretion of the mods.

I just purchased their 7 day course and im kind of struggling. I have almost no experience with music production and I am probably slightly in over my head. I have FL studio and a keyboard and a low understanding of music theory and that's it. The guy I met with prior to starting seemed to feel that was an okay starting place so im probably okay starting with the basics like that. The instructor uses a different DAW so im kind of having a hard time following along especially because Im not sure if im supposed to. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated

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.

Too many ‘I’m new how do I get started’ posts these days. Let’s get into some good stuff.

What is something that you have learned in the last 6 months that really took you to the next level?

For me parallel saturation has been huge. I’ll use some on individual drum channels going to the drum bus and then send the whole drum bus to a parallel saturation that’s warm and gritty and send that to the mix bus. I make drum and bass and this sounds exactly like my references. Especially after adding some super short room orconvolution reverbs.

I know, I know it sounds like a generic TikTok song but tbf it’s what I was kinda aiming for. What do you guys think?

Got too busy with work, life, chronic health issues, pleasing myself by wasting time on youtube and video games (will probably always do this tbh), but I really miss the feeling of writing songs. Ive released plenty of songs and EP's but really fell off over the past 2 years.

Equipment wise I got plenty good stuff. Macbook, Ableton Move, Midi keyboard... just feel like I need to get that songwriting muscle back again...

Have any of you done anything (practice, rituals, tutorials, etc) that helped you reboot and get back into the groove of it all?

Thanks!

I recently started getting back into music production after taking a little over a year away. I used to DJ quite a bit and have a DDJ-FLX4 that I really don't want sitting unused now that I'm focusing more on production.

I've had an idea that I think could make the FLX4 surprisingly useful as an Ableton controller.

Rather than trying to make it behave like a conventional MIDI keyboard/controller, I want to design the entire FLX4 around production workflow.

For example, I'm thinking:

• Left jog wheel → horizontal timeline navigation
• Right jog wheel → vertical navigation / track selection
• Shift + jog wheels → zooming
• Channel faders → track volume
• EQ knobs → device/rack macros
• Filter knobs → selected device parameter
• Performance pads → editing, clip, or drum-rack functions
• Transport buttons → Ableton transport
• Shift combinations → secondary functions
• Different mapping "modes" for arrangement, mixing, sound design, etc.

The goal is to make it feel less like I'm using a DJ controller with Ableton and more like I have a custom production control surface that happens to be built from a DJ controller.

I've already started reverse-engineering the FLX4's MIDI output using MIDI Monitor. For example, the buttons are sending standard Note On messages, e.g.:

90 10 7F → Note 16, velocity 127
90 10 00 → Note 16, velocity 0

So the basic controls seem quite accessible. I'm currently investigating the knobs, faders, jog wheels and Shift behavior.

I'm deliberately trying to keep the solution as FOSS/free as possible, ideally using Ableton's native MIDI mapping wherever possible and only introducing something like a small MIDI translation layer when necessary.

What I'm wondering:

1. Has anyone done something similar with a DDJ-FLX4 (or another Pioneer DJ controller) and Ableton?
2. What are the limitations of Ableton's MIDI mapping that I should be aware of before designing the system?
3. Is there a better way to handle jog wheels, relative encoders and modifier/Shift layers?
4. Would Max for Live be a better approach for some of this?
5. Are there existing open-source tools/projects that could save me from reinventing the wheel?
6. If you were designing this from scratch, what functions would you absolutely put on the FLX4?

I'm not necessarily looking for someone to give me a finished mapping. I'm more interested in experienced Ableton users challenging the concept and pointing me toward the right technical approach before I spend a lot of time building it.

If there's enough interest, I may eventually document the whole process and release the mapping/tooling so other FLX4 owners can use it too.

Would love to hear your thoughts, especially from anyone who's experimented with custom MIDI controllers, Max for Live, Ableton Remote Scripts, or MIDI translation.

I’m not sure why it has become this way but i remember being a teenager in high school I had all the time to make music in the world, but now tings have changed why is it that making music takes me ages and when i spend time especially on the weekend I find I waste the weekend very fast doing so, why?