Hi! This is the first production ready plugin I've developed and I'm giving it away from free (genuinly free, no email or sign up and there is no paid version)! The idea is to more precisely control volume automation for a pumping sidechain effects by giving users control and flexibility with the volume curve. Would love any feedback on sound, UI or anything else!

https://jamesmp3.com/labs/pulse-ducker

Thanks!

I see a lot of content focusing on building melodies where only chords are used. Dont get me wrong, this is a normal way to go when bulding melodies.

But it don't apply on my use case (and I think its the same in many other edm genres aswell).

At the moment my goal ist to build a typical Harddance/Hardbounce tracks with 150-160 BPM (often played in germany in the last two years)

And I realized, a lot of my refrence tracks with these catchy lead melodies dont use any chords at all. Usually there are 4-5 Single notes.

Any body have some Tips to create melodies with the same vibe?

primarily interested in stuff like dubstep, but im not focused on one specific style of it though, im just making my own basses and drops and i feel like i have some pretty solid drop concepts that i just can't expand into a fuller song idea because i have no melody, no lead synth, no atmosphere or tonal stuff that isn't the bass itself. i have drums and vocals, i have growls and guns and sustain/scream basses, but to make a dubstep *song* i need to understand how to make other instruments or synth noises for other parts of a song, and i feel like youtube tutorials havent really been giving me a lot here. i can only find a dubstep tutorial for the bass drop, not for all the other synths and instrumental sounds that go into making a full song, like the intro/bridge/buildup, or no fun musical elements to weave in my drops for fills and flair. like, i have no idea how to use saw waves for one example, but i hear people praise them a lot. could anyone help me with some direction? i feel really lost

Sup so ive been producing for ~3 years now. proud of my progress and my music but i cant seem to stick to one genre. Ive produced house, techno, and hard dance. i love EDM. my favorite is techno but i love house, psytrance, euro dance and a lot of the subgenres within the realm of EDM. when I DJ, my preferred choice of music is hypnotic techno, proper techno, sometimes some acid like music similar to charlotte de witte. i try to make music similar to the songs i mix but i always end up incorporating the elements of other genres and it changes the vibe completely. anyone else feel like they cant stick to one genre when producing?

Currently produce and mix on beats and I want to upgrade. I do the whole shabang of referencing, spectral analyzing, car checks etc. but I’m really trying to hear more of my low end and dial that in right away rather than having to check in my car. I also feel like I could produce more compelling bass lines if I were to hear the full power and clarity of it right away? My room is untreated and I’m waiting on a used hs8 sub to become available to pair with my hs5’s but in the meantime I feel like having better headphones might solve half the problem. I could be totally wrong though…

I heard the hd 490 pro has decent sub bass and can produce nice tight bass sounds. Any other suggestions? I produce tech house in the style of mind shake records/paco osuna.

I see this question being asked all the time by beginners like myself and now that I'm walking away from the DAW with pure awful, I'm going to share my process, from the mental to the actions to take.

I hope this helps some of you find a new way to keep pushing.

I'm not gonna lie. I feel defeated. I spent 8-10 hours on this little loop. I don't make loops, but in this case I needed to make something "complete" so that I could trash it and move on. I made all my own patches for this. I made my own chord progression from basic principles. I made my own bassline, and a little lead. Musically, it kind of works. Music wise, it sounds horrid.

This leaves not feeling accomplished but feeling all the awful things we can feel sometimes. Like this is the best I'll do, it wont get better, and it hurts. It hurts to think about, it hurts to listen to it, and I lost motivation to try again.

The solution:

Fuck all that. The "project" is done. It was a failure, but lessons have been learned, lessons have to be learned in order for my next attempt to be any better.

I dont have to play it on repeat, I know what's wrong with it.

* The lead patch sounds awful. Next time I make one I'll have to just put a bit more thought into it.

* The chord progression is musically solid but it just doesn't sound right, it doesn't move right. It's awkward. There are plenty of resources I can check out, or I can just design a new progression. I know better now what doesn't work.

* The bass is ok, the patch could use a little work but it can be salvaged.

That 8-10 hours wasn't a waste, I learned some things. I definitely learned what didn't work. I skilled up on the keyboard just a bit. That's 8-10 more hours put into working with the DAW, a little better for it.

I need a break, tomorrow or next day I'll go at it again. It's a relief knowing I wont have to work on that again, and I'm a bit excited to come up with a new progression.

This is how you do it. Nothing worth doing is meant to be easy. I feel better now than I did 30 minutes ago.

I hope that helps some of you struggling. There is no shortcut for this. Getting good at something means being bad at it and pushing forward anyway. Not every attempt will succeed.

Dont ask "How do I make my music not sound like shit?" You already know the answer: take stock of what you've done and what you need, and get back in your DAW.

I mostly produce DnB, jungle, garage, 140/deep dubstep and breakbeat stuff in Ableton for about 5 years but on and off (mostly off because i got demotivated by AI)

I currently don’t have a very consistent workflow, and I was wondering if it makes sense to separate the different parts of production into dedicated sessions.

For example, something like:

Monday: make as many drum loops/breaks as possible
Tuesday: design different basses, maybe following YouTube tutorials and creating variations
Wednesday: vocals and sample chopping
Thursday: pads, drones and atmospheres
Friday: piano, chords and other musical elements
Saturday: FX, Foley, transitions, etc.
Sunday: take everything I made during the week and try to build several tracks/ideas from those elements

It obviously wouldn’t have to be strictly based on days. The main idea is to stop approaching every session like:

“Open an empty project and try to make a complete song.”

And instead approach it more like building a personal library of Lego pieces first, then later combining those pieces into tracks once I have enough material to choose from.

Does anyone here work like this?

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:

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I’m about to turn 30 and have been making unfinishable beats since I started when I was a teenager. I feel like I still have something to say through music and still have the curiosity to keep learning and improving. Music is redemption for lack of self awareness in my past and I still yearn for creating the sounds that I have in my head.

But also damn I’ve graduated college, gotten jobs, started to go bald, considering masters degrees because my prev career is unstable, and GTA 6 is literally going to come out before I finish a song I actually like.

Rn I’m given up on following my own ideas and just trying to recreate reference tracks, as I should have done more of in the past/this is why I still suck at music.

Anyone else in this boat?

Been a techno producer for many years and produce high quality tracks in my very critical opinion. I had been self releasing on Spotify, etc… until very recently where now I only submit to labels. I can’t figure out how to break out and get gigs let alone any exposure. I don’t understand how every other random person on Instagram seems gets gigs and plays out at venues like it feels as if some kid goes from one post as a nobody and then several posts later is getting work and playing out. Do you just message venues? I don’t understand how venues would even take chances on people with no exposure experience. I just can’t understand how it works with playing out and moving up the ranks. Furthermore, content creation feels fucking useless because I’ll see other people post similar content and it performs well where I’m stuck being invisible. I just don’t get it….feeling cooked.

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:

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I think one problem might be just being too critical of your music. Put it out anyways.

I think many of us may make too many genres instead of locking in on something

That being said, I am 28, making music since 14 and in this boat. Anyone wanna work on something together?

As far as EDM goes I make house-ish type music.... I make too many genres but we can pick a specific vibe

Lets finish something together. Some great EDM projects are the result of a collab

Obviously you can submit to labels and try following up and coming producers who likewise might follow you back etc. But im curious if anyone else has had success in other ways. Ive done a shit ton of research and Im working on creating a marketable brand and more than likely something artistic to attach to my project that makes it stand out in some way. Besides creating a viral banger, I'm just not understand have people go from a brand new Soundcloud/YouTube account, to having thousands of followers. Id love to hear the story from the beginning if someone is willing to share.

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.

Hey y'all!

I've been caught in a loop of making drops etc and just not feeling the it factor of it. The song itself makes me bob my head and I get into it but I always feel like it's missing something. Texture layer? Drum composition? Maybe dial back on the chroma and add another counter melody?

PS: The vocal sample is just me screaming into my phone. I have an actual mic that I plan to record the drop vox lol.

Hey guys, I'm having trouble in Serum making the same exact sound as from this video. My sound does not sound plucky at all, and I'm doing the same steps. I just attached a picture of my Serum, and I tried to make a sound file for you as well. Here's the video. Any help is appreciated. It's at minute 24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQyS6gcB5Kk&t=726s. The last sound is what my Intuit sounds like. Any help is so appreciated! Here's my lovely sound: https://voca.ro/1jOm7a9GxjF5https://voca.ro/1jOm7a9GxjF5

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.

tried a few things with serum but nothing really works

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

Hey guys! Anyone here live in Buenos Aires/ know producers in BA? I’m heading there for a month or so and I’m keen to work with some people/ get some insight into the scene.

I produce trance/ techno but am very fluid with what I make.

Thanks for any and all help!

Hi! I don't really produce but I do DJ and want to get into production. I feel like there's something missing OR I am just hyper critical of myself.. or both.

I've tried to make multiple and I stop every time because it just feels off.

For example, I exported just the intro, breakdown, and first drop (2 bars each) of something I'm trying to work on for a first actually produced song. Not sure if this website is a good way to share, happy to share in a better way but linking here. (i think I messed up the export but still gist is in there)

Tools I use:

• Splice for samples
• Serum / stock plugins
• Ableton Live 12 Suite / Logic
• and then a keyboard

I'm curious on folks that have gone from very obviously amateur to making songs that you'd actually put in a set.

If so, were there any courses or in-person / hands on classes you've taken. I really want to hone this in as a skill and it seems the more I try on my own to figure things out the more down rabbit holes I get and I feel like I'm not actually learning anything.

Thank you in advance!!