How to make electronic dance music in fl studio
FL Studio Tutorials | How To Make Electronic Music
TutorialsHow To Master A Song In FL Studio
Mastering is the final step in music production. It’s the process of improving the sound quality and perceived volume of your song (if possible and/or needed) with the aid of…
Read More
TutorialsWhat is a MIDI Keyboard Controller and Do I Need One?
Most home musicians have a MIDI keyboard controller in their home studio. But what exactly is a MIDI keyboard controller? Can you make music without one? If you decide to…
Read More
Tutorials7 Simple Steps to Make Electronic Music
Here’s Zac Green from popular music blog ZingInstruments.com walks us through 7 simple steps to make electronic music. In the minds of consumers, creating electronic music is as simple as…
Read More
TutorialsHow To Make A Snare Sound
After a long hiatus from making tutorials here’s finally a new video. It’s about how to make a snare sound using FL Studio Sytrus. There are no text boxes this…
Read More
TutorialsWalkthrough To A Deep/Tech/90’s/Whatever House Beat
This is a walkthrough tutorial to a 90’s/deep/tech/whatever house style beat I made while ago. Yes, I’m not 100% sure about the exact genre, but listen the audio preview below…
Read More
TutorialsStudio DMI’s Fly On The Wall: Sound Design with Ed Strazdas Pt. 4/4
Here’s part four which is the final part of the sound design video series from the Studio DMI’s Fly On The Wall sessions with Ed Strazdas (check the previous parts…
Read More
TutorialsStudio DMI’s Fly On The Wall: Sound Design with Ed Strazdas Pt. 3/4
About week ago I posted part two of the four-part sound design video series from the Studio DMI’s Fly On The Wall sessions with Ed Strazdas (also, check out the…
Read More
Tutorials Studio DMI’s Fly On The Wall: Sound Design with Ed Strazdas Pt.
2/4
Week ago I posted part one of the four-part sound design video series from the Studio DMI’s Fly On The Wall sessions, featuring Ed Strazdas. And here’s part two. I’m…
Read More
TutorialsStudio DMI’s Fly On The Wall: Sound Design with Ed Strazdas Pt. 1/4
By the permission of Studio DMI, I’m posting a four-part sound design technique videos from Studio DMI’s Fly On The Wall sessions on my Youtube channel. This series features Ed…
Read More
Tutorials6 Creative Approaches For Working With Splice Sounds
Splice gives you everything you need to create music and collaborate fearlessly – automatic private backup of your songs and project files, free unlimited storage, and access to a growing community of…
Read More
TutorialsTwo EQ Cheat Sheets For Better Mixes
I was on surfing on the web and stumbled on these two EQ “cheat sheets” that seems to be quite useful! The first is made/shared by an user called fredv…
Read More
Tutorials8 Creativity Hacks for Electronic Music Producers
“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.
” – Edward de Bono You wake up on a Saturday morning with the…
Read More
TutorialsWhy And How To Keep Low End In Mono in FL Studio
In this tutorial, I will give you few ideas and thoughts why you should make sure that the low end of your EDM track stays mono and how to do…
Read More
TutorialsFL Studio Quick Tip: Export Your Project To Zipped Loop Package
When you create an FL Studio project which uses a third party samples, it’s best to export it to a Zipped loop package, so finally, all your samples and the…
Read More
TutorialsThree Different Sounds In Harmor
In this tutorial I will show you how to program three different sounds in Harmor. Sound 1 might work well in a background of a Chill-Out or Ambient track for…
Read More
1 2 3 … 10 Next
Ableton vs FL Studio: How to Pick the Right DAW for You
If you’re new to electronic music production, Ableton Live and FL Studio are two of the most popular DAWs – the beating heart of the producer’s studio.
These two are great options (we use both in EDM Foundations), and as someone who has used them extensively over the years, in this guide I’ll help you decide which is better for you. We’ll cover:
For clarity, we’ve broken this article down into five parts.
- Features
- Workflow
- Compatibility
- Support and Resources
- Price
Remember, there is no universal best DAW, only the one that’s right for you. So, let’s break them down! 👇
Ableton vs FL Studio: Features
Ahh, every music producer’s favourite part. The features. The part that makes music production fun and enjoyable for most people.
Ableton Live 11FL Studio 20This is very important to consider if you are looking at committing to a DAW, because depending on your goals and workflow, different feature sets can make a big difference.
FL Studio: Feature Packed
| Version | Good For |
| Fruity Edition | Writing Loops and Melodies |
| Producer Edition | Fully-fledged software with full export capability |
| Signature Edition | Full software plus extra plugins |
| All Plugins Bundle | All plugins included made by Image-Line |
If you like options and don’t get overwhelmed by confusing interfaces, FL Studio is the clear winner here.
Want a mixer and step-sequencer on one monitor and arrangement on another? Easy. Want 20 different virtual instruments included? Done. Want FL Studio to make you breakfast? It’s most likely possible.
The main difference that sets FL Studio and Ableton Live apart is that not all sounds are bound to an individual mixer channel. It automatically assigns them in version 20, but you can still mix and match so that multiple sounds and instruments can be sent to the same mixer channel.
The same goes for the timeline. You can assign each sound to a track in the timeline, or you can put patterns wherever the heck you want.
One other major difference between the features of FL and Ableton is the plugins. Both include an array of instruments of effects, but FL definitely wins in the quantity game, especially with the ‘All Plugins Bundle’.
Harmor, for example, is an insanely powerful synth that has got years of development behind it, and Ableton is only just starting to catch up.
There are also so many damn effects in FL Studio, and it breaks them down nicely into categories when you go to load them in. You’ve got like 5 different distortions, multiple EQs, and other random FX. Go nuts.
With endless routing options, effects, and sounds, you might be thinking ‘I’ve made my decision now!’ But slow down. Sometimes, less is more.
You can tell from the default interface that FL Studio is designed to be customised infinitely.Recommended: FL Studio for Beginners – The Complete Guide
Simple, Streamlined and Able(ton)
| Version | Good For |
| Intro | Basic productions and looping, live performance |
| Standard | Full production and live performance capability |
| Suite | Full production capability with extra instruments and sounds |
Excuse the awful pun, but Live is a solid option if you get overwhelmed with options.
Yes, there aren’t 100 ways to do the same thing, but what’s there is quality, not fussy with sugary interfaces and just works.
On the left, you’ll find the browser, like in FL. It’s resizable, but only to a certain degree, and it stays there. Everything is broken down into clear sections, unlike the FL Studio long-rainbow madness.
The detail view is where the plugins and effects, audio and MIDI editor can be switched between. Unfortunately, you can’t have multiple at the same time, but if you like focusing on one thing at a time, it’s great.
And if you need things bigger or smaller, there is always zoom in the Look/Feel preferences.
You can get right in close if that’s your thing.In the plugins/devices department, you get an array of very-capable synths like Operator, Analog and the newer Wavetable (a very legit Serum competitor).
While they are confined to the native interface, Wavetable has quite a nice interface with expandable windows, and for some, the native interface makes the sound design process quite fluid.
Additionally, the Audio Effects in Ableton are really damn good, with some great analog-inspired devices like Echo, Glue Compressor, and Amp.
Although FL wins at quantity, if you want more curated devices, Ableton takes the cake.
It still also has great features, which you can check out in our video below:
Lastly, one thing that Live can do very well that FL can’t do to save its life is live performance.
The session view is an amazing tool for live jamming, musical performance and even DJing.
Recommended: 100 Ableton Live Tips for Insane Workflow & Creativity
Look, I’m trying hard to being unbiased as an Ableton user, but damn that is a nice interface.
Even though I look at it every day.The Winner
For the number of features, FL Studio is the clear winner.
They jam-pack their software with so much that you’ll never run out of things to explore, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on your workflow.
That being said, Ableton Live still has killer, high-quality features that makes it a more than capable DAW.
Ableton vs FL Studio: Workflow
Workflow is incredibly important for being able to use your software in a practical way that delivers results. There isn’t much point to using a DAW if you can’t output music with it. Workflow is what takes you from A to B.
FL Studio: 10 Ways To Do One Thing
Following on from the features, we can kinda assume that more features usually means a less clear workflow. That tends to hold true in FL Studio, especially for beginners.
To really grasp FL Studio, it requires a lot more time investment into understanding the software and how to make it work for you, which can be great.
It’s the beauty of having flexibility – you can adapt it to your workflow.
Even though Ableton might be easier to understand from the get-go, FL may suit your needs better in the long-term, just with a little extra effort to figure things out.
This is why FL Studio suits some people so well, because they can adapt it specifically to what they need, and this is even truer if you use multiple monitors in your setup.
Yes, Ableton has multi-monitor support, but with much less flexibility.
Left: Madeon‘s Beautiful Ordered Project, Right: Some Messy project from the FL Studio forumsThat being said, if FL Studio has one thing it’s better at than Ableton Live, it’s the piano roll.
It’s way less clunky, has way more MIDI editing tools and is easier to fit into the interface with the floating window.
Whereas in Ableton, the piano roll has to fit into the clip editor down the bottom. It’s expandable but less so than in FL Studio.
Ableton Is Fast
If you want a fast, clear and creative workflow, Ableton wins.
While the device view might annoy some people who like bigger interfaces, the ability to bounce audio within tracks (Edison is mostly a nightmare in FL), saving things to racks and clips and using the session view for jamming, makes it worthwhile.
As per the features, the streamlined options makes things a lot easier to find. Here are a few highlights:
- FX Chains are visual and don’t require opening plugins
- You can create collections of your favourite samples/racks/whatever without copying the original file
- Racks are very intuitive and can be saved for ease
- Duplicating is easy and you don’t have to switch tools
- Freezing and flattening audio is easy
- Resampling can be done by setting input to Resampling, rather than exporting the whole track
That’s just a few things, but check it out for yourself. Coming from FL Studio, this was a game-changer for me.
The Winner
For workflow speed, Ableton Live definitely wins this round.
While workflow is subjective and changes between producers, Ableton’s clear interface and intuitive tools definitely make it a breeze, especially working with audio. If you like workflow options, FL might be the better option.
You can get the same results with both DAWs, but how you get there also matters.
Ableton vs FL Studio: Compatibility
There’s no point in using a piece of software if it doesn’t work on your setup. So to avoid you getting excited about the wrong DAW, make sure to read this section.
FL Studio’s Mac Woes
Note: This is for the most recent version, FL Studio 20. Check here for full compatibility info.
| Version | Compatible? |
| macOS (64bit) | YES |
| macOS (32bit) | NO |
| Windows (32bit) | YES |
| Windows (64bit) | YES |
| Linux | NO |
FL Studio has worked on Windows very well for a long time.
It had a very fluid interface with very nice graphics (and still does, even more so).
Historically, FL Studio was pretty adamant that there wouldn’t be a Mac version of FL Studio, mostly due to the coding language’s incompatibility. Well, they’ve done a 180 and now they have one. It works. Mostly.
As the Mac version has grown from a sloppy, Windows-crossover edition into a fully-fledged piece of standalone software, there have definitely been undeniable growing pains. But they’ve come a long way.
Most features have been ported over (with some glitches included), but there is no 32bit version of FL Studio for Mac, and your 32bit Audio Units won’t work, even if your 32bit VSTs do.
Let’s be honest though, you probably should be using a 64bit system, if you can.
If you’re on a Mac though, there’s always 32 Lives.
32 Lives lets you run 32-bit plugins in 64-bit programsCredit: Soundradix
And as with most software, no native compatibility on Linux, but you can use an emulator if you want.
Lastly, FL has gotten better on the CPU over the years. The vector interface is super nice and isn’t too much of a burden on the graphics card.
But the fancy GUIs can eat up system resources pretty fast, but that can happen anywhere if you are using third-party plugins.
Ableton: Great Compatibility, Infrequent Updates
| Version | Compatible? |
| macOS (64bit) | YES |
| macOS (32bit) | NO |
| Windows (32bit) | NO |
| Windows (64bit) | YES |
| Linux | NO |
Note: This is for the most recent version, Ableton Live 11. Check here for full compatibility info.
Up until Live 10, Ableton supported 32bit systems. Now they have canned it, which makes sense, but still might cause issues for some people. If that’s you, make sure to grab a copy of Live 9 instead.
Although they seemed to have ramped up the updates in the last couple of years, any long-term Ableton user will tell you it isn’t unheard of to not get a major update for a few years.
Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is relative. Plus, most of the time their minor updates will do the trick when it comes to glitches or software errors.
Also, all of your Audio Units and VSTs will work with Live just fine. They actually divide them into really nice folders so it’s pretty simple to find what you’re looking for, especially for Audio Units.
You do need to go into the preferences and enable Audio Units though.
As of Live 10.1, VST3 is now supported too!
Ableton is pretty good on CPU and system resources, as it is designed for live performance because you don’t want to be getting dropouts in that setting.
Like any DAW, it can be heavy on the CPU if you are using third-party plugins, but the native ones are very well-optimised.
The Winner?
In this section, it seems to be a tie.
Although FL Studio includes a 32bit version for Windows and supports both 32bit and 64bit VST on Windows, it’s still not quite there with reliability on Mac, which means they miss out on a large portion of their potential audience.
It is getting better though, which means that long term, FL Studio may be the better option.
In terms of plugin compatibility, FL wins that little bit more, because they’ve support VST3 a lot longer than Ableton has, and they now support Audio Units and VST, which they previously didn’t. FL is taking big strides.
Recommended: How To Use Ableton Live: The Producer’s Guide
Ableton vs FL Studio: Resources and Support
Learning a DAW is a massive effort, and it’s not easy. In fact, music production, in general, isn’t easy. But having resources helps.
Ironically, part of my job is finding keywords that people like you are searching for, so we can create helpful articles around those topics.
Here’s what happens when I type in FL Studio and Ableton into Google Trends.
FL Studio is quite a bit more ‘popular’ than Ableton.Quantity of Resources: FL Studio
If you want lots of videos, articles and support, FL Studio is your best option.
Simply due to the popularity of the DAW within the electronic music world, it’s got the history and support of a lot of users. It’s also been out longer than Ableton Live.
Most tutorials on YouTube for electronic music and hip-hop are done in FL Studio. So searching how to do something will usually give you a tutorial in FL Studio, like how to recreate a certain sound, or make a certain genre.
Most tutorials have FL Studio in the thumbnail instead of Ableton LiveThe customer support that Image-Line provides is nice, although there is no direct number, unfortunately.
Apart from learning, there aren’t as many native resources for actual production (like presets and sounds) available in comparison to Ableton, mostly due to Ableton’s superior rack format of grouping instruments and FX together.
But you can save effect chains and instruments as presets, so there is still definitely stuff out there.
Most audio formats are compatible with FL, and soundfonts can be loaded into the Fruity Soundfont Player, if you’re still into those.
Quality of Resources: Ableton Live
Ableton might have fewer resources, but what it does have is high-quality resources, especially in the way of YouTube tutorials.
The Ableton team has a great YouTube channel with examples and guides to help you. Plus, 90% of our courses are done with Ableton Live.
They also have a great, comprehensive yet simple manual available for free. In fact, it’s probably one of the best manuals available for any product or service I’ve seen – period.
Ableton customer support is also pretty nice, although I haven’t needed to use it much, to be honest. Once again, there is no direct phone line, unfortunately.
In addition to educational resources, Ableton has great racks, clips, and project files available for purchase or download across the web.
The instrument, audio effect, and MIDI racks make sound design a lot easier to learn and sounds a lot simpler to replicate.
Of course, samples aren’t DAW-specific, but Ableton supports most file formats and even non-native formats like soundfonts and EXS24 for Logic Pro.
Recommended: Best MIDI Keyboards
The Winner
FL Studio wins this one for resources.
Mainly due to the popularity and age of the DAW. But it’s close, and you can’t really go wrong with either. In reality, both have enough resources for you to learn the DAW from a beginner level all the way to the advanced level.
Ableton vs FL Studio: Price
You might be asking, why did you leave pricing to last?
Before looking at the price, know that the DAW you choose is a long-term investment.
You might be tempted to make the decision on price alone, but consider what suits your workflow style.
Originally I tried out FL Studio because it was cheaper.
Ableton: Expensive and Worth Every Penny
| Version | Price (USD) |
| Intro | $99 |
| Standard | $499 |
| Suite | $799 |
While the opening price of Ableton is comparable to Ableton, the ‘main’ version (Ableton Standard) is a lot more expensive.
Over double, in fact.
Now if you’re on a budget, Ableton Standard might be out of the question for you, solely based on that.
But make sure to try the demo first, you might be inclined to start on Intro and work your way up from there.
The Suite version is cheaper for the full-featured version with all devices (in comparison to the FL Studio All Plugins Bundle), but one thing you don’t get is free lifetime updates.
Of course, minor updates you will get, but for major version updates, you’ll be forking out
FL Studio: Cheaper, Great Value and Feature-Packed
| Version | Price (USD) |
| Fruity Edition | $99 |
| Producer Edition | $199 |
| Signature Bundle | $299 |
| All Plugins Bundle | $899 |
It doesn’t make sense, but FL Studio is insanely good value for money, especially for the Producer Edition.
$199 for a pro-level piece of software is a bargain.
Although the All Plugins Bundle is just that bit more in comparison to Ableton Live Suite, in all other areas FL wins on price.
But that’s not even the best part.
Free lifetime updates. Yep, that’s right. Forever. Ableton can’t even compare to that. Plus, FL seems to have slightly more consistent updates.
Remember though, price isn’t everything.
The Winner
The obvious winner in this section is FL Studio by a country mile.
$199 USD for a full version (Producer Edition) is pretty much nothing compared to $499 USD for Ableton Standard.
That being said, if you are the kind of producer who wants to splash on the extra plugins/devices, then Suite is $100 less than the top-tier version of FL Studio.
The Verdict?
So who wins overall?
Trick question.
At the start, I said that there is no ‘best DAW’ and that still holds true.
Both have pros and cons and require you to make the final decision.
That being said, if I had to choose one for each kind of producer, I would choose FL Studio for the producer who likes to customize everything, and I’d choose Ableton Live for the producer who likes a fast workflow.
The next thing you should do is download a demo of one, or both. That way you can test these things for yourself and make a final decision.
The last thing you want to do is commit without experience.
Remember, there are other DAWs you might want to consider too.
What Now?
Well, if you are inspired to grab a demo or go off testing these bad boys, go for it.
But you’ll also need more than just a DAW – you’ll need samples, sounds and helpful guides.
That’s why we put together our free EDM Starter Kit, jam packed with high-quality samples, presets and some of our best PDF resources here at EDMProd.
Also, choosing a DAW is probably one of the most important decisions you will make in your production journey, so choose carefully.
Switching later down the track is possible, but it’s more difficult and is avoidable.
If you need more info on other DAWs, check out our complete DAW guide. Or, this article from our friend Rob at Musician on a Mission. Or, if you’re on a budget, check out some free DAWs.
Lastly, what did we miss about Ableton or FL Studio? Let us know in the comments or by dropping me a line at [email protected].
How I learned to write dance music and started releasing on labels — Music on DTF
A big story about finding yourself in creativity. With pictures and music.
15065 views
Hi, I'm Muchkin. I write music. I make money with soundtracks for indie games, and for my soul and career I also make tracks in the genre of melodic house and techno. About how I came to composing, I wrote in a recent text. Now let me tell you about my path in dance music.
Screenshot of my latest project so far
Beginning
Somewhere in the ninth grade, I first heard Prodigy - Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix) as part of a mix from DJ Stroitel.
I got crazy and started to get interested in drum and bass. I listened to Pendulum, Noisia, Spor, danced drum and bass dance, which we called drumstep.
Then I thought that I also want to write the same energetic cool music with rich drum parts. I had no idea how it was done, and the search led me first to some kind of MIDI editor, in which I made a couple of songs. And then I found FL Studio, a sequencer that I've been using for over a decade. nine0003
The first tracks were terrible.
I shared them under a shameful pseudonym on PromoDJ, in an active community of fellow beginners. We intelligently criticized each other's tracks, not knowing anything at all about how music is created. But it's always like that when you start.
nine0002 Toward the end of school, a dream began to form in me: I will learn how to make cool music for the university, and by the end of the fourth year I will become, if not a world star, then certainly a professional and respected music producer (a person who earns money by creating and performing electronic music ).I once read the idea that you need to make the first 100 songs as quickly as possible, because after them normal music will follow. In my experience, yes, something like this is
University
In fact, for four years at university, I basically did only three things: studied (albeit well), played video games and suffered from fears and anxieties. Despite the fact that the dream still lived somewhere on the border of consciousness, and I considered myself a music producer, writing tracks faded into the background. nine0003
It wasn't because I was lazy or because I didn't want to make music. Just because I thought of a great success in advance, creativity turned into a hard and painful task. High anxiety, disorders, traumas, and just the peculiarities of the psyche (which I realized only ten years later thanks to psychotherapy) exacerbated the situation.
For example, I wrote this track for a whole year and spent more than hundred hours on it . That was the pace at which I produced finished works at that time. nine0003
Funny story. Born in Space found some cunning guy on PromoDJ and wrote me, they say, let's release it on my label.
I went nuts from the word "label" and agreed. We even signed some kind of contract through the Proton system. After that, the man disappeared. Until now, the composition can be found on streaming services - he released it ten times, probably, and all under different "labels".
I didn't make a dime from it, of course. I suspect that he is also
nine0025Among my other works during this time, one can single out this psychedelic “neurofunk”, in which everything that is possible is not in tonality. When I wrote it, I did not yet know what tonality was.
This was supposed to be an intro for my friend's YouTube show, but it never launched.
At the university, I wrote little music, but this does not mean that I did not develop creatively. I listened and analyzed bass genres a lot and sometimes through suffering I made tracks. Many did not finish. So there was progress, but very slow.
This composition also took about a year and 60-80 hours of work.
My music from this period seems to meet some minimal requirements of the genres (the structure is readable, the sounds are more or less intelligible, the kick and snare give some kind of energy, sometimes there is even a sub-bass), but they are crooked, poorly thought out and uninteresting .
I just used samples, notes and instruments that seemed appropriate and didn't think about the big picture, melody or atmosphere. And, I suspect, for the better. If I had been worried about this as well, then anxiety would have completely crushed me. nine0003
By the way, my suffering also had some advantages. From the very beginning of working in FL Studio, I decided that I needed to create all the presets for the synths myself, and so I did. By the time I received my diploma, I had a good knowledge of the standard synths of the program and even a small library of presets.
By the way, about the diploma: I wrote this experimental composition dedicated to a headache closer to the defense, which is symbolic.
Work
After my bachelor's degree, I went to the master's program and at the same time started looking for a job. For a year and a half, I was doing all sorts of small jobs (once I even made the whole foley for a short film). I didn’t do much music, although I was able to complete a couple of projects. nine0003
For example, this future beats track inspired by Ivy Lab and Noisia Radio selections.
And an old school drum and bass remix for Dorn (there was a PromoDJ contest).
I was looking for ways to make money on music: I applied to local game and recording studios, I tried my luck in creating beats and stock tracks. In vain. As I studied the market and read the stories of more successful producers, an unbearable, terrible thought formed in my head.
To achieve something, you have to work very hard
That explained a lot.
At the beginning of 2017, I was accepted to DTF.
Since childhood, I loved games, I read LKI, the Land of Games and Igromania, so I was very happy with this opportunity.
I was part of the editorial staff for almost two years. At this time it was difficult to find the strength and time for music. I watched tutorials, analyzed other people's tracks, replenished my database of samples and presets, but completed projects during this time can be counted on the fingers of one hand. nine0003
Weird downtempo project - time.
Dubstep with the voice of YouTuber Jacksepticeye - two.
Gloomy base house - three.
Drum and bass, started back in 2016, four.
I tried to send each of these tracks to labels, but they were not taken anywhere. I was surprised: how is it that they have everything. And powerful basses, and cool drums, even some interesting effects. Isn't that enough?
Oh, how little I understood.
nine0002 Composing
In the spring of 2019, I started building a career as an indie game composer.
A few months later, this occupation even began to bring in some money and soon became the main one for me. (You can read about this path here.)
I found a way to make money with music and immersed myself in creativity. A little bit not the direction that I dreamed of, but still it was progress. Working on the soundtracks, I learned to feel the music better, learned new techniques and added to my own libraries even more. nine0003
As for dance tracks, at the end of 2019, aggressive and fast base house was popular, and I tried to sit on this hype train.
But no labels took the track, so I released it myself through distributor DistroKid. It was my first "adult" release - the one that appeared on streaming services. So far, I have earned exactly $0.03 on it. That's 17 auditions.
Back in the beginning of 2020, I made time for the LEAVEMEALONE halftime track.
nine0002 The flops over the past couple of years made me wonder: what is wrong with my music? Why doesn't anyone want to take it? Reflection and reflection led me to an important conclusion: in the first place, I do not make the music that I really want.
I became interested in making music thanks to drum and bass, then I started listening to dubstep and electro house, and for some reason I always felt that these genres were what I needed to work on. But as soon as I listened to myself a little (which I had never done before), it turned out that I had nothing to express through bass music. nine0003
Therefore, I spent the following months looking for genres that would most accurately reflect my inner state. They were melodic house and techno.
Brute force
Since April 2020, I have decided to get into dance music properly. Since I used to be able to create compositions only through force, I came up with a challenge for myself: to finish one track every month.
The logic was like this. By forcing myself to work on dance compositions month after month, sooner or later I had to develop all the necessary skills needed to create cool music. nine0003
I was going to basically brute force my creative powers
The first track turned out to be clumsy.
The mixing is murky, there is not much development, both drops are arranged as if it were a summer banger, although a soulful melodic techno was conceived. But for starters, it will.
This track (and several others) I released again via DistroKid. Even tried to buy ads for him through Facebook. There were still few auditions (39 to date), but I was resentful of the label system after so many rejections and was determined to make a name for myself. nine0003
The next composition in May, Pasturage, was much softer. Birds, forest, nice sound design and summer rain atmosphere.
For this track, I also purchased advertising. This time I set up the ad better and invested more money, so the output was more tangible. Now he has 138 plays.
The June track Arcane turned out to be mysterious and attractive, like a Celtic forest. Hence the name.
I did not commission advertising for him, because the determination to promote myself in the music industry began to fade.
I didn’t pour so much money into advertising tracks, but there was no more extra money. nine0003
The conclusion was that you can break through on your own only in two cases: if you have a lot of money for advertising (I didn’t), or if you know how to do cool PR in social networks (I didn’t know how). So I started looking towards
labels again.Arcane was not taken to the labels (I did not even hope), but they took Autarca - the July track. Here's a snippet of it, and you can listen to it in full here.
It was released as a compilation on the sub-label of a small St. Petersburg publishing house Polyptych. I knew perfectly well that this would not bring me any money or popularity, but I signed the contract anyway. You have to start somewhere. nine0003
The next track was a bit hooligan Help a Robot. I didn't send it anywhere, because big labels wouldn't take it, and it was long and tedious to look for small labels with such music.
How do you even google them? "Labels with frivolous electro-house"?
In autumn I decided to make a three-track mini-album. For some reason it seemed to me that labels were more willing to take EPs than singles.
Even by this moment I had heard a lot of music in the selected genres and realized that in melodic house and techno, few people make tracks shorter than six minutes. So from now on, all my new compositions slowly fade in and out. nine0003
In general, the music has become less hasty and more conducive to immersion and thoughtful listening
As you might expect, my plan to boost my chances with labels with the EP didn't work out very well. The release was eventually taken to the same Polyptych Limited (it will be released on July 5), but I was hoping for something bigger.
In December I finished the new track Rewired and decided to take a break. Working non-stop for nine months (and I also did soundtracks) without tangible results led to the fact that I just burned out.
nine0003
Rest helped me rethink my priorities and figure out which way to go. I stopped caring too much about labels and started focusing more on creativity and self-expression. Plus, psychotherapy helped (and still helps) to listen to yourself better.
Rewired was included in the compilation for the Moscow label ONESUN (will be released sort of like in the summer).
Opening
I wrote the next composition at a more relaxed pace: burnout forced me to abandon the "one track per month" mode. Simultaneously with the work on the track, I was doing research. He carefully studied music in the chosen genres, pestered successful producers with questions, whom he could reach. nine0003
The result was the biggest takeaway of all time: major labels need unique music first and foremost. One that has not yet been
Within the genre, of course, although the boundaries between melodic house and techno are blurred.
How to achieve uniqueness? For me, the answer is simple: it comes from the uniqueness of the psyche. If you learn to listen well and express yourself adequately, then creativity will be unique. Therefore, when creating Bird Law in January 2020, I tried to listen as often as possible to what melodies, sounds, effects and just decisions resonate with me. nine0003
This track doesn't just meet some technical requirements, it's undeniably my . For example, the title is taken from a comic book that I really like.
It's the law
And the theme of birds in it is not only because of the name, but also because these animals (but not all) touch me and my wife very much. And also partly a track about the love that I feel for my wife, and this has something in common with the comic book. In general, a warm work about good things. The ones in me. nine0003
I don't know how noticeable this is to the outside listener, but I see a massive improvement over the previous compositions.
He was even taken to a more serious label - the Italian Natura Viva. They promised to release it as part of a compilation. I don't know when exactly: for some reason, labels rarely notify me about such things, and I myself don't really care. I'm more focused on future works.
The last track so far is called You're Not What Your Mind Tells You. It's about my many battles with my own brain. It is a little sad, but with a light undertone, because no matter how scary the battles are, there is always a possibility to win. At least I can. nine0003
The other day I signed him to the Belgian label Sound Avenue. It will first be released exclusively on Spotify to try and push it into the platform's playlists, and will be released as part of a sub-label compilation in August.
After You're Not What Your Mind Tells You, I again rethought my creative process. Now I try to treat music less as a series of separate projects and more just as a field for experiments, from which cool completed projects will grow.
Let's see where this takes me. nine0003
Such things. Thanks for reading. By the way, I will soon launch a course on creating electronic music from scratch. If interested, you can read the details here.
If you like my music, you can subscribe to Soundcloud, YouTube or Spotify. All my future tracks will appear there as well. Also here are my social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Twitch.
Best EDM DAWs: Our Top Picks
Electronic dance music, better known as EDM, is famous for its tactile grooves and high-energy rhythms. If you're interested in making EDM music, keep reading as we cover the best EDM DAWs. nine0003
Truth be told, there is no best EDM DAW as it all comes down to personal preference and skill. However, the DAWs on this list have some cool features that might pique your interest in making electronic music.
1. Ableton Live (Mac/Windows)
Many electronic music producers, from hobbyists to professionals, rave about Ableton, and with good reason.
Ableton Live puts a host of innovative tools in the hands of the producer, providing a creative way to create music. For this reason, Ableton has been my go-to DAW for many years. nine0003
To start, Ableton introduces you to the session view workflow, which is a non-linear style of music production. The session view mode lets you try out ideas in a fluid way, mixing and matching elements as you see fit. Think of it as listening to musical ideas before you start creating a fully sequenced track.
Sometimes time constraints can get in the way of the creative process, and given that EDM is fast-paced, you'll be able to bring your ideas to life just as quickly if you use the session view mode. Drag audio loops or record midi to clips/scenes and start experimenting. nine0003
Ableton comes with all the professional effects you would expect from a full DAW like compressor, reverb, EQ and more. However, the latest version of the program has a new "hybrid reverb" that combines convolutional and algorithmic reverbs to create interesting spaces.
Side chaining is a very common practice in electronic music and Ableton makes the process very easy with their compressor plugin. nine0003
Since EDM is built around sound design, Ableton allows you to create complex sounds with its wavelet and operator synthesizers. With these devices, wave, FM and physical modeling synthesis is possible.
This DAW has one of the largest sound libraries, providing you with over 70GB of content. Among them are tons of drum samples, percussion loops, grooves and virtual instruments to help you work.
EDM is known to use various audio loops such as percussion or vocal samples and with Ableton you can edit these samples in a great way. Live has a sound warp feature that allows you to time stretch and change samples without sacrificing sound quality. nine0003
After setting the warp markers, you can change the tempo of your track and the samples will automatically follow it. Combine this with Live's intuitive automation capabilities and you can do interesting things with your creations.
Finally, as the name suggests, Ableton is great for live performance, being the DAW of choice for many professional performers.
While Ableton can be a little tricky to learn, EDM producers looking for a fresh approach to making music will find Live quite useful. nine0003
Learn more about Ableton here
2. Logic Pro X (Mac only)
Our next digital audio workstation is Apple's Logic Pro X, which is the standard music production software. Some might argue that Logic is on par with Pro Tools as the best DAW, the difference is in preference. Electronic production duo Disclosure uses Logic Pro to create their hits.
Logic Pro is a complete DAW that gives you all the tools you need to start and finish your tracks. Audio and midi recording combined with powerful editing tools give you a lot of flexibility when creating your tracks. nine0003
The latest version of the program features a step sequencer inspired by classic drum machines, allowing you to quickly create rhythms, as well as what Logic calls "live loops".
With "live loops" you can run different cells to reproduce your ideas without worrying about time limits, similar to the presentation of sessions in Ableton.
For electronic producers who also perform live, the latest version of Logic has a "Remix FX" module that allows you to apply DJ-style effects to a single track or an entire mix bus. You can choose between echo, stutter, gating and filter effects. nine0003
Logic comes with over 70 GB of content, including samples and loops from various genres, as well as many high-quality tools to work with.
While browsing through the library, I came across many EDM drum/percussion loops that can be easily added to a session. They turned out to be a great addition to my tracks as I was able to add some nice textures. If stock loops aren't enough, Logic also offers expansion packs.
The included synths offer a variety of patches to suit any project. Among them stands out the Alchemy synthesizer, which has over 3,000 sounds to play with.
nine0003
Alchemy is not only a powerful synthesizer, but also a sampler that allows you to import samples and manipulate them in interesting ways. Audio creation in Logic Pro is top notch as you can customize the different modules for unique results.
Also worth mentioning are the Drum Synth and Drum Machine Designer modules, which allow you to create your own electronic drums and drum kits.
When it comes to recording music, Logic Pro supports 24-Bit/19 audio2 kHz and allows you to create up to 1000 stereo/surround tracks and 1000 software instrument tracks.
Also when recording, Logic has an automatic take management feature, giving you a playlist of the recorded takes to choose from.
Besides the typical editing tools found in most DAWs, audio editing in Logic is effortless thanks to features like Flex Time, Flex Pitch, and Quick Swipe Comping.
Flex Time lets you correct timing issues or morph audio, while Flex Pitch lets you correct the pitch of an audio recording.
I imagine how producers of electronic programs can happily manipulate audio loops to suit their projects. nine0003
Logic Pro also has some pretty advanced midi editing features, allowing you to easily and smoothly tighten up uneven performances. It has a smart quantize feature that lets you preserve things like flammables and chordal streaks while maintaining a human feel to your midi tracks.
The main downside is the fact that it's only available for Mac, sorry Windows users. However, if you're thinking about moving to Mac OS, Logic is a great addition to your arsenal of tools. nine0003
I would say that Logic Pro is the perfect DAW for producers looking for a versatile tool. You can use Logic's intuitive interface to create your tracks from scratch and then mix them with professional plugins. This is powerful DAW software not to be overlooked.
Learn more about Logic Pro here
3. FL Studio (Windows/Mac)
Image-Line FL Studio has been around for about 20 years and is the DAW of choice for many electronic dance producers.
The elements that make FL Studio a heavy hit are its piano roll and sequencing features. nine0003
Like hip hop, the main focus of EDM productions is usually drums, and in FL Studio you can create drum beats very quickly with the help of a step sequencer. I know many FL Studio producers who forgo using a midi controller and rely solely on a mouse.
You can quickly click on patterns on the fly, and if you're still not satisfied, you can open it in piano roll. This is where the magic happens.
Once you get into Piano Roll, you have a lot of advanced features at your disposal, such as drawing, coloring, slicing, adding flam, gluing, stringing, arpeggiation, quantize, note grouping, and more. There is also a stamp function that allows you to apply pre-selected chords with a single click. nine0003
There's also a ghost note feature that allows you to see the midi of other tracks against a faint background so you can draw the correct notes in the rest of your track.
The basic version of the DAW comes with about 80 effects/instruments, and the higher level version increases the number to 107.
There are also many sound processing effects to fully mix your tracks.
While these instruments sound good on their own, they just don't sound as rich as some of the virtual instruments in other DAWs. However, with support for VST plugins, you can use just about any third-party plugin you need to get the job done. nine0003
FL Studio offers expansion packs either from its own team or branded packs from respected artists/producers.
Far from your typical DAWs, FL Studio offers a fast and unique approach to creating your tracks. It may take some time to get used to the interface. But once you get the hang of it, you'll be programming drums and sequencing your tracks at the speed of light.
More information about FL Studio here
4. Studio One (Mac/Windows)
Last on our list is Presonus Studio One, which allows you to create music at all stages of the process. It truly is one of the best DAWs in the world as you can record, produce, edit, compose, mix and even master without leaving the program.
Studio One has a lot of features and tools that can be useful for your EDM Beatles, depending on what you're looking for.
I know that in dance music, melody/harmonic structure is key, and Studio One has an impressive Chord Tracks feature that makes it easy to create, audition, and modify chord progressions. Taking it one step further, you can even extract chords from any MIDI file or audio/instrument track. nine0003
When used in conjunction with the harmonic editing feature, you will be able to overcome creative blocks without knowing the intricacies of music theory.
Midi and audio editing is made easy with a highly efficient smart tool that lets you add fades, trim, glue and more. Not having to spend a lot of time navigating menus will surely speed up your workflow.
In addition, there are clip gain envelopes that allow you to adjust the volume of an individual clip without having to take out the compressor. For those dance drum cycles that do not match the level, you can select a specific part and adjust it as you like.
The cool thing about this feature is that it is based on clips, so after you fix a clip once, it will subsequently change other instances of the same clip anywhere in your session. nine0003
Studio One also comes with some pretty high quality plugins like Impact XT, Mai Tai and Sample One XT for example.
Impact XT is a rhythm and beat maker that has the look and feel of a classic drum machine. You get up to 8 banks with 16 pads per bank, with 16 mono and stereo outputs.
What's special about Impact is the fact that you can load individual samples or complete music loops, and then drag and drop the effects directly onto the pads for processing. You can also run loops that automatically sync to your song thanks to real-time stretch and synchronized start/stop. nine0003
Native synthesizers should not be taken lightly, because both monophonic and polyphonic synthesizers are at your disposal. The multi-instrument plug-in allows you to combine multiple synths and instruments, giving you limitless possibilities for creating sounds.
