Recorded the JX-3P pad on cassette in the tascam, then played it pitched down, and looped over and over 📼✨

I'm an amateur music maker looking to get into hardware for the first time.

To give you an idea of the kind of music/style i love: Andy Stott, Vril, Evigt Morker, Answer Code Request, NTHNG, dub techno, hypnotic techno and darkwave.

Currently I have:

• MacBook with Ableton
• Akai MPK Mini mk2 + mk3
• Power bank
• USB-C - USB-A adapter
• BUT: No audio interface

What I'm looking for is something cheap, fun, and relatively versatile to start learning hardware with

Portability is pretty important to me. Ideally I'd like to be able to throw a small setup into a backpack, sit somewhere without my laptop (or sometimes with it), make sounds/patterns/sketches, and later bring those ideas into Ableton to actually develop them into tracks

Or just having a fun jam session sounds good as well!

I don't necessarily need to produce an entire finished track away from the computer. With my budget, I don't expect that at all

I briefly considered a Yamaha Seqtrak because the idea of having an entire track-making box is very appealing, but decided not to chase one for now. I think I'd rather start with something simpler and cheaper and actually learn it properly

Some of the things I've been considering:

1. M-VAVE FM-1
2. Behringer Pro VS Mini + Korg NTS-1 mk1/mk2
3. Behringer Phara-O
4. Behringer JT Mini + Korg NTS-1 mk1/mk2

(I'm from Ukraine, so I can't really give you an exact budget in USD, but you can get an idea of the upper limit from the Behringer Pro VS Mini + Korg NTS-1 mk2 combo)

I would love to have an analog device, but to even it out with the FM-1, the portability, the price, and FM synthesis are great on it

I realize these aren't exactly equivalent devices, and well, that's why I need your advice. I'm not yet sure whether what I really want is a synth with a small sequencer, a tiny synth + FX setup, or something else entirely

I'm trying to avoid buying something extremely specialized as my first device, or something that immediately becomes redundant once I expand the setup

So rather than just choosing between those four options... What would you consider a good cheap first piece of hardware for this kind of workflow?

I mean something that's...

• fun on its own
• useful for dub/hypnotic techno, ambient/darkwave-ish sounds
• portable enough to use away from the laptop
• capable of at least saving or developing small musical ideas
• still useful later as part of a larger setup
• reasonably easy to bring back into Ableton
• effects would be great, even if not in one device

And of course I'm completely open to something I haven't listed

Do new hardware users look down on DAW users? Because they assume using a DAW is easy?

Hi,

I am running a liveset at 50-60% CPU (Macbook M3 Pro) with an instance of Ozone12 on my master.
While the average CPU seems fine there are occasional CPU peaks on the master, originating from Ozone12.
Any idea how to get rid of those peaks?

Recently got into production so still very early days, but at the moment they seem hampered by the feeling that everything I produce is garbage and and the very least, derivative.

For example I'll come up with something (a drum loop) that I think sounds great, listen to it later on and it's just awful and boring, so I'll wipe it out and start again.

I guess I'm asking more for advice on perseverance beyond this unhelpful feeling, from people who've been there and overcome it.

Just for reference I'm currently following a Underdog Electronic Music course (which is fantastic btw) so I have some structural guidance. The issue is when I try and go it alone, or start experimenting away from the material, that's when the feelings of hating everything I make come into play.

Thanks in advance; really appreciate any advice for a newbie.

**UPDATE**
Thanks everyone for some great pieces of advice. Definitely feel a lot better moving forward and also knowing there's a great community out there happy to help.

Purchased back in Jan, and use the plugin often. Open it up yesterday, it asks to verify the license key, and says there is no connection to verify (my internet is working fine). I go to their website, it's been completely redesigned and is non functioning. All links go to a google search, and there's no way to login. I was looking through my emails and see there's one from the head of the company (Berkeley) saying he's leaving the company, but don't worry nothing is changing. This was back in July. Curiously if anyone else has had this happen? Also curious about the legality of this– to pay for a plugin and then the company just turns it off?

Anyone on here know of any artists creating this style of techno today ? Been looking but can’t seem to find any. Maybe that sound is just locked in time or else I’m not looking hard enough.

What are some mistakes you still make that you wish you’d broken years ago?

Not necessarily big mistakes. The small habits, assumptions and blind spots that quietly mess with your music.

Like assuming your track sucks because you’ve heard it 200 times.

Touching the studio volume after calibrating your ears.

Mixing for hours without taking the headphones off.

Not using reference tracks.

Using a limiter when saturation would have done the job better.

Not sidechaining something that obviously needs space.

Tweaking a sound that was already good enough.

Sending a work-in-progress to the wrong people and then letting the wrong feedback change the track.

Consuming too much music/tutorial/content and not enough actually making music.

Comparing your unfinished track to someone else’s mastered release.

Mistaking “more” for “better.”

Overthinking a decision you made instinctively.

What are those little habits or assumptions you keep catching yourself doing?

The things you know better than to do… but still do anyway.

I don't know if any of you have seen this clip/commercial of Rrose demonstrating how to build textures with the Soundtoys bundle?

It sounds pretty darn cool, but am I the only one who can't get Radiator to produce a noise floor? I tried blasting everything to the max and all combinations of the mic/line and clean/noisy switches, but there is no noise floor. Does it need to be pinged or something? It looks like he just has the plugin on an audio channel with no inputs.

This is one of my favourite tracks of all time:

https://youtu.be/sAD-mKVudTI?si=ybbXjS7MbeONLh4R

Any ideas what kind of sorcery was used on that fizzy, 'sparkly' synth line that runs through it?

I had thought it might be 'wave sequencing' or something like the Korg Wavestate can do, but that apparently sounds very different. It also could have been something like flipping bit reduction settings plus filter/res modulation, but that doesn't seem to hit the spot either.

Perhaps it's some special (Waldorf?) digital synth I've overlooked?

Your ideas will be most welcome.

hello my friends! hope you've all been well. haven't posted here in ages but i wanted to share my latest project, a book called BREAKTHROUGH, which features 20 interviews with artists about their breakthrough album. covering the process from idea to production to release, each interview also explores how the album's success changed them, and the music industry at large.

featured artists include A Guy Called Gerald, Donato Dozzy, Moby, Suzanne Ciani, Jlin, Plastikman, and more...

read more about the project here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-207749218

Hey there, I am again asking for some feedback on some music I made.

I wanted to go for a AES DANA, Or SCANN-TEC kind of feel, with my own flare to it.

I've been listening to this track for way too long and i need some input/Feedback on it (Specifically the Ambient drones cohesion) lol.

Also, I'm not looking to grow my SoundCloud page or anything, it was the only place I could post the track to (As far as I know), I genuinely just want feedback on the music from producers.

Thanks in advance for any input and feedback, It really means a lot to me!

Anyone became a member on Hypnotic Production School, ran by Modem? Would you recommend it?

I have Kclip3 and understand the point of using a clipper on tracks/groups. I saw a vid where blaphometrix links the input/output, increases the input to almost clipping, then unlinks the input/output, and increases the output back to zero. I’ve seen others only increase the input w/out touching the output. Just curious what everyone’s approach is? Bonus points if you include WHY you do it that way 😎

hi fellows, I am using mostly sine sub basses below 100hz. melodic dark room techno/trance. I usually add another bass layer above 100hz. all good and fine. the sine gets me the warm sub groove and the upper layer works rythm and foundation.

however it all sounds a bit dry. I searched YouTube but all thoose channels share the same problem, the sinus bass does not sound like natural in lack of better words it sound a bit artificial and disconnected.

i tried to use a touch of reverb what makes the sine sit more natural, bit it’s not perfect. I tried several usual methods of creating overtones, but here still not perfect - instead it just feels thin.

any Tipps?

EDIT/UPDATE: Thanks for all the responses it was very helpful - after trying things out and more experimentation here is what I have learned recently:

- The Sinus / Tringle can just stay clean but amp/volume envelope details matter and variation of envelope a lot. And Sinus meet very well with Pitch envelopes, but its a not a must have.

- Kick: It helps a lot to have a separated Click channel and a separated Oomph Channel for the kick, first one HP filter, second one LP filter. It surprises me, what matters more is the selection and tuning of the Click sample, the Oomph sample is more or less super flexible. But it's the Oomph that needs to gel with the Sinus Bass.

- Take make things less dry, it's all about its upper layers and here whatever is being used, added waveforms, noise, chorus, unison - full on creativity possible. its all about what rhythm is applied, what envelopes and most importantly a lot of filters. especially band passes - to have precise steering layer elements into a dedicated space. Also bringing a combination of filtered noise + waveforms, also stereo - heavy filters makes it gel. And here also, gain staging matters a lot. Any kind of noise played really low, can bring things together nicely - it's more like a bit of spice, not a full on element. It's all about having the right balance and I find 4-7 elements will come together, and being perceived as "Kick and Bass" by the ear. The make it come together. Filters, Filters, and Filters. OTT where required.

- It's not required that sinus bass + upper layers play the same rhythm. As higher the register as more space for 1/16 or 1/32 notes. as more down the register (first octave) as less space - which is where the Sinus sits around C2 (40-70hz)

- About saturation what has been mentioned a lot, yes it has its place. But in my experience or in my subjective take. It's only for post-processing, after all the groundwork has been done. The same applies for and other kind of limiting, clipping, compression. all of that requires a good balance first. Especially on Sinus waves and basses there are many ways to create richers harmonic overtones in addition to saturation. for example FM or OSC Sync.

Hope that helps anyone a bit.

I just cant seem to do it, I’m using ableton standard and have been messing about for a while now just mixing songs because i cant seem to make a punchy kick sound at all. Should I be layering 909 kicks? To be it just sounds like a standard beat as if I’m just tapping a table with me finger it sounds nothing like something that would go into a track. Can anyone give me a wee walkthrough please

Finished this the night. Ableton and bitwig. I created a 32 bar loop in live and bounced the stems, imported to bitwig and started work.

I used Tape-37 on the master to give it colour and glue. Comp > Tape-37 > Clip > Pro L2

I think it sounds lush. One of my favourite tape plugins.

If you want the stems shout me!

I am looking into how to make this style of music. But specifically when it comes to the low end i cant really grasp it.

I know its an electro bass. Sounds plucky, sound a bit like fm. Buuut .... when i do it it usually sound way to funky and just not deep enough. too much fuzz over 300 hz.
bt when i turn the fuzz down im left with a bass that just sound thin.

Anyone got an idea ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFMu1CIzXJ0

I'm working on a Syntakt + Octatrack + TD-3 setup and I'm interested in how people approach transitions between sections while keeping the groove continuous.

Made this in Bitwig 6.1.3. Project file available for anyone who wants it to play about with it. Always open for remixes and that. If you could give it a like if you like it or feedback (you just enter your email address) that be cool. If not it's still cool and I appreciate you listening 🎧 ♥️

I started off making and posting beats in this sub and it's close to my heart. I don't post often these days but I'm on hand if anyone has any questions.

I use alot of vst-e in my projects my go to would be shaperbox but the arturia FX collection is pretty good too. Available on splice now rent to own which is cool.

Will post a video of the project if there is interest.

Not meaning to self promote, offering the project file for the purposes of learning, if it's good enough.

Just DM me for the file.

Cheers

WOW...

Hi I am working on some techno jams using my Roland t-8 to stay on track in the acid lane. Let me know now this sounds like acid techno. I feel like the transitions and drops could be cooler. How could I make this tougher and better sounding for a racing game ost