Fader sweeps into new loops, from Casual Treatment
The Casual Treatment video up top is the one to open. It's a working session on shaping a synth sequence, and the part worth opening for is a way of turning a performance gesture into raw material for new loops.
▶ A sequence-shaping session that treats faders as an instrument
Casual Treatment runs a synth sequence through kick layering, aggressive sidechain, and live fader automation. The fader gain moves are recorded into the clip, then the audio and MIDI get mined for small loops.
◢ learn
▶ Quantize live drums without killing the feel
Ableton's Audio Quantize works if you clear the warp settings first, turn warp back on, then apply it to the whole clip. Keep the amount just under full and set snap to the grid resolution your backing needs.
▶ Jersey's short-jam workflow
They work in short jam sessions, then arrange and mix over several days. Sidechain keys, vocal, and pulse lead to clear space, and they use a frequency shifter on samples to make them rattle with the bass.
◢ free & gear
A British-style EQ with a saturation clamp(free)
Free British-style EQ with a saturation output that caps below clip, and the High Q/Auto Q curves are the reason to put it on drums.
Flame Sound's VATRA engine drops to one knob(free)
Vatrica is the free one-knob version of VATRA, no license key, three modes: MSTR, TAPE, SUBS. The SUBS mode saturates low end instead of just EQ-boosting it, and TAPE on drums is the quick test.
◢ the word
Juan Atkins, techno originator, has died
Cybotron, Model 500, Infiniti, and Borderland all came from Juan Atkins; his grandmother's Hammond B-3 and a Korg MS-10 were his first instruments. The template he set is why a lot of the records you play exist.
Behringer teases an open standalone DJ
Behringer's four-channel prototype has a Klark Teknik badge, fold-flat touchscreen, and a target price of $300–400; the real cue is Music Tribe publishing the Kick groovebox source on GitHub.
Chasing Kurt's record bag picks
Larry Heard made 'Can You Feel It' with little more than a Juno-60 and a 909, and Stevie Nicks wrote 'Dreams' in about ten minutes. The through-line is loop-first arranging.
| ▲ #12 | Stacy Kidd — I Love U (Afro Mix) |
| ▲ #07 | Doc Du Funk — Chocolate (Original Mix) |
| ▲ #16 | Leyo, Thierry Ganz — Dance Dance (Original Mix) |
| ▼ #90 | DJ Dre Hart, Stacy Kidd — I Feel It (Stacy Kidd House 4 Life Remix) ▼ 41 · 1d · profile → |
| ▼ #99 | George Smeddles — Big Belly (Extended Mix) |
🔮 Producer Horoscope (for fun) — Your DAW will crash once today, then blame the plugin you just uninstalled.
Get one loop down before you rebuild the whole project.
one of these lands every morning.
for working house producers with a track already half-finished.
free · every morning · unsubscribe any time
covered in this issue: juan atkins