Step 1: The Prep
ALWAYS Start New Songs With Confidence Knowing That They Will Become Great
To easily save hours of wasted production time & to completely reduce the frustration of "not being sure if you should keep working on this song anymore", I always start by picking a remix that has my focus hook & choosing a song that I want mine to sound like.
For this project file, I went with this combo:
Remix Track
Key: Bm
BPM: 117 bpm
Reference Track
Key: Bm
BPM: 125 bpm
Also! To finish songs FAST I use a special Default Ableton Template
...this now helps me reliably finish 1 new song per week...
Download the Default Ableton Template this Project Started From:
Step 2: The Renaissance Loop
Sound As Professional As Your Favorite Artists
(...with only 20% of the time & effort).
👀 Listen to the final project's layers:
Take a look each layer at your own pace:
Renaissance painters in the 18th century would travel the world's museums to copy famous masterpieces to improve their abilities.
We can apply this to music production by building an 18 or 16 bar loop based on our reference's layers:
LEARN THESE TIPS & TRICKS IN (MUCH) MORE DETAIL:
How To Use Reference Tracks CorrectlY
PRO Ableton 12 Template To EASILY Finish Songs Faster...
The BETTER System To STEAL Kick Samples From PRO Artists
Step 3: The 10-Minute Structuring System
Turn Your Big Loop Into A Full Song
(...The Fast & Easy Way)
Structuring songs is my favorite part of the music-making process because it only takes me 10-15 minutes and is braindead easy.
Matt - Best FRIENDS CLUB
In this section, I reveal which tools that any level of producer can use to effortlessly structure songs in just minutes with features already built into your DAW...
👀 This project file's Structure Track:
Explore the details of this song's structure at your own pace:
1. Structure Track
Slash the time it takes to turn a loop into full song by using empty MIDI clips with section names (ie: intro, drop, etc).
2. Split Monitoring
Let the Pro's guide what layers should make up each song section by "split-monitoring" your Reference Track.
3. Transitions & FX
Feel confident with the final product knowing it's been polished with special effects & advanced structuring tricks.
Step 4: The V1 Export
3-Steps to Confidently Know Your Song Is (Actually) Finished
The 3 Things Rule
Stop yourself from working on your song forever by only picking the top 3 bigger picture changes that would have the largest impact on the final listener.
80/20 Mixing
Get "close enough" to your favorite artist's audio quality using only 20% of the effort by mixing as you go, having a reference track, and using one-knob Ableton Racks.
5-Minute Mastering
Export the finished song at a final volume level that is competitive in clubs in only 10 minutes. Adjust a proven Mastering chain with both your eyes and ears to be fast.