drum machine Archives

Could the Next Questlove Be C-3PO? (The Plight of the Session Drummer)

In the Age of Affordability, recording live drummers in session is a mammoth, complicated, and unnecessary task – will electronic drums ultimately prevail?

How to Add a Shuffle Feel to Your Beats in Ableton Live

Here’s a quick and easy lesson culled from our mentored online course, Beat Making in Ableton Live, on how to get a shuffle feel in your quantized beat.

A Brief-ish History of the Drum Kit

Got 10 minutes to learn about the history of the drum kit as we know it today? We talk about how individual drums, players, and genres helped the kit evolve.

10 Tips for Making Your First Trap Beat

Practicing your skills as a hip-hop producer? Here’s my best advice for how to start writing trap beats to shop around with vocalists and rappers.

How to Organize Your Session in Ableton Live 10

A simple and handy rundown of some of the features new to Ableton Live 10, and how to reorient your audio editing behaviour around them.

How to Make Your 808s Punchier

Learn how to get a punchier sounding 808 with some simple tricks, like ADSR adjustments, layering synth sounds, and level alterations across your mix.