Introduction Introducing our latest 'Creating The Sounds of' series. In week 1 we'll be checking out how to create those iconic vintage drum sounds. Featuring the psychedelic 70's tones of the Texan 3-piece Khruangbin, we'll feature saturated drum samples, mixing live bass guitars, adding dub FX using plug-ins and how we created the iconic guitar sounds that they're know for. Check the video below and read on for more..      Did you know that we provide a selection of free samples? No? Click HERE to grab some free sample packs!   Sample Selection  Often ..read more

Introduction In this article we're going to dig into the techniques used when creating iconic vintage guitar sounds.  Inspired by the sounds of Khruangbin, we' will cover live bass mixing, in the box techniques, vintage FX & creating pads and atmospheres. If you missed part 1 be sure to check out the video where we showcase the best techniques for creating vintage drum sounds and more.     Creating Epic Vintage Bass Tones Starting with live bass, we wanted to create a tone that provided by both weight and clarity.  First up, the Ampg SVT-VR.  Founded in 1946, Ampe ..read more

In this blog we explore the techniques used when creating the sounds of Fred Again.. Fred Again.. has exploded recently with the release of the 'Actual Life' LP's, his iconic Boiler Room set and crow lifting performances. By utilising Ableton Live plus a selection of choice plugins from Arturia, we'll show you to master his trademark bass tones, build Lo-Fi house drums and create grooving garage rhythms.      Note: We know Fred Again's favourite DAW is Logic Pro - We're just showing you it's possible, even if you don't have the same equipment or DAW as Fred A ..read more

We show you some tips for creative mixing in Ableton Live Here at Touch Loops, mixing is put into one of two categories: Creative and technical. This blog explores some tips for both! We are focusing on Ableton Live, but most (if not all) these tips can apply to your own DAW. Stereo Width Up top is stereo width. It's easy to think of a track in terms of balancing energy up and down (we've all sat turning the same hi-hat up and down by 3Db) but so much energy and come from left and right. Want to give a drop more impact? Try using Ableton 'Utility' to automate the width inwards towards mon ..read more

We show you how to experiment with your own voice in Ableton Live In this months blog we take a look into how you can use your own voice to create unique textures, pads and lead line in Ableton Live Suite. No plugins needed!      1. Recording your voice  Every great sample starts somewhere! In the video, we use an 'Aston Origin' for bright top end and sensitive input, but handheld recorders or phones are just as useful here. We're looking for a recording of one held note that has character and texture. Try and get at least a couple of seconds! And don't worry about volume ..read more

In this blog we will show you how to make the most out of combining different loops from sample packs through mixing and layering. So you've just bought a great sounding sample pack, or found a bunch of loops on Splice that you think will work really well together. You load them into your DAW, and before you know it you've got an 8 bar loop that's messy, muddy and has no progression to become the killer track you'd hoped. Let's look at some techniques to get around this!  1. Layering loops together and EQ masking It's often not enough to simply stack loops that are in the same key or ..read more

We show you how to get more from your samples packs with Ableton Live Get creative when using sample packs in Ableton live. From pitching and warping to sound design and manipulation we show you how to get more life out of your samples.     Additional Tips! 1. When creating risers from one shots, experiment with tonal sounds that fit within the key of your track. This helps create harmony across your session that can go a lot way in 'glueing' a mix together. 2. If not using Ableton (or looking to experiment a little) there are other fantastic re-pitch plugins that have differen ..read more

We show you how to create Arca Style Subs in Ableton Live In this weeks blog we explore how to create powerful, distorted sub bass in Ableton Live. Inspired by the experimental & innovative sounds of production powerhouse Arca!   Wavetable - Abstract Waveforms Wavetable is a powerful synth within Ableton. Here, we're stacking up three oscillators. A sub sine wave to add weight, and two more avant-garde signals. Ocs1 and 2 are the 'brutal metal preset', providing harsh, distorted signals that are gently roll off with a low pass filter.  We're also adding more shape to t ..read more

We show you have to get the sound from The Weekend's 'Dawn FM.  Last month we released 'Nebula Sunrise', our tribute to the amazing 5th LP from The Weekend: Dawn FM. With production from OhOneTrixPointNever, it's a master class in mixing contemporary Pop and Leftfield, 80s Synth Pop music.  We thought we would explore how to achieve similar sounds using Ableton Live, and a host of Plugins that can get us into the same sound world!  We have audio example of what we have made, descriptions of why we did the things we did, and screenshots so you can copy the settings yourself ..read more

We show you how to make rave with emotion in Ableton Live.  We've been blown away by Bicep's new record, so much to say that we've gone all rave in our latest blog outing.  From iconic chord progressions to rolling old school drum beats, check the video and description below as Stu get's all emotional!      Chords The emotional tone of any piece of music starts with the musical key, and the chords within it. Artists like 'Bicep' and 'Rival Consoles' perfectly balance euphoria and nostalgia, partly through sound selection, but equally by using the right minor key. We u ..read more