Our recap of the past year is here for some extra inspiration over the holiday season. Take a look back at eight features and videos containing some of the best creative insights, tips and tricks from 2022.
Afriqua Presents Principles of Black Music
Adam Longman Parker, aka Afriqua, gave us a five-part video and essay series looking in-depth at the traditions, methods and motifs of Black music, from the improvisation of freestyle rap and progressive jazz to the polyrhythms of jungle and house.
Made in Ableton Live: Reid Stefan
Realest puppet in the game Reid Stefan shared a step-by-step guide on how to use Live’s built-in devices to record and mix lush and lively vocals for an EDM track.
Loop Session: In the Studio with Grand River
For our very first Loop Session back in May, composer and sound designer Grand River spoke to Dennis DeSantis about the instruments, techniques and big ideas that inform her work.
The Art of Sketching
Working on Note got us thinking a lot about musical ideas, and how they’re formed. What are the best conditions for creating them? How do musical sketches relate to those in the visual arts? And how can they provide a basis for further creative inspiration?
SUGAI KEN: The Shibui of Field Recording and Electronics
The Japanese concept of shibui – an aesthetic of simple, subtle beauty – is a thread that runs throughout the music of field recording specialist SUGAI KEN. He spoke to us back in June about the technical and cultural aspects of using environmental and electronic sounds to make music, and shared a special set of recordings for the interview.
Complex Drum Programming with Ned Rush
Using Live’s Chance and MIDI Expression Controls to sequence and humanize his drums, and carefully dialing in audio effects like Reverb and Echo, Ned Rush demonstrated how to create a thumping piece of electronica using nothing but built-in tools.
Paradox: Breakbeat Mastery
Breakbeat connoisseur Dev Pandya, aka Paradox, gave us an insight into the history of sampling beats and the technical challenges of capturing them on hardware kit. Plus, he shared his very own set of vinyl loops from the Wax Breaks series.
One Thing: dolltr!ck
Our One Thing videos, sharing quick music making tips from artists, continued to grow this year. In this episode, dolltr!ck showed us how she introduces a touch of unpredictability to her tracks by using Live’s Follow Actions to turn vocal slices into fluid, evolving melodic loops.