Producer guides & studio notes

A practical guide to mixing music: the order of operations, real starting settings, the six mistakes that ruin mixes, and where mastering fits in.

200 practical production tips covering the whole process: writing, sound design, mixing and mastering. Updated for 2026 with Serum 2 workflows.

A practical breakdown of the OSHI-style future bass sound: which Serum 2 presets to start from, how to program the drums, and the sound design and mixing tricks that get you close.

100+ royalty-free Minimoog Model D one-shots — basses, leads, keys and FX — plus practical ways to use them in your DAW and in Serum 2.

The 10 chord progressions behind most modern hits - emotional, pop, EDM, trap, house, hip-hop, RnB and drill - with real song examples and practical production tips for each.

A practical EQ chart, the frequency ranges that actually matter, the main EQ types, and my updated top 10 free EQ plugins for 2026.

My honest, updated guide to trap melody loops: how to pick the right ones, write your own at 140-160 BPM, flip MIDI packs, and chop samples into something new.

A practical FL Studio guide for beginners: what it costs, how to set it up, and the workflow tips that actually matter. Updated for 2026.

Every music-making app worth your money in 2026, tested: FL Studio Mobile, Ableton Note, Logic Pro for iPad, Koala Sampler and more, with honest pros and cons.

A practical breakdown of the Atomic Heart phonk sound: the drum pattern, the 808 cowbell melody, Serum 2 settings and the sample packs that get you there fastest.

CamelCrusher is still one of the best free distortion plugins in 2026. Here's the download link, an honest review, and the exact settings I use on drums, synths and 808s.

Seven Ableton Live sample packs that still hold up in 2026, with audio demos, full specs, and practical tips for getting them into your workflow.

What actually matters in a trap drum kit, the kits worth downloading in 2026, and how to tune and mix your 808s, snares and hats once you have them.

Our 2022 deep house roundup, refreshed for 2026. Genre history, artists to study, Serum 2 presets and sample packs, plus concrete production settings.

Which RnB Serum presets are worth it in 2026, what makes a patch sound 'RnB', and the concrete settings behind that lush keys-and-pads sound.

Serum 2 arrived as a free upgrade in 2025 and kept Xfer's synth on top. Here's why producers still pick it in 2026, plus how to choose serum presets that are worth the money.

Our 2022 punk rock artist picks, revisited in 2026 with notes on where each act is now, plus tips for making punk-flavored tracks in your DAW.

A practical guide to a clean mix: gain staging, EQ cuts, compression settings and space control, with concrete numbers you can copy into your session.

Our 2022 deep house preset roundup, fully updated for Serum 2 in 2026 — the packs producers actually use, plus real patch settings for chords and bass.