Ableton Music Producer Podcast

Alexia Riner is an electronic music producer, sound designer, installation artist and DJ, who specializes in building complex soundscapes for a range of media. Since receiving a dual-Bachelor’s in Music Technology and Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music, Alexia has performed both in the US and internationally, and has produced for a variety of artists including Madame Gandhi. She has collaborated with prominent companies like Ableton and Native instruments, developing innovative sound installations and sound design. One of her career highlights includes Perimeter- a collaboration with Angelica Tavella featured at Ableton’s 2018 Loop conference. Perimeter is an interactive audio installation commissioned by Ableton, involving the installation of multi-sensor systems across Hollywood which played music when triggered. She has received various awards and recognition for her work including “Best Score” at the Hollywood Film Festival for Sewra G Kidane’s film “As Above.” Alexia is currently working on upcoming experiential installations and film scores, as well as wrapping up her second album this year. 

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Josh Spoon is a programmer, musician, producer and Ableton Certified Trainer who has been performing music around L.A. for over a decade. He's worked on projects with companies like Ableton, Creative Live, Splice, Yamaha, iZotope, Mixed in Key and currently works full time at Cycling '74.

Josh has written curriculum for Musicians Institute, Point Blank L.A., Garnish Music School, and has taught hundreds of artists Ableton Live, including a Saudi Prince. He's most proud of his latest release, "Music 2 Float 2," where he plays guitar for the first time.

Josh also worked as a DJ on the show Can I Kick It with comedians Tone Bell, Al Jackson and Joe DeRosa, and worked with Neal Brennan, Michelle Buteau, Chris Redd, Mosha Kashar, and many others. Josh has provided Ableton Live playback support for artist like Giorgio Moroder, ZZ Ward, and the list goes on.

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Nick Sanborn is a Grammy-nominated artist, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and producer based in Durham, NC. He’s best known for his work as half of the electronic duo Sylvan Esso, and for his solo work under the moniker Made of Oak. As a solo artist, he recently released a collaborative EP 'Inertia' with the NC-based producer GRRL, as GRRL x Made of Oak.

Sanborn's producing credits include acclaimed releases from Mountain Man, Flock of Dimes, Caroline Rose, Daughter of Swords, The Tallest Man on Earth, and more. He is a co-founder of both the Psychic Hotline record label as well as Betty’s, a recording studio based in Chapel Hill, NC.

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Rob Levere (Homemade Spaceship) is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, and mastering engineer. He currently teaches Ableton Live at KMG Studios in Denver, CO, when not touring nationally. Homemade Spaceship has sold out headlining shows across the USA, supporting established artists like SoDown, Griz, The Floozies, Mr. BIll, FKJ, Mr. Carmack, Maddy O’Neal, Vibesquad, etc. Rob has had millions of streams across multiple platforms with his debut album coming out August 17th, 2023.

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Loopy Pro is a new live-performance DAW and looper which lets you easily build ANY kind of setup. You get unlimited loops and one-shot clips, a fully capable mixer, support for multi-channel USB soundcards, and deep plugin support with inserts, sends and instruments. Join many other professional artists and download the free trial!

Grammy-Nominated composer, producer, and remixer Sebastian Arocha Morton is one of today’s most eclectic and innovative musicians in the LA scene. He's composed and produced for award-winning films including Iron Man 2, Houdini, Robocop, The Spongebob Movie, Little Miss Sunshine, Disney's "Iron Man Experience" and "World of Color". Additional credits include video games such as EA's Madden 2019, and Primetime TV Hits "Young Sheldon”, "The Orville", “Mr. Robot", Tyler Perry's “Alex Cross”, among many others. 

Sebastian's work (under the moniker ROCAsound) also includes collaborations with artists such as Sting on the Billboard #1 track “Never Coming Home”, Mary J.Blige, Seal, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, Rick James, Kaskade, Santana, Counting Crows, and eclectic drum programming and production sessions with the London Symphony for David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s iconic “Scent of Magnolia”. Not to mention many other credits and artist collaborations...

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Listen to the best moments from episodes #57 - #62 sharing about producing for gaming, the future of music tech, building a vocal chain, different artist career paths, favorite gear, and more.

#57 - Producing Experimental Bass Music w/ AHEE

In this episode, Chris Adams (AHEE) shares his approach to creating experimental bass music including sound design, Ableton devices, Serum, and other production methods. 

In this episode, Will Doggett shares performance techniques using gear, backing tracks, and Ableton Live workflows. Will and Dan also talk about lighting and video, live looping, using Session vs. Arrangement View on stage, among other things. 

Will Doggett is an Ableton Certified Trainer and the founder of From Studio to Stage, an online resource dedicated to teaching people how to perform with Ableton Live. He’s taught hundreds of artists and touring playback engineers how to integrate Ableton Live into their performance setups since 2008. Will has also served large churches across the USA as a Worship Leader, Music Director, Creative Director, and Production Director. He is currently the Broadcast Manager at Austin Stone Community Church in Austin Texas.

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In this episode Ableton Certified Trainer -Orville Kline and Dan Giffin review Ableton's new Push 3 features, among other topics.

Orville Kline has been a Chicago-based Ableton Certified Trainer since 2009. He's DJ'ed on 4 continents at major festivals including EDC Vegas, Ultra Miami, Ultra Europe, Spring Awakening, North Coast, Summer Camp, Electric Forest, and many others. Orville also hosted major music events which later turned into the live group "Porn and Chicken", which quickly became one of the most recognized party events in The Midwest, USA.

Orville was a resident on Chicago’s EDM radio show, The Electric Playground, along with fellow residents including Green Velvet, Morgan Page and Mark Farina. In 2019, he played samples and keys in the legendary industrial super-group Pigface during their US tour, which included guest members Randy Blythe of Lamb of God and Danny Carey of Tool. 

In 2021, his track "Pressure" was used in a commercial that won an International Cannes Lions Grand Prix award. In addition, Orville's music has released on a dozen different record labels.

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In this special episode, Dan Giffin shares Ableton Live tips including different workflows, devices, and more ideas for beginner to advanced users.

Mentions In This Episode:

Using the Drum Selector Kit by Beat Lab:

GARDNSOUND (aka. No Effort, and Whitey McWhiterson) is a jack-of-all-trades from Atlanta, GA. He’s held positions as a Studio Builder, Musician, Video Editor, Chef, Accountant, Prop Builder, and SQL Admin in addition to his life-long passion for writing electronic music. His studio construction projects include working with Chris Lake, Mr. Bill, Hacienda Mastering (Dolby Surround) and other artist's rooms.

GARDNSOUND writes a variety of music, most recently focused on ambient, textural, modular driven composition - which can be found on all major streaming platforms.  GARDNSOUND also moonlights as the lofi artist “No Effort”, as well as the hip hop artist known as “Whitey McWhiterson”.

In addition to popular music venues, Gardner has performed as an orchestral musician in various concert halls across the United States and Europe.  As GARDNSOUND he has released a total of 6 studio albums, with at least 2 more to be released this year.  He has been credited as a studio musician, recording engineer, performer, remix artist, or composer on over 27 albums and releases to date outside of his own work.

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Anthony Thogmartin is a musician, producer, educator, and member of the electronic rock band Papadosio. He also started his solo music project EarthCry, and founded the Ableton Live educational platform Seed to Stage. Anthony has played large venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheater and music festivals including Bonnaroo, Electric Forest and many others.

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COPYCATT (Andre) is an Australian-based producer having a dedicated following in the neuro/ hip-hop/ bass scene. Andre is also well known for his unique sound design.

His collaborations include working with artists like Frequent and Mr. Bill, and having his tracks performed by established acts such as Pretty Lights, Haywyre, Mr Carmack, Tipper, Excision, and others.

Additional credits include winning a national remix competition in 2016 for Australia's most popular radio broadcast Triple J, as well as winning an official remix for the McDonalds theme song.

COPYCATT has released numerous sample packs and video tutorials sharing his music production skills. 

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In this episode with Brian Funk, we discuss the many strategies from his book 5-Minute Music Producer and ideas for overcoming writer's block. 

Kiva is an artist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, Ableton Certified Trainer, and owner of Adios Babylon Records.

Founding his record label in 2004 in NYC, Kiva has released numerous albums for a myriad of underground soul, hip hop, reggae, & dance music artists. He's released on labels including Adios Babylon, King Tubby's Dub Heritage Foundation, Haze St. Dub, Galaxy Soundstation, and others. 

Kiva also performed alongside notable artists such as Lee Scratch Perry, Jay-Z, Shaggy, Midnite, Pressure Busspipe, Mykal Rose, Akae Beka, I Grade Dub, Kode 9, Joe Nice, RSD, and many more. Festival appearances include Sonar (Spain), Hove (Norway), Roskilde (Denmark), and Montreaux Jazz (Switzerland), and Kiva is a regular performer at the mystic Dub in the Rainforest festival in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

As a world-renowned Ableton Live Certified Trainer with over 15 years teaching experience, Kiva has taught Ableton and music production to 7000+ students worldwide. 

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Jaenga (Patrick) is a dubstep producer, DJ, and filmmaker. His journey in music and video began when he opened a film studio in NYC, gaining major label clients like Steve Aoki, Lil Wayne, Lorde, and working with MTV as a filmmaker. His portfolio includes creating video for companies like L’Oréal, Nike, Maybelline, Redken, etc. Patrick also traveled with Mt Eden shooting tour videos.

Patrick jumpstarted his music career after converting a school bus with a full stage and lighting rig, touring around America for years and growing a fanbase playing festivals. Eventually, Live Nation caught on and started booking him for larger festivals, and he was signed by Zeds Dead. Since then he’s released music on labels including Deadbeats, Subcarbon, Wakaan, UKF, and is quickly rising in the experimental bass/ dubstep music scene.

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Listen to the best moments from episodes #50 - #56 sharing insights about producing for film, mixing and mastering, building a vocal chain, how to promote yourself as an artist and grow a fanbase, and much more.

#50 - Marketing Tips for Independent Artists w/ Circa

In this episode, Kyle Lemaire (aka Circa) shares digital marketing tips and strategies for producers and artists wanting to grow their following.

Ill-esha is a producer and educator with a long history in electronic music, including releases on record labels such as Gravitas, Monstercat, Lowly Palace, Ninja Tune, and Atlantic Records. She’s composed audio for film, TV and multimedia including the National Film Board Canada, Vice Magazine, Buzzfeed, Facebook Music, and more. Ill-esha has also performed at major events like Coachella, Boiler Room, ADE, Lightning in a Bottle, Shambhala, Envision, etc.

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Preston Charles, aka SubDocta, exploded onto the scene in 2017 with his successful single “2009 Was Tight”, catching support from heavy hitters in bass music.

Since 2017, SubDocta has been featured on a number of high profile tours for some of the biggest names in dubstep, including Ganja White Night, Excision, Riot Ten, Dirt Monkey, Boogie T and Opiuo, to name a few. He has also headlined and sold out shows across the country, while performing at major North America festivals, including EDC Las Vegas, Bass Canyon, Electric Forest, Ever After, Dancefestopia, Lost Lands, and Wakaan Fest and others.

Becoming a fan favorite in dubstep while continuously being supported by his peers, SubDocta has released two full EP’s on SubCarbon Records, he inked a deal with Liquid Stranger’s “Wakaan Records” in 2021 for multiple EPs and his debut album slated for March of 2022. SubDocta also recently announced his debut headline tour “Strictly Business Tour” to kick off in January with support from SFAM, Abelation and Zingara. With over 40 cities on the upcoming tour, and new music releasing every month, SubDocta will be going into 2022 with all arrows pointing up. This will undoubtedly be his biggest year to date.

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Listen to the best podcast moments from episodes #44 - #48.

#44 - Playback Engineering w/ Electronic Creatives Team

In this special episode, the Electronic Creatives team shares their experiences setting up live performances for today’s major touring artists. Listen as Laura Escude, AJ Ramirez, and Greg Somerville share stories and what it takes to be a high level playback engineer in the industry

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Jules Jenssen is a drummer, music producer, singer-songwriter, and Ableton Live playback engineer. In the past decade, Jules performed over 1000 nationwide gigs with numerous artists, produced a multi-year music festival, obtained song placements in video games (NBA 2k Playgrounds), created a radio/podcast piece with Jay Allison’s transom.org, among other creative endeavors.

Jules also worked with Electronic Creatives, a team of playback engineers working alongside Platinum & Grammy artists from studio to stage founded by Laura Escude. He managed the entire Transmute educational program created by Laura, helping artists build their advanced live performance rigs using Ableton Live.

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Chuck Sutton is a producer, singer-songwriter, performer, and Ableton Live educator. He's developed sponsored video tutorials with companies like Ableton, Antares, XLN Audio, and iZotope. In 2019, his debut album released and reached over 6 million streams, with his single “All or Nothin” premiering on HBO’s show Insecure. Chuck is also known for recreating the popular Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 synth using Ableton Live devices, and participated in Andrew Huang’s 4 Producers Flip the Same Sample series.

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Corey Baker (aka Kill Paris) is a producer, performer, and Ableton Certified Trainer. He's collaborated with established artists including Zedd, Griz, Illenium, Dillon Francis, Gramatik, and has sold out major venues across the USA, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Hobbie Sound is his new and second moniker, focused primarily on modular synthesis and extensively experimenting with the relationship between Ableton and analog gear.

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Rob Late is an electronic pop producer and songwriter from London, UK. Having amassed a loyal social media following and industry recognition by posting intricate breakdowns of his production techniques, over the past year Rob has gone from producing with bedroom artists to working with big names such as The Chainsmokers, Sasha Sirota (credits include Justin Bieber, Poo Bear, Skrillex) and has gained sponsorships from major brands including Universal Audio, Hedd Audio, Novation, Arturia, and many others.

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In this episode Dan Giffin highlights his favorite native Ableton Live Packs, as well as Packs suggested by Ableton Certified Trainers and online forums. After exploring over 100 Packs, Dan discovered many useful effect racks, sample libraries, instruments, and more.

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Flosstradamus (aka Curt Cameruci) is a well-established American DJ and producer. Currently based in Los Angeles, Flosstradamus came to prominence in Chicago while collaborating with artists such as Major Lazer, Matt & Kim, A-Trak, Baauer, and others. In recent years he's collaborated with hip hop legends including G.T.A, Lil’ Jon, Waka Flocka Flame, Post Malone and Travis Porter. Career highlights over the past decade include iconic tracks like Major Lazer’s “Original Don” (Flosstradamus Remix), “CROWD CNTRL,” “Mosh Pit,” “TTU (Too Turnt Up),” “Soundclash” (with Troy Boi), and “Prison Riot.”

In addition to Curt's musical endeavors, he's been an influencer in the crypto and NFT industry, developing his own smokeable vape tied to an NFT using blockchain technology. Curt also presented at the 2022 NFT | LA conference, and started a company helping artists connect with fans using NFT's through his company LBRATD.

In this episode Flosstradamus shares his music background, what it's like having surround sound speakers in his couch, how he created a smokeable vape that is also an NFT using blockchain technology, unique music production hacks, new Ableton Live feature recommendations, fun stories in the studio, and much more.

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Maddy O’Neal is a producer and DJ from Denver, Colorado averaging over 90+ shows per year, and gaining several million Spotify streams. With hits like “Zest Please”; a collaboration with CloZee amassing over 2 million spotify plays in one year, 4 EPs, and her second full length album coming this fall, Maddy’s repertoire is quickly expanding across the world.

Maddy has performed at major festivals including Electric Forest, Camp Bisco, Summer Camp, North Coast, Summer Meltdown, Red Rocks (x3) and others. Credits include supporting artists like CloZee, Pretty Lights, Big Gigantic, The Floozies, Opiuo, Wreckno, Cherub, SunSquabi, Manic Focus, and more.

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Carter Matthews is a multi-instrumentalist, DJ, and produces music under his two projects Toy Box and WaveWalker. He's collaborated with major artists including Illenium, BAYNK, Said the Sky, CloZee, Goldfish and many others. His music has collected tens of millions of Spotify streams and been published by Trap Nation, EDM.com, and more.

In addition, Toy Box has supported artists such as Seven Lions, and performed at large festivals and venues including Red Rocks Amphitheatre. He also produced a remix of “What You Need” at the request of the artist BAYNK.

In this episode, we talk about various music production techniques in Ableton Live, mixing bass frequencies, his favorite transient designers, tips to speed up your resampling workflow, thoughts on stereo width, Carter's upcoming projects, and more.

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Daktyl is a Los Angeles-based producer and multi-instrumentalist with releases on Diplo’s Mad Decent label and Monstercat Records. His credits extend to being featured in Billboard Magazine, Rolling Stone’s “Artists to Watch”, and Zane Lowe’s “Next Hype” on BBC Radio 1. He’s toured with major artists including ODESZA, Bonobo, Troyboi, Giraffe, and many others. Daktyl has released official remixes for Major Lazer, Halsey, and reached tens of millions of online streams.

Starting at a young age, Daktyl began producing beats in the UK as a teenager in his university dorm. Before long, his talents garnered the attention of Diplo’s imprint Mad Decent, who promptly signed him while he was still in school. From there, his career took off as he bought a one-way ticket from London to the U.S. to book his own tour across California.

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Listen to highlights of the best podcast moments from episodes #37 - #41.  

EP #41 w/ Kermode 

Jeanot Mey is the creator of Kermode, with credits teaching at SAE Institute Vancouver, Warp Academy, and performing at many major festivals including Shambhala Music Fest. He's continued to create quality video tutorials helping thousands of artists from sound design to music production.    

EP #40 w/ ill Factor 

Ivan Corraliza (known as ill Factor) has been producing music for more than fifteen years working on projects such as; Matis Yahu, Justin Timberlake, Skylar Grey, Ginuwine, and many others. He is the founder of the online music production school Beat Academy, and produced the soundtrack for the hit video game series Assassin's Creed.    

EP #39 - Ableton Live Tips & Tricks w/ Dan Giffin 

In this episode, the host Dan Giffin shares several production tips for using Ableton Live devices.   

EP #38 w/ Ari Herstand 

Ari Herstand is a singer/ songwriter, music industry expert, and author of the best seller How To Make It In The New Music Business. He’s performed over 700 shows around the country opening for Ben Folds, Cake, Matt Nathanson and other major artists. He’s the leader of the band Brassroots District, and runs the successful blog ArisTake.com educating indie's on the latest music industry trends.   

EP #37 w/ Dani DiCiaccio (KYOSI)  

Dani is the previous Director of Content Marketing & Merchandising for Splice.com and produces electronic future-pop music under the name KYOSI. She's a well experienced Ableton Live user from New York, New York.   

EPISODE SPONSORED BY LALAL.AI  

LALAL.AI is an AI powered music source separation service which allows musicians to easily extract audio stems from stereo files. It's one of the world’s first solutions to extract multiple stems, such as vocals, backing tracks, guitars, pianos, synthesizers, drums, and bass from songs. The team has created this special technology that outperforms competitors, and provides the best sound extraction from audio and video files alike.  

Use the discount code  liveproducers20  and save 20% on their plus pack before June 30th, 2022. 

KJ SAWKA is a well-established drummer, producer, and DJ in the electronic music scene. As a Grammy-nominated drummer, he's performed with major artists including Illenium, Excision, Blake Lewis (American Idol), ill Gates, and many others. His credits include performing on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel, Craig Ferguson, and is widely known for his work as a member of Pendulum and Destroid, headlining major festivals including Ultra Music Festival. His newer project -The Private Language blends hip hop, funk, and electronic dance music with front-singer Blake Lewis, a runner-up in American Idol.

As an early adopter using Ableton Live 3, KJ Sawka pushes the boundaries of live music combining DJing with drum technology. He's released numerous Packs with Ableton, and has been endorsed by major music companies including Tama Drums, Roland, PreSonus, Mackie, Loopmasters, Slate Digital, SoundToys, and many others.

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Max Wild is the founder of 343 Labs, a music production and performance school based in New York City and Berlin. He's a Zimbabwean-raised multi-instrumentalist, producer, and educator whose diverse musical influences range from electronica sounds to jazz, afro-pop, and more. He also runs the New York City Ableton User Group. Max previously taught music production at Dubspot, and ear training and music theory at Manhattan School of Music, before founding 343 Labs in 2018.

In this episode, Dan and Max talk about the importance of being part of a music community, strategies and platforms Max uses to bring artists together, favorite Ableton Live 11 features, his approach to performing with PUSH 2, using MIDI controllers as your “main instrument”, and more.

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Richard Graham is a producer, technologist, educator, and cofounder of the company Delta Sound Labs. He also creates music as Signals Under Tests.

Ricky is an Ableton Certified Trainer and Max programmer, having a Ph.D. with a background in computer-assisted music composition, electro-acoustics, and spacial audio for augmented reality (and VR). He has also been published in multiple articles by MIT press, Electroacoustic Music Studies (EMS), and other reputable journals. His software plugins have also been featured by Sound On Sound, Music Tech, etc. 

In this episode, Richard and Dan chat about music production using virtual reality, tips for anyone wanting to create their own plugins (VST's), innovative workflows using guitar pickups to control MIDI and modular synths, using Ableton's Looper and Echo devices, and more. 

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Dario Darnell (Youngr) is a multi-instrumentalist and producer with over 100 million global streams, and viral videos showcasing his live looping skills. Youngr has sold out shows in over 40 countries across Europe and North America, with his bootleg of Sweet Disposition hitting over 15 million views in the first 2 weeks.

Dario began to gain popularity as a solo artist partly through a series of one-take performance videos he released on Facebook and his YouTube channel, covering artists such as Daft Punk, Dua Lipa, Tove Lo, and many others.

In this episode, Dario and Dan talk about his live looping setup for recording and performing, favorite Ableton Live presets and plugins, how he wrote a song in his sleep, the medical and creative benefits of mushrooms, and more.

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Tyler Morris (Westend) is a tech-house producer, DJ, and educator based in New York. He’s worked with artists like Diplo, MK, Claude Von Stroke, Joel Corry, and others. His singles have hit the charts including his song Jumpin’ peaking at #2 on Beatport, and he was ranked the 7th best selling tech house artist overall on Beatport.

Noah Savoie (Noer The Boy) is an experimental bass producer, DJ, and visual artist. He’s performed with well known artists including DJ Shadow, and released singles on multiple established experimental bass record labels with support from G Jones, EPROM, Ivy Lab, and many others.

In this episode, we chat about everything from sound design tips in Ableton Live, how learning synthesis has enhanced his workflow, using visual art for live shows, the power of having a good team to support you, and much more. 

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Sidecar Tommy is a project by drummer, producer, beat-maker, and co-founder of the group Beats Antique. Based in Oakland, Tommy has collaborated with many notable artists including Global Bass band, Beats Antique, The Glitch Mob, Les Claypool, Alam Khan, Bassnectar, Too Many Zooz, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and many others. 

During this episode, Tommy and Dan chat about everything from mixing instruments with electronic elements for live performance, how to curate a great show, live streaming, fun touring stories, the importance of having a community, the mental side of producing and performing, and more.

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In this episode, Dan highlights some of the best moments from EP #26 - #35.

EP #26 w/ Erin Barra

Artist and musician Greg Debicki (aka Woulg) challenges the status quo through glitch music and audiovisual manipulation using generative algorithms. One of his recent projects includes programming AI bots to play Cello instruments synced with visuals.

Greg is currently based in Montréal. After studying Fine Arts in Alberta and Musical Composition in the United Kingdom, he set out to design generative software, custom hacks and interactive projections. Greg has collaborated with artists including Tipper and Friends, Mr. Bill, and others. He also sells a Max4Live devices and offers 1on1 classes in composition, sound design and programming.

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Ambrus Deak is a well-established Ableton Certified Trainer, music producer, DJ, and educator. He's shared the stage with major artists including The Glitch Mob, Tipper, The Chemical brothers, and has mastered tracks for Gorillaz, Clozee, ill Gates, Mr. Bill, and many others. Ambrus is also the Program Manager of Music Production for The Los Angeles Film School, a winner of iMapp - one of the world’s largest video mapping competitions, and took 2nd place at The International Breakbeat Awards.

In this episode, Dan and Ambrus discuss everything from the evolution of DAW's since the 80's, the emotional and mental impact of social media on artists, Ambrus' approach to mastering, and much more.

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Andrew Marshall is a professional drummer and Ableton Live user. He’s currently the touring drummer for Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, among other acts. Andrew has performed at major festivals like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Coachella, Glastonbury, and TV shows including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, SNL, and others.

When not on the road, Andrew records drum tracks remotely for songwriters and artists from his home studio in Los Angeles, CA. 

Andrew is endorsed by major drum companies like Gretsch, Istanbul Agop cymbals, Vater, Remo, DW, Porter & Davies drum monitoring systems, etc.

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Multi-platinum music producer and drummer Kaelin Ellis joins as a special guest. He's established himself among the top class of producers in the modern electronic / hip-hop beat scene. Kaelin has many production credits with artists such as Kaytranada, Lupe Fiasco, Waldo, The Kount, Deffie, Drex Carter, and K-pop supergroup Exo. He has garnered support from Okayplayer, NPR, Lyrical Lemonade, USA Today, HYPEBEAST, Pitchfork + more and has done work with brands like Tik-Tok, Mercedes, and others.

In this episode Kaelin shares insights about getting more creative with your audio recording process, mixing drums, using Live's Operator and Tension instruments to shape drums sounds, his live setup, and more creative production tips in the studio.

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Kaite Watson (Aimerie) is an Ableton Certified Trainer, experimental bass producer, DJ, and educator. She also teaches music production and DJing at The Black Box Studio in Denver, CO. Known to deliver cutting-edge curation on the decks, Aimerie's passion for pushing grassroots sounds has landed her on prolific lineups at events like Sub.mission's Bass Invasion in Denver, Infrasound Music Festival, and Outlook Festival, alongside artists including The Widdler, Truth, DJ Youngsta, Khiva, and many more.

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In this special episode, Dan Giffin and other Ableton Certified Trainers around the world share 100 tips for producing/ performing in Ableton Live. Download the free Google Sheet below for additional workflows not shared in this episode, including video tutorial links and articles for beginner to advanced Live users. 

In this episode, rising indie-pop artist Claire George shares stories as an upcoming producer/ performer, and favorite production tools in the studio. She also shares workflows including vocal processing, favorite plugins, her dream live setup, and how her music was influenced by unexpected life experiences.

Claire George is a songwriter, producer and vocalist originally from Seattle, WA. Following the release of Bodies of Water on Cascine in 2018, Claire toured the US & Canada with DRAMA, in addition to supporting Diane Coffee, The Midnight, and Kllo on shorter runs and headlining her own West Coast tours. In 2019 she released the stunning piano ballad “Alone, Together,” along with an alternate uptempo rework of the track produced by Josh Burgess of Yumi Zouma. Most recently, she released a lowkey, bubbly cover of Donna Lewis’ 1996 classic “I Love You Always Forever.”

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In this episode, Dan Giffin chats with Zach Montoya, a Los Angeles-based producer in the "Bass Pop" duo Syence. Zach shares what it's like in today's music industry, tips for leveling up your music composition and workflow, insights using Soundcloud vs. Spotify, and much more.

Zach Montoya is the Lead Instructor and Content Curator at Hyperbits, an online platform teaching music production. In his duo Syence, they've hit Spotify's global viral charts, performed at Snowglobe Music Festival, and continue to grow their audience and the bass pop genre, amassing over 45 million streams across various platforms. Syence’s latest single “a little bit bored”, which was released in February of 2021 and features German pop singer-songwriter Ruuth, went viral and generated more than 20 million plays on Triller prior to release. This successful release momentum culminated in music industry legend LA Reid signing the duo to his label Hitco Entertainment, joining the likes of Jenifer Lopez, Dixie D’Amelio, SAINt JHN, and Outkast’s Big Boi. Additionally, Syence has officially signed with Wasserman on the booking front, who represent artists including Zedd, Skrillex, and Disclosure, among many others.

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Ceci Gomez is a Los Angeles-based experimental music producer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist. Her credits include collaborations with with Rebecca Black, Charlie XCX, Baauer, The Regrettes, Francisca Valenzuela, Lunice, Nasty Cherry & many others. Ceci also started her latest project DAGR with co-producer Veronica Jane, blending underground pop with hip hop.

In this episode with Ceci Gomez, we talk about her experience playing synth and running Ableton Live for Charli XCX while on tour with Taylor Swift, tools for producers to use for remote collaboration, unique workflows in the studio like re-amping, and much more. 

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In this episode, Alfred Darlington (aka Daedelus) and Dan discuss the future of music technology, hacks using Ableton Live's Drum Buss, the mentality of creating music, and much more.   

Alfred (they/them) have 20+ years producing on labels such as Brainfeeder, Ninjatune, Warp, and important upstarts like Albert's Favourites and Dome of Doom. Daedelus has collaborated with artists including Flying Lotus, MF Doom, Death Cab for Cutie, Kimbra, while performing over 1,000+ shows worldwide, from underground raves to festival mainstages. In 2019, they were taken on as faculty at the Berklee College of Music teaching electronic performance techniques and in 2020 became an artist in residence at S.E.T.I.   

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In this episode, Emma Louise Sainsbury (aka Eluize) shares about her studio setup, production process using Ableton Live, her experience moving to Berlin to pursue a music career, and much more. 

Eluize is a Berlin-based techno/ house DJ and producer originating from Australia. Her music has been featured by Redbull Choice Mix as #1 in the Global Detroit Techno Chart and #2 in the Global Dark Techno Chart. She's been featured by Ableton, MixMag, and Beatport, among others. In 2020 Eluize started a coaching initiative supporting Womxn and Non-binary people in electronic music production, performance and label management. She founded the label Night Tide, with a sister label called Bermuda Series that focuses on electronic music across many genres produced by womxn. Eluize has performed at major clubs and festivals across Europe including: Grießmühle, Tresor and Salon Zur WildenRenate Berlin,IFZ, Mjut and Electric Weekender Festival Leipzig, Südpol Hamburg, Nation of Gondwana, Fusion Festival, Masters Zagreb, Canvas & 22 tracks Festival Amsterdam, and many others. 

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During this final episode of the series, 3 Ableton Certified Trainers share their favorite Max For Live devices and how they use them. Dan interviews Misty Jones, Adam Fangsrud, and Melanie Frisoli as they share their devices categorized by Instruments, Special Effects, Utility/ Workflow Enhancements, Video, and more.