Turn your Loops into Songs, the Easy Way // Tips for Music Production - Part 1

In this video, I show you my quick workflow for taking a simple loop and turning it into a finished house song. I start by creating the loop on hardware, then I record it into Ableton Live. From there, I arrange the song, add some crescendos and transition tricks, make two different breakdowns, as well as a B section, an outro, and finish it off with some rough mixing! I hope you enjoy the process as much as I do. Peace.
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00:00 What's Good
00:10 The Song and the Elements
01:07 Cleaning the Session and House Keeping Tips
02:31 Why I don't use Digitakt FX with Overbridge
03:10 Building a Song Intro
06:11 Importance of Taking AWAY Things
07:54 My Favorite Delay Trick For Crashes and Crescendos
09:33 Getting Into The Breakdown
13:38 Does Long Music On Music Streaming Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music work?
14:40 Building the Breakdown Part 2
16:50 Making a Bass Line For The First "Drop"
19:25 Finding a Loop Within My Recorded Audio
22:11 Making The Second Bass Line Looop
23:52 Adding Bass To The Break Down
25:18 ReDoing a Part Of The Bass Line
27:11 Adding More Energy To The Song For Momentum
29:15 Fun Kick Trip To Aid Transitions
32:58 Transition into the Breakdown
34:24 Easily make a B Section in your song
37:46 Building The Second Breakdown
42:48 Finishing The Rest Of The Arrangement!
49:52 Adding The Zen Delay With Ableton External Audio Effect
53:49 Finding Textures In Your Delays
57:28 Quick Drum Mixing In Ableton Live
#ableton #housemusic #productiontips

[@vinylarchaeologist]

6:00 I could watch Ricky all day _splittin‘ it like Moses_ ❤

[@jjbing3]

Glad to see this is an issue in every genre. 😑

[@BrentODell]

I appreciate you mentioning that what works on a dance floor can be different from what gets traction on Spotify. I feel like it's something that people just getting into music creation might not think about.

[@RickyTinez]

Yea that’s a whole topic on its own haha. It really reminds me of the “dance mix” / “radio mix” versions on vinyl. Some got straight to the point and others were for the dj to have time to mix

[@MrMarcLaflamme]

Oh nice a long format video! Yes! 🍿

[@RickyTinez]

Yes get that popcorn ready haha. It’s SUPER long

[@MrMarcLaflamme]

@@RickyTinez absolutely loving the verbosity of this so far. I can’t imagine how hard it is to talk to nobody when you’re recording these haha.

[@ahzootube]

For me you could be doing a loop to song series and upload like a video once a month because no other youtube producers focus on that :) Thank you Ricky!

[@jjbing3]

It’s so difficult! Especially if you have a solid one bar loop! It’s the worst!

[@alexanderlane]

Really love the longer form, thorough walkthrough! Sick in bed today and this was the perfect thing to watch to keep my mood up haha

[@jasonsheridan5848]

Great! Thanks for explaining all the Ableton commands as your working its very helpful ! Love your content ;)

[@dmon7464]

the best videos remain those where the music is created. enough blah blah for nothing. You rules Dude

[@herbiebrady568]

DOPE! Always comin through with the knowledge! Really appreciate you sharing your process and approach brotha! Thanks for keeping me inspired.🙏🏾✌🏾

[@milkyway8353]

instead of deleting effects track entirely , you can use it as texture, what you can do instead is link them with drums , select drum loop and effect, right click and choose link track option, now when you delete/copy/paste everything will work in harmony

[@iancain6647]

Broski! These are beautiful videos I think you've hit the 'what I've really wanted to see Ricky do' nerve with everyone here.

[@808v1]

90's house bounce - reminds me of 'Break for Love'

[@ganeshshankar406]

Awesome stuff, thank you for sharing! So much inspiration right there ❤

[@ThijsNaus]

Love it 🎉 thanks again for sharing the love

[@kyleguyettemusic]

Makin me fall in love with house again

[@Lion4de]

Great vid as always, and I really liked the key tracker at the beginning. I learned a few shortcuts but it allowed you to be able to focus on what you're doing.

[@majestic.feminine]

Thanks for the workflow details. Greatly appreciate the work you do!

[@RickyTinez]

Thanks for the support Toni!

[@robinarens]

dude what the hell, that little zen delay recording is so simple but sounds so sick!

[@pookeyblow]

I love this walkthrough. Thanks so much!

[@michaelsorhaindo5167]

This was amazing Ricky! such a vibe!

[@vvvictoriav5958]

36:31 there's an easier way - just select all the regions, right click and choose "create crossfades on clip edges"

[@RickyTinez]

And this is why I love KZbin haha. Thank you so much vvvictoria!!

[@larrybwoy2970]

Excellent video dude, learned a lot from this! Thanks a lot, great channel!

[@kyleguyettemusic]

Love the track, and I dig the knowledge thank u✌️

[@ChurBoBaggins]

nice vid, appreciating the arrangement focused stuff

[@isaac.anthony]

Great video, how to arrange and edit, master class, thanks Ricky!

[@isaac.anthony]

i need to print out hot keys shortcuts, i never remember them all...

[@RickyTinez]

Thanks for tuning in! Hope you got something out of it :)

[@dracul74]

Great stuff. Been doing something similar for a long time. I love and hate the process as I don’t want my music to get stuck in a formula, but with no process I stumble about too much, lol.

[@motozillarocai1810]

love so much and alots of love and respect

[@bebussound7991]

Love it

[@maschinenbeats]

Amazing work 👍👍👍

[@landonh3535]

One thing you may enjoy trying with the Autofilter is changing the mode to a filter with drive and then adding in a few dbs of that. I love warm chords like that Rhodes sound you have and adding drive to the filter helps to bring some higher harmonics out. Also adding the overdrive plugin before the filter and then just blending in a little helps too, if you want to get some highs in those sounds.

[@RickyTinez]

oooo not a bad idea at all! I'll give that a shot. I basically do that with the Pre-Filter overdrive on the Peak synthesizer! Good to know you can do it in Live too

[@douglaslove1422]

@@RickyTinez There's an exceptionally smooth filter from Kazrog called Synth Warmer that's great for this. Very pleasent driven filter. Can get nasty as you like too - it's a moog-ish vibe.

[@MrMarcLaflamme]

29:25 - "That sounded awful" 🤣I think this is the first time I've laughed out loud at one of your videos. I said the exact same thing in my head right before you said it out loud!

[@domeniquexander_]

Great Ricky 🎛️👊🏼 btw love your Kai Alce Shirt. Big fan and I have a lot of records from NDATL 🔥😉

[@RickyTinez]

good eye! yea I buy EVERYTHING from NDATL haha they're all so good.

[@embersandash]

Looking forward to your push 3 reviews.

[@chambre466]

thank you so much man, so glad I have zen delay.. That second breakdown is a bummer thou, and for that I always thought that as soon as I ll get the OT it ll be easier, because the samples d be tighter than having external instruments ran thru external effects in Ableton , but I see that s not the case. but I ll get it anyway. Love you , cool video nice job

[@MB-zm6rr]

Ricky Tin

[@J-Hz]

Chords remind me of Moodymann Tribute. Nice work

[@ShinzoHipHopRapInstrumentals]

Hey, great video. Which headphones do you use, and do you use them for mixing and mastering?

[@scotthstevenson]

subbed !

[@EternalJourneys]

800! 👍🏼

[@khemetbey803]

Big respect for always sharing your knowledge, been watching your vids before but I don't think I expressed my appreciation. I have made beats previously using the 2000xl and sp 303. I have always loved deep house and other forms of house ever since a youngin. Getting back in the dawless track making but approaching house using the mkII which I had for a year and just now touching it seriously. Making house is fun and expressive. I been spinning vibes out here where I live in Japan, hoping to get people into it more...I want to add the tracks I produce to the mixes to see how people react. Thank you again.

[@RickyTinez]

wow! out in Japan! I'd love to visit the scene out there and see what's going on. Thanks so much for the kind words Khemethbey. It's a ton of fun to sneak in a few tracks of yours and see if the dance floor clears haha! Have fun, and let me know how it goes.

[@khemetbey803]

@@RickyTinezI am sure Japan would appreciate your presence, my man.

[@fyltrsyng1480]

thanks so much for this - I made about 500 loops on various boxes over lockdown and haven't had the inner guidance to make anything more of them, but this video is what I needed - so thanks for that man and also, please may I have permission to sample your voice?

[@girtssprogis8443]

Hi Ricky! Love your stuff man! I'm new to your channel so I haven't seen all of your videos yet but I'm sure you have already mentioned somewhere the reason why you use AUDIO tracks to record your synth? Is it because of the looping option? Peace!

[@RickyTinez]

I'm guessing you mean why I DONT use the "external instrument" insert which have midi and audio built into one? If that's what you're asking. it's because I prefer to commit to audio and just have it recorded in and play with the sound as a sample. The looping option lives within that last sentence too! It's just fun for me to also have a bit of my own human touch to trying to play in the sounds haha. Feels more "Organic" Thanks for tuning in and welcome!

[@girtssprogis8443]

Yes, that is what I meant :D noted, tnx for the answer! @@RickyTinez

[@vadykk]

hey Ricky just wanted to ask if you can make a 5 hours video. thank you

[@alumenyame8351]

Just wondering, what usb hub do you use? Im having trouble connecting my multiclock through usb to my MacBook Air m1

[@collectitbydiyversity2442]

Thanks for sharing! What’s the wireless headphones you are using and how good/bad is the latency?

[@RickyTinez]

They're the TMA-2 Wireless+ amzn.to/4caYGUo Awesome for me, latency is 16ms but I don't really notice it even when playing things in and especially don't notice it when mixing and arranging.

[@kidbuu770]

just like Neu!

[@strangeattractor4959]

Ricky, the samples of the octatrack do you transfer them through an interface, or instead plugin the usb of the octatrack and drag the sample from the project like a "file"? In retrospect, I think second option is more clear sound than pass it through the interface, so many endless things we can do sometimes forget the most valuable...

[@RickyTinez]

I do both to be honest haha. If it’s a downloaded file then I’ll transfer if the USB is plugged in haha. Otherwise my track one buffer is on hold mode and I’ll sample it in quickly with the analog inputs

[@7177YT]

❤️👍🙏

[@strangeattractor4959]

Is there a way to assign different tracks directly to Ableton from the octatrack and pair the 8 channels in 8 channels on Ableton or logic?

[@user82938]

No, unfortunately the Octatrack uses older technology and can't stream its audio tracks over USB to the computer the way the Digitakt can.

[@strangeattractor4959]

@@user82938Thank you! I may buy analog rhythm if support that , would be awesome if the black octatrack edition support that aspect, but I do love hardware performance rather than computer.

[@thomasdietz579]

May I ask what scrren you are using in your studio Ricky ?

[@RickyTinez]

I bit the bullet and got the Apple Studio Display, I got it to solve a weird filming issue which it did and I don't even do anymore haha, but fell in love with it especially with my M1 MacBook Air because it charges it and acts as a hub off of 1 thunderbolt cable. so its easy to plug/unplug with the Mac stuff

[@gctechs]

That 3rd Wave synth is related to the PPG Wave?

[@defenderstargate1447]

It is Groove Synthesis doing what they imagine a new modern PPG might have been. It does include the vintage waves and sound as well.

[@pepperpe6716]

Literally slept till 1:02:00 Hahahah

[@RickyTinez]

hahahaha! lullaby house

[@intersweat]

I got to the deep end :)

[@Sharpened_Spoon]

Thanks for confirming why I avoid DAWs.

[@mdptg1990]

You kinda look like Jimmy Butler

[@LordHando]

homies can make this track in 10 minutes going back to the late 80s / early 90s. This is like a simple chord progression and some one shots.

[@RickyTinez]

I love that vibe! Thanks for watching

[@CHONK-Music]

Stealing that crash idea!

[@PORRFNK]

I like you, but i really dislike house music

[@RickyTinez]

Thanks Porrfnk, what kind of music Interests you?

[@PORRFNK]

@@RickyTinez :) I just realized how weird my comment is. You should do whatever you like, and not care about what other people like me think. The thing is I really like your content, just that the music just doesnt match my preference. I like a lot, breaks, electronica, electro, IDM, acid, some dance and pop. But you know, I am also an old bugger :) I am aware that house has become very popular and has been for several years. Fun to see your struggle with ableton and syncing, tbh. I went through the same process and in the end I gave up. Also I love the Peak and my Elektron machines Keep it up :) I actually liked to see the process in this video.

[@hirudo881]

True for me too actually, im more into Synthwave or generally harder and/or more melodic things, but my main jam is metal :D I still enjoy Rickys videos for the knowledge and personality. Draws me back every time.

[@isaac.anthony]

@@hirudo881 i am lucky, love house and Ricky is a great teacher. But i also watch Mr.Bill and Slynk video for production technique, even if i don't really like the genre they are making, i appreciate learning the technique...

[@vvvictoriav5958]

@@PORRFNK house has been popular since before most of what you listed even existed :)

[@iancain6647]

[@Bigger-Circuitry-Bigger-SOUND]

I would have liked to have Ricky as my neighbour, 🍻📀🎛️📀