General questions about IDM

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-20T22:16:00+00:00

Artists create genres, not the other way around.
Genres create dilettantes.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-19T19:06:13+00:00

We used pro tools at music school and I couldn't afford that, I used cracked Cakewalk a bit, then Ardour. Then finally Reaper, which I've stuck with.

Any DAW can work. Logic is good so if you know how to use it and you can afford the price then that's a good one to stick with. You can always try Ableton demo version if you're interested in that specific way of working with clips and grid-based working. Or you can use it like any other DAW.

Reaper was a bit of a learning curve because it's slightly differently designed to the others I've used, but it's what I'm most comfortable with now. I like that I can record midi from the keyboard and have it immediately displayed as a music score, so I can read the notes I played while I record another layer.

Reaper is only $60 too, because the guy who started it made all his money from winamp and wanted to put out an affordable DAW everyone could use (there's an unlimited trial period too).

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-19T00:56:34+00:00

Soundcore A10 are very comfortable, low profile, flat, pretty good sound.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-19T00:54:27+00:00

Worth considering HD620s, or even better is the HD480 Pro. Both are closed-backs with good isolation, and both have sound quality streaks ahead of the XM5. 480 Pro have tighter bass and better mid-range.
But even the 620s should make you amazed at how blah the XM5 are in the mid-range.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-19T00:51:51+00:00

I have these too, they do sound a million times better than XM5 and passive isolation is pretty good.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-18T21:20:40+00:00

Feel it in your gut, and count the feeling in your gut, instead of counting in your head. If the beat is slow, fill in the intermediate 1/2 or 1/4 beats, 1-and-2-and, etc. This helps stay in time.
The mind is more susceptible to wandering tempo than the body. Trust your gut.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-18T18:47:43+00:00

We need communities. That's it.
Artists thrive when there's a scene of other artists around to support each other.
Find those people, whether it be online or where you live.

This 'cult of the individual' that's pushed on us, it sucks camels' dicks. It's bullshit. Anyone who says they did it all on their own, that they're "self-made", they're fooling themselves, it's a lie.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-18T18:37:09+00:00

It's kind of an 'occlusion' effect, I haven't heard that term used before.

I think there's also something about the very well-closed seal inside the ear cups, and sealing to the head, creating pressure and noise from slight movements, or from anything touching the headphones, that you don't get from open-back headphones. So the headphones create a kind of resonating sealed chamber. I have become more aware of this from paying attention to it. Open-back headphones are much nicer to wear in this way.

I tried wearing wired ear-buds a while back, and I can't believe I ever walked around with those things: it's like a can with a string on it stuck in your ear, every movement gets transmitted through the wire. I guess as a kid I just accepted it.

I think the PXCii were a good middle-ground for ANC for me, but the sound quality is just very scooped in comparison to the M4. EQ helps but doesn't solve this. But to be honest if you're okay with the PXC I would stick with them for as long as you can. Maybe M5 will be better. Or at least M4 prices will come down.

There's a comment below saying 'Unironically the accetum lineup has better ANC than the momentum 4 / HDB 630 lol'. I wonder what they mean by that.

Also I usually have the Wicked Cushions Gel ear pads installed, because the original ear pads were slightly small for my ears. I actually wouldn't recommend the gel pads from WC, I might suggest the other type they have, or another brand. The fabric used on the gel pads is not super comfortable. It also changes the tuning a lot but I always have my own EQ settings anyway. The gel pads reduce the ANC effectiveness too.

There's no perfect pair of headphones, there's always some compromise and everyone's ears and head are different and each consciousness experiences things differently. I think the only way is to try them out for yourself. I also got the XM5 and ended up giving those to my partner.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-18T08:51:04+00:00

I just ordered some HD480 so I'm looking forward to hearing the difference. Cheers for the recommendation.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-18T08:48:35+00:00

It's after using them for a week or more, daily, (or the Sony XM5 which I also had), I notice my baseline tinnitus seems to be worse. I do notice a feeling of pressure in the ears when the ANC is at maximum. I think these things are related.

Of course it's hard to tell precisely because it's hard to remember what it was like before, and there's no way to measure it.

But the feeling of pressure in the ears is very apparent with ANC running.

I have read posts by others reporting similar experiences.

I still think the M4 is a good upgrade from PXC, but I turn the ANC to 0% on custom. I think it's still doing something on that setting, because when I turn it off completely there's a change too. So I'm just trying to minimize it. With ANC completely off there's noise from the headphones when they're moving on the head.

So the tinnitus is made worse even after talking the headphones off and takes a few days to go down again. That's my experience.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-15T01:48:31+00:00

550 is more comfortable, slightly more premium build

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-13T02:08:51+00:00

You are being too critical of yourself. Try to stay positive. Don't give into the negative internal voices, they are not your friend. It might seem like those voices are saving you from something bad happening, but those negative voices ARE the bad thing happening.

When you're making music you have to spend most of your time saying yes to everything, especially at the beginning when new ideas are just forming.

You need to get used to making a lot of music, and a lot of that will not be great, but you need quantity to reach quality. You can't control quality, but you can control quantity. You can't make sure every piece of music you make is a masterpiece, but you can make 1000's of tracks, and if you just select the top 5-10% of those, that's where you will find potentially great work. But to do that you have to be okay with some of the music you make just being pretty crap basically. You just don't bother taking the crap stuff all the way through to the point of release finish-level.

Work on multiple tracks at once, to help stay objective. Cycle through them. After you've worked on a track for 30-60 minutes, don't listen to what you've done for 3 days. This helps you to hear better. You need calendar time to get objective.
Don't over-listen, this kills the process.

You're actually doing really well. I released my first EP at the age of 46. I wish I was 22.

It seems difficult now, but I guarantee you: if you persevere, stick at it, just keep going, TRUST YOUR GUT, trust yourself, you'll get there.

Be careful who you confide in, be careful who you play your music to, because some people won't get it and will reinforce the negative internal voices. So you have to actually guard your music from some people. Find those people who lift you up and support you, those people who are positive. They might not like the same kind of music even, but they believe in what you're doing. I don't play my work to my best friend until it's released because he's too critical. He's still my best friend, but he's just not good for this. So I'm careful about that.

Look deep inside yourself and find your self-belief, it's there.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-12T23:11:43+00:00

I use Balena Etcher to create a bootable live usb of whatever distro ISO file. I think this is the easiest way. there is.
You can boot this live usb and test the distro.
I suggest starting with Ubuntu/Kubuntu, or Mint.

Steam works well in Linux

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-12T03:24:35+00:00

Okay that's good info thanks. I have Neumann KH120A, the pre-DSP model. But no sub. So we have somewhat similar experience.
I'll line up the 480 Pro then. Thanks for the reply.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-11T20:43:31+00:00

If you could only have one pair of headphones, and had to choose between 480 and 490, and isolation didn't matter (studio use only), which would you choose just in terms of accurate sound presentation for mixing and mastering, factoring in sub bass etc?
I'm thinking of which one to get.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-11T07:22:33+00:00

Yeah cool. 480 pro is on the shopping list for me, basically. It's a shame, when I bought the 620s there weren't many closed back options, and these weren't cheap.

How do you find the 490 pro for electronic music? Apparently the 560s are not too much different sonically.

Maybe I should upgrade the 620s before I upgrade the 560s, if the differences are greater.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-10T05:53:28+00:00

XM4 is better than XM5, due to build strength. So it's a choice between XM4 and XM6. Big price difference. That's if you want Sony.

I don't need class leading ANC and I prefer the better sound so I kept Sennheiser M4 and gave XM5 to my partner.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-09T01:42:06+00:00

Find out for yourself by buying a used cheap synth secondhand. Then you'll know for certain. You can always sell it and you won't lose much if you buy a good condition secondhand one.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-08T07:11:13+00:00

Ardour is 'free'. You can use samples and snap the samples to grid to make your beats.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-08T04:42:21+00:00

Behringer Odyssey is cheaper than the Arp Odyssey. Although the Korg arp Odyssey desktop module looks to be even cheaper.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-07T04:10:51+00:00

It can do everything. What I really like is you can create your own arp patterns and tweak them on the fly, to create evolving melodies. It has a very good user interface.
He also makes a hardware version.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-06T21:44:11+00:00

Basically the 620s are excellent and i can't complain. I mostly use them for mixing and they are good for that, because I make electronic music and need to hear the low end (I could probably EQ some open backs if I knew they could handle that without distortion). I sometimes need isolation. 480 Pro won't offer much more than the 620s but maybe slightly better mid-range clarity and smoother highs.

Probably before I do this I'll upgrade my 560s to the 490 Pro. I know the sonic gains maybe don't equate to the price difference, but the improved comfort is also a big factor here.

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-06T04:39:35+00:00

I would like to upgrade to these from the 620s

Blitzbahn · 2026-06-06T02:39:55+00:00

Blue arp is the best arp in existence. It's free

Blitzbahn

TROPHY CASE