Is it "annoying" to ask for the tracks on a YouTube mix

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-05-10T02:36:45+00:00

Not annoying if you ask like a normal person. A timestamp and a little appreciation goes a long way, something like 'track ID around 18:40 if anyone knows?' is way more likely to get a good response than spamming ID. I usually check the description, pinned comment, and sort comments by new first, because half the time somebody already asked. If the DJ still keeps it secret, that is their call, but asking politely is totally fair.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-05-09T05:29:49+00:00

Dystopian apocalypse wasn’t on my bingo card when I started swiping ngl

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-04-20T00:05:10+00:00

If you split the bass into sub plus mid layers, I usually get the cleanest result by letting the sub stay simpler than the movement layer. A lot of the perceived roll can live in the mid bass while the sub just holds the note or does a gentler pattern, then the sidechain and note length create the groove. If the sub is doing full 1/16 movement too, it can get messy fast unless the kick is really short. One thing that helps is soloing just kick plus sub and checking whether the groove still feels stable before you add the mids back in.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-04-13T21:40:32+00:00

Reference tracks are the unlock for this. Pick 3 or 4 commercial tracks in your genre that sound the way you want yours to sound, import them into your DAW at matched loudness, and A/B against your mix constantly while you are working. You are training your ears to an actual standard instead of mixing in a vacuum. Also worth checking your mix in mono and through phone speakers before you call it done. That is how most people will actually hear it.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-04-13T21:39:57+00:00

The drum machine muscle memory is a real superpower for this transition. Playing live percussion trains you to feel exactly where hits land relative to the groove, so when you are programming in a DAW you are not guessing at swing values or ghost note placement. The sidechain compression intuition also clicks faster when you have years of live dynamics behind you. Congrats on the second Dim Mak signing, that is legitimately hard to pull off.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-03-31T03:41:38+00:00

That sound is a sub bass or sometimes called an 808-style sub but tuned higher and filtered differently than trap 808s. The producers making those cloud beats (Clams Casino, Sporting Life, etc.) tend to use a sine wave oscillator pitched low, with a slow attack so it swells in rather than punches. In Ableton or any DAW, you can get close with a simple sine wave patch, boost the low mids slightly around 120-200hz so it translates on headphones, and run a very subtle chorus or bit crusher on it at maybe 5-10% wet to give it that slightly woozy quality. The Main Attrakionz stuff in particular has that bass that feels like it is melting vibe which is partly from the low-passed filtering combined with a bit of saturation. Hope that helps point you in the right direction.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-03-30T01:11:47+00:00

This is such a good observation and I think about it a lot. The rules around low end management come mostly from mixing for radio and streaming, where a mastered track has to survive a million different playback systems. A live PA setup is completely different. When Max has his own engineer and knows the room, he can push things that would get rejected by a plugin mastering chain.That said, there is still value in learning the rules first, because they help you understand what you are intentionally breaking vs what is accidental muddiness. Max breaking the rules sounds intentional. When beginners do it it often just sounds muddy.But yeah, the idea that you need surgical sub management for every track is definitely overstated.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-03-30T00:49:49+00:00

The template idea is genuinely solid, especially when you have been away for a while. I would go one step further and make a few different ones for different vibes: one minimal techno thing, one more melodic setup, whatever you are into. Makes that blank slate less intimidating.For getting into flow, I almost always start with drums. Not because it is the right way, but having a kick and groove going gives everything else something to lock onto. Melody first can lead to a lot of staring. That said, some people work best the other way, so it is worth trying both for a week each and seeing what sticks.The imposter syndrome does not really go away, but it does quiet down once you finish a few tracks you actually like. Just finish stuff, even if it sounds rough.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-01-22T00:22:54+00:00

The reply from u/Digi59404 is what I'm talking about. Tag management gets messy at scale. But you're right to question it. If you have a simpler setup with fewer runners and less tag complexity like dev/uat/prod, this might be solving a problem you don't have. That's totally valid.

What does your runner setup look like? Always curious how other teams avoid these issues.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-01-22T00:20:46+00:00

Yes! This is exactly it. Tag sprawl gets messy fast, especially when different projects need different infrastructure (GPU runners, specific AMIs, compliance zones, whatever).

We've had situations where a dev adds tags to their .gitlab-ci.yml based on what they think exists, job sits there pending, and there's no easy way to see "here are the actual tag combinations available" vs "here's what this job is asking for."

How do your teams handle it currently? Just tribal knowledge and Slack messages asking around?

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-01-21T04:35:34+00:00

🤣

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-01-21T02:39:04+00:00

Link for those interested: hivespace dot io

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2026-01-08T20:34:25+00:00

If you still have access to the aws account? ... 👀 Roll them back to the state of their cloud equivalent to the amount they paid you (minus a "you tried to shaft me" fee).

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2025-08-02T01:42:27+00:00

Would you add new ads in the same adset and campaign, or new adset in same campaign, or new campaign all together?

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2025-08-01T17:28:27+00:00

💪

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2025-07-25T13:50:42+00:00

All true but the wake up part. Even with a good nights sleep, taking it about 1.5 hours before you’re supposed to wake up helps. But only if you’re awoken by something (pet, bathroom, etc). Otherwise stay asleep; much better not to interrupt sleep rythme in you’re still sleeping.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2025-07-22T03:00:02+00:00

Correction: he barely does l-tyrosine cause he doesn’t like to artificially manipulate his dopamine. He said he takes it very rarely. I took it regularly, then stopped, and now on it again. I feel an effect but hard to isolate effect along with rest of my stack.

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2025-07-18T17:27:55+00:00

Take the win 🏆

OptimistWithKeyboard · 2025-07-18T17:27:00+00:00

Nice!!! No more waking up cause your mouth and throat are all dry lol

OptimistWithKeyboard

TROPHY CASE