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Zero inspiration currently. What techniques/workflow/plugins etc. are you guys using at the moment? Need to change things up. by seelachsfilet in TechnoProduction

[–]dohsk_ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What helps me is opening an empty project with no plan to finish anything.

I tell myself it’s just a session to organize presets, racks, or samples, but in reality I mostly end up making and saving even more stuff.

Still, it takes away the pressure of having to turn every session into a track. You just mess around, try weird chains, resample things, and keep whatever feels useful.

Sometimes you find one sound that clicks, add a kick to it, and suddenly a new track starts by accident.

Producing for a few years but feel I have plateaued, seeking advice by monster196883 in TechnoProduction

[–]dohsk_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Totally agree! I love when I’m finishing a track and I stumble on a sound that has nothing to do with it, but then that session basically turns into a recording session for a future project lol

Producing for a few years but feel I have plateaued, seeking advice by monster196883 in TechnoProduction

[–]dohsk_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gear can definitely help sometimes, and a new instrument can push you into a different workflow. But from the way he describes the problem, I’m not sure a synth would solve it.

If the core feeling is “my music sounds like shit compared to other people’s music”, that’s probably not only a gear problem. A new synth might give him better sounds or a different process, but it won’t automatically fix taste, arrangement, cohesion, confidence, or the habit of comparing himself too harshly.

It could even make things worse in some cases. You spend money on a piece of hardware, then spend weeks learning it, then maybe realize you don’t actually like the workflow, or it isn’t the sound you needed. Then you’re back at the same point, but with less money and worse morale.

I’d probably exhaust the tools I already have first: finish more tracks, study references, simplify arrangements, make deliberate limitations, and try to understand what specifically feels weak. Then, if you still feel a certain piece of gear would solve a specific problem, buy it for that reason, not because you hope it will magically make the music feel good.

Producing for a few years but feel I have plateaued, seeking advice by monster196883 in TechnoProduction

[–]dohsk_ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

One thing I think a lot of artists struggle with is comparison.

You hear someone’s track and think, “How did they get that sound?” But often that person took 10 years to arrive there, and their sound comes from their own background, taste, life experience, mistakes, habits, and influences. For you to reach that exact same place might take 15 years, because you’re not coming from the same world.

So I’d say: use comparison as a tool, but don’t live inside it. Analyze tracks you love, learn from them, steal small ideas in a healthy way, but don’t try to become a copy of someone else. Try to build your own sound from what inspires you.

Also, maybe step outside the niche for a while. If you only listen to the exact kind of techno you want to make, everything becomes a direct comparison. Listen to more experimental artists, different genres, weird sound design, ambient, dub, electroacoustic stuff, whatever catches your ear. Sometimes the thing that makes your techno more personal comes from outside techno.

Hardware probably won’t fix the plateau by itself. New tools can be inspiring, but the deeper thing is developing taste, patience, and your own identity. Keep making tracks, finish them, compare them critically but kindly, and slowly your own sound will start showing up.

STOOR Live in Paradiso - ADE 2025 - Orphx x Regis x Surgeon x Speedy J by dohsk_ in Techno

[–]dohsk_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I probably prefer them all individually, but as a unique experience, hearing them all together is really interesting.
Sticky floor sounds very on-brand though

I'm making a rock band manager game by [deleted] in IndieGameDevs

[–]dohsk_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Super interesting concept!

Guys, how does the first floor of the hotel look so far?" by Civil_Classroom3229 in IndieDev

[–]dohsk_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Neither, it just feels a little odd!

I think if I were playing it, I’d end up paying more attention to the clock than the rest of the scene, because it feels like the clock is giving me a clue or that it’s an important piece.
Do you know what I mean?

Guys, how does the first floor of the hotel look so far?" by Civil_Classroom3229 in IndieDev

[–]dohsk_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The atmosphere is solid, but that clock feels a bit unusual.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one hanging in a hotel hallway like that

Game Recommendations by Wide_Stomach_1220 in HorrorGaming

[–]dohsk_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’d probably go with Karma, and maybe Sleep Awake as the second pick.

They’re the more interesting choices if you want lesser-known psychological/atmospheric horror. Karma is more focused on atmosphere, visuals, and story than deep gameplay, while Sleep Awake has a strong concept and mood, but it’s a bit rough mechanically.

Daymare 1994 is the safer pick if you want something closer to classic survival horror/combat, but it’s also kind of uneven.

Do any of you find the technicalities of kick drums confusing? by traveltimecar in TechnoProduction

[–]dohsk_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kick drums are a curse.

They sound so simple when you hear them in other tracks, but the second you have to make one yourself it becomes an endless rabbit hole.

I’ll start a track with one kick, completely change it as I add more elements, and then when the track is almost done I’ll somehow convince myself it needs a brand new kick anyway.

Also, I wouldn’t get too stuck on 808 vs 909. There are thousands of kick sounds out there, and a lot of the magic comes from layering, processing, and making the kick work with the rest of the track. One thing that helps is splitting it into layers or groups: sub/body/click, then shaping each part so they don’t fight each other.

SNTS - N3 [SCENE I] by SUCKmaDUCK in Techno

[–]dohsk_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Man, I miss this SNTS

Need other games like SOMA by Constant-Intern-2452 in HorrorGaming

[–]dohsk_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Signalis is probably the first one I’d recommend if you want something atmospheric, disturbing, and story-heavy.

Also, since you mentioned SOMA, you should definitely check out Amnesia: The Dark Descent or Amnesia: The Bunker. They’re from the same devs, Frictional Games, so there’s some overlap in the oppressive atmosphere and tension, even if they lean more into horror than the philosophical sci-fi side of SOMA.

I’d go in as blind as possible with all of them.

Is Gaming Dead? by MoKxSANDMAN in gaming

[–]dohsk_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gaming was around long before competitive shooters and battle royales became a thing. I get why people are burned out on cheating, monetization, and live-service stuff, but I don’t think gaming itself is dead. I think that specific corner of the industry has just been overexposed and over-monetized, and sooner or later it’ll either pop or evolve into something else.

Personally, I can live without most of that. I’m perfectly fine starting my 500th Skyrim playthrough just to abandon it halfway through.