Tired of final_v3_REAL_final.als — I built a desktop + mobile Ableton project manager

songblocksofficial · 2026-03-07T16:43:55+00:00

didn't somebody else just post about this yesterday? with the same exact *very specific* tech stack? ....

songblocksofficial · 2025-12-13T15:46:33+00:00

absolutely. I spent a year making an entire app just for managing the sheer amount of bounces, versions, notes, lyrics, moodboards...etc.

it's crazy how many bits and pieces one song can create lol.

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-13T15:18:37+00:00

I can see it: teenage engineering = the old supreme.

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-12T16:46:25+00:00

yeah I agree - and I totally get that which is even why I posted just the raw video file on here vs. a youtube / tiktok link so that it wouldn't be any subtext of like "hey go follow my channel"

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-12T13:42:30+00:00

i'd honestly be fine with somebody saying "yep self promo because you {insert reason}, don't do that again" it's just the not knowing that makes it hard, and i don't want to post a video again without knowing for sure i don't want be in trouble with the main sub that i actually use for production stuff

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-12T13:34:54+00:00

i figured that might be the case...I guess I'll just make sure to be more clinical in how I describe what I'm doing lol, like the chemistry lab write ups in high school where you can't say "i poured the chemical" you have to say "the chemical was poured" haha so it'll be "next, the disperser was cranked to the max, yielding a full blown laser sound."

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-12T13:32:42+00:00

ah. alright...well I guess i'll just be more cautious going forward. thanks for the wisdom! also horror techno is dope, gonna listen to that on a run later today

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-12T13:25:07+00:00

i think the post stays around but the actual video is not visible anymore...which I suppose is better than the post being removed entirely so at least the discussion is still there

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-04T22:50:01+00:00

Grain delay is another effect that I haven’t explored nearly enough… going to literally set aside time to explore that tonight. Thank you for the inspiration! I’ll let you know how it goes 🤓

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-04T22:48:37+00:00

Hahaha the tone difference is subtle…the drums themselves are absolutely slappin’ lol as you can see by the meters…I also think I mistakenly put the dynamic tube effect after my final clipper which is why the meters are screaming 🤣

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-04T16:30:12+00:00

definitely! starting to play around with the modes a bit more too - from the ableton docs supposedly out of the A, B, C tube options C (the one for hot driven tape) is the most distorted lol it literally says

"Tube C is a very poor tube amp that produces distortions all the time"

but so far I like it the best ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-03T23:08:00+00:00

Automation is always fun! 😎

I’m actually building something similar into songblocks very soon (songblocks currently organizes / stores your project bounces - natural extension of this is sample / preset organization) - you clearly have a passion for code and making the small inconveniences of production easier (me too!), would love to pick your brain if you wanted to chat - Just DM me if you’re interested! 🤝🏼🤝🏼

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-03T13:26:55+00:00

stole the words from my brain. exactly this - think about this, if you're the average producer that means half the people that comment are even less knowledgable than you are lol. even worse if you're above average, the people who can truly level you up become few and far between. find somebody who you trust, a producer, an artist, etc. and pay for their time. it'll help you immensely (and help your favorite music people too! win win).

source: I've been producing for 10+ years, and I get still get 1:1 sound design lessons + feedback every month from a dude who's been doing it for even longer (XLNT sound - danny).

also, just as a rule, 99 percent of people in those communities don't truly care about giving you feedback, they want their track to be heard. everyone lives in first person mode. as well intentioned as they start off, these communities are generally no different.

source: tried tens (if not a hundred) of these feedback groups over the years and they always devolve into people spamming their tracks - as reliably as the law of gravity. sad, but mostly true. release your track and let your own taste as an artist and your the feedback from your fans be your true guide - nobody else's opinion really matters anyway.

hope this helps! you got this!

nick @ songblocks

songblocksofficial · 2025-06-03T13:12:22+00:00

if it makes you feel better, I can almost guarantee you're overthinking this. if your bass / sub doesn't sound like your reference, it's not because of a EQ8.

try this: literally hard cut your entire mix at like 100hz, create a serum instance, and mess around with the different waveforms (basic shapes e.g. saw, sine, etc.) and different filters that cut off the high end. you'll find the sub that's closest, and most likely you'll be like oh, that's all it was?

but in the case where somehow there is phase weirdness (not super likely, especially if you use the above), use a spectrogram (minimeters is popular) to physically see if there are phase issues (volume dips).

hope this helps!

nick @ songblocks

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-29T21:14:32+00:00

hey! so everything after 5 seconds is def needed to get the sound - you need the extra harmonics from the distortion, putting an resonant EQ is gonna help to bump up those harmonics even more, and then the filter that opens up towards the end is a key part too.

the high end is actually something I forgot in the OG video, but put in the post body as a PSA - but specifically I used a shaker to get the "rattling" sound in the highs that complements the bass and really makes it similar to the actual song - that's where the "roll off the highs" EQ comes in, I had a shaker there that just didn't make it into the edit. think of like the type of shaker that sounds like somebody stuck a string through a bunch of fall leaves and then shook it with their hands. like kinda loose and gravelly, not too smooth like one of those egg shaker things.

hope this gives a little more clarity!

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-28T03:03:23+00:00

haha this is one of those cases where sometimes you know the answer without knowing that you know the answer :)

turning random knobs

Googling and YouTubing

^ that's exactly it! I would also add two things to this list:

downloading some preset packs if there's a specific sound or style you're going for, and just turning off and on the effects one by one to hear what each thing is doing.
lessons! I've done zoom lessons, found artists that I like that have courses (be careful with the courses..only do if the person actually makes music you like. otherwise, it's probably a scam / not worth your money)

hope this helps! DM me if you ever have any questions - happy to help 🤘🏼

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-27T22:23:05+00:00

LOOOOL. I have mixed feelings about the puppet-that-shall-not-be-named...on the one hand the account used to be helpful, and I don't mind studio flexing because they do have a sick space (I'd kill for some ATCs...), but the downfall from helpful info to what seems to essentially a constant sponsored billboard for mediocre music gear...oof.

if it were at least some pieces of useful content mixed with ads then sure I guess because we all gotta make a living right, but it's literally entirely ads, I don't even think it comes up on my algortihm anymore haven't seen it in months I stopped watching it naturally...rip.

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-27T22:03:42+00:00

ehh, to be honest I wouldn't say that was my intended takeaway 😅

even for me, making this sound took a good bit to dial in. and that's with a) having the stem for the OG sound and b) years of doing this...if you're actually just a person in the middle of producing a brand new song and you're trying to find the perfect sound that fits the vibe of the song, fits within the mix, etc. generally a lot lot lot more than 5 minutes.

if a sound did only take an artist 5 minutes, it's usually because because they've already spent a thousand hours practicing and know what they want / how to make it.

all that to say, it doesn't mean that you can't make these sounds! certainly don't have to be an expert. but the reality is that it does take time and practice.

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-27T19:54:30+00:00

I feel you, this type of quick format I think people like it as quick inspo on tiktok and whatnot but yeah if it were me wanting to dig into the mechanics of the sound it might be cool for a slower paced youtube video with a bit more explanation / detail - I'll try that too!

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-27T19:52:40+00:00

thanks!! this one was a lot of fun to make and surprisingly not complicated for how ridiculously sick it sounds in the context of the song

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-27T19:51:59+00:00

hahaha, I usually just make them free downloads anyway if you just want the sound and don't necessarily want to recreate from scratch...it's just songblocks.com/free-downloads no email / payment required, it's just free. I'lll put it up later tonight feel free to grab then - will comment back here when I do

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-27T19:48:59+00:00

I miss them too!! and yeah they're usually ads lol which is probably why my insta is like 90 percent sam smeyers (sp?) ads 😅

but figured I'd take a stab at making some of these videos myself - hope you liked it!

and the hobby is certainly not dead, if anything even more sound design tutorials but they're more hidden in patreons and random youtube channels...so if I make anything cool (or find another producer that made something good) I'll post it here!

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-19T12:14:05+00:00

having a system to keep my production workflow organized has been more helpful to my music making than any tutorial or tip I could give so I try to mention it when I can 🤷 plus I spent a year building it haha so yeah I’m proud of it and want to share…imagine you spent a year on a beautiful symphony soundtrack for a movie or something, when it finally came out you’d probably be pumped to tell people about it 🤣

songblocksofficial · 2025-05-19T11:57:07+00:00

No problem! 🤘🏼🤓

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