How to create the signature Reese bass sound
The sampled Reese bass was a sensation in the nascent jungle scene, as up to this point jungle bass lines were typically pure sine tones without harmonics above the fundamental, for instance sine subs and 808 basses. The Reese bass features harmonics above the fundamental, which gives the bass a bigger, fuller sound, and the rumbling movement of these harmonics give the sound a sinister feel all of its own.
Other famous jungle tracks that sample the Reese bass include Remarc’s “R.I.P. (DJ Hype Remix)” and Ed Rush’s “The Force Is Electric (Remix).”
Modulation-maxxing in Massive X: FRANCO BA breaks down how to make any patch come alive
When you’re building a sound, do you plan your modulation from the start, or does it happen naturally as you tweak?
Often, the creative process is quite organic. I usually start with a basic patch and leave room for exploration and experimentation, which allows me to discover modulation settings I hadn’t planned from the outset. This spontaneous approach often leads to unique and unexpected results.
However, there are times when I have a clear vision of the final sound. In those cases, I plan the modulation from the very beginning, mapping out specific routes that enhance the intended character. This method helps maintain a coherent direction while developing the sonic idea, ensuring every modulation element serves a purpose.
Ultimately, flexibility is crucial. Sometimes the initial idea evolves, and modulation becomes a process of discovery, allowing you to fine-tune the sound intuitively. This blend of planning and experimentation truly enriches the sound design process.
Mustard at Coachella: celebrating the producer behind your favorite beats
After handing off his exclusive gear to him at his Los Angeles’ rehearsals, Mustard was excited to break in his new gear at Coachella, telling us — “Maschine and the Kontrol S49 are powerful tools I’ve always respected—they make it easy to get ideas down fast and add real musicality. I just got my custom MK3 in time for Coachella, so I’m looking forward to breaking it in on stage in front of the hundreds of thousands of people there and watching online!”
Mustard delivered a high-energy set that thrilled the massive crowd. Mustard’s groundbreaking performance celebrated his legacy across production and nodded to his roots as a DJ, brought to life by bringing a replica of his own studio. His performance included surprise guest appearances from Tyga, 2 Chainz, YG, Big Sean, Roddy Ricch and Ella Mai.
Shaping groove and tone with Transient Master: N2N on perfect hi-hats
The hi-hat’s timing, dynamics, and tonal characteristics can make a groove bounce, swing, feel energetic, or laid-back.
A transient with a hi-hat refers to the initial, sharp attack sound produced when the hi-hat cymbals first strike each other or when a stick hits a single hi-hat cymbal.
Transient shapers like Transient Master can enhance the impact of hi-hats by:
- Boosting the attack: This adds sharpness and clarity, making the hi-hats cut through the mix and feel more present.
- Taming the attack: If the hi-hats are too harsh or piercing, reducing the attack can smooth them out and make them sit better in the mix.
- Adjusting the sustain: Increasing the sustain can make closed hi-hats feel fuller and more resonant, while reducing it can tighten them up and prevent them from clashing with other elements.
If you take a look at the screenshots provided throughout this chat, you’ll see how easy Transient Master’s UI is, even for beginner producers. Taming the attack helps when you like to layer multiple hi hats on top of each other, especially when a few of those layers have sharp attack. It creates a better blend and a more lush mix that’s full, not piercing. If your hats aren’t providing the punch you want, boost the attack and you’ll hear them cut through more sharply.
See the provided audio examples below for a Transient Master at work with a shaker. You’ll hear the stark difference between a reduced and boosted attack.
Learn from Rabbithology’s DIY folktronica process: making demo-ready mixdowns in your dorm
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about mixing while creating Living Ghost?
If you have a project with 400+ tracks, just send it to someone else to mix to preserve your mental state.
Teasing!
Though, once again, I must thank Zhengxi Zhang for refining my demos of “Intro,” “Preybirds (Watcher Song),” “Butcheress,” and “Wildfire (Gone, Gone, Gone) / Death Song” beyond what I could do in the refines of my dorm + the time restraints I have being a student (you can blame Econ 101 and other math classes for having this EP come out a year later than I planned!)
The real lesson I’ve learned is that each song’s mixing and production has an “ugly phase” – where the frequencies rub the ears in just the wrong way, where the percussion doesn’t hit like you want, where the bass leaves your ears ringing, but you swear it still isn’t strong enough. What I always keep in mind – as I’m holding onto a demo I’m ashamed to send off, and the deadline creeps closer and closer – is that it’s gotta get worse before it gets better.
Don’t be discouraged when your first “rough mix demo” pass sounds worse than the unmixed or unproduced version. Sometimes you need to redo the whole thing, but at least now you know what the song absolutely should not sound like. It may be long and difficult, but as you slowly learn how the tools and techniques improve your track’s character, it’ll get better.
Pro tip from Rabbitology: Sometimes a good project takes time. Sometimes a good project takes no time at all. Each mixing and production process is different, and trust it no matter what path it takes. Don’t try to rush, don’t try to take it too slow.
How to layer leads without muddying your mix
7. Be intentional with transients
If the ADSR envelope shapes the macroevolution of your layers, transients operate on a micro-scale, controlling how each sound’s initial impact to the listener. Being intentional about your transients is crucial for creating clean, crisp mixes. Let’s break it down into two main points.
First, contrasting transients help avoid overlapping volume spikes. If two layers in your lead have identical plucky transients hitting at the same time, you’ll create a sudden volume bump that eats into your headroom – a critical resource for later mixing stages. Tools like Transient Master in Kontakt or Komplete can give you precise control here.
For instance, if your primary layer has a sharp, punchy attack, lean into it by boosting that transient and then, on your supporting layers, soften the attack to avoid conflict, ensuring the primary layer dominates those first milliseconds of the sound.
Second, transients affect the perceived depth of your mix. Humans associate sharper, more detailed transients with closer sounds, while softer attacks naturally feel farther away. Think of it like snapping your fingers: up close, you hear every detail, but from across the room, it’s much fainter and less detailed.
Transient shaping tools can help create this sense of depth.
The audio example below shows just that. Drawing out the transients of the plucky layer helps the softer layer underneath have its own room to breath.
Martin Roth on going DAWless: “Touching knobs and keys is the main craft”
Electronic producers often lean on visual cues – grids, meters, and waveforms – when working in a DAW. But for veteran artist Martin Roth, removing the screen from the equation has become essential to staying creatively grounded.
Moving toward a DAWless workflow with tools like Maschine+ has helped him reconnect with the tactile side of making music, where instinct and physical interaction matter more than polish or speed.
Martin’s approach reflects a broader shift among experienced producers: doing less on-screen, and more by ear. With his Moving On EP set to release on Anjunadeep May 27 – including the long-awaited title track “The Song That Plays At The End Of Your Childhood” – and a string of analog-themed projects coming through his own Analog People imprint, the timing lines up well to explore how Maschine+ fits into his evolving process.
In this interview, Martin shares how DAWless production helps him avoid creative burnout, why staying hands-on leads to better results, and what it means to bring childhood curiosity back into modern studio work.
Jump to these sections:
- How going DAWless changes your creative mindset
- Why tactile control with Maschine+ helps you focus
- Balancing hardware workflows with release timelines
- Arranging without a DAW and committing to ideas early
- Lessons from early creative risks that still apply
- Simplifying your setup without limiting creativity
Before we get into the conversation, download two Maschine freebies that Martin created; one arp sound pack that you can hear in the Instagram video below, and one Maschine kit from his track “Synth City.”
Download Maschine sound pack free
Want to learn more? Take a look at Martin’s notes for the freebies.
Do you think going DAWless forces you to think differently about music? If so, how?
The most important part of creating music is to be still psyched and amazed – like my childhood days, in front of the piano and as a teenager playing with my first analog gear. This isn’t easy, as I have been doing this for quite some time already. Techniques, styles, approaches and audiences have changed several times and naturally, things are becoming routine. This can kill the artistic approach and I run the risk of stumbling into established patterns.
I try to stay excited by reminding myself how everything started. I envision myself as a guest in my own youth: innocent, everything is allowed, not overthinking. There are simply no rules. AND the computer screen and mouse are not dominant. The main craft is touching knobs and keys.
When I do this, the focus is more on the ears and less on the eyes.
And it must be simple. I hate it when results take too long to achieve. Fortunately, simplicity is better in every way: it’s easier to mix, handle, and process, both for the listener and the technical creator as well.
DAWless equals portability. I’m more likely to pick up an instrument that’s ready to go and can be used anywhere I feel comfortable. No cables should be tethering me to an AC outlet or monitor system. A laptop powerbank and a 15V UBC-C power converter will do the trick here.
Devices like Maschine offer a lot of tactile control – do you think having that hands-on element helps you stay more focused compared to working entirely in a DAW?
I love my DAW. I know it is still better inside out compared to all the external boxes and keyboards I have – I can rush through several processes like mixing and sometimes sound design.
But when it comes to the general idea of the track and even sometimes the arrangement, it has to happen in the playground or “sandbox” like Maschine+. You get a more honest and heartfelt result with hands on control.
With the industry’s emphasis on fast output, do you think hardware workflows help or hinder staying on schedule?
The internal Maschine+ instruments and plugins provide a solid foundation for fast output, covering mono/poly synthesis, FM synthesis, wavetable synthesis, and drum synths.
If you don’t want to wait for additional VSTs to be implemented, you can explore the vast selection of Reaktor ensembles in Maschine+.
Simply select your favorite ensemble, open it in Reaktor on your Mac or PC, pick any preset at random, save the ensemble (.ens) again, and place it in the Native Instruments / User / Reaktor folder on your Maschine+ SD card.
You can then access all your favorite ensembles and all of their corresponding presets directly, and they even load faster than on your desktop.
In regards to the industry’s emphasis on fast output: even though I function under pressure and have written some of my best pieces in just hours rather than weeks, sometimes I don’t like it. Things take time to develop – or better – to incubate.
Just by sitting on the HD – once the time is right you know.
How do you approach layering sounds or creating arrangements in a DAWless environment with tools like Maschine?
I frequently set up my Maschine as a main DAWless hub, it’s quite easy. Many small external units and synths only need a USB connection to the Maschine+ for power, MIDI, and even audio. You can then select their MIDI inputs and outputs directly in the settings and start playing right away in an empty Group/Sound – even routing them through internal effects if desired.
As you can see above, If you need additional audio inputs or outputs, you can easily expand your setup with a USB audio interface – my choice is the Focusrite Scarlett 18i20.
Honestly, I am so well versed in arranging my music in a DAW that I am tempted to do it there – however, I am continuing to learn it the classic way, which is without the DAW. I’m still arranging a song by how it sounds and not how it looks good in boxes and in a grid.
With a DAW, there’s also the risk of trying to add non-essential things before you are committed to the arrangement, which doesn’t happen as much when you’re in a DAWless setup.
With all that being said, I recommend arranging a song as early as possible. Fortunately, Ableton Live gives you the possibility to do it in a “classic way” in that it lets you mute and unmute parts while playing with automation. This is helpful when you’re trying to figure out how song structure works on a specific part.
My current setup is arranging it as far as you can in a DAWless setup, committing to the parts by printing them into WAV files and then doing the final mixing and arranging steps in a DAW.
What’s a mistake you’ve made early in your career that taught you a lot about balancing creative risks and industry demands?
In the early days, I was much more of a risk taker. The music I created when I was younger was not as polished, but at the same time, it was more special. My first ever record was the worst-sounding record on the label at that time, but it became successful because the vibe was right.
Fast forward to now, we intentionally add errors, flaws, and noise on purpose so that it sounds more realistic, unique, and human.
For producers feeling overwhelmed by tools and options, what’s your advice on focusing their setup without limiting their creativity?
Less is always more.
While there are plenty of options to build, shape and generate a sound through many plugins, limiting yourself is always beneficial. I need to remind myself of that every day.
When I had my first synth and my first sampler, I knew these tools inside and out. I knew every parameter hidden deep in menus, and I learned tricks to circumvent any limitations.
I feel the same way about Maschine+. There are so many things on my wishlist for Native Instruments to develop, but we can’t just wait for all those updates to come. It’s important to be good at what’s already there and pushing its boundaries.
Start producing in a DAWless environment with Maschine
Big thanks to Martin for pulling back the curtain on how he’s using Maschine+ to stay creatively sharp. It’s easy to get stuck staring at a screen, chasing polish instead of ideas – but stepping away from the DAW, even for a while, can shift your whole mindset.
That’s what came through the most in this convo: working with hardware isn’t about nostalgia or purism – it’s about staying excited to make music. Keeping things tactile, keeping them a little messy, and not overthinking every step. Maschine gives Martin that kind of playground, and it’s clear it’s helping him tap into something more instinctive.
With new music dropping soon and a bigger analog-focused push on the horizon, he’s laying out a pretty convincing case for why sometimes, less really does get you further.
Notes from Martin about the free sounds and kit
Free sound pack: Anyone with Maschine+ or the Maschine Controller can play it right away with the Chords and Arp Sequence already selected – all the others with other Maschine versions or just the software can at least play the sound and make their own progressions.
Free Maschine kit: I made a Kit from my track “Synth City” and ported the most important parts of the song into Maschine software so you have all the chords, the polysix sampled bassline, the sequence and of course the drum sounds from the song. This is also attached as a full Maschine 2 Project incl. samples.
The post Martin Roth on going DAWless: “Touching knobs and keys is the main craft” first appeared on Native Instruments Blog.
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Florian Kruse shares his drum programming process for melodic techno – and his free essential Battery kit
Wrapping it all up
Big thanks to Florian for breaking down how he works inside Battery 4. What stuck with us most was how dialed-in his process is without being overly complicated. It’s clear he’s spent years refining what actually works – separating key elements early, curating his own sample banks, using humanization where it matters—and now it’s just muscle memory.
You can hear all of it on Clockwork Mind / Mother Nature. The drums hit, but they stay out of the way. The groove moves, but nothing feels forced. It’s the kind of balance you only get when you trust your tools and don’t let the process slow you down.
For anyone building melodic techno, this is a solid reminder that tight drums don’t come from throwing more at the mix—they come from making clear decisions early and letting those small moves stack up.
10 iconic songs that use the Wurlitzer electric piano sound
What is a Wurlitzer electric piano?
The Wurlitzer electric piano is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument produced from 1954 to 1983. Wurlitzers (or “Wurlis”) produce sound using flat steel reeds struck by felt hammers, and these reeds are housed within a comb-like metal plate, forming an electrostatic pickup system. This design creates a signature tone that’s soft when played gently, but gaining a rough, resonant character with increased key pressure.
What does a Wurlitzer piano sound like?
Wurlitzers arguably sound more harmonically abundant than the bell-like Rhodes, with a richer and more jangly tone. Soft playing yields a vibraphone-like sweetness, but harder keystrokes produce a gritty, growling sound.
How to use Expansions with Leap to create your best music yet
When you find a sound you like, add it to your kit by dragging and dropping the sample onto a key on the Leap interface.
We can start by adding some drum loops to our kit.
We’re exploring the Astral Flutter Expansion, which features future-focused sounds for hip-hop and electronica. It’s available as a standalone package or as part of Komplete.
Like many Expansions, Astral Flutter offers a deep selection of drum loops, often including multiple variations of the same loop. We can drop some of these related loops into Leap and then combine them to create a sophisticated beat.
To do this, we selected the Astral Flutter Expansion in the sidebar, typed “Drums” into the browser search bar, then dragged a few drum loops onto different keys in Leap’s interface.