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What does a phaser actually do?

As mentioned, phaser effects are reliant on all-pass filters. All-pass filter is a type of filter that affects the phase of a signal without changing its amplitude. Unlike low-pass, high-pass, or band-pass filters, which alter the strength of certain frequencies, an all-pass filter allows all frequencies to pass through at equal volume but shifts their phase by different amounts.

A phaser effect is built using multiple all-pass filters in series. In isolation all-pass filters aren’t audible, but when the original dry signal is mixed in and the filter cutoff frequency of the filters are modulated by an LFO, the interaction between the original and phase-adjusted signals creates phasing’s sweeping, swirling effect.

Let’s look at Phasis’ interface to see the most common types of Phaser FX parameters.

How to make a pluggnb beat

1. Compose a chord progression

Musicality is arguably a more important part of pluggnb than it is of trap. While trap beats can revolve around as little as one or two chords, more involved jazzy chord progressions are the foundation of the majority of pluggnb beats. So then, let’s begin with the composition of a suitable smooth, jazzy pluggnb chord progression.

Set your DAW’s project tempo to 130 BPM.

How would you describe your teaching style? What makes the Crossfader approach unique or effective?

At Crossfader, we teach DJing like building with Lego – it’s not just about individual bricks (or buttons and features) but about understanding how they interlock to build something complete and dynamic.

We show students how each tool – like beatmatching, loops, effects, and mixing techniques – acts as a building block. These fundamental elements may seem separate at first, but when combined in different ways, they create entirely new possibilities in a DJ set.

Then, we guide them through different combinations, demonstrating how the same foundational techniques can be used in various ways to achieve different creative outcomes. Just like in Lego, where the same set of bricks can be assembled into countless designs, DJing is about using core techniques to craft unique and expressive mixes.

Traktor is a powerful platform, but it can feel complex at first. We simplify it by breaking things down into real-world workflows, helping students connect features in a way that makes sense.

How has your team’s experience as DJs influenced your approach to teaching Traktor?

Our team isn’t just made up of instructors – we’re DJs first. We were real resident DJs, working six nights a week and playing a wide range of genres and styles. This constant adaptation taught us invaluable on-the-job knowledge that we now pass on to our students. We’ve played in clubs, on radio, at festivals, and we’ve experienced the real challenges DJs face. That means we don’t just teach “textbook” techniques – we teach what actually works in live settings.

For Traktor, that’s crucial. It’s one of the most innovative DJ platforms, and knowing how to use its features effectively can unlock incredible creative potential. We’ve been in the DJ industry for over 15 years and have grown alongside the technology. We started DJing before controllers and powerful software features were the norm, honing our skills on traditional setups.

As the industry evolved, we embraced new innovations like HID mode and Traktor’s controllers, integrating them into our live sets throughout the last decade. This hands-on experience allows us to teach students how to blend new tools into their DJ workflow seamlessly.

What advice would you give to aspiring DJs who are just starting out, especially those interested in using Traktor?

1. Master the fundamentals before chasing complexity. Traktor has some of the most powerful features in any DJ software, but it’s easy to get lost in them. First, focus on learning beatmatching, phrasing, and track selection. Effects, stem separation, and looping are tools to enhance your mixes, but the foundation is key.
2. Listen to music. Focus on understanding what makes up a song – the elements, sounds, sections, and phrases throughout. Notice the changes in energy, the instruments introduced, and how tracks are structured. Developing this deep musical awareness will make it easier to shape your workflow and use Traktor’s features to enhance your mixing rather than overcomplicate it.
3. Practice in real-world scenarios. Don’t just mix in isolation. Record your sets, play for friends, and experiment with different genres. The best way to grow as a DJ is to step outside your comfort zone and put yourself in situations where you have to react, adapt, and perform.
4. Be aware of what makes Traktor unique. Traktor stands out for its Remix Decks, its deep customizability, and its powerful effects. While it’s important not to focus on these advanced features too early, being aware of their potential will help shape your journey. Understanding how Traktor allows for creative manipulation beyond traditional DJing – whether through live remixing, effect layering, or customized mappings – will give you a strong foundation to grow into its full capabilities over time.
5. Finally, enjoy the process. DJing should be fun, expressive, and creative. With Traktor, you’ve got a powerful toolset – so dive in, explore, and make it your own.

Start leveling up your DJ skills

We want to thank the team at Crossfader for sharing how they approach teaching DJing with Traktor and what skills they recommend DJs work on to improve their skills. No matter what your skill level is, there’s no better time to learn something new.

Start learning

Here are some of the key highlights of the new User Chords that can help you elevate your sound:

Explore unique harmonic structures: Go beyond standard chord voicings and create entirely new and interesting harmonic combinations, unlocking possibilities for more original and distinctive musical ideas.

Tailor your sound to specific genres: Craft sounds that are suited to the nuances and harmonic characteristics of different music genres.

Create personalized chord sets: Build and save your own libraries of favorite or signature chord voicings. These personalized sets can be easily recalled later for use in different projects.

Easy chord creation: The process of creating custom chords is designed to be intuitive. Users can simply select the desired notes on the pads to build their chords. Lit pads visually indicate which notes are included.

Real-time preview and editing: Preview your custom chords as they are being built. Mistakes can be easily corrected by simply selecting a note again to remove it.

Key and octave manipulation: Once a chord is created, you can shift it up and down octaves and even change the root note while maintaining the same chord shape, simplifying the process of experimenting with different keys and harmonic contexts.

Integration with other Maschine features: User chords can be used in conjunction with other Maschine functionalities, such as the arpeggiator, to generate interesting melodic and rhythmic patterns.

Start personalizing your sound

The introduction of User Chords in Maschine 3.1 empowers you to explore unique harmonic territories and personalize your sound in exciting new ways. From crafting genre-specific voicings to generating entirely original harmonic progressions, try it yourself in Maschine!

Explore User Chords in Maschine

What does “analog warmth” mean to you in the context of mastering, and why is it so desirable, yet difficult to achieve, in a digital workflow?

To start, it’s important to understand the core difference between analog and digital sound:

Analog sound is essentially an electrical signal that represents sound waves in their natural, continuous form. This is where the “magic” comes in – analog signals have slight nonlinearities and even a bit of unpredictability, which give the sound warmth, life, and character.

Digital sound, on the other hand, works differently. It converts the signal into a sequence of numbers, making it precise and predictable. Originally, digital was designed as a highly accurate tool, though over time, it evolved to encompass a variety of “flavors” that give it more depth and versatility.

Our brains are naturally wired to respond to “nonlinear sound.” Think about it – the rustling of leaves in the wind, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, or even the echo of birdsong in a forest. These sounds are never the same twice, and this unpredictability makes them feel alive. It’s psychoacoustics at play. While it’s hard to explain exactly why, we instinctively find this kind of sound more engaging and pleasing.

The challenge of recreating analog warmth digitally lies in the complexity of emulating all those little nuances: the behavior of microchips, circuits, filters, and the randomness of electricity itself. Building these algorithms is incredibly demanding, both in terms of development and computing power.

Automation in music is a valuable tool. A modern DAW project might feature dozens (or even hundreds) of parts. There’s no way you can keep on top of them all with a single pair of hands and eyes. By automating parameters, you can add sophisticated details to your projects that will be perfectly reproduced each time you play it back.

The simplest kind of automation is probably a volume fade. By automating the volume of a part in your DAW, you can make a new part emerge from nothing, or create a fade out at the end of a track. But automation in music goes much deeper than this.

Most modern DAWs (such as Logic Pro, Pro Tools, and Ableton Live) let you automate parameters right across a project, from synths and effects to global parameters. You can use automation to create filter sweeps, give complex movement to a synth part, switch on and off effects, or even change the tempo of your song halfway through.

What are the basics of audio routing?

Audio routing refers to the flow of signal in your audio setup, whether it’s a hardware rig or production software like a DAW.

In any musical context, some kind of “signal” (whether that’s sound waves, electrical signal, or digital ones and zeroes) has to travel from one place to another.

When you play electric guitar, the signal begins at the strings of your axe, where it’s captured by the pickups on the guitar’s body. This signal (which is now electrical voltage) might then be routed to effects pedals that alter the signal. It then travels to an amplifier before being pushed into the air.

In electronic music-making setups, signal flow can get more complicated. You might think of the messy patchbays found in a well-equipped studio, or the forest of cables sticking out of a modular synth. But audio routing isn’t only relevant in the hardware realm. It’s just as crucial in software production, where it’s easy to set up smart and complex DAW signal routings.

What is routing in a DAW?

Audio routing in a DAW refers to the path that a signal takes from when it is generated to when you hear it. DAW signal routing typically starts with a sound source such as an audio file or synthesizer. Eventually it reaches the output of your DAW, where it can be sent to your speakers or headphones, or bounced to an audio file for later listening.

A lot of things can happen in between these two points. The signal might be routed through effects that transform it in creative ways. It might be grouped together with other signals, or duplicated and sent down multiple pathways.

Modern DAWs allow for almost limitless audio routing configurations. Indeed, the power to manage complex signal flows is one of the strengths of software production. Learning to master this complexity will broaden the scope of your music.

To better understand audio routing in a DAW, we need to learn some key terms, starting with “bus.”

What is a bus?

A bus, or mix bus, is a channel that takes signal from multiple channels and bundles them together into one signal.

43. Use repetition

Write a catchy chorus using repetition. If you repeat the title of the song in your chorus three or more times, it gets stuck in the listener’s head.

44. Keep the lyrics simple in the chorus

Use the chorus to spotlight the main message or feature of your song, and save the verses for the story building aspects of your song.

45. Use a different tempo

Start song song writing ideas at a different tempo than you usually work at. If most of your songs are written at 70 or 80 bpm, try writing at a faster tempo like 120 or 128 bpm. If you usually write at 128, try 140 or above.

46. Repeat phrases, but change them slightly

Start a song by writing a melody with a short musical phrase, then repeat it, altering the notes or rhythm slightly each time. Try changing one note each time the melody repeats. On the other hand, you could repeat the same melody three times, and in the fourth phrase, change the notes or rhythm.

47. Access more sounds on your favorite controller

Using new sounds can be inspiring, and lead to new ideas. Now you can access a vast range of Native Instruments sounds with the new NKS Hardware Partner program, which means controllers from Akai, Novation, Mektar, Korg and M-Audio are now compatible with Komplete Kontrol desktop software. Use your favourite controller to access over 2,000 NKS-compatible instruments, and you’ll be sure to find a sound that inspires you to write something new.

48. Get inspired by your favourite artists

Listen to your favorite songs, and see if you can identify which parts of their songs that you like about their melodies or productions. Deconstruct their ideas from start to finish. Try to borrow some of their techniques, whether this means borrowing ideas like types of rhythmic patterns, scales, or themes.

49. Learn song structure

If you’re writing songs, you’ll need to have a clear idea of what each part of the song is, and a general idea of how long it should be in the genre you’re writing in. Pop music has a different song structure from electronic music. If you learn how to structure your songs, the entire song writing process will be easier.

50. Keys to success

Whether a song is in a major or minor key can have merit on its success. Choose a key to work in depending on the emotion that you want to express in the song. Major keys tend to produce happier, more upbeat songs, while minor keys add a melancholy feeling to the song.

Start writing songs with these song ideas

We all need a few new song ideas now and then to spark our imaginations and creativity. Keep this list of song writing prompts easily accessible so you can refer to them before a writing session. Choose one idea to use for your song, and get busy crafting your song!!

Be sure to download Komplete Start, a free version of Komplete that’s a great addition to any songwriter’s setup. This toolkit includes Kontakt 8 Player, which gives you access to Tools, including the Chords Tool and Phrases tool that are perfect for aspiring or seasoned writers. Equipped with these tips for starting a song, you’ll always have a fresh flow of ideas to create your music.

Get Komplete Start free