Fanu/FatGyver

Transient plugin companies HATE this little trick…or something, ha 🤪 A less-known Ableton technique for sculpting extra transients for your drums. You can also use this technique for creating extra bass filth. FM is the name of the game!

Let's get our hands dirty making funky hip hop beats with Addictive Drums 2. I heard it got an update, so I just had to take a look how sweet it looks and get busy creating some funky drums! Join me on this quick sesh to make some beats from scratch! There are also two other Addictive Drums sessions

This was originally posted on my website in 2017 and it was later on one of the very first posts when I launched my Patreon in spring of 2020. Ableton posted this back then too, if I'm correct 😋 I still actually use this one, so I've decided to give it a little update! (There's so much stuff on my

So one thing that has been requested a LOT is to make a DNB beat with Ableton stuff only. So I took that and combined it with my recent against-the-clock idea...and I think this came out quite OK! If you have never tried this challenge, try it: it can be REALLY difficult. You will HAVE to concentrat

Been meaning to go against the clock to make a beat for the longest time. First effort is here! I actually liked this a lot. I admit 100% I didn't realize how fast that 15 minutes would go. I did ZERO preparation, planning, scripting…none. So it came out ok, considering. The only rule I set for myse

The Basics course (link!) has three videos and is 4.5 hours in total, so there's a lot to watch and learn. ⚠️The above Youtube video is now private (it used to be free), so please DO NOT SHARE that video! If you want files, get them here (split into three parts): Part 1 / part 2 / part 3 This progra

These three little tips should allow you to have your beats sound a little more dynamic and human! 0:45 Not everything has to be full blast 2:52 Not everything has to be on the grid 4:39 Not everything has to be super bright all the time (I’d guess most producers don’t use the filter technique prese

In my Ableton Live 12 features post back in Nov 2023, I went through many features that Live 12 offers. I didn't fully get the Scale feature back then (sorry!) and it's been bugging me ever since, and I want to get into that and explain it better. Hence, here's a quick video for ya'll demonstrating

Time to get busy with some sample-based beatmaking! I’ve always loved hunting down samples and making stuff around it. I don’t always build things “around it”, but this time I’m doing just that. I’ve seen some people say stuff like sample-based music is on the decline, and hearing that alone was eno

There's this one thing (or two) that I do on many masters that have a breakdown and a drop – a lot of electronic music – and I wanted to share. Working on a song of mine here to keep it copyright-free and all that. See if you can hear the difference, and try it on your songs. No epic mastering skill

I promised recently to show how I created the Operator basses in the recent project I posted, so here we go…get all wubsy with it! If anyone says stock DAW tools aren't powerful these days, I'm going to slap them around with a very large trout. More bass stuff in the near horizon; I just discovered

Alright, dear students, so let's do something different. I will soon post a video about how to do some very techy Ableton Operator basses. However, before that, I want to prep you for it! A good student is also curious, and I've always wanted to raise that curiosity, because that is what makes you d

So Ableton Push 3 is out today. Available as a standalone and non-standalone versions. I was happy to receive my unit early and I've been a tester for a while. So, wanted to create this video for release day. Hope you like! Ableton Push 3 overview by Fanu (YouTube)

This video for Ableton Nordic Youtube channel is waaaaaaaaayy overdue. But hey, protips don't age. Hope you like some of these! Essential Ableton Live protips from Fanu (YouTube)

Let's take a look at what happens in Reverse Dawn (Dispatch Dubplate). I'll show you the drums and point you to the source, talk about a bi Let's take a look at what happens in Reverse Dawn (Dispatch Dubplate). I'll show you the drums and point you to the source, talk about a bit about the drum patt

Always willing to inspire people to work on fresh drums, I want you to see what's happening with the drums in No Horizon (Metalheadz). Video here (no sharing!) Also revealing the source sample and who sent it to me maybe 15 years ago and also used it in D&B before me (has only been used once before,

I'm slamming you with Chopping Science episode 2 to get you into the mood to work on some drums! (no sharing the link!) Who's gonna work on some drums this weekend? Well, I know I am? Anyways, here I continue from where I finished in Episode 1. I'm making the drumloop more aggressive and talk about

Hey ya'll! Chopping Science vol. 2 will come in Feb, but peep this! I wanted to share a few techniques in layering drumbreaks. Going thru some plugins and techniques to really squeeze some added tone out of a supporting break while keeping a main break on top. I can guarantee there’s especially one

The most requested thing from me, by far, has been relating to chopping drums and making breakbeats. And that’s what I will present to you, in the form of Chopping Science video series. First episode is up on Patreon now (40+ minutes). VIDEO HERE (No sharing!!) I’ll show you how I chop my drums, wha

Modular bass growl filth with Ableton Live from scratch? Hold my beer! Using the modular Oscillot synth (a M4L pack). Let's build a basic one-osc synth and get growly…the power is in that filter! Filthy modular bass action with Ableton Oscillot (Max For Live)! (Fanu, Finland) (YouTube)

SP-12 drums plus instrument for Ableton, Bitwig, and Renoise/Redux. Slamming you with SP-12 drums sampled from my SP-12 AND instruments for Ableton Live 10 & 11, Bitwig Studio, and Redux/Renoise. If you've been hanging around on my Patreon long enough, you'll remember that I originally did a rack fo

Quick Ableton bass mixing tip: Vinyl Distortion can add some really good harmonics and grit to your bassline – without hurting the sub at all. Start with a pure sine, add vinyl distortion, then add a bit of Saturator after that, and you get a really beefy bass with amazing harmonics that'll cut thru

I sit down, get my FatGyver alias and to make a hip hop beat, and drop some Ableton Live tips. and techniques. I check out strumming, chords, midi humanization, why audio input signal matters, etc. • Check FatGyver hip hop stuff on Spotify: http://tinyurl.com/fatgyverspotify • DENPA Humanizer for Ma

Alright guys! I've been getting into doing basses with Ableton Collision, which is a much less covered instrument. Video will teach you how it sounds and sworks, so you'll be on your way designing basses with it. VIDEO HERE I actually uploaded the project used in the video – it contains the three va

• VIDEO HERE • I got a good question from a patron: how to create some melodies with Ableton Live that'd be sort of generative, so it wouldn't be looping the same notes, but it'd be adding things and keeping it lively? So, I did session using a certain tool in Live that should get you going. Video w

Let’s take a look at how one can try and emulate the classic 303 acid sound. There’s a few considerations: filter resonance filter envelope glide oscillator shape Using Ableton Analog here, but if once you understand the basics, you can chase this classic acid sound with ANY synth, as after all this

Let’s make Analog chord way more lush and lively than its bland default sound Let’s make Ableton Analog synth chords lush and lively! (YouTube)

Shredding here with variations of Amen loop, using Follow Actions + Legato + effects to create intense randomisation for a Session clip group. Hop to 8:00 in the video to get the idea quickly. Ableton Live: follow actions + Legato + FX for some Amen shredding! (and something else) (YouTube)

Showing you four ways to control the dynamics of your audio signal. In this video, a drumloop is used to demonstrate how it can be tamed, made tighter, and also made more aggressive. See video for timecode links! Multiband dynamics: four ways to control your signal dynamics (Fanu / FI) (YouTube)

Time for a new video! Let’s take some records, sample them, isolate their elements with RipX, and make a beat out of those with Ableton Live. Been testing that new RipX plugin, and loving it! So wanted to demo it here. See bottom of YT text for timecodes for sections of video. Let’s take old records

Ableton Live allows for a pretty nice way to create a "DJ-style" mix of music. This way you can create a nice blend of songs that has all the music beatmatched! Fanu (FI): Making a Mixtape in Ableton Live (YouTube)

Especially if you're not familar with Operator or FM synthesis, here's a quick-ish tip of the day for creating a classic bass sound from scratch. BTW this technique works with any FM synth, not just Ableton. In FM synthesis, you usually have one main oscillator, and its pitch is modulated by that of

Hola amigos! Hope you've been good. I took this week as a holiday week as I haven't been able to do much of that this year, as it's been intense with work...feels good to recharge a bit a few times a year, and don't we all need it! On my holiday, I've been testing Bitwig Studio. Without further ado,

If you've ever wondered how you can strum an instrument with Ableton Live, here's how. I won't waste your time with my lifestory – I'll get straight to the point! Enjoy the 1-minute quickie 😅 How to STRUM CHORDS with Ableton Live? (1-minute quicktip!) (YouTube)

If your summer isn't hot enough, lemme show you how to create some hot tones with Ableton Wavetable: let's do a classic Reese bass that's good for D&B and let's get roasted! You can grab the preset here! Creating an ANGRY D&B bass! Ableton Wavetable goes Reese! (download preset) (YouTube)

I've always liked a slightly "toasty" sound in my own productions: it's not always super "audible" or in your face, but my music always leans slightly towards the oldskool / lo-fi / grungey end of the audio spectrum (as opposed to hi-fi / ultramodern / polished). I have a pretty big toolbox for "dir

If you're not familiar with Ableton Live 11's new tool, Spectral Resonator, here's a look at its feature that's become a favorite of mine: how to harmonize any track based on incoming midi notes. In this video, I'm making the acid line and drums of my house track "sing along" musically based on some

In a session with a student yesterday, I showed him a rack I always use for trying out different plugins that introduce analog saturation – i.e., plugins that react to the input level and add some pleasant harmonics to the sound. I absolutely love trying out those types of plugs, and saturation has

Alright fam! Another exclusive video, showing you how you can: 1) Create a beat whose elements vary in terms of level automatically and also in terms of probability, so as the end result, not all notes play every time, and when they do, their level varies, so even by doing a short loop you can creat

Ableton Live 11 allows for 16 macros. Here's an EQ 8 rack I wanted to share. Basically it has controls for low, mids, and highs, as well as HP and LP filter controls and master gain. The pic shows them: • frequency controls, gain controls, and on/off controls for lows, mids, and highs • overall gain

Oi friends! Here's the video on how to do this. I've been wanting to make that classic angry Reese bass for a while, but I've wanted to do something that's not exactly like all other Reeses – I want a bit of an edge to it with some chances for nice tonal variation. DOWNLOAD v1 HERE (Live 10 compatib

Hi friends. Here is a video about a Metalheadz song of mine, “Baretta”. It was the first song of mine that Goldie picked. It came out on my Black Label EP on Metalheadz Platinum. I’m running you through the song in Ableton Live, showing the sounds I used, talking about the song sections, sound choic

Wanted to share this quickie – I know it may obvious to some, but I didn't think of this until quite late in my productions. 1) Group the devices on the track (this creates a "rack") 2) Automate the rack to be on only when it's being used. I do this heavily (sorry for the ironic pun!) these days, an

Let's take a look at Ableton Live 11's take lanes feature! Ableton Live 11 take lanes: basics and doing custom breakbeats (YouTube)

Just wanted to let you know! "Open plugin window" is mappable on Live 11. E.g., I can now open the GUI of SPAN, which I use a lot, to a key. And another click closes it. So useful. This is actually a bit of a biggie to me, as I want to check SPAN often and close it conveniently. Gotta love Live!

Facebook reminded me of this one (I used to post a ton of music stuff on Facebook over the years), and I thought this is still a very legit technique. Allows you to place a sample of any length on song start and then start the song right after the sample and still keep the relevant bar structure (in

Showing you how you can use the FM synthesis feature of Ableton Sampler to add a bit of tone to your samples. Adding a bit of “audibleness” to a kick and an 808 bass here. Ableton Live FM synthesis tip – using Sampler (YouTube)

(I'm still working on My most used plugins post…will come SOON though! It just takes a lot of writing, but will be worth it) What I know about many music-makers out there based on asking them what’s challenging to them about making music is that many of them often say that finishing a song is one of

Let's have a little refresher about what makes the Ableton Auto Filter so "auto" and useful! Ableton Live Auto Filter tip (YouTube)

Here's a quick public demo video of the SP-12 Drum Rack for Ableton Live 10. It's available for paying members. To get it, access the post that was done before this one and you'll find a download link there. If you want to just "buy" this and not become a member: You can do it by subscribing to any