Curious about which free plugins you guys consider a MUST in your production arsenal? Here are some of my top FREE ones: Spitfire Soft Piano: https://labs.spitfireaudio.com/soft-piano This piano is amazing - I use it all the time and I can't believe it's free because it sounds SO GOOD... Extra Tip: Layer this with a different piano, pan one left 50%, pan this one right 50%. Also, check out Spitfire's other free instruments - They're extremely high quality and fun to try out! https://www.spitfireaudio.com/pages/free-instruments MUST TRY: Granulator 2 for Ableton Max4Live: https://www.ableton.com/en/packs/granulator-ii/ Ok... This is probably my all-time favorite right here... Granulator takes any sample and splits it into millions of "grains" that sound SO COOL. (Note: You will need Max For Live to use this) On top of Granulator 2, I highly recommend checking out Ableton's free stuff - there are TONS to pick from. Slate Digital's "Fresh Air": https://slatedigital.com/fresh-air/ This plugin helps you add pleasant high-end to literally anything. I love using it subtly on Pianos, drums, guitars, and even vocals sometimes. What else? Leave em' below!

Watch this video if you want high-quality samples to take your productions to the next level 👇 Downloading sample packs can shortcut your success with mixing because professionally-made samples often come loaded with "that punch, sizzle, or sauce you need" if you know what I'm sayin'. 👨🏼‍🍳 This is especially true when it comes to drums! Having the highest quality drums samples (kicks, snares, hats, etc...) can make a world of difference to your production quality. Using a platform like Splice allows you to search for any sounds, like drums, vocals, instruments, synths, melodies, "song starters", or literally anything under the sun. You can even filter by Key, BPM, style, and more. Then if you have a Sample Folder set up in Ableton, it will automatically add those samples into the Ableton folder to speed up your workflow. Definitely check it out 🤘 I don't make any money from recommending them, and I'm not affiliated with them in any way... I've just used their platform for over a decade now and it's made my life SO much easier! What are some of your favorite sample providers?

Do you have hundreds of unfinished song ideas sitting on your hard drive? Get frustrated trying to complete and export tracks? You're not alone - even pros struggle to finish tunes. The first time I was hired to write for a TV show, I was super excited to have my first TV deal - but also super nervous because I was now responsible for producing 20 (yes, TWENTY) 2-minute "cues" or songs in just one month... The first one or two songs were easy because of my excitement, but after around 5 days I only had those 2 songs and was beginning to get overwhelmed... Refining a solid workflow in Ableton and adopting some new beliefs I will share below transformed me from an “idea starter” to a “song finisher.” After realizing I HAD to change my approach to hit my deadline without compromising music quality, these 5 tips completely changed my ability to complete tracks: 1. Ditch Perfectionism Trying to make every sound, loop, and note absolutely perfect is a recipe for never finishing. Commit to completing and moving forward, knowing you can always refine later. 2. Speed Up Your Sound Design Spending hours finding the perfect synth patch leads to wasting time rather than producing. Limit sound design to 10-20 mins per instrument - embrace creative boundaries. 3. Finish Arrangements First Don’t get stuck mixing before completing arrangement. Sketch it out fast and return for polish. Getting all sections in place maintains focus on the full vision. Don't be the person that spends 3 hours EQing and compressing your snare while the arrangement isn't finished yet - trust me, I've done this too many times 😂 4. Collaborate with a Deadline Working with someone or for a gig forces you to stop nitpicking. External deadlines and accountability lead to completed songs. Even just telling other people you're going to be done with something can put the external pressure on you to get it done. 5. Reward Yourself Celebrate finishing tracks before jumping into revisions. Even small rewards for completing key milestones keeps you motivated to the end.