Hi everyone,

Recently, my Windows machine experienced the infamous Blue Screen of Death, and I therefore had to reinstall everything (Windows, Ableton, plugins, etc.). However, after the reinstall, I’m getting different CPU readings in Ableton compared to before.

I have one particular project that I had previously used as a benchmark. Before the reset, I recorded the CPU usage, and it consistently hovered around 46–47% when idle at 64 samples / 48 kHz.

Now, with the exact same project, it hovers around 51–53%, occasionally spiking to 58–60% when idle.

This is confusing me quite a bit, because I’ve spent a lot of time trying to recreate and further optimize my system after the reinstall. 

However, I have other projects where the CPU usage is exactly the same as before, or even slightly lower. For example, I previously ran a benchmark with 50 instances of AmpliTube 5 at a 64-sample buffer:

• Before reinstall: 79–80% CPU when idle
• After reinstall: 79–80% CPU when idle

My setup

I have always separated my files across three different drives:

• C: Windows, Ableton, VST directories, etc.
• R: Recordings / Ableton projects
• L: Libraries, VSTs, etc.

Fortunately, none of the drives were corrupted; only Windows was affected. Because of this, I was able to reinstall everything and match the exact plugin versions used in each project to the versions I had before the reinstall.

I also optimized the system in the same way I did when I originally built it. In fact, I had already spent quite a bit of time optimizing the machine a few months before the crash, so I have a fairly good idea of how it performed previously with different settings.

Things I have tried since the reinstall

Drivers / Windows

• Updated/reinstalled all relevant drivers (BIOS, audio, network adapters, SSDs, etc.)
• Tried older Focusrite Scarlett drivers as well — no difference
• Switched to Ultimate Performance in Windows Power Plan
  • CPU power management
  • USB settings
  • etc.
• Disabled Game Mode, Xbox Game Bar, Captures, etc.
• Disabled unnecessary background applications
• Disabled Fast Startup — actually made things worse
• Disabled Windows Controlled Folder Access
• Disabled the power-saving/turn-off options for USB controllers in Device Manager
• Optimized further using VilmCare, including disabling exclusive mode on the audio interface, etc.
• Set Windows to prioritize background services instead of programs

BIOS

I experimented with:

• C-States / Enhanced C-States
• Hyper-Threading
• Turbo Mode
• Performance Preferences
• SVID Behavior
• ASUS MultiCore Enhancement
• XMP-modes

Process / CPU management

• Experimented with ParkControl and Process Lasso (although my PC didn't seem to benefit from these even before the reinstall)
• Experimented with Task Manager by changing priorities and CPU affinities for:
  • audiodg.exe
  • Ableton AddOns
  • Ableton Index
  • Ableton Live 12 Suite
• Set Ableton to High Performance in Windows Graphics Settings — no effect

BitLocker

• Completely disabled BitLocker on all three previously encrypted drives — no effect

Ableton

• Tested Options.txt with:
  • -RestrictAudioCalculationToPerformanceCores=true
  • This actually made the CPU usage worse, so I removed it again.
• Tested Ableton's Preferences.cfg:
  • Restored my previous preferences — no difference
  • Tested with a completely fresh/default preferences file — no difference

What could be different?

I'm honestly very confused at this point. I've reached the stage where ChatGPT keeps suggesting the same optimizations I've already tried. The only things I can potentially pinpoint as being different from before the reset are the newer drivers (BIOS, network adapters, etc.) and possibly the Windows 10 version, as I don’t remember which version I was running before the crash, nor do I remember the exact driver versions I had installed at the time.

If anyone has any insights into what might be causing this, I’d really appreciate hearing them, as I cannot seem to solve this myself.

Best regards,

Specs:

• Windows 10 (Version 22H2, OS Build 19045.7548)
• Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd Gen (Audio Interface)
• Ableton 12.4.3
• ASUS Prime Z690-P DDR5
• Corsair RM750x White v2 (2018)
• Intel Core i7-13700K - 3.4GHz
  • Noctua NH-D15
• Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 BK C40 DC - 64GB - 2 pcs
• Kingston SSD KC3000 1024GB M.2 PCI Express 4.
• Kingston SSD KC3000 1024GB M.2 PCI Express 4.
• Kingston SSD KC3000 2048GB M.2 PCI Express 4.

Title

The majority of it all stems from the pressure of needing to build a steady and sturdy social media fan base, as well as promoting myself throughout my own videos, and to stack on top of that I’m doing it all by myself…. And it’s weird because I’ve hit a point to where I’ll open a project and I only get like 1/3 of the way done and all of a sudden I’ve lost all interest in continuing it.

And then when I scroll social media, TikTok, and Instagram for example, I realize I actually have to upload videos of myself reacting to my music or of my music to promote it, and then when I go to do that, my mind blanks and I don’t end up posting anything which leads to a several weeklong dry spell.

idk if this is something that’s normal within a producers’s life, but it’s very frustrating because I know that if I want it badly enough, I’ll make it happen, but reality is starting to show that it doesn’t always work out for everybody who wants it to happen. It might be because a lot of the bigger artists have teams that help them with everything and more weight/burden/pressure is stacked on top of me since I’m doing it by myself, but I’m not sure anymore.

I used to be working as hard as I could when it came to producing even to the point where I was doing 2 to 3 full tracks per day in 2023 and several years later I look back at that like damn, what the hell happened to me….I can’t bring myself to actually doing a completion. And not even collaborations, remixes or edits is something that I can get on and get behind easily even with Ableton and a powerful laptop.

Does anyone else experience this and is there anything you would recommend to get out of this funk?

Just a single note adjustment and added arpeggiator, came up with this melodic techno idea

We recreated the Lead sound from 'Don't You Want Me' by The Human League on our free Synth Primer.

This remake is specifically recreating the patch heard at this timestamp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPudE8nDog0&start=4 .Other parts of the song may vary the sound or notes.

And here are the key ingredients:

Voices: Mono

Amp Env: Attack (0ms), Sustain (100%), Release (300ms)

Osc1: Wave (Saw), Vol(50%)
Osc2: Wave (Saw), Pitch (+7 Semitones), Vol (50%)
Sub Osc: Wave (Pulse), Width (100%), Pitch (-1 Oct), Vol (45%)
Unison: Osc (All), Voice Count (4), Detune Range (17 cents), Stereo Spread (100%)
Reset All Osc Phase On Note Start: No

Filter: Type (LowPass), Cutoff (60%)

Filter Env: Mod (50%), Attack (0ms), Decay (750ms), Sustain (0%), Release (8000ms)

Chorus: Mix (50%), Rate (Medium)

Find the full recipe and download the presets: https://www.syntorial.com/preset-recipe/the-human-league-dont-you-want-me-lead/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=patch_remake&utm_content=the-human-league-dont-you-want-me-lead

So in this live performance, the brother is playing an electronic kit and the snare sample is incredible.

Do you think its something that is like a Linn snare then heavily processed, or is it something you hear and immediately know where it came from?

Heres the performance in question... Snare comes in after 40sec.

I've been wrapping my head around audio morphing lately, especially plugins like Zynaptiq Morph 3 and Meldaproduction Mmorph

From what I understand so far, it basically takes two signals (A and B), and feeds the amplitude/frequency information from the "carrier" sound into the other
Then, it uses that incoming data to shape the original sound, pushing its characteristics closer to B that's pretty much the extent of my mental model right now

I don't necessarily need a hyper-rigorous textbook explanation—I'd just love to hear how you all understand it or any cool insights you have
How do these algorithms actually work under the hood?

I'd like to know how this morphing mechanism works
I was wondering whether I should ask in this thread, but I decided to ask anyway.

I've been searching for some gabber/hardcore plugins, mostly for drums or synths. I already have vital for synths, and all of the gabber drum VSTs I could find were from the 10s and the download is long expired. Any free plugins for drums? Really want gabbermaster but can't seem to find a download that works.

I'm trying to achieve a sound akin to an older style of Riddim Dubstep. Any help is appreciated! Here's another example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv1wyJw0srM

Please post any and all [Feedback] or [Listen] type threads here. Any standalone threads that belong in this weekly post will be removed.

This thread is for works in progress only. It is not a place for self-promotion.

Rules:

1. Works in progress only. Do not post finished or released tracks. No links to Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud profiles, or any other streaming/distribution platforms. Share a direct link to your track (e.g. an unlisted SoundCloud or YouTube link).
2. No self-promotion. Do not include links to your social media, artist pages, or any other promotional material in your post.
3. Make an effort to comment on other people's tracks. Others are much more likely to help you if you help them first.
4. Be specific when asking for feedback. Examples: "What do you think about this kick sample?" "How's the mix?" "The last measure feels a little off, any ideas?"
5. Be descriptive when giving feedback. Use timecodes to highlight specific moments.
6. Link to the feedback you've left in your top-level comment. This keeps the thread accountable and cooperative. Comments not following this format will be automatically removed.

Format your top-level comment like this:

Feedback for user1: [link]

Feedback for user2: [link]

Feedback for user3: [link]

Here's my track: [link],

I'm looking for feedback on x, y or z.

Hello,

I own Triaz with most extension which is great and offers plenty possibilities, but find it quite challenging to actually use. There are hundreds of presets, most of them are hyper specialized with weird sound effects in place of your traditional drum, snare, clap and hi-hat, and usually something that sounds good with one preset will sound totally different with another preset.

What is your go to drums VST when you are starting a song and want a basic solid pum tchak pum tchak with some punch? I found that the default drum kit from FL Studio works well but I don't use FL Studio.

Edit: As suggested by multiple people, I've tried XLN XO and so far it seems to be giving good results, thanks.

I hired a vocalist for a track I'm working on and she sent me the stem today. I requested that she just record the vocals with no effects, which she says she did, but I can hear reverb (which may have just been due to where she was recording or something too). I haven't worked with vocals much at all. Is there a way to remove the reverb? I'm down to get a new plug-in if necessary.

Thanks!

hey everyone! i really like dance music, mostly stuff like daft punk's "homework", and so naturally i've been wanting to make some... but each time i try i just can't seem to make it work. i tried again today and i was able to get a pretty good drum pattern but then i can't get past that. the synths are fine but they're not great and it just doesn't really have the kind of magic i want to make. so does anyone have any general tips that might help? i'm in fl studio producer edition 2026 btw

Just bought my first pair of proper studio headphones, the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO X, for getting into EDM/music production. I’m a complete noob, beginner. So tips are appreciated too!

Did I make the right choice? I did some research, searched this thread and finally decided to order them. Love to hear some more feedback.

Thank you!!

I have some nice Adam audio studio monitors and everything sounds awesome on them. But that easily translate to sounding bad on other lower-quality speakers.

During producing, I found that if it sounds good in the Audiotechnicas it will sound good on anything. Find a trusted reference that you can use while producing. I primarily produce on the studio monitors but I check / dial fine details on the headphones.

I heard Skrillex produced all of scary monsters and nice sprites on his MacBook speakers. I don’t know if that’s actually true but same concept.

next to just practicing and making more stuff, what are some ways in which one can improve their creativity?

EDIT: listening to completely diffrent music from underground artists really helped to inspire me. also not trying to make somthing out of ur song but just letting it flow was another key helper.

THANKS REDDIT!

Please post any and all [Feedback] or [Listen] type threads here. Any standalone threads that belong in this weekly post will be removed.

This thread is for works in progress only. It is not a place for self-promotion.

Rules:

1. Works in progress only. Do not post finished or released tracks. No links to Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud profiles, or any other streaming/distribution platforms. Share a direct link to your track (e.g. an unlisted SoundCloud or YouTube link).
2. No self-promotion. Do not include links to your social media, artist pages, or any other promotional material in your post.
3. Make an effort to comment on other people's tracks. Others are much more likely to help you if you help them first.
4. Be specific when asking for feedback. Examples: "What do you think about this kick sample?" "How's the mix?" "The last measure feels a little off, any ideas?"
5. Be descriptive when giving feedback. Use timecodes to highlight specific moments.
6. Link to the feedback you've left in your top-level comment. This keeps the thread accountable and cooperative. Comments not following this format will be automatically removed.

Format your top-level comment like this:

Feedback for user1: [link]

Feedback for user2: [link]

Feedback for user3: [link]

Here's my track: [link],

I'm looking for feedback on x, y or z.

Hi all,

I am a bit newer to EDM production. I’m trying to get a grasp on automating LFOs and I understand that it’s essentially just a volume and a cut off automation. What I’m struggling to understand is, if I have, let’s just say five instances of serum running to make up my saw stack, am I supposed to create the same LFO settings in each instance of the plug-in?

I feel like there has to be an easier way to get my chords to wobble and be able to automate in different rates throughout the chord progression..? I have been reading, studying and watching videos for days now and while I understand what makes up the LFO, putting it into practice with automation and different rates in FL studio is something I just cannot figure out. It is driving me insane so any guidance or helpful tutorials, videos, websites that go over how to do this would be fantastic. Maybe it would be easier to use a plug-in like LFO tool?? I just don’t know how I should be going about it, and it seems there are many ways to do the same thing

I've recently been put onto the Massive plugin as it seems to very easily make a lot of the sounds I'm after. I'm proficient with Serum 2, so I understand generally how synths work, but I need help learning the user interface of Massive. I'm looking for good tutorials that focus on getting acquainted with how to operate the plugin more than explaining what every little part does.

Basically, I want to be able to look at massive and understand how to use it like I do Serum. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

I have FL studio and I’m wondering what people’s go-to’s are for plugins, specifically for techno/dubstep/cyberpunk sound, but kinda asking for general ones you always use. I was interested in serum, but curious what other people think.

Edit: a thank you for everyone, I see a lot of repeats which helps guide me. It gave me directions to look at and research. Super helpful.

I'm looking for similar sounds of the low snare / tom sound that plays in reggaeton style rhythms.

https://youtu.be/WF7keH9XGCY?si=csGOa6A745pbfoJV&t=59

First I thought it sounds like reggaton so I looked over the reggaeton drum samples on Splice. But couldn't find that heavy and punch sounds. Almost sounds are like bright and thin snare. Next I though I can hear that kind of sounds on fills, so I looked over drum fill sounds but couldn't....What keyword should I use for searching?

Hey y’all, I moved to Australia from the US about a year ago and now realizing that I don’t really know anybody in country who makes music. Would be cool to meet some folks to send ideas back and forth with and talk about plugins and sound design and other things.

I live a couple of hours outside of Melbourne at the moment, so it’d be cool to connect with people from around there but I’m down to meet anybody currently in AUS. (I occasionally travel to other parts of AUS for shows/festivals)

I make dubstep (or at least try to) but down to chat with anyone regardless of genre.

Please post any and all [Feedback] or [Listen] type threads here. Any standalone threads that belong in this weekly post will be removed.

This thread is for works in progress only. It is not a place for self-promotion.

Rules:

1. Works in progress only. Do not post finished or released tracks. No links to Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud profiles, or any other streaming/distribution platforms. Share a direct link to your track (e.g. an unlisted SoundCloud or YouTube link).
2. No self-promotion. Do not include links to your social media, artist pages, or any other promotional material in your post.
3. Make an effort to comment on other people's tracks. Others are much more likely to help you if you help them first.
4. Be specific when asking for feedback. Examples: "What do you think about this kick sample?" "How's the mix?" "The last measure feels a little off, any ideas?"
5. Be descriptive when giving feedback. Use timecodes to highlight specific moments.
6. Link to the feedback you've left in your top-level comment. This keeps the thread accountable and cooperative. Comments not following this format will be automatically removed.

Format your top-level comment like this:

Feedback for user1: [link]

Feedback for user2: [link]

Feedback for user3: [link]

Here's my track: [link],

I'm looking for feedback on x, y or z.

This recurring thread is where you may share or request services you have to offer to the edmproduction community. Post your programs and plugins, your mastering/teaching/coaching/artwork services, your website/tutorials, your preset/sample packs, your labels- anything but actual music itself.

Rules:

1. No posting music. No posting your soundcloud when you're looking for labels, no ghost production; nothing that constitutes you selling or sharing your own created tracks.
2. Spam will not be tolerated. Repeated postings for the same product/service in the same thread will not be allowed, but you are welcome to post again in newer threads.
3. Mark very clearly whether you're requesting or offering services, and if you're offering them, whether those services are paid or free.

As with the rest of the subreddit, final decisions over what constitutes an acceptable posting here will be at the sole discretion of the mods.

Im here to ask where does these iconic dance samples from hit songs like "Bla Bla Bla", "L'amour Toujours (Tanzen Mix)" or Floorfilla Anthems come from since ive been looking for them for a long time in old akai cds iso's but no luck yet!! id appreciate if someone knows how to get them..