We join Reinier Zonneveld at his studio in Amsterdam, as he talks us through his creative approach to producing electronic music.
In this episode, Reinier Zonneveld creates an acid techno track from scratch, using the classic Roland TB-303, talking us through his recording process, go-to plug-ins and hardware preferences.
Beat from Scratch is a unique insight into an artist's creative process in the studio. Starting from a blank session, each artist builds a track from scratch in their own style, exploring everything from drum and synth programming to mixing, arrangement and more.
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Thank you DJ Mag for the nice session! I saw some comments here with feedback and I'll try most of them (also in this comment there's answers to most of the questions that have been asked already), so if you have any questions shoot it under this message and I'll try to answer you. - FULL AUDIO: I'll put the link of the full audio online and put it in the comments under here later. - THE PROCESS & CREATIVITY: Basically DJ Mag comes in with a camera crew into the studio in the morning after a very long weekend of 7 shows in 7 different countries, a day after I got home. They set up there cameras and I fire up my machines. You get less than 1 hour to produce a track. Obviously, it is impossible to decide when to get "next level" creative ideas, especially after doing so many shows and being exhausted - so for the people that compare this with hits from the 90s - that makes no sense. Sometimes when I'm in the zone i make my best tracks I released in an hour or two, but I tend to afterwards zoom in on the details and mixing and mastering (that I do myself) in the months after that. When I test the tracks out during my live, I can A/B different versions of elements and see which one work best on the dancefloor, make a note and adjust accordingly in the studio. - 303 PROGRAMMING: I see a lot of people asking why I don't use the 303 sequencer. The full explanation is: 1. During my liveshows I'm so busy controlling everything that 10 seconds of sequencing is already too long. Making a 8 bar sequence on the 303 in this timeframe is impossible. Usually I also have to do it simultaneously with programming / adjusting another device, so this leaves me with 1 hand for sequencing. 2. In my experience, on my setup MIDI is tighter than DIN sync. - BASS RUMBLE TRICK?: There are no tricks for this. All the elements of the track are shown in this video and nothing is added afterwards. The rumble comes here from the combination of 1. main kick (909) 2. Vermona DRM1 MK3 kick 3. the low percussion from the Vermona DRM1 MK3. Note that all these elements overlap. Now the "trick" is to move them by hand in such a way that they pleasingly phase cancel / amplify each other and get a groove out of this, then perform EQ, add saturation, compression, add effects to taste etc. Note that depending on which DAW you use effects may mess with delay compensation and shift your individual tracks a couple of samples. That's why i resample elements all the time to be sure that everything is perfectly time aligned and there is no surprises on the export of the full track, or differences in different part of the tracks (all glitches that occur regularly if you use a lot of plugins on individual tracks and busses). Please note that normally in my released tracks I go mental on the kickdrum, sometimes when I feel like it I work for a very long time on a kick and sub bass and layer element upon element to get it grooving and give it the impact that I want (usually this involves like 20 to 50 or more single elements combined together). When finished I resample this - WHY HARDWARE? Hardware is not necessary to make a great track. A great track is a great track, no matter what it was produced on. That being said, if you want to master your tracks yourself (which can also been done in the box), it is very nice to have some hardware. The high end stuff I'm fortunate enough to be able to use in my studio combined with insane monitors from PMC really can add a couple of % sound quality that you can't (easily) get in the box. Also it is fun to move knobs instead of staring at a screen. Also you have to commit at some point to your settings and record the audio so there is no chance of endless tweaking once recorded. That being said, some of my best streamed / sold tracks ever are 100% in the box produced (e.g. Move Your Body To The Beat, Hard Gaan, Eating Concrete from top of my head, including mixing and mastering), while some are 100% analog (all the samples and sequences are hardware, all the processing hardware, recorded through an analog mixer). I bet most producers couldn't guess the % of analog in the final results of the tracks on my upcoming album for example. So if you are producing yourself and get uncertain about getting new plugins, new hardware etc., don't worry! Better to learn what you have inside out and kill it with this than knowing 100 plugins and pieces of hardware only a little bit. And for some people that think I'm some rich kid that got all this stuff from his parents: my parents aren't rich and every single piece of equipment and everything I have I paid for with money I earned myself (except the sh101, that was a bday present from my parents long ago - I love them and am very thankful that they always encouraged me to follow my dreams since I'm little). Thanks for the opportunity again and I hope everyone enjoys the stream and can maybe get inspired by it! Would love to do more tutorials or sessions when I find the time for this. Maybe january 2024 I have time to record my studio sessions and drop them on my channel! xx
soundcloud.com/reinier-zonneveld/audio-in-0019-2023-08-30-154411/s-V8Xj3tHBOAx
ziek
Thanks Reinier for sharing with us a bit of your workflow and tools. So you mix in the same session as you produce, on the go, right ? what about mastering ?
Respect dude!
thanks a lot for the detailed explanation man! Please find the time to explain your low end approach! It sounds fckn nuts to layer up to 50 layers but having played some of your tunes billion times in Festvials or clubs I know for sure that your Kick/Rumble combo is one of the best in the whole industry! Really looking forward to it
As someone else wrote: Please stop with the background music. I thought that was the song he was going to create. It almost made me stop watching, but im glad I didnt. This guy really knows his shit
omg please stop with the extra editing and background music. we just wanna see the process...
Yes. Thank you! I thought that was the track he was going to produce. Stop it DJ MAG
Agreed, maybe a bit of backing track at the beginning and the final at the end but room audio and maybe in line captured audio to the monitors during the process.👍
The zooms on the screen make me feel drunk
It is really annoying indeed!
It's because slow brains can't concentrate for more than 3 seconds at a time thanks to tik tok. Longer form content has to basically hook you every minute to keep you engaged now.
He seems really comfortable with music production.
well he is a real one! You wont see that stuff from Stella Bossi or Lilly Palmer
This man is an absolute master. It's so fascinating watching him making music with his calmness and focus. I could rewatch this video a hundred times and I still couldn't believe it, how fast he made a really good track from scratch. He is def one of my idols. I just love his fucking cool appearance!!!
i hope u can see him do a live set cos he's awesome too
@@Xusticiero thanks man! The day will be in December, when I got to a 2-day festival where he will be too! I’m already so hyped
his kick are so strong!! prepare ur chest hahahah@@DJ.PI_music
Im a little confused as to how the midi is routed from the Allen N Heath to Ableton. Can someone explain ? Looks like a cool set up. Hybrid?
DJ mag on point!! we need more of these!
Glad you enjoyed it!
He crazy right ! This is good for learning ! Thx @DJMag
@@DJMag pls old style classic trance and new uplifting trance toturials
Looks like a relaxed guy, and its funny to hear him speaking some Dutch words in between. Who I would like to see more in the series... Markus Schultz
Hier zat ik al zo lang op te wachte! Reinier is de reden dat ik begonnen ben met produceren, thanks!!
This guy is just on another level with music😮💨
Best video so far on DJ mag thanks to boss Reinier for this one inspiring
Please more acid stuff, this was so good.
Reinier on point, technical, did not know about the midi jitter, defo taking note of this for my setup!
Great stuff, thank you 🎉
THANK YOU FOR THIS !!!!
This was awesome!!!!
Amazingly talented - loved this feature 🤖👽
finally the right approach. negative delay to compensate for latency. beautifully said
Unbelievable set up!!!!
We love you Reinier! Simple the best dj in the world❤ come back to Chile please😢
Very focused approach, pleasure to watch :)
What a Legend!
Wonderful learning experience! Thanks so much!
you are a great producer reinier
Legend🔥
yo more tracks from scratch dj mag!! this is so cool!!
That’s a super sick setup Love the video, fun to watch
great work ❤❤❤
Absolutely amazing!!!
Fun fact: Reinier Zonneveld has a degree in econometrics, which is one of the hardest studies around. So he is basically a math genius, which somehow really shows in his approach to producing music and how he just wings his live sets
How does it show in his approach to producing music? Can you give an example?
Basically every producer uses mathematics. Like for how many bars u use to make a build up and a drop. Where you time your variations in your chord progression etc etc. Its all mathematics tbh. And ofcourse some good feel for music
look @@marcellkovacs5452
@@sammysoosa7274 every musician uses maths inherently, given that intervals are ratios between frequencies
I get what is being said in this thread about musicians/producers using maths in music but when I improvise tracks, I never consider bars or intervals or even pitch, melody or notes. It's all feel. What I'm saying/writing is that although I am also a musician/producer who makes live Acid House tracks (without any computers or software) using machines/synthesisers, I don't feel like I utilise any mathematics in my improvisations, so I do understand what you're getting at but I think there are cases where maths isn't used. I suppose one could argue that the mere fact that I use a drum machine and that they're programmed in steps (4/8/16/etc), that in fact I am using maths...... Anyway, I hope my blah makes some sense! 🙂
Nice, a good producer knows his mixing!
AWESOME! 🖤
this is gold
would love to see a drum tutorial by this guy
Bad Ass Outboard Gear! great setup banging track :)
If you have specific problems with lagcompensation, you have the possibility to set a timing offset at external instrument. If that not work you can also set an clock offset on your mididriver at Ableton options. For me it worked fine even i got a negative delay (the drum starts before midi note in grid because of lagcompensation of ableton and the own lagcompansation of overbridge tool for analog Rytm). I have 6 hardware synths (analog, digital and hybrid) and i was able to set the timing within 1ms (exept the normal fluctuations of analog components). Hopfully that helps to make your life easier
Great choice of synths.
Super intéressant merci
TBH programming the 303 once you've done it enough times becomes muscle memory and is quite fast. It also makes you think of your pattern in terms of slides and accents more clearly.
And you get to tap and re-tap the rhythm. Probably the best part!
True! I have the midi mod and got so used to it on stage with my livesets that I automatically do it in the studio too… during my sets i have just some seconds to get sequences in and i can t get that with the 303. Plus, if ableton has a hickup, all your din sync runs out of sync and you need to press stop / start in ableton (same when using 909 sequencer with ableton) - sounds like a big f up during a show
@@ReinierZonneveld_FilthOnAcid you could innerclock systems for that
Isn't it impossible to add slides without the internal sequencer???
No, this is easily done by overlapping one note with another in whichever sequencer you're using.
To whoever mastered this video and left the lowend of reiner voice really did my ears a favour. PERFECT!!
@riiiiiinersonnefelt i lov u
Thanks Mate for that nice view of ur setup, If u use the track delay instead of the External Device, will it stay in time after reboots? I hate the fact to always set my midi delay before playing or after a crash
amaazing, appreciate the long form video.. a little slow for the average viewer but a goldmine for producers!
That’s brilliant my friend 🤘🏻
🎵Lekker bezig Reinier! 🎶🎹😋
Goede uiteg. Betrek je maat erbij dit nummer, geweldig 😊
Master of sound at your fingertips .You have got it good
nice thanks a lot for showing your work ;-)
you guys need to do one with Barry Jameison from Evolution. notably since he had a track on every single mix cd from about 1992-2005, no matter who the label or dj was
Wow thanx! 😊
Excellent ! Some serious gear on display :)
Wat een nummer weer je wordt gelijk meegezogen wel een kunst hoor
Impressive artist
That was awesome!!great video
That chair looks comfortable!
That is One Fine Piece of Studio there ; ) WOooO . Style yo . Finest Gear
so fun and so special
Masterclasssss 🫶🫶🎧❤️ (in Amsterdam we say 'eindbaas'
Vermona’s kick is second best to Jomox, interesting he gets the click/knock transient from the 909 and low-end tune the from the Vermona then runs it through the tube to glue and extra harmonics. Would have been great to see the Rumble process but I guess it's the ‘secret sauce of the chef, fair enough hehe 😏 The pulse width mod trick with the 101/303 layer to avoid phase cancellation is pretty slick too. 303 sequencer is a bitch but well worth learning since most of the great acid lines are a result of a ‘happy accident’ on this dreadful sequencer. Plus you'd be sequencing with your ears as opposed to your eyes (if that makes sense) Great content and full respect for such an authentic and talented artist! 🙏🕉️
The kick bass sub is just 909, vermona kick channel and the vermona tom (drm1) - the video audio quality during that part sucks a bit - but before being run through the hardware it already sounded good. Volume balancing and sounddesign of the 3 elements get you there 90% already. Most important is to make a kick sub that fit the track you re working on
@@ReinierZonneveld_FilthOnAcid and then the whole "kick bass sub" after running through the outboard gear is been squashed to hell with the L1 that appears a few seconds on the video?
Not using the 'External Instrument' device because of bad delay compensation is kinda strange. Just use the Track Delay function on each track, it works great.
👍Très bien !
This is the way
THIS DISTORZION ON ACID IS CRAZYYY !!!
Nice video 👍It's great to hear that genre boundaries are dissolving, with techno using nineties and naughties goa-trance sounds a la Astral Projection's Mahadeva: 👌
I have basically no interest in music production but this had me very entertained from start to finish.
Buenisimo!!
This feels like the vocals from 'Ascension - Someone' would go nicely over this :D
we need more pleaaase
very nice🔥😀
Having this be your production prosses looks so fun. Dream to build a refined hardware work flow for my style.
nice ! i was recording each lane to a dennon solid state recorder, long way round making stems!
I liked, cool dude, professional in his craft Who I would like to see more, Hozho or Hot Sine 82
Nice track.
@Reinierzonneveld you are the Best! See you at Contact Festival in Munich 🫶🔥🔥🔥 let’s Rave together!!
sick
we need more tracks like "I can't sleep!"!!!!
I used to smoke a lot during sequencing, but I've quit smoking for 14 years now! Weird to see someone still doing it in 2023
Are you still on acid? Who cares.
prolly not the only substance he sequences on ;)
@@audian666 🌿
@@Pauluz_The_Web_Gnome I doubt he does weed
amazing
The shirt, smoking a cigarette during work, Acid House = sooooooooo 90's. I love it! :)
he looks like an acid wizzard alchemist.
That analog ashtray
champion
nice workflow love it
Which cigarettes are best for mastering?
Toch weer wat bijgeleerd 😁
wohooo insane!!
Talented guy
@9:43 steppin into heaven ! lovely acid
Ik kijk al heel lang naar deze video
verry special^^
we need oliver heldens next!!
real one
Mad scientist at work
Great producer. Wish i had his talent☺️
Keep practicing and don’t give up
Put in all the time you can - it’s all practice.
Niceeee
Just wondering, is a TB303 with MIDI also able to record/send the cutoff sweeps etc?
With the right mod, yes. The MidiBass303(sequentix) mod can (only) do cutoff control, but I've seen more extensive mods like this one: kzhead.info/sun/a9yNaJeviaR7gKs/bejne.html
@@B-a_s-H Hey thanx, altho it isn't clear if you can record the parameters, looks more like a fancy midi controller. 😊👍
the maestro!
is that live 8 or 9?
This is gold.... Stevs DK
jemig ik kijk zoveel op youtube vanalles en nog wat. haha en nu jou ontdekt. echt zo mooi om te zien de vakmanschap ervaring en gevend moois🌺 moi was(en mischien weer in het nieuwe jaar) lasser voor denk dik 20 jaar. was er zo goed in en kon het ook zo goed uitleggen en humbel. nooit naast mijn schoenen gelopen. maakt het mooi vind ik. ingv terug naar jou. dankje van het delen van deze maak van een fijne acidmix. love it💜 groetjes uut zeeland
“One bassline , two leads: one rolling”
interesting. so a drum synth like the vermona is teh always working sub-kick-answer for your kickdrum? he says he uses an g and an b as sub-kick? 2 sub-kicks? please help :-)
Just use whatever you want but be very careful that everything is aligned in such a way that it gives the impact and groove that you re looking for. In the video the kick / sub is 909 + vermona kick and tom (drum1) channel but ypu can make it with any source you want (also samples). When i produce on the road (hotel, flight etc) it s all laptop based - i like to use operator and some samples for kicks then and get back to them in the studio for detailed shaping