You’re spot on about studying other producers tracks. When I went to Berklee for electronic music we studied so many other producers and genres. It’s not about stealing someone else’s music, it’s about concepts and patterns. Keep up the great work!

i had to come back to this tutorial because i recently read steal like an artist and it all just resonates together

As a DJ, who cues up song structure for a living, I’m going to say that song structure is a LOT less unique than people think it is. Your technique here makes perfect sense.

I really agree with the "this isn't stealing" part and how you get more out of studying other pieces of art. Look at what other people are doing, and then use it as a base to cut your own path and do similar things, but in your own way There's no reason for everyone to invent their own wheel

This actually reminds me of the Confucian principle of learning: "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest”. At least with the first two it matches your ideas through studying your favorite producers’ techniques and learn to apply the best of them all on your own tracks. I’m happy to find this

track referencing is a powerful tool

I seriously think refferencing is one of the most underrated aspects of music prodution

I've been fiddling around with production for like 2 years now. Kind of hit a plateau and felt hopeless... but since i've found your tutorials i feel like i've been making breakthroughs in one way or another with every video.... keep doing what you do, you're an amazing teacher and have shown me a lot of " no shit" kind of tips. Much love brother

this concept is so simple…and yet so GENIUS. I literally learned how to play metal riffs by learning metal songs. So many different techniques alongside creativity, and now I can basically touch a guitar and create classic metal, death, black, or thrash without much difficulty (even without “thinking” sometimes). Lately, I’ve been learning sound design but still not 100% on the structure even though I listen to lots of dubstep, MAKING IT, is another beast. This will def help. Thanks for including all the examples!

I've been doing this for years on my own, mapping out and analyzing the structures of my favorite artists songs and you're right, this is THE way to grow and learn so much faster. After seeing that other people are also doing it just like me I guess I feel vindicated. It's not stealing, its studying. Every trade, skill, and artform does their version of this. If you want to be one of the best you have to learn from the best!

NICE!! its about breaking your ego. It breaks your heart when you go back and forth from a really well mixed song to the early stages of your song. But that is what forces you to learn not only how to respect other artists but also to always keep breaking your own rules. Love this video man. Also I would send the reference track out directly rather than the master. lol

There is nothing wrong with using a song map to help structure and finish tracks at all. There are geniuses in writing and arranging songs, then there’s the rest of us. Salute to all of us who use this technique.👊🏾

"People study music... thats why they go to school." Taking us to school right now. So much gratitude.

In all traditional musical genres it's standard, even expected to learn to play the biggest songs. Especially in jazz, knowing a decent selection of standards is one of the primary benchmarks of competency, and using existing melodic and rhythmic elements in one's original compositions, called quoting, is a time- honored tradition that graciously nods to the lineage and the greats. And in EDM, every generation of DJs has used originals and remixes of classic to very intentionally throw back to classics as it suits the set. It's only reasonable that producers do the same. Old heads are happy when we take pages from the past cuz that's how we honor the bedrock of the culture and keep it alive 🎉

Very useful tip. I've been doing this to create arrangement maps of different tracks I like. It really speeds up the composition process, as it gives you an overview of where you are actually heading. Nice one.

Ive just started taking music production seriously about a month ago. I've been really enjoying making my own music from scratch on a daily basis but I did notice how slow and sluggish my workflow was and how fast I would end up hitting a brick wall in the middle of creating a song. This tutorial has been the single most helpful thing I've come across. Thank you so much AHEE you've instilled a new sense of inspiration and creativity in my soul! 😭🥺❤ I'm defs headed to your bass canyon set in August! 👽

Yeah, doing this arrangement exercise (got that term from ill.gates) has really been helpful in getting me outside of the loop phase, it's really a great way to progress and even just see how the flow of your favorite tracks could have contributed to why they're your favorite.

Let me save you 16 minutes... The advice: use reference tracks. Bye.

I'm so glad you made a video on this strategy because I personally do this a lot and it helps soo much. But also because there is a huge community that is super against it saying that it is "copying" or "stealing". Which it's not at all. It is in my opinion, one of the best and fastest ways to learn how to structure and build a song. I just started producing a little over a year ago and at first, tried to make everything on my own, and failed. Then I tried this strategy several months ago and I have learned so much more, so much faster! Anyways, I just found your channel and I wanted to say, you've got some great tips and content that are really helpful!

Hunter S. Thompson learned to write by typing The Great Gatsby word for word repeatedly on a typewriter, just to feel what it was like to write those words.

Wow. These are concepts ive been trying to figure out for 3 years now. I knew if i just kept working, listening to as much advice as i could on writing songs, and working to learn ableton and studio one, it would click. It finally did, thanks to you! Thanks! Ill also say this, ive heard and read so much on reference tracks, but i could just never figure out how to use it. So the dudes snarky comment above is immediately invalidated. Just use redernce tracks, bye. Yeah ok einstein, i never wrote songs before 3 years ago. I may have played tons of songs, and several instruments, however the amount of different styles, keys, rhythm, and all, overwhelmed my brain. I finally get it.... ahhh man, subscribed and wanting more. Amazingly ive managed to release 11 original songs to date, by sheer accident. Now i actually have a mental roadmap for structure. Thank you so very much. Ill be ee watching this over and over until i am able to quote you backwards forwards sideways, and drunk. one request? could you explain how to use ableton templates, i see you have 3 of them for sale, but i dont know how to use templates, or id buy yours. thanks!!!

This guy is my new favorite artist, incredibly creative.

So true. This method can take creating something from a blank canvas to creating something by filling in the blanks. You can see a big increase in the speed of your workflow!

I try to separate studying others' tracks from actual music production. I feel like choosing which track to base your stuff on being the only big picture creative decision is a bit limiting, but analyzing tracks and slicing them up in sections, color-coding - all that helps immeasurably.

Great video! That's my voice on your first track idea, from one of my Black Octopus packs. Sounds great in your track! Really enjoying your channel man.

Famous painters in history always checked others work and also copied it to improve their skills ... I never heard someone call Caravaggio or Leonardo da Vinci art thieves LOL

Pretty helpful! Every time I've done this technique I've learned a lot about where sounds sit inside the mixdown as well. Thanks Ahee!

Thank you for making one of the most overlooked and difficult parts of producing for beginners, easy to understand and work with. This is truly the game changer I've been needing. You've inspired me to go hard with my time spent producing now. Thank you AHEE

Whether Picasso said this or not is irrelevant but "good artists copy, great artists steal"..

Your camera setting are perfect dude ty

I can't wait to blast the finished product of the dubstep song!

"...the THICKNESS of the DROP." is my new favorite sentence.

I feel like this is exactly what ive been missing, when i have structure the creative ideas just flow freely ... thanks

Thanks for going over sick/illest alien. love that tune

"... people study music, that's why people go to school - for music ..." ^^ thanks mate, this cheered me up big time! new subscription here

So glad I searched song structure..I was trying to find out if structure even matter because im so hung up on it. Still learning. It was so cool meeting and seeing you in Reno!

Thank you for the tutorials AHEE! They are incredibly refreshing, informative & empowering. Thank you!

This song is dope :) Excited to hear it in full! And thanks for the video. Gave me some great ideas and inspo.

Referencing is everything. Great vid

Song structure advice! Exactly what I need

Nice! Very helpful. I’m definitely going to start using this technique. Thanks brotha man!

Legendary. Thank you so much

Gosh Dang big man! I hope Shambhala happens this july or even pushed back to August so I can hear your track live cause oh my god!

I saw a guy (Subaqueous) use midi clips instead of markers in a composition track at the top so he could save them as templates for different genres to reference later. Plus you can just click the clip of the section you want and cut or copy that whole section and move it around.

Man, thank you so much for this advice! It's such a good approach, because it gives you the bones/framework for you to play and be creative withinn. Plus, it's a great way to study and expand our knowledge through other artists. Lol, I'm excited!

Hey! I saw your set at Stilldream ‘19. I had a head full of acid during, but I gotta say, your set was fun for sure haha! Good to see you in the void!

Though not the point of the video, which I also grasp, but the extended drop with the melodic element is DOPE and I can't wait to add that into one of my next tracks.

7:24 this guy is vibing so hard on his own song lol

You're the man! Love your videos! Thanks a bunch!

Love both of your tracks that you play / snippets, better than the reference tracks!

Thanks this was awesome - gonna try this today

templates are apart of everything in life nothing wrong with doing this

Great advice man. Enjoying your rack tools bud!!

Very helpful. You're a great teacher man. Love all of your content and music.

Good hear more people do this!

basic rule of thumb if it divides by 4 its a credible section, most sections are 8/16/24/32 measures most people use 24 messures a section

A video on how to use effects would be sick boii

Right on advice! I was expecting something else like counting bars, but this is so reasonable! Thanks

Great Video, learning and applying so much as we speak!

And the artist whose tracks you are studying probably studied someone else's tracks

You good man, thanks for the advice, big fan!

i love how you where bouncing to your own song

Amazing tutorial thank you for the useful advice as always Ahee 💚

dude what you said about the "copying" thing - were all copying someone! plus with DJing and electornic music, theres def certain structural things you want your songs to follow if you want them to be able to be easily mixed in with your favorite artists.

I needed this right now, thanks

Definitely learned a lot from this

I no longer write with a daw but this is still helpful knowledge. Thanks.

I love it when you say yall

Great tips per usual!

Much appreciated, thx yo! Good wisdom. :) And btw ur track was wayy cooler, diggin it!

Thank you very much man! Love the educational vibes take care

your tracks are dope bro

This is insanely great advice!

Sick video man, as usual. Every time I watch one of your vids, it reminds me how much cleaner Live 9 is than Live 10. I think the completely colored clips and tracks are just too much in 10. Way too busy. Looks so much nicer with the completely transparent clips with only the title bars being colored, like 9 has. Really hoping they add an option to change that in 10 at some point. Anyway, great stuff. Cheers!

Great Video!

This is a pretty good vid man I’m on FL studio but I appreciate the tip thank you

Incredible information here

If you don't like using the locators, another way is to right click and split up your reference track into its sections and renaming each section with ctrl-r. handy if you're using multiple reference tracks

Thank you for this ❤️

great tutorial, thanks!

amazing track of yours! congrats

Amazing content brother! How come I wasn't subscribed to your channel? P.s. Your track it's a real Baaaanger!!!

Great stuff!

dude ur so right

Thanks AHEE, great simple idea. Would you make a video about multi-band compression and EQing and how it can help with basses?

Thank you for this

"I really like mixing up genres in the same track." Dude, that line now means I'm going to listen to everything you have on Spotify! What a fun concept, I love it! GG! X

12:50 this vocal reminds me of the one on Space Laces & Excision - Rumble. Same key tho

The soon becoming famous Ableton book discusses this in the early chapters. Study reference tracks (the tracks you love) in thorough detail.

Yooooo! That house tune is pure 🔥

AHEE RULEZZ! Peace

Your song is sioiickkkk

Your song is better bro great work

Thank you!

I agree this a great tip big up

oh nice I've been doing the same but with color coding song sections from green to red to describe levels of intensity

Another great video mate

Solid ty

I love your videos so much! Thank you for doing them. Just a tip, your P's are pretty ear punching/piercing at like 1:30 :o

Yoooooo....your track based off Flux is sooo dope man