My name is Steve, and I use Ableton to DJ, produce, mashup and remix Deep House and trappy electronic and hip hop beats in San Francisco. And I didn’t start this hobby too long ago. Just to be perfectly clear: I’m no expert, nor do I claim to be.

However, over the past few years, I’ve enrolled in various online Ableton courses, bought books, watched a million YouTube videos, spent days on Ableton.com & GearSlutz, and joined others at local MeetUps to talk shop. I’ve also had the opportunity to gig with some great local DJs at some pretty amazing parties and venues.

I started using Ableton because I wanted to DJ with it. I was (dance) floored with Sasha’s 2005 Maida Vale set, and read all about his mysterious Maven controller. If you’ve never heard this set, please remember it’s a decade old:

So, the APC40 went on sale at my local Guitar Center, and I jumped right on it. I found Ableton to be very intuitive and extremely flexible, and the hardware control was incredible. On the production side, I had only dabbled with FL Studio, and loved clicking those little bubbles – but the switch to Ableton truly changed my production game – and introduced me to MIDI controllers and analog gear.

Although producing original material is relatively new for me, my goal is to release an EP (maybe an LP, if not too ambitious) later this year. Crazy? Maybe. I guess I’m not so much concerned about being in the Beatport Top 10, rather, I’m committed to putting out music I’m proud of. I’m living by the motto that “good producers finish tracks.” Which is totally true. My style is deeply rooted in hip hop and synthy modern rock; weird, yes, but it’s what I grew up with – and you’ll hear these influences in my tracks.

LaunchClip details my Ableton experience, learnings, and discoveries. I’ve already done the legwork to solve my own 99 problems – maybe this site can help you, too.

This is my personal music production scrapbook. I’ll be sharing the process, techniques and tips that made the biggest difference for me along the way. If you are just starting out producing, remixing or mashing music in Ableton, hopefully these posts will help you establish, improve and refine your sound. If I’m making rookie mistakes, please tell me – I’m not ashamed to admit I’m still learning, myself – and hope that continues. And lastly, have fun making music – that’s the only reason I do it.

My DJ sets and mashups: Impeckoble on Soundcloud

My original productions: Givertake on Soundcloud

 

For complete transparency: I signed up to be an affiliate marketer for both Amazon and Guitar Center – two companies I frequent often for my own purchases. You’ll find contextual links to these services around the site. Please know I’m trying to avoid junking-up LaunchClip with text & banner ads, as I’d prefer to keep everyone focused on good content. Of course, it would be nice to make a couple bucks, as I have a lot of time invested here, and do feel this material is somewhat valuable. I’d appreciate it if you’d use my reseller links if you plan to make a gear or accessory purchase.  Thank you for your support and understanding.

Now shift-spacebar to resume playback 😉