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How do you make a sound feel enormous without a long reverb tail?
Nonlinear reverb adds size and weight with a short, shaped burst of ambience. Discover how it works, when to use it on drums, vocals and synths, and how to try it with Logic Pro’s EnVerb.
Leiam Sullivan
Oct 11 min read


Getting the Kick Right – Including When to Leave It Alone
Sometimes the best thing you can do to a kick is nothing. This post explores how to decide what the kick actually needs, then covers Pultec and dbx processing, high- and low-pass filtering, tape colour, RBass, sample selection and reinforcement – all with one aim: giving the kick its proper place in the mix.
Leiam Sullivan
Sep 305 min read


Reason Free: A First Look at a Classic Music-Making Rack
Reason Free gives you 15 classic Reason devices as a free Rack plug-in for Logic and other DAWs. I opened it up, made a track with it and found a few sounds I’ll be coming back to.
Leiam Sullivan
Sep 244 min read


What Does Chorus Do? Movement, Width and the Sound of the JUNO
Chorus can turn a narrow, static sound into something wider and more alive. Using a sine wave and goniometer, this post compares UAD Studio D, Softube Model 84 and Logic Pro’s Chorus, then explores practical ways electronic producers can use the effect.
Leiam Sullivan
Sep 224 min read


Phase: From DJ Booth to Solid Bottom End
Phase can make a mix feel huge, hollow or weak – especially in the low end. Here’s how I use polarity flips, waveform alignment, Little Labs IBP, Auto-Align and sidechaining to get kicks and bass working together.
Leiam Sullivan
Sep 195 min read


Access Analog Review: The Joy and Frustration of Remote Analogue Hardware
Access Analog lets you run audio from your DAW through real analogue hardware over the internet. After using it for six months, I’ve found plenty of bugs, booking conflicts and latency—but also a rare opportunity to hear legendary equipment working on my own music.
Leiam Sullivan
Sep 13 min read


How I Use Tilt EQ to Move Sounds Up or Down in a Mix
Tilt EQ is a simple way to change the overall tone of a sound and help it sit in the mix. Here’s how I use it on kicks and other elements, plus why Decapitator remains my quickest option.
Leiam Sullivan
Aug 312 min read


What Happens When Every Producer Can Build Their Own Tools?
Music software used to require learning to code or finding a developer. AI is changing that. Producers can now turn their own ideas, techniques and ways of working into tools – creating software that's increasingly personal to the person who made it.
Leiam Sullivan
Aug 214 min read


Mix Bus Compression: How to Find the Pocket
Mix bus compression isn’t about finding the right settings. It’s about finding the point where the track starts to move as one. Here’s how attack, ratio, threshold, release and sidechain filtering work together to create glue without losing the bounce.
Leiam Sullivan
Aug 184 min read


Why So Many Great Club Kicks End Up Around G
G kept appearing when I analysed the kicks in records whose low end really worked. Not every time, but often enough to investigate. The reason has less to do with a magic note and more to do with where deep bass meets the limits of playback systems.
Leiam Sullivan
Aug 172 min read


What Does Reverb Pre-Delay Do? A Simple Explanation for Better Mixes
Confused by reverb pre-delay? Learn how it works, why it improves clarity, and when to use it in your mixes.
Leiam Sullivan
Jun 233 min read


Soundtoys Decapitator Review: Why This Saturation Plugin Still Holds Up
A practical Soundtoys Decapitator review exploring its saturation styles, workflow, strengths, and why it still earns a place in modern mixes.
Leiam Sullivan
Jun 33 min read


Paralysis From Analysis in Music Production
Paralysis from analysis in music production: why producers lose perspective and how stepping away can save a track.
Leiam Sullivan
May 263 min read


Envelope Following: Letting the Sound Open Its Own Filter
Envelope following lets a sound control its own filter movement – creating reactive, dynamic modulation that breathes naturally.
Leiam Sullivan
May 203 min read


Melody and Chords: How to Make Them Work Together in Your Track
Why melody and chords can feel disconnected–and how to make them work together as one piece of music.
Leiam Sullivan
Apr 14 min read


Sidechain Compression Isn’t Just Sidechain Compression Anymore
Sidechain for movement. Soothe 2 for space. Here’s how I separate sounds without killing the energy.
Leiam Sullivan
Mar 312 min read


What Is Swing in Drum Programming? The Secret Behind Groove
What swing really is in drum programming–and how a tiny timing shift can turn a lifeless loop into groove.
Leiam Sullivan
Mar 183 min read


The God Particle Plugin Review: Jaycen Joshua’s Mix Bus “Magic Sauce”?
A real-world look at The God Particle plugin and why a subtle 4% mix on the master bus can bring a track instantly into focus.
Leiam Sullivan
Mar 124 min read


SSL G3 MultiBusComp Review: How I Use It on My 2-Bus for Structure and Glue
How I’m using the SSL G3 MultiBusComp on my 2-bus to shape structure, control dynamics, and add confident glue.
Leiam Sullivan
Feb 244 min read


The 7 Jobs of Delay in Electronic Music Production (Beyond Echo & Reverb)
Delay isn’t decoration. It fills gaps, drives rhythm, adds width, and builds tension in electronic music production.
Leiam Sullivan
Feb 204 min read
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