wAFF Track from Scratch TUTORIAL

Join tech house DJ and producer wAFF as he recreates the title track from his 2022 EP Mesmerized.

Enter the studio with tech house DJ and producer wAFF, and relive the production journey that he went through to make the title track from his 2022 EP Mesmerized. Using Ableton Live, wAFF recreates each section of his energy-filled track one by one, explaining the thought process behind every mixing decision and sharing invaluable insights as he goes.

wAFF is an artist with a truly international profile, built from the ground up since his debut EP Rainbows was released on Jamie Jones’ Hot Creations label in 2012. He’s the only British producer who’s recorded for all three European techno hubs, Sven Väth’s Cocoon, Adam Beyer’s Drumcode and Loco Dice’s Desolat, and has played in electronic music havens like fabric London, Lost Beach in Ecuador and Amnesia in Ibiza. Sets at festivals like Glastonbury and Tomorrowland don’t come easily either, so rest assured you’re in good hands for this masterclass!

Running for over two hours, this course is packed with production knowledge for you to bring into your own projects. Watch wAFF program bouncy drums and bass loops, chop up club-ready vocals, and employ a variety of arrangement techniques to manage the rise and fall of the track’s energy. You’ll get a close up look at how a professional producer uses tools like the Roland TB 303 to create sticky acid synth bass melodies, as well as hearing his approach to common issues like where to source unique vocal samples.

You don’t get to where wAFF is in his career without picking up a wealth of knowledge along the way, and in this course you’ll see him apply the full range of his skills to a mix. Whether it’s using sidechain compression to carve out space for a kick drum, or EQing the master to make sure the track performs well wherever it’s played, you’re sure to pick up some tricks of the trade that will level up your own productions.

All in all, there are 16 chapters in this course that cover the full journey of the track, from drum programming to mixing and mastering. So, if you’re looking to learn from a dance music specialist and see behind the curtain of how your favourite tracks are made, this is the course for you!

DAW: Ableton Live
Total runtime: 2hrs 33mins

wAFF Track from Scratch

Chapter 1: Basic Drums and Bass
wAFF recreates the drum beat and bass line from his track ‘Mesmerized’, demonstrating his strategy for starting off tracks.
FREE CHAPTERFREE CHAPTER
Chapter 2: Percussion Loops
With a solid foundation in place, wAFF layers percussion loops on top to give the track some bounce.
Chapter 3: Acid Synth Bass
wAFF sprinkles in some acid synth bass, and sidechains each of the bass parts to the kick to create some space.
Chapter 4: Additional Sounds
wAFF adds swing to his hi-hats using Ableton’s Swing and Groove library, and assembles further FX, percussion and vocal sounds.
Chapter 5: Lead Vocals
wAFF describes the process of sourcing a lead vocal for the track, then syncs the audio with the rest of the track.
Chapter 6: Arrangement View
With all the sounds in place, it’s time to move into Ableton’s Arrangement View. wAFF records the session clips and drops in the vocal.
Chapter 7: Vocal Syncing
After fine tuning an issue with the bass groove, wAFF tweaks the clip’s warp markers and makes sure it’s locked in on the beat.
Chapter 8: Auto Filter
wAFF shows how to use a low cut filter on the master to control energy, and starts to arrange the track.
Chapter 9: Arranging
wAFF continues to build out the arrangement, adding FX and vocal samples for extra interest at certain points.
Chapter 10: Roland 303
Using a Roland TB 303, wAFF programs the acid synth bass line from Mesmerized then captures it on a separate audio track.
Chapter 11: Vocal Build
wAFF automates the auto filter to kick in on the master, then chops up the main vocal to create a vocal build.
Chapter 12: Fine-tuning the Build
wAFF adjusts the Roland TB 303 patch and automates the volume to gradually fade out towards the end of the build.
Chapter 13: Creating an Outro
Nearing the end, wAFF whittles down the arrangement and creates an outro section.
Chapter 14: Adding FX
Having finished creating the track, wAFF adds effects to build it out and add interest.
Chapter 15: Final Edits
wAFF goes through each section of the track, making precise adjustments to the transitions to make sure everything flows together.
Chapter 16: Mastering
wAFF shares a simple strategy for EQing the master track, and talks about what happens after the track has been exported.