5 years ago, I woke up from a dream in which a melody was playing in my head.

It was a melody I’d never heard before, but it sounded catchy.

I leaped out of bed, grabbed my laptop, and…

...I lost it.

Too slow.

Too many clicks.

Too much time setting things up.

I hadn’t taken the time to master my DAW. I had no process or workflow. I couldn’t get ideas down quickly when it mattered.

My DAW held me back.

What’s the one thing standing between the musical ideas you have in your head, and them existing in reality?

Sure, you need to be skilled enough to know how to write that idea down.

You need to know how to arrange it.

And you need to know what sounds to use.

But that’s not the one thing…

...the one thing is Ableton Live.

It’s what you use to create music. It’s the link between mental ideas and tangible product.

Most producers I know either haven’t recognized this, or just flat-out refuse to acknowledge it because it means they have to put some time and effort into learning Ableton.

And this kind of mindset, this ignorance, or failure to see the importance of mastering Ableton Live, is exactly what holds so many producers back.

When you enter Ableton Live for the first time, it’s overwhelming.

There’s a bunch of knobs, controls, meters, numbers, icons…

...it’s like trying to drive a manual transmission car for the first time (except it’s a lot safer because you can’t drive Ableton Live into another object or human being).

But over the period of a few days, you start to figure out how it works. Maybe you skim through the manual (but probably not, because who reads manuals, right?).

You know how to put together a basic song. Unfortunately, that’s where most people stop learning.

• They don’t go any further to learn the ins and outs of Ableton...
• They don’t learn the hidden features…
• They don’t master the software... in fact, they don’t even become proficient in it.

When you don’t know how to use Ableton Live well, it holds you back. Here’s how...

If I’d known how to use my DAW properly, the melody I heard in my dream would actually exist today.

But it doesn’t. Because I couldn’t get it down fast enough.

When you don’t know how to use Ableton quickly—and you don’t know about certain tools or techniques that aid melody writing or drum programming—you’re at risk of losing ideas that enter your head.

Did you know that you can create complex rhythmic patterns with a non-rhythmic instrument (like a pad) by feeding a percussion loop through Ableton’s Gate tool with sidechain enabled?

Knowing hacks like this (that, by the way, the manual won’t teach you) will not only help you work more quickly in Live, but it will help you be more creative.

How many times have you thought to yourself, “If only there was a way to do this in Ableton, I’d be able to move on and finish my track!”

A lack of knowledge and mastery of Ableton will always lead to frustration. Not just because you’ll work slowly, but also because you won’t know how to solve certain problems that you encounter.

But when you know Ableton well, instead of getting frustrated and giving up when you’re faced with a problem, you’ll have a solution at your fingertips.

How to work like a pro in Ableton Live without spending lots of time or money

The way I see it, you only have 3 options...

Option #1: "Should I figure it out myself?"

If you want to learn the tools and techniques in Ableton Live, discover things that the manual won’t teach you, and develop a comprehensive workflow, there are a lot of free resources available on the web.

But here’s the problem with this option: you learn slowly, and there’s a lot of bad advice.

As an example, I’ve seen videos where people tell you how “this one quick hack in Ableton will change the way you producer music forever..”

Not true at all.

A solid workflow is comprised of more than just “one quick hack.”

So what else can you do?

Option #2: "Should I hire an Ableton Coach?"

You can hire an Ableton Pro to teach you. You’ll learn a ton of stuff, and the results will be good.

But you know what? It’s not going to be cheap.

Most coaches I know charge $100/hour. And you’ll need longer than an hour to learn everything you want to learn.

That can get expensive real quick. And you don’t come away with something tangible that you can reference and return to time and time again.

And this leads me to the last option...

Option #3: "You should invest in a comprehensive package that shows you exactly what to do, how to do it, and more."

I’ve always loved that people condense years of hard work and learning into a resource that can be followed by anyone, no matter how experienced they are.

...and that’s exactly what the Ableton Workflow Bible is all about. It’s an eBook package that will walk you through how to use Ableton like a pro, from the most basic functions to creative techniques that most people don’t even know about.

And it’s a fraction of the price of a one hour coaching call.

Besides, it’s an investment.

The Ableton Workflow Bible is jam-packed with practical information that will take your production game to the next level…

• An introductory section that will get you up to speed if you’re new to Ableton Live (without boring you to death)
• How to make use of old unfinished project files (so your hard work doesn’t go to waste)
• What to do when you’re not sure how something works in Ableton
• Keyboard shortcuts for specific functions (to help you memorize them while you’re learning)
• How to make sure Ableton Live is set up for maximum efficiency (it may be slowing you down)
• MIDI writing techniques that will force you to write more interesting melodies, chord progressions, basslines and drum loops
• How to use Drum Racks like a pro (and the hidden features you may be missing out on)
• Collaboration Essentials: how to avoid frustration when working with other producers in Ableton
• A guided, 30-day plan to help you get the most out of Ableton Live

The Video Package

The Book Package

I’m the product manager and lead course developer at EDMProd.

My original productions have gained over 3 million streams Spotify and YouTube, with features by Earmilk and ThisSongSlaps.


My track breakdown articles have been read by over 30,000 producers and featured on Vox and Heroic Academy.

I’ve released 4 Beatport Sounds #1 sample packs.

As a songwriter, I’ve placed vocals with artists such as Nora en Pure (Spinning, Enormous Tunes), Kura (Spinnin’), and Going Deeper (Armada, Hexagon).

The Video Package

The Book Package