u/Finlaylefox

Decided to take the leap and try and release some music on Bandcamp, since it was Bandcamp Friday last week I decided to push my self and do it. I made this wobbly UKG track, directly on the OP-XY and straight to tape.. and it was live mixed during the process of recording which makes it incredibly fun to put out and show people.

for anyone interested - It has taken about 12-14 months to get fully competent on the OP-XY, and thats with just a little of musical talent, used to play some instruments a long time ago, and have DJs for a long time, I also played with the Ko2 for a while before getting the OP-XY, which definitely helped. Watching youtube videos has been key also, people like SON WU for example! And using it all the time and making a lot of mistakes, and thinking stuff sounded good when it did not. But unlocking the potential on OP-XY is the major fun part when you get used to using it.

Thinking of maybe posting some tutorials, one day, and I have some other tracks over on my channel. DNB, Dubstep, and UKG like this one.

I can share this first release for free if anyone here in the community would want it to enjoy or use in sets or whatever.... comment below and Ill share the Promo links. Thanks.

https://www.youtube.com/@Daphnessoundlab

Little wobbly 140 BPM UKG Cracker .... Stay Safe!

Back to the dark bangers with this one. And another Flowdan vocal track.

I’ve been really enjoying using the Flowdan pack and wanted to have a go at making something meaty, and very current UK Dubstep, built around a different vocal of his that I found.

This one is moody and gritty, with lots of elements that come and go, but with a really heavy, slab-like sub running throughout and a heavy kick. I wanted some weird sounds in there as well - things that drip, ebb and flow in and out of the track. Rain, strange vibrations, machines cranking and clicking. So I added some odd-sounding elements that appear and disappear, with lots of reverb and distortion around them.

One of my favourite parts was not going straight for the typical kick-snare pattern. I started with the kick, percussion and drum rolls instead, found some really nice perc loops, chopped them up and played around with them until they sat properly. Then later, in the second act, I brought in a snare that sounds like the crack of a metal whip, and the gun reload felt right in there too. I felt like that grabbed attention and filled a space that was needed more in the second half of the track.

Then there’s the eerie flute around the intro and breakdowns. Originally, that was right at the start of the track and would have sat throughout the entire intro, but a friend said I should use sounds like that to create tension rather than just giving them away immediately. He was absolutely right, and it taught me something about building tension towards those nicer melodic moments. If you introduce everything too early, those sounds can end up being present for the whole track and eventually lose their impact.

There are also some pads and weird little sounds baked in underneath everything. Odd clicks, bumps and noises that almost feel like they’re in the wrong places, but once you layer the drums and percussion over them, they start becoming those ghost notes that add little textures and give a track like this its own character and groove.

I added in some seagull sounds as well, plus a random caw from a crow, because I felt they made the track even eerier and kind of fitted the horror-movie vibe of the flute. They’re a little unexpected and catch you off guard, and I think that’s something modern Dubstep should do - throw in sounds that feel slightly strange or out of place.

It took me a fair few recordings to get this one to a point where I was happy. That sub just was not behaving, but I think I got there in the end.

The artwork is by Ralph Steadman, taken from The Curse of Lono book. It felt like a perfect fit for the dark and unhinged atmosphere of the track.

Hope you enjoy this one. As always, feedback is welcome. A lot of the feedback on previous tracks has gone into the next ones I make, and it’s super interesting to hear peoples thoughts.

Been a few weeks since I uploaded something.

I decided to start spending a little more time on each track and being more selective over what I upload. I’ve got loads more ideas now and lots of different things I’m playing with, and although my mantra has always been don’t overthink it or over-engineer it, I’ve finally started getting some proper feedback in the comments and on some of the other places I post these tunes.

So now I actually have a few things to think a little deeper about on this production journey. Your feedback really does help, so if you’ve got any thoughts, make sure to leave a comment.

I had some really useful feedback from someone on Reddit about my last DnB track. And for once, it wasn’t about the volume - which I finally seem to have figured out in the recording process.

They mentioned that I should bring in more breaks and alternate the DnB basslines more. It made complete sense, because listening back, some of my previous tracks were quite similar throughout, especially when it came to the bass.

So that became the focus for this one.

Putting this track together really made me appreciate the effort that producers way before us had to put in. A lot of those guys were effectively DAWless too, except they were doing it because they were working with actual hardware samplers, drum machines, microcomputers and specialised software that eventually evolved into a lot of the tools people use today.

Playing around with breaks gives you an almost infinite number of possibilities. You could honestly tinker with a tune forever and never find the “perfect” combination.

So with this one, I tried to use more breaks, more variations of those breaks, and generally give the track more little bits of ear candy, as a good friend of mine would say.

I also came across a pretty sick Flowdan sample pack called Writer’s Block, which was funny timing because I’ve definitely had a little bit of that recently after a few weeks of constantly making bits and uploading them.

Sample packs are amazing for a device like the OP-XY because they can really open your imagination back up. Sometimes you can get a little stuck using the same engines and synths on the device over and over again.

And honestly, I’m hoping Teenage Engineering have a big update cooking soon. New engines, new synths, more things to get your head around. After about 12 months with the same tools, even great engines can start giving you a bit of writer’s block.

They usually do us proud with the big updates, so hopefully one is on the way.

Anyway... back to the track.

I chopped up the Flowdan vocals because there’s still no time-stretch on the device...

Cough cough... update time.

I started with the usual kick, snares and hats, then began playing around with the vocals. After that I came across a sample pack from the legendary Bladerunner, one of my favourite DnB producers because of that hard-hitting, no-nonsense Drum & Bass sound that just feels completely his own.

I found some really nice bass melodies and loops in there and started baking those into the track.

But the area I focused on most this time was definitely the breaks.

I wanted each scene to have something slightly different going on, even when I was using the same core break. A different snare underneath, a different drum roll, a little variation at the end of a phrase - anything that helped push the track naturally into the next section.

This session was really about connecting different breaks and drum rolls together, keeping the track moving, making sure the basslines didn’t become too repetitive, and using the arpeggiator to create some sweeps and bouncy little elements throughout.

It ended up becoming quite a fruity sounding track - which is exactly what I probably would have called it back in the day.

Hope you like the tune.

As always, feedback is genuinely welcome. It’s actually helping me think harder about what I want to improve on the next one.

Enjoy.

Artwork taken again from the Sports Banger book. So much sick artwork in there.

And this track definitely wouldn’t have come together in the same way without the sounds from Bladerunner and Flowdan — absolute Gs and two of the best in the business.

#DrumAndBass #DnB #Jungle #BassMusic #OPXY #TeenageEngineering #Breakbeats #SoundDesign #Bladerunner #Flowdan #SportsBanger #DaphnesSoundLab ‪@teenageengineering‬ ‪@bladerunnerdnb‬ ‪@DNB‬ #flowdan ‪@dnballstars‬ ‪@STRANJAH‬ ‪@ADAMAudioBerlin‬

Here's hoping.

Drum and Bass made on the OP-XY using a series of One-shots drums, Bass loops, pads, and a whole lot of tinkering with the frequencies. Hope you enjoy this one.

Can it Drum and Bass? .... Let me know

I've been really enjoying making stripped-back dubstep recently. Nice kick, phat snare, then just adding bits in as I go.

I wasn't really feeling this one at first, or at least I'd got a bit stuck on the direction. Then I came across this mega sample of what I believe is an Arab reed flute known as a 'Ney' instrument. It's a mega trippy little sample, which given I live in the Middle East felt very fitting for my next track, and it just sat so well in the mix. It really opened up some doors in my mind and gave me some new direction.

From there, I added some more of the sound clash shout-outs I've been playing with a lot recently. Then finally came across the original "Champion Sound" sample, which I remember hearing in loads of mega DnB tracks that I probably still have somewhere on vinyl. Absolute classic! sample.

I spent a lot of time on the final mix, particularly getting each of the bass hits sitting where I wanted them. I also started messing around a lot more with the Duck function, ducking some of the subs and mid basses in and out against each other to give everything a bit more room.

To give the track some movement, I started chopping up parts of the full 'Ney' flute instrument sample from the beginning and bringing little pieces back throughout the track with different stretches of the LFOs. It gave some nice ear candy without having the same sample running all the way through. Added in some wobbles, and it all started coming together.

The final piece was the stabs. I felt like they just elevated certain drops and the little breakdowns in the middle. After that, it felt done.

Really enjoyed pulling this one together, and I think the overall mix is one of my best so far. Improving just a little bit each time.

As always, let me know how it sounds on your end! Hope you enjoy the Middle Eastern flavour on this one.

#Dubstep #UKDubstep #DeepDubstep #140BPM #BassMusic #UKBass #SoundSystemMusic #DubstepProducer #OPXY #TeenageEngineering #SoundDesign #SubBass #DnB #DrumAndBass #ChampionSound #DaphnesSoundLab

Made dawless on the OP-XY sequencer. UK Dubstep sound. Inspired by Mala.

enjoyed making this piece. No software or PC was used in the making of this track. Only the sequencer you can see in the video. - Lil housey bouncy one.

Been making tracks on my OP-XY. Getting to the point where I am happy with the EQs and overall sound, made this little naughty 140 banger last night.

Hope you and enjoy it. All feedback welcome.

Ive been looking for other TE forums where people post there work, and discuss OPXY. Seems posting on Reddit doesn't seem to get a lot of traction these days. And little feedback or discussion comes from it.

Are there any other sites where people do this?

Thanks.

This track is a homage to one of my all-time favourite record labels - SWAMP 81.

I was lucky enough to be the right age at the right time to witness the post-dubstep and UK bass music movement as it was happening. It felt like a period where artists and DJs were more focused on developing new sounds than building social media followings. It was an incredibly creative era, and one of the labels that defined it for me was Swamp 81.

Almost every release became essential listening. Artists like Loefah (the founder), Boddika, Joy Orbison, Pinch, Mickey Pearce, Zed Bias, Chunky, Jonny Banger, and Ramadanman (Pearson Sound) were all pushing UK electronic music into strange new territory, which perfectly suited the times. Looking back, it really feels like one of the defining moments in modern UK club music.

With DISTRACTION, I wanted to capture some of that raw sound.

The tracks on Swamp 81 were never about being overproduced. They were stripped back, but every sound had purpose. Heavy snares. 808-style kicks. Warped basslines that never quite sat where you expected them to. Distorted rhythms, glitched vocals, eerie pads and huge amounts of space. Simple on the surface, but incredibly detailed once you started listening to what the bass and subs were doing.

I spent a lot of time getting the snare to hit just right. The bassline sits so low that the dedicated sub only really appears during the breakdowns and build-ups. One of my favourite parts is the eerie laughing vocal, and while experimenting on the keys I stumbled across a synth sound that, after a bit of tweaking, became the strange, haunting lead running through the track.

I loved making this one, feels like I have gone full circle, and I hope you enjoy it too.

If you were around during the Swamp 81 era, let me know. I'd love to hear which artists or tracks defined that period for you.

A little bit of history…

The name Swamp 81 references Operation Swamp 81, the controversial police operation carried out in Brixton, South London, in April 1981. The label took its name from that moment as a deliberate piece of cultural provocation.

The artists behind Swamp 81 built a reputation for challenging expectations musically, embracing underground culture and releasing records that often ignored whatever was fashionable at the time. That attitude is a big part of why the label became so influential.

Artwork: Ashes57 — created from one of her T-shirt designs that I bought back in those days. It felt like the perfect visual companion for a track inspired by that era.

#DaphnesSoundlab #UKBass #BassMusic #Swamp81 #PostDubstep
#Dubstep #BassCulture #UKUnderground #ElectronicMusic #SoundDesign #OPXY u/TeenageEngineering #MadeOnOPXY u/swamp81

Another sketch, another banger..

This one came about after I made the melody on its own and a friend said he really liked it and thought it had Legs. That was enough for me to start messing around with a few ideas.

I wanted it to flip from something melodic into something heavy, grainy and a little strange. I kept the intro shorter than I normally would so the melody could come back a few times throughout the track without overstaying its welcome.

I ended up using loads of wooden-sounding percussion, forest-style knocks, clicks, and little grainy textures to give it that darker, gritty and tape recorded kinda sound. I also added lots of distortion and reverb in areas, sometimes it gave off a few clicks here and there, but decided it went well with it, rather than manicuring every sample to remove the clicks. It was an enjoyable part of making the track, digging through weird sound scapes and seeing what worked, and how far it could be pushed with FX.

I like all the little random sounds in this one. There's a subtle sci-fi, space film sort of atmosphere running through the background that gives the track movement and character without getting in the way.

It's definitely a sub-heavy one. Getting the low end to behave on the OP-XY is always a bit of a balancing act, but a fun on all the same.

Eventually I got to a point where everything felt like it was sitting together nicely... and just hit record.

Let me know what you think.

Too much sub?

#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #DeepBass #BassMusic #Dubstep #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #HardwareJam #Synthesizer #DaphnesSoundlab #Sketchbook #SoundDesign #BassMusicProducer #MadeOnTheOPXY

I'm quite proud of this one in its own way. It started as a really random sketch a while ago. I was just messing around with a Kvarnofon preset, stabbing keys, playing with the envelopes, and then I landed on this particular riff that I absolutely loved. I saved it and completely forgot about it for ages.

Last night I decided to go back to it and have another play. It felt like it needed to get a bit more percussive, so I started adding different wooden-sounding percussion and glockenspiel-type hits, a bit like the instruments we used to have at school. Before long I caught myself nodding my head.

It quickly started sounding quite housey and reminded me of the sort of records I would have instantly bought back in the day, around 2009-ish. Young for some, old for others!

Once I'd added a nice stomping kick, I moved on to the bass, which was probably the hardest part of the whole track. Finding something that complemented the riff without overpowering it took ages. After that, though, everything else seemed to fall into place. I spent around 12 hours just experimenting, tweaking and listening back.

As usual, I stuck to my mantra of not overthinking things or overcooking the idea, I like to try and stay within 12-48 hours of making a track, mainly so I don't get bored, move on, and never come back. I know too many producers with this unfortunate habit and too many tracks go unpublished this way.

I like the feel of this one. It's got a nice bouncy groove that would definitely get me moving at 3am on a dance floor (in Obono Club ;). I also spent a fair bit of time adding movement with different LFOs. Some of it is probably a little obvious and a bit wayward, but its meant to catch you off-guard, thats how I wanted it anyway.

It almost feels unfinished... sounds a bit rough around the edges, but I like that. It felt like it could just keep going on and go anywhere, I could have made it 10-12 mins long or so, but i've been doing that too much lately. Maybe it's more of a DJ tool than a finished track, hence the genre I decided for it, and I'm okay with that, tools are meant for just using bits off, under other tracks in the mix, however the DJ desires.

As always, feedback is welcome. I'd genuinely like to know how it made you feel, and if you think it sounds good, then I am getting somewhere.

#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #House #DJTOOL #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #HardwareJam #Synthesizer #DaphnesSoundlab

I've been noodling with this track a little longer than usual. Mainly because I've noticed the previous tracks seem to be translating better across different systems, and friends have said they're sounding progressively better on everything from headphones to speakers. Still listening across my system with a sub, then my Hd25's, and trying In ears, everything sounds slightly different.. I don't feel like I can EQ things quite to the level I'd like on the OP–XY yet, but its getting more intuitive now.

I decided to go back to my first real love: Drum & Bass, and more specifically, rollers. This is the first DnB track I've put together on my own without leaning on any drum tutorials, which felt like a bit of a milestone. I spent a long time working on the drums, especially the snare, trying to get that nice snap and the hats sitting nicely in the middle. The main snare is actually layered from three different sounds to give it body, crack and a bit of air.

I also spent ages getting the different growls, womps and wubs sitting nicely together, then trying to make the sub work with them rather than against them. After that it was a case of layering pads, atmospheres and FX over the top, then arranging and tweaking everything over the course of about a week and half, which is longer than I normally spend on a sketch.

It could probably have another melodic element or some keys, but I actually liked how open and airy it felt. I wanted to leave plenty of space so the drums and bass could do the talking, which is exactly what I want from a good roller. I've also realised I have a habit of getting a track to a point where I really like it, then convince myself it needs more, and before I know it I've overcooked it and lost what made me like it in the first place. With this one I tried to resist that and keep things fairly simple.

Then I dropped in the classic "Dangerous" vocal in there to glue it all together. I'm not actually sure where the Original sample comes from, I just know I've heard it loads over the years, especially back in 90/00s DNB. I'm pretty sure this version came out of one of  u/STRANJAH  sample packs, which i have been using quite a bit, and have been great for thought starters - salute to him and the team.

As always, feedback is massively appreciated. I don't seem to get many comments, so everyone must think they sound perfect... 😄 Hopefully you think this one's as much of a banger as I do.

If you give it a listen, let me know what system you played it on and how the mix translates.

#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #DrumAndBass #Roller #DnB #BassMusic #MusicProduction #HardwareJam #Synthesizer #DaphnesSoundlab  u/teenageengineering ​

I started this one thinking, let's try something a bit slower. I've been making quite a lot of stuff in the 130–140 BPM range recently, so I dropped right down to around 112 BPM and tried a kind of house thing. I used to call tracks at this tempo "Chuggers", and that's what I was aiming for here.

I didn't quite realise how long this track was becoming. Long by name and definitely long by length too, coming in at around 10 minutes. It's a bit of a burner and probably could have been cut down a bit, but I quite like the way it ebbs and flows. There is strong use of the arpeggiator throughout the whole thing, hence the name. As I've said before, I think the arp on the OP–XY is one of the best features on the device.

From there I started building sounds using the different engines on the OP–XY. As usual, I went off on a tangent and before long the track had become something completely different that I found myself moving to.

As I built the track, I felt it needed a hook. While digging around I came across a sample used in the legendary Andy C track, back when he was releasing music as Origin Unknown. If you're a DnB fan you'll probably recognise it from Long Dark Tunnel. I chopped that up and sprinkled a few bits throughout the track.

The sample itself is from a 1988 BBC documentary about near-death and out-of-body experiences. Andy C and Ant Miles famously built the original track using the free sample CD included with Issue 1 of Future Music magazine in the UK in the early 90s, released in February 1993. Bit of a history lesson there for you heads.

The arp became a big part of the voyage. With each drop I just kept pushing it faster and wider. More movement, more tension, more layers and more energy. It drops, then drops again, then keeps evolving as new elements enter the mix.

Whether it's a banger or not is up to you, but I like it.

The result is this:

LONG ARP TUNNEL

Enjoy.

As always, any feedback is appreciated. I am still learning, particularly around EQ. It never sounds the same in two places, but I guess that's part of the learning curve. If you've got any questions about the sound design or how I put it together, feel free to ask.

Artwork is from the amazing Dave Swindells book featuring photos captured in Ibiza in 1989, the year I was born. Highly recommend it.

#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #HouseMusic #ElectronicMusic #MusicProduction #HardwareJam #Synthesizer #Arpeggiator #DaphnesSoundlab #electronicmusic

This is one of my favourite sketches I've made so far.

I found this sample on the ⁨@STRANJAH⁩ website, I think it's from his Icons pack, which is packed full of classic sounds and samples for inspiration.

As soon as I heard the "Tell Me You Care For Me" vocal, I needed to build a 140 BPM banger around it. A lot of the wub, wob and bass sounds also came from the same pack, which gave me lots to work with.

The hardest part was getting the sub and mid bass to sit together properly. As theirs a few different bass notes going on. It's not perfect, but I like where it landed. It ended up with a basement late night skanky feel to it, which is what I felt the sample needed.

I'm still learning new things on the OP–XY every time I sit down with it, and this one taught me a lot about balancing low end and making space for everything else in the mix.

As always, any feedback is appreciated, and if you've got any questions about the sound design or how I put it together, feel free to ask.

#OPXY #TeenageEngineering #140BPM #Dubstep #BassMusic #SoundDesign #MusicProduction #ElectronicMusic #HardwareJam #ProducerLife #DaphnesSoundlab #sportsbanger