10 Inspiring Methods and Plugins That'll Help you Start More Tracks

Get your head nodding and spark off inspiration with these techniques and producer games for starting off new tracks

Sometimes, the hardest part of making a track is simply getting started.

We’ve all been there… You have some time spare to produce and are excited to come up with some fresh sounds. But as soon as you get set up at your workstation, creative block sets in, and no matter what you chuck at the wall, nothing seems to stick.

You’re not alone, and we understand how frustrating it can be. That’s why we're delighted to bring you this trialled-and-tested list of ten creative-block solutions for producers that are sure to spark inspiration even at the bleakest of times.

Let’s tackle this beat block once and for all.

 

 

1. Use inspiring plugins to kick off ideas

Plugins can be an endless source of inspiration, thanks to their new ways of working and, often, team of sound designers creating presets. Or on the flip side, it could be a brand new plugin you’ve been interested in getting to grips with for some time.

A good example is the Excite Audio Bloom Series. Two in particular have been selected due to their high potential to get ideas brewing, as well as their visually-popping and intuitive GUIs – perfect for learning to use in a jiffy.

First up, we have Bloom Synth Atmosphere, an otherworldly instrument capable of flaring up your productions with dreamlike melodies, chords and textures. The key is in the name: Atmosphere. If you need an ambient accomplice, loaded with 250+ presets and a decent few sound design macros, this plugin will surely help you sketch your next few tracks’ early stages.

Secondly, we have Bloom Palette Object, which is a comprehensive instrument, bringing eight distinct sound banks, built from mostly common everyday objects. Captured in utmost fidelity, the sounds bring unique elements to spice up your mixes. Most notably, the expansive sequencer can be heavily tuned, and even loaded with one of the songstarter presets to provide a foundation if you’re running low on inspiration.

 

 

2. Prompt yourself with an oblique strategy

If you’re not familiar with Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt’s Oblique Strategies game, it’s an honour to introduce you. This one’s sure to reinvigorate you in times of need and crush creative block into the past.

Essentially, Oblique Strategies is a deck of cards, with each one offering a vague and mysteriously inspiring phrase. The phrases have been written in a purposefully oblique manner to evoke an intrinsic philosophical solution to whatever creative dilemma you may be facing. In short: they’re intended to inspire you and disarm creative hesitation.

Of course, there are official cards available to purchase as a complete deck, or there are alternative free methods to achieve the same results. You can find a free browser-based version of the game too.

Although, perhaps the most fun approach of all is to create your own cards and keep them regularly on-hand in the studio. That way, you can build them up over time and even get other artists and friends to contribute toward the deck. If you go down this route, we recommend acquainting yourself with the original deck first so you have an idea of the kinds of phrases to aim for.

In summary, this is a failsafe way to keep things fun and engaging in the studio, especially in times of creative drought. It’s also a great exercise to introduce to collaborators, breaking the ice, and encouraging new insights—spreading the word of Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt’s genius contribution to combating creative block.

 

 

3. Start by playing with time

Unless you’re some kind of musical anomaly, you’ll most likely tend to compose tracks in a single time signature – most probably 4/4. Using a plugin like Cableguys Timeshaper 3 (below) can be a quick shortcut to playing with time in your projects, but otherwise, switching the time signature completely is a sure way to flip things on their head.

The thought of stepping outside of this time signature can be daunting, and perhaps make you feel a bit incapable in the face of such a challenge. Yet, we’re here to tell you that maybe that inner resistance and vulnerability is exactly the direction you should steer toward if you want to spruce things up and originate.

Admittedly, the regularity and familiarity of your typical time signature probably exist for good reason within your genre. However, a true creative should always walk the border between familiarity and uncertainty for true innovation to take place. Time signature switching is a perfect opportunity to do just that.

If you’re not convinced just yet, have a listen to some examples of great music that was composed using this precise method. Radiohead’s 15-step (in 5/4) is a perfect place to start. Then, perhaps dive into Outkast’s Pink & Blue (in 7/8). Both are great examples of artists/bands reaching outside of their comfort zone to show what’s truly possible.

Another fine example in 5/4 is Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Take Five (above). This track became one of the best-selling Jazz singles of all time, in a time signature that was very atypical of the genre, which relied upon the signature swing in 4/4.

Just keep in mind, when venturing out of your regular time signature for the first time, things might not harmonise straight away. It’s important to approach this technique with an open mind and a willingness to adventure. That way, after a few tries, you should get the hang of it and be thinking in an almost entirely new musical language.

 

 

4. Layer two synth patches

Going back to another plugin-based approach, we have the simple technique of layering two synth patches together to design a fresh, new sound. Try combining patches within the same synth engine, or pairing different synths together.

This can be especially juicy when building chords as the first cornerstone of your track.

It works particularly well with chords because you can gain extra thickness, provided you combine two complementary layers at suitable octaves. You can also go the extra mile and pan your layers at opposing positions in the stereo field. This way, even the most basic chord progressions can sound invigorating and impressive.

With that being said, this technique doesn’t need to be applied solely to chords. You can layer a background ambient pad, a melody, or even synth bass for a similar effect. For instance, choose a musical tone as the main component to your melody, and layer it with a textural white noise for some grit and personality. A similar approach can work for your bass, combining low-end drones and/or ambient noise with traditional bass tones.

Lastly, this effect can even be applied to drum synths. If you’re the type of producer who regularly infuses synthesized drums into your tracks, try layering numerous impacts together to really flesh-out your kicks, snares and claps. A tool like RC-20 can additionally be used to strategically layer noise to tracks in a similar fashion. Try whacking the Snare preset onto a snare for extra punch and attitude.

 

 

5. The roulette builder

Many synths and drum machines have randomisation functions. These are optimal go-to tools to spark ideas when creativity is running low. Naturally, the randomized patterns don’t always sound great initially, but most of them can be tweaked accordingly to achieve reliable results.

Take MPowerSynth, for instance. Its smart randomiser lets you select exactly which modules to shuffle—oscillators, filters, effects and more. That way, you avoid just rolling the dice blindly, making it much easier to use the randomisation as a controlled creative tool, rather than a purely chaotic mash.

Similarly, Cypher2 allows you to define a handful of preset ‘anchors’ and morph between them using the randomisation slider. The result is a hybrid patch that feels organic, usable, and often surprisingly cohesive—perfect for sketching ideas and brewing inspiration without throwing off your track’s direction.

Another approach is to take the completely random, blind throw of the dice and then attempt to clean it up after.. Roll a few patterns until one catches your ear, then dive in and fine-tune the parameters manually. It’s a great way to shift your mindset from “writer” to “editor,” building something usable from raw, unfiltered chaos.

You can also apply this idea to synth presets. A plugin like Pigments by Arturia has an excellent randomisation engine that generates fresh patches at the click of a button. Combined with its intuitive layout and visual feedback, it makes exploring sonic territory feel more like a guided adventure than a guessing game.

 

 

6. Build in a different order

If you’re like most of us, you probably have a default order that you like to add elements in when building a track. Perhaps you also have a secondary order to make things interesting every once in a while. But, how about you flip things on their head completely and start from an utterly alien point?

For example, if you’re a hip-hop head with DAW templates to kickstart drum patterns, why not try opting for the melody or chords first this time around? Opposingly, if you primarily draw musical inspiration from melodic elements, why not tackle the rhythmic components first? When we force our brains to go down different paths, we think differently, often inciting untapped creative potential.

If starting from an unusual instrument causes more disruption than solution, don’t stress. There are a few plugins we can rely on for generating ideas, depending on the instrument you’re starting with.

For instance, Melody Sauce 2 (above) is a prime contender for generating top-notch melodies and chords as a base for your track—allowing you to delegate the heavy lifting. The plugin is also designed to guide you to whatever type of mood and style you’re aiming for.

Likewise, if bass is not your usual bread and butter, getting your hands on some well-designed bass instruments to spark the low-end of your track is a must. Loopmasters’ Bass Master or Rob Papen’s SubBoomBass 2 are good go-to nominees.

For drums, Playbeat 4 is an optimal choice, giving you a comprehensive drum sequencer with plenty of tools to generate ideas on the fly.

 

 

7. Slice up a new pattern

Loopcloud has come through with a neat new feature in its recent update. The new Flip function allows you to flip a sample in a sophisticated manner, based upon an intelligent algorithm–all accessible intuitively within the Loopcloud application.

You can find a sample you’re keen on from Loopcloud’s colossal library and automatically flip it into something completely new. The algorithm detects the smart tags of the sample and works with 1,000 algorithms to rework the sample into a suitable counterpart for use in your music.

This is an assured way to add even more diversity into the music production game, ensuring there is even less likelihood that anyone else in the world has flipped the same sample in the same way. So, you can achieve complex sampling prowess with very minimal effort.

To flip a sample from the Loopcloud interface, simply right-click it from the menu and select ‘Flip sample’. You will then see the changes reflected in the sample’s waveform, and its respective slices in the bottom-right panel. You can Flip the same a few different times to put the algorithm to the test. Once satisfied, buy the sample with your Loopcloud credits and click-and-drag it into your DAW.

If you’re not yet a member of Loopcloud, it’s a reliable companion to have your back whenever in times of creative shortage. Gain access to a plethora of sound assets, as well as music production tools, all from within intuitive and well-supported software. Sign up for a 14-day trial here, completely FREE.

 

 

8. Automate and process right from the start

Most producers like to ‘stay in the flow’ of adding sounds, and save mixing FX and automation for last. But why does sound selection have to be the only way to express creativity? As if automation and effects processing are merely tedious tasks. We’re here to challenge that view and show that they can be as great opportunities as any to showcase creativity.

Next time you’re starting a track and adding your first sound, try to imagine what exact processing you will add to sculpt it, then add it from the get-go. The same can be said for automation. Don’t hesitate to use automation to make a pad swoop from left to right, or to filter sweep something. In both of these scenarios, the automation is a vital part of the sound design.

Then, once you start adding more sounds, you’ll already have an ear as to what frequencies are currently active, plus which ones need filling. You’ll likely find that mixing in this fashion will train your ear more adeptly to FX processing, forcing you to think ahead strategically, and not accidentally select sounds that compete for space later on.

This mindset can also be applied when sequencing your track. If you’re satisfied with the first verse section you’ve just laid but can hear some low-pass filters and risers dipping in and out at certain points, add them in as the ideas come, and train yourself to think this way. It’ll save you a ton of time and change the way you relate to mixing and automation.

 

 

9. Create an atmospheric intro

Sometimes, a fun way to get creative ideas brewing is to refrain from jumping directly into the music production side and instead plan to attack the task from a conceptual standpoint instead. Through doing this, you can set a cinematic scene or skit as an intro to your track and work on building that before jumping into the bulk of the action.

Kendrick Lamar is a great example of an artist who uses skit-like scenes to convey actual artistic concepts in his songs. Check out The Art of Peer Pressure, below, for a prime example. The intro goes for nearly a full minute before the full song starts.

Your intro section could be musical in itself, making use of atmospheric pads and textures, or it could purely make use of sound effects and real-world recordings to try and communicate an actual physical space to the listener. From there, you can build an actual skit that connects to the concept of your track. We’d recommend not going over 90 seconds for your intro.

If going for the cinematic option, there are a wide array of plugins designed specifically for this purpose—one of them being Excite Audio’s Bloom Synth Atmosphere that we covered earlier. Some of the Native Instruments Kontakt patches are primed for this purpose. For instance, Gravity 2 is exceptional for creating explosive impacts and evocative textures.

If going for the second option, you can get creative with your own recordings or use something like AizerX - Trailer SFX Designer Toolkit to build your scene.

 

 

10. Use a reference to build a framework

And last but not least, we have the faithful approach of using a reference track. This will always be a handy way to spark creative inspiration because, if the tracks you’re a fan of don’t inspire you, there’s nothing else that will. After all, you were a fan before you were a musician yourself, right?

So, whether it’s some newly discovered music that’s resonating within your current rotation, or it’s an all-time classic you’ve been vibing with for a long while, don’t hesitate to load a copy into your DAW and try to replicate some of the elements. Of course, we’re not saying to steal their components, but often, the drum pattern or chord progression can be great frameworks to build from. Then your track is sure to mine into the same vein.

When exercising this technique, you’ll likely find that your own creativity swoops down and drops you in the heart of a flow state in no time at all. Plus, even if you do copy the same drum pattern, melody, bassline or chord progression, you can then splice it up afterwards to add your own spin, detaching it from the original completely.

Remember, the main objective is just to use this technique to get ideas stewing, not to rip off the cult-classic icons.