I’ve been experimenting with the Roland P6 for a while now, and recently I set myself a challenge: make a full beat in 10 minutes. What came out of this was one of my fastest, weirdest, and most fun workflows yet.

Programming drums on a sequencer or DAW can feel like a chore. On a grid, loops can sound cold and robotic. But how do those electronic and hip-hop pioneers make their drums groove so well? When I started learning to play real drums, I realized there are three simple techniques that every grooving drum beat, whether made on a sampler, groovebox, or DAW, uses to feel more human. A great drum loop comes from rhythmic variation, human feel, and tasteful processing. In this post,

It’s been about two years since I last turned on the Novation Circuit Tracks. Back then, it was the main brain of my DAWless setup, and the first piece of Dawless gear I ever used. Over time, as my setup and workflow developed, I shifted away from it, until it's been relegated to sitting on the shelf for the last 2 years. Recently, I decided to dust it off and see if it still holds up in 2025… or if time (and technology) has left it behind. Come to find out...