00 - Decision Map

The fastest entry point to the guide. Start from what you want (a mood, a part, or a way to begin), then jump straight to the right recipe, page, and first tool.

For the full method behind these choices, see 01 - Start Here. For tool-vs-tool decisions, see 16 - Overlap and Redundancy Map. To judge whether a mix sounds expensive (and what to A/B against), see 04 - Make It Sound Expensive.

I Want a Mood / Aesthetic

Pick the feeling, open the recipe, reach for the first tool.

I'm Working on a Part

Go straight to the instrument/production page and its first tool.

For the "need → first plugin" job table (EQ, reverb, delay, saturation, etc.), see Reach For First in 01 - Start Here.

Set Up Once, Then Stop Fiddling

These workflow pages exist so recipes don't repeat themselves and so you know when a part is done. Build the first two into your template once.

Song Starters

Four reliable ways to begin a track. Pick the one that matches your strongest idea, then follow the linked recipes.

1. Pad / chord-first (mood-first)

Best when you have a feeling but no parts yet.

1. Choose a mood from the table above and open its recipe.
2. Lay one chord progression on a pad/bed (Diva, OB-X, Pigments, VSM IV).
3. Add a simple bass following the root, mostly mono (Analog Sub + Character Bass).
4. Find the vocal melody over the bed before adding drums.
5. Add rhythm last, only what the groove needs.

Starting recipes: Icy Electronic Art-Pop, Depeche Mode Dark Analog, ionnalee Cinematic Digital-Nature.

2. Beat / groove-first (rhythm-first)

Best for dancefloor, dub, or glitch energy.

1. Program a kit (808/909 Foundation, IconDrum / XO) and get the groove right dry.
2. Lock a bassline to the kick (Analog Sub + Character Bass).
3. Add one hook synth or vocal phrase.
4. Use effects (filter sweeps, throws) as the arrangement (Effect-as-Arrangement).

Starting recipes: 808/909 Electronic Pop Foundation, Depeche Mode Machine Rhythm, Weatherall Dubby Indie-Dance Groove, Aphex Twin Pretty IDM Breakbeat, Acid / Dub Bass, Goldfrapp Glam Analog, Modeselektor & Thom Yorke Glitch-Pop.

3. Vocal-first (topline-first)

Best when the song is about the voice.

1. Capture the topline with a simple piano/pad guide.
2. Record the vocal well at the source (mic recipes below).
3. Build harmony/stacks if the style calls for it.
4. Arrange the track to serve the vocal, not bury it.

Starting recipes: Grimes Layered Art-Pop, Dave Gahan Vocal, UT Twin87 Vocal Recording, Dynamic Mic Vocals, Vocal Processing Chain.

4. Texture / found-sound-first (sound-design-first)

Best for experimental, cinematic, or "digital-nature" tracks.

1. Record or generate a raw texture (mic a real sound, or use MAP/granular).
2. Transform it: pitch, time-stretch, granular, filter, reverb freeze.
3. Build a rhythm or pad from the result.
4. Add a melodic or vocal anchor so it becomes a song, not a sketch.

Starting recipes: Found-Sound and Sampling, FM Bells & Glass, Pretty Aphex Twin Melodic IDM.

If You're Stuck

1. Pick the emotional target first.
2. Reduce, don't add — mute a layer.
3. Fix the source/performance before reaching for a plugin.
4. Make one strong character move, then check the whole mix.

See 01 - Start Here and 02 - Creative Method for the full unstuck workflow.