FAQ

Crackling usually means the audio buffer is too small for your CPU load, a driver issue, or background processes stealing time. Increase the buffer in your audio settings, freeze CPU-heavy instruments, and use a low-latency driver where your interface supports it. If the problem is project-specific, mute tracks systematically until the culprit appears.

Patterns hold musical ideas as reusable blocks. The Playlist arranges those blocks in time, similar to a film timeline. Strong arrangements separate drum patterns, bass patterns, and melodic patterns so you can edit quickly without duplicating MIDI across the project.

They name patterns consistently, color tracks by role, route instruments to bus mixer tracks, and commit to a template that opens with preferred routing, sidechain sends, and reference tracks. Organization is a creative tool: less searching means more listening.

Both have tradeoffs. Speakers reveal stereo field and room interaction; headphones expose detail and noise. Use headphones for surgical edits and speakers for balance decisions. If you only have one, learn its biases and check on secondary systems (car, earbuds) before calling a mix finished.

Aim for musical dynamics, avoid clipping inter-sample peaks when possible, and use a true peak aware limiter on the master if that fits your genre. Test loudness-matched references, not louder-is-better comparisons. Export WAV for archival; use high-quality lossy formats only for distribution as required.