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You don't need a studio to turn your favourite songs into danceable anthems: just a laptop and the right software. Chart-topping DJ David Guetta, who transformed David Bowie's Heroes into a dancefloor hit, says: "You've got to love the music first, but to say that anybody can do it is a lie." To make things easier, Guetta explains how to remix an MP3 using Ableton Live, the program favoured by most mashup artists.
FIND YOUR HOOK
Drag a track from your iTunes library into an Audio track in Session View. Hit Play.
Adjust the loop markers to select the part you want to sample. This should be the strongest part of the track -- Guetta took the chorus from Heroes.
DROP THE BASS
Remove the bass from your sample. Go to Audio Effects, EQ 8.
The first two points on the frequency line correspond to the bass and can be adjusted to remove it.
HERE COME THE DRUMS
Create a drum track. Go to the Live Device Browser icon and choose Instruments. Select a drum kit from the Drum Tracks set and drag it onto the Midi track. Click the round icon at the base of the drum track. Make sure the Computer Midi Keyboard icon in the top right is highlighted, then use the keys from the centre row of your keyboard to hit snares, kicks and high-hats. To record the drums, click the clip's Play button.
BRING BACK THE BASS
Return to Instruments and browse the bass options. You can also download emulators that recreate the sound of classic basses.
Guetta recommends Minimonsta, which is an emulation of the classic Moog synthesiser: "It's the fattest bass sound." To access a plug-in, go to the Plug-In Device Browser, underneath the Live Device Browser.
UP THE TEMPO
Set the master tempo for your set -- shown in the very top left corner. Click the Warp button for each clip to make sure individual clips conform to this.
GET IT TOGETHER
It's time to assemble the components of your track. Click the Stop Clips button in the Master track on the right, then click Stop on the main control bar twice to reset all your samples. Press Record -- now any samples and loops you launch will be part of your track. Keep things simple: "Have as few elements as possible," says Guetta. "Everything has to be useful. The more elements, the more muddy the music is."
MAKE THE FINAL CUT
When you're done, hit Stop. Change to Arrangement view by pressing Tab on your keyboard. Here you can see your mashup laid out in its entirety. Rearrange the track by dragging and dropping clips, or jump back to Session View.
SUPERSTAR DJS, HERE WE GO
Save your set, burn it to CD and make for the dance floor.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
