Image C/O Armin van Buuren
Armin van Buuren’s new single, “Part of Me,” featuring Louis III, feels like the perfect late-summer anthem. It’s grounded in Afro house, a genre that brings its own raw, rhythmic energy, but still carries that unmistakable Armin melodic finesse. This isn’t just another release; it’s the sound of an artist who knows how to push boundaries while staying locked into what makes people move. With Louis III’s smooth and soulful vocal leading the way, “Part of Me” manages to be intimate and massive all at once.
To mark the track’s release, Armin shared a list of production tips that every producer—beginner or pro—can learn from. From using reference tracks to improve your mixdowns to keeping your setup streamlined by mastering just a handful of plugins, these insights offer a clear look into the methods that have kept his music sharp and evolving. The advice is rooted in years of experience, but it’s practical enough to apply right now.
We also recently hosted an AMA with Armin on our Instagram page, which he shared even more top-level production tips with the community! Check it out below.
When you hear “Part of Me,” it’s easy to pick out how these techniques shape the track. The balance between its vocal clarity and driving rhythm feels effortless, but you know it’s the product of smart decisions and meticulous work. For producers, it’s a reminder that every mix, every plugin, and even every car test has a role to play in taking a song from an idea to something people can’t stop listening to.
Always use reference tracks.
The best way to learn producing is to learn how to listen. I always have two or three existing songs in my DAW running at the same time on a couple of muted channels.
It helps me get to the point quickly. How do I want my leads to sound? How do I want my vocal to sound? Is this breakdown too long or too short? ADPTP AUDIO’s MetricAB is a useful plugin for A/B-ing existing material while producing your music.
Stay inspired.
I ran into quite a few writer’s blocks in my career as a producer. That’s totally normal and the trick for me was to accept it and not get angry with myself. I always find my way back to being inspired by “nerding” around a little bit with software, hardware and sounds that inspire me. If there’s a day you don’t feel inspired, why don’t you browse through some presets of a plugin you hardly use? Finding the fun in making music is what keeps it exciting for me. I also get inspired by following online courses. Sometimes I just take a random course on a plugin and I find out there’s always something to learn.
Use the knowledge you gather when you DJ or visit shows.
I love road-testing my songs. But sometimes I’m completely convinced I wrote a smash and nothing happens on the dance floor when I play it live. Fortunately, it happens the other way around as well. I sometimes “secretly” test a new track and I’m surprised by how much people love it.
Also, when I play or hear another DJ play a random track from someone else I’m not really sure about, and the crowd goes crazy, it means I initially didn’t hear why it ended up working so well . I use that track as one of my reference tracks in my DJ sets.
Your next song is always based on tricks you learn from making previous songs.
There’s no quick way to learn producing. It can be a steep learning curve. Every song you make is another step to your next big hit. Ed Sheeran said it nicely: “you first have to write your bad songs before you start making good ones.” I believe there’s a lot of truth to that.
Stick to a few plugins and learn them inside out. You don’t need 30 synths and 40 reverbs.
It’s very tempting to keep buying and trying new plugins. While I believe there’s nothing wrong with learning new things and seeing what’s hot, there’s always the risk of losing yourself in installing new plugins and updates. It takes away valuable time from actually making music.
I have a few favorite plugins I always use and try to stick to them. (Fabfilter ProQ3, Serum, Valhalla Reverb, Soundtoys Echoboy, etc)
Always SAVE your work and use version numbers.
Whenever you start a new project, ALWAYS save, no matter how unimportant you think it was what you did. And more importantly: every time you save, save in a higher version number (V001, V002, V003). Song projects get corrupted and won’t open again!
Car test
When you’re happy with your work, try to listen to a bounce of your track in a car or on headphones while working out. In a different environment, tracks sound totally different! When I work on the A State of Trance year mix, I always take a lot of time to road-test my mix to see if the mix flows nicely.
Back up your stuff
It sounds pretty straightforward, but you won’t believe how many people I know lost their computers and hard drives. It’s a FACT computers crash and hard drives fail. It’s only a matter of time. Ask yourself: how much money would I pay to get ALL my data back? That’s probably a lot more than the price of an extra HD. The best way to archive your work is in the cloud, on TWO extra HDs or best yet: invest in a tape drive! I still store all my data on TAPES (Tandberg).
Make stems
It’s probably the most dull thing to do when you finished a track, but when you replace your old computer, setting will never be exactly the same as before. Some plugins won’t work on your next machine etc. Making stems of ALL versions of your songs will save you a lot of pain down the road. I promise you, you will need those stems later in life.
Use small speakers to make room for a vocal
I always mix vocals on small speakers that only give me the mid range of a track. That’s when I know the vocal is loud enough. I usually put the volume at the lowest possible level and focus on the instruments I’m hearing. When I did my track with Moby, ‘Extreme Ways’, I had 125 tracks going at the same time. But this trick helps you realize what track is vital to the song, and then you can mix accordingly.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
