If you’ve ever listened to Adam Stark’s remix of Alone Again and wondered how he got everything to click so perfectly, you’re in luck—he’s sharing the tips and tricks that went into making it happen. Stark’s no stranger to the fine-tuned details that make a track stand out on the dancefloor, and in this piece, he lays out some of the approaches that helped bring his remix of Nihil Young’s track to life.
For Stark, it’s all about experimenting and keeping things fresh. Whether it’s turning vocals into atmospheric pads with layers of reverb or creating hi-hats from scratch with white noise, his focus is on taking simple tools and pushing them to unexpected places. But it’s not just about creativity—he’s quick to stress the importance of getting the basics right, like nailing the balance between your kick and bass. “If your low end doesn’t work, the track’s not going to work,” he says, cutting straight to the point.
Beyond the sound design, Stark dives into how setting clear goals and using reference tracks can take your productions further. He’s big on finishing what you start, knowing when to let go of endless tweaking so you can actually get your music out into the world. These are the habits that helped shape his Alone Again (Adam Stark Remix) into the polished track it is today—and if you’re looking to sharpen your own workflow, his advice is a great place to start.
#1 Always try to challenge yourself to do something new with the sounds you have.
Turn your vocal into a pad by chaining multiple reverb plugins together. Figure out how to make your own hi hats with a white noise patch in a synth. Pitch down a sample and time stretch it to get a bass drone.
Always try to find something new and creative you can teach yourself about the tools you have access to.
#2 In dance music the most important part of your track will be the interaction between your kick and your bass.
Spend as much time as you can getting the levels and the sidechain right, as it will have the biggest impact on the danceability of your track.
#3 Consistency is key
Have effect sends for your channels, and making sure that things like reverb and delay are consistent throughout the track helps build a sense of cohesion without having to worry about the creative aspect of the song.
#4 Reference your arrangements against tracks that you already know work well on a dancefloor.
If you know how a track mixes in and out, and how it affects a dancefloor, don’t be afraid to look at the arrangement and ask yourself how you can apply it to your track.
#5 Finishing is more important that starting a track.
Make sure that you set clear goalposts for your productions and know when to call something done. If the track will get signed to the labels you want, or is played by the artists you love, an extra few hours of tweaking volume levels and plugins is the difference between starting your next project, and never finishing the one you’re on.
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.
