Electronic Pop Production with Hardware and Ableton Live

This talk discusses how producers can use a pop/hyperpop lens to combine hardware and software tools into something greater than the sum of parts. When focusing exclusively on hardware/modular or software/DAWs, musicians can tend to repeat familiar sounds - here we offer ways to mingle the best of both worlds to breathe new life into your music. We’ll take a practical technique-based approach, discussing and demonstrating the following:

-Pop/Hyperpop Vocal Processing
-Modular Processing, Overdubbing, and Resampling
-Songwriting: Crafting Lyrics and Vocal Performance Considerations
-Using Modular to Create Transitional Elements
-Chopping Vocals
-Serum/Wavetable Go-To’s
-Taking a modulation-focused approach to Ableton Live
-Pop’s Structural Elements: Arps, Melodies, and Basselines
-Filter/Delay Pinging and Feedback Techniques

In going through the aforementioned techniques we will touch on some broader musical considerations:

~What are hallmark characteristics of electronic pop? Is it more about music/songwriting or about sound design/timbre in nature? What’s the role of technology in pop vs other types of music?
~What is “Pop” philosophically and why do you make it (or find your music described as such)? Is Pop a genre? An aesthetic filter/lens? An attitude? a business? What the hell is hyperpop?
~What’s the role of performance in pop vs other kinds of music? Do you consider improvisation an important part of the genre, and if so what does this improvisation look like?
~How has pop/hyperpop evolved? Where is it going?

At the end there will be an Ableton project breakdown and general walkthrough of Akemie's song, "1605" on Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith's label "Touch The Plants"
(https://touchtheplants.bandcamp.com/track/1605)

All ages and skill levels (including total beginners!) are welcome and will take something away from this class. That said, an understanding of synthesis and/or Ableton Live and/or modular gear will be helpful for getting the most out of the talk, and some prerequisite knowledge in these areas will be assumed. If you want to learn more about any of these we regularly give introductory classes which you can find at synthlibraryportland.org/events

Akemie is a Portland-based hyperpop artist/producer/performer and facilitator at the Synth Library. They regularly perform both improvised sets and original compositions that combine live vocals, modular, and Ableton regularly. They have the (possible) distinction of being the only person on earth to be named after a Eurorack module.

Akemie online: https://akemie.neocities.org/

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Sunday, February 8th, 2026
3:30 pm - 6:00 pm

1256 Lloyd Center
2nd Floor, near Dicepool
All ages (10+ recommended)
$10-20 sliding scale
Tickets are required to attend. No one is turned away for lack of funds, so email info@synthlibraryportland.org for lower/no-cost tickets.