ill give detailed explanation of method i try use to memorize preset packs

main thing of this method is download 3 preset packs for serum from as many electronic genres as you can. so you have about 50 preset packs total. this totals maybe 2500 presets dont know some number in the thousands.

write script that generates random bpm from 90-179bpm. generates random key as well (natural minor key).

run script, change daw bpm and key. i always write in one key in ableton and just midi shift every melodic instrument by 0-11 semitones so its locked to one key. too complicated to explain need max for live device 'track pitch' or something. theres a few m4l devices that can do it but cbf explaining how to do it take too long. load instance of the track pitch on every melodic track and save them as preset e.g. blank serum track with this saved on it as midi effect and u drag it into project whenever you want serum and it has 4bar midi clip already loaded which is locked to the one key and then on master channel have the controller that shifts every single instrument with that 'track pitch' midi effect by 0-11 semitones.

then duplicate serum track, open serum window, go into the view that shows all presets in a massive list so it shows all 2500 presets in vertical list. its the button on serum next to 'right arrow to next serum preset'. then scroll to random point in the list and pick a preset that has a dank name or one you cant remember what it sounds like. then rename the track 'presetPackName'-'presetName' so you remember what preset pack it is and what preset it is. then write a 4 bar pattern for that instrument. duplicate another blank serum, pick another random serum preset with a dank name or whatever, do the rename so u remember what its called and what preset pack, write a 4 bar pattern for THE NEW instrument that works with the pattern you had for the first instrument. just keep doing this. at some point start deleting the oldest instruments you added. in this way you can add a new instrument roughly every 30 seconds. my theory is after doing this for ~200 hrs at different bpm's you'll start to memorize which sounds sound like what and youll be able to combine the instruments in better ways e.g. you might have a pattern with an instrument and u might think 'this would sound good with that one preset'. idk im not at that level yet. think it probably take 200 hours or somethin to memorize 2500 presets. speculative

downside of this method is ur not learning any song arrangement caus is 4 bar loop. i feel my arrangement skills are ok atm and id rather work on having better sound palettes.

also need to spend another 200 hours doing this with drums and effects so this method of combining sounds in 4 bar loop take ages probably. idk how else to get better at combining sounds. best ppl for making combinations like this is beatmakers... they have similar workflow so i dont think this method based on nothing... pretty much same as workflow of a beatmaker

probably want to combine the serum presets and the drums at same time even... im mostly just doing it with only serum instruments atm

caus im only spending 30 seconds per instrument... the 4 bar loop sounds like experimental garbage. im not really writing good patterns its just click some midi notes in that sound half decent... focusing on memorizing what each sounds like on its own... and more important focusing on what each sound sounds like when combined with other specific sounds.... 2500 * 2500 is a lot of combinations i guess just for 2 sounds and then sometimes got 4 or 5 sounds playing at once but ye i think is good method of just getting used to combining whole different sounds together

i guess u could make this faster just using 5 preset packs instead of 50... kind of boring just using preset packs from 1 genre maybe dunno i think 50 packs is better way. probably at least 20 packs caus otherwise ur not rlly gonna get a whole load of different sounds

u could use this method with other plugins that have presets... output-exhale has 100-200 presets. guitar rig has about 1000-2000 presets afaik... omnisphere i guess has a load of presets electra whatever. probably better using preset packs caus all the omnisphere presets came from 1 entity in a way so theyre prob all gonna sound the same but whatever works for u. ppl sell omnisphere preset packs so i guess u could use this method on 50 of those packs. and omnisphere more of sampler than synth so u get some way different sounds... omnisphere packs might be great way to do this method

u dont learn no arrangement this method... its rlly only for the one specific thing of learning more sound palettes in a very slow way. or very fast way idk depends. idk i havent used presets much so this method work for me. if u used presets a lot already this method might not be so useful or would take u way less than 200 hr to do

i think it can be kind of fun/useful to try n get a shit preset to sound good. that is a lot of this method... shitty presets that maybe dont even work that well together but then if u write some pattern they sound good together in a way

other things u could try if u wanted to change this method is adding postprocessing to sounds... comp/sat/eq/distortion/reverb/delay ... or could tweak the preset a little bit e.g. if u get wobble bass preset and it oscillates at 1/4 note interval u could try change it to 1/8th note interval. or changing wavetable or changing envelope amounts. i feel like this kind of waste of time if ur goal just more to get used to a load of different sounds... but could be useful for u

i guess i think most of what electronic producers do is get rl gud at combining different sounds together... so i dont think this type of exercise is waste of time. does anyone become producer and say 'i only want to make 1 genre only all of the time' i guess so

but probably main thing is always arrangement in my noob opinion and u dont learn rlly any arrangement doing this 4 bar loop

disclaimer i only used this method for bout 10 hr atm... id say even after 10 hr i have a pretty rough idea of what sounds are in a lot of the packs... but rlly wanna go to maybe 100 200 hr to get used to all the different sounds...

arrangement probably way more important than this so if u cant arrange at all maybe dont do this method. i done a few hundred 1 minute tracks so i know some small amount of arrangement already. so pick whatever order of learning tings u want

big shitpost bout electronic music is often 'wahhhh i can only make 4/8/16 bar loop i want to throw my DAW in a river' so this is kind of method which is good for this because LEANS INTO that loop making ting.... theres some advice i heard about making art its somethin 'take whatevers working for you in making art and expand that part outwards' so i think this good method just for that complaint ppl always shit talking bout eh but u learn no arrangement so idk id still put arrangement above this method idk how to learn arrangement. i like making loads of 1 minute tracks for arrangement practice. idk if it works tho... does 1 minute arrangement transfer into 2-5 minute arrangement. i feel like ~1 minute trax is good amount of time to try new things out... anything longer than 1:30 takes ages for me to produce and most of it is kind of not trying out new tings.... mostly making small changes or relistening etc and not much practical things but prob depend on genre of music u make

yea disclaimer only done this 4bar loop method for 10 hr probably doesnt work might be dank

the 1 minute trax i done for ages now... i think is ok. i havent written any good long tracks so maybe is also shit method. making anything longer than 2 minute feels like not much learning of all the smaller things like which sounds to use which arrangement things bein done etc so i dont think 2 minute+ trax that good for learning personally but pretty sure loads of ppl do it that way

i like making 1 minute tracks caus by the time it gets to a minute long i start getting bored of the track and wanna make something else... but i think i could start making some longer things soon and enjoy it more... i play longer ideas on piano n drums i guess make longer ideas just not in electronic... think some of my electronics idea getting a bit longer lately. i maybe more of craftperson workflow than artist workflow if that is a distinction

oh another variation of the 4bar loop... u can make it a 1 or 2 bar loop. its not rlly enough of a loop to do any decent midi patterns but u can write a 1 bar midi pattern for instrument in 5-10 seconds instead of 30 seconds i guess quicker.... probalyy mostly been doing 4bar caus its nice middle ground where u can do some different melodies harmonies

probably take advice from someone who makes full tracks not 1 minute trak or 4bar loop. the average time of pop song came down from 4 minute to 3 minute or somfin. if it ever gets to 1 minute ive made it as songwriter. id prob try n aim for 3:30 min track if i ever become track writer... anything above maybe 2:10 or less than 4:30 probably but i think probably bout 3 3:30 is decent track length for the music id wan make maybe. maybe i will just make 1 min trak forever or maybe best song length is 4 bar loop 4 bar loop genre