It's officially the holiday season!

If you are trying to make some holiday music, I have the perfect instruments for you!

Every year, I make a special Christmas-themed Free Ableton Live Pack. And based on your behavior, I have a feeling there may be another one coming this year! But until then, here's:

10 years of Christmas Ableton Live Packs:

2011: Christmas Tree Synth- Growing up, I can remember many quiet Christmas nights, listening to the sound of the simple melodies playing out of a tiny speaker connected to my family's Christmas lights. This instrument was made from samples of those lights. It's a tiny sound with a lot of soul. It takes me back to my youth!

2012: Charlie Brown X-Mas Tree Synths - These are actually some of my favorite instruments to play around with. They are made from a Charlie Brown snow globe. It's basically a little music box sound, but I've had a little fun making it somewhat of a granular synth.

2013: Jingle Bells - I have a set of sleigh bells that I sampled for these instruments. There's instruments that represent the actual sound of the sleigh bells, as well as melodic ones. Check out the video which features Jingle Bells, played on Push, using actual jingle bells.

2014: Christmas Bells - This collection is made with the sounds of church bells from both samples and synthesis. The Yamaha DX7 bells sounds meet real bell samples for a pretty nice sound.

2015: Little Drummer Boy - This is another instrument made from an ornament my family has had synth I can remember. The sound of it is a bit like a music box. I've also sampled the cranking sound for some cool percussion instruments. This is another of my all-time favorites.

2016: 12 Synths of Christmas - These 12 synths were inspired by different aspects of the holiday season and were programmed with Live's Operator. They cover a range of sounds, and I think they are also a pretty cool exploration of the capabilities of Operator.

2017: Wrapping Paper Instruments - I recorded Christmas wrapping paper being ripped, torn, folded, and taped to make the percussive Drum Rack. I got a tone by slapping the end of the long cardboard tube the paper is rolled on. That tone became a kick drum sound and a playable Melodic Instrument Rack.

2018: This year we were on Santa’s naughty list :( .

2019: Santa’s Firetruck - Each year, the local fire department teams up with jolly ol' Saint Nick and escorts Santa on his sleigh around town. I managed to capture the sound of the jolly commotion and turn it into two soft and sweet Ableton Live Instruments.

2020: Christmas Bears - 3 instruments made from samples of my friend J-Rod's Christmas bear holiday ornament. It's a music box-style ornament that plays "Here Comes Santa Clause." The instruments are made from 3 isolated single notes.

Bill Small - Musician and Coach on the Music Production Podcast

Bill Small is a musician, songwriter, and founder of Artist Mind Inc. He has lots of experience in just about all aspects of the music business. Bill applies what he has learned over the years as a personal coach for people from all walks of life, including artists, lawyers, doctors, and entrepreneurs.

Bill shared many of his techniques and strategies for helping people define success in their lives and creating clear goals for the future. We discussed how we get in our own way and often have trouble realizing we are doing so. Bill has a lot of wisdom that applies to just about all aspects of life.

Listen to Bill Small on the Music Production Podcast: https://brianfunk.com/blog/bill-small

That's all for now! I hope you enjoy the holiday season!

Brian Funk

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