Hello everyone,

A fresh episode of Audio Alchemy with Cal Lycus is here, and it’s all about transforming your mixes! Cal dives into the world of auxiliary sends—tools that let you send parts of your audio to effects like reverb or EQ, adding depth without altering the original track. Using the track multitude by anodyne , he breaks down auxiliary sends, returns, and buses, showing how they can make your mixes more cohesive and dynamic. With hands-on examples and practical tips, Cal guides you step-by-step through techniques to create richer, more professional soundscapes. Don’t miss out—watch now and elevate your mixing game!

More Tutorials by Cal Lycus and naswalt here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuZhzj4PboMkL07sYEl6qrGwxamAuA24t

If you check out ryzenn AKA taiko!'s, tracklist, it’s pretty clear this is an artist who refuses to stick to just one sound. While trap and its variations are at the core of his music, he pulls in influences from all kinds of genres to shape his unique style. He’s always evolving, mixing things up, and finding fresh ways to stand out in any genre he dives into. His tracks feel new and exciting but still have that signature ryzenn vibe. Every project builds on what he’s done before while also breaking new ground. It’s this blend of consistency and innovation that keeps ryzenn one step ahead and always worth listening to.

Interview

About: : Daniel AKA ryzenn AKA taiko!

Hello! My name Daniel! I go by ryzenn, or taiko! as most of you know me by! I am from Virginia, lived here all of my life and I honestly love VA. I am 19, currently studying in college for my Cybersecurity degree, planning to get either my Bachelor's or my Master's degree in cyber! I have really strong passion for music and music production, and I am really into audio.

I love technology and I have a deep passion for computers and tech. I am also really into photography, and videography, and I used to be a camera operator for a live broadcasting team for a church!

Describe the style of music you produce

The type of music that I produce is mainly subgenres of hip hop and trap, I have also been trying to bring reggaeton into audiotool! Some of the subgenre that I make or have made include sigilkore, maplekore, reggaeton, hip hop, trap, wave, new jazz, jazz fusion phonk, phonk, and more!

What is your musical background and when did you start making music?

I grew up in a family of musicians, guitarists, pianists, and drummers. My dad was one of the drummers at our church, and for years, I watched him and my uncles play drums, piano, and guitars. Music was always around me, but my real journey into music production began when I was about eight years old in 2013.

Back in 2013, my dad was a reggaeton artist. He played drums, percussion, and guitar, and he often took me to a studio where he would record his vocals. I remember being fascinated by the software I saw, FL Studio 11, FL Studio 12, Pro Tools. I didn’t fully understand what they were, but I knew I wanted to learn.

In 2016, I joined my middle school’s band class and started playing drums and percussion. That experience fueled my passion for music. By 2018, I was constantly listening to trap and hip-hop, artists such as Migos, Drake, Future, Joey Trap, xxxtentacion, Lil Peep, Bad Bunny, and more, but I also loved jazz, lo-fi, and R&B.

One day in my Algebra class, I was looking for a clean version of a Fortnite soundtrack I liked but couldn’t find one. That’s when I thought, “What if I remake it myself?” I started searching for free music software on my school Chromebook and stumbled upon flat.io, Soundtrap, audiosauna (RIP Adobe Flash Player), and audiotool. Soundtrap was too complicated at first, and audiotool felt overwhelming, but I gave audiosauna a try. That was my first step into music production, I began remaking songs and experimenting with sounds.

When middle school ended and I entered high school, I only had my Chromebook to work with. I decided to give Soundtrap another shot and started making beats on there, even posting them when public profiles were still a thing. In 2019, I tried GarageBand and began producing more, though I never released anything.

Then came 2020. When COVID lockdowns hit, I spent most of my time on Soundtrap or my phone, but I felt limited. Soundtrap was getting rid of public profiles, and I wanted a new platform. My friend, guyywitbeats, was using audiotool at the time and I gave audiotool another try. It was still confusing, and my Chromebook could barely handle it, but I slowly started learning. The Chromebook I had during lockdown was the worst and the most unbearable thing, it would black out on 4 tabs, freeze on Google Classroom, and would barely run the Machiniste.

When we returned to in-person classes for my junior year, I kept pushing forward. During study hall, I’d pull out my Chromebook, put my AirPods in, and open audiotool. My passion kept growing—I even started making beats during class when I had the chance.

Senior year took things to another level. I spent more time producing and met great friends through music. One of my coolest projects was for my government class, we had to create a fictional country, and my teacher let me and my friend make a national anthem. We wrote the chords, recorded guitar parts in Audacity, and produced the entire song in audiotool. I even got to present the audiotool project in front of the class on the Smartboard, and they loved it. I also made a graduation song for the Class of 2023, which was a huge moment for me. I even used audiotool to make a gymnastics floor music mix for a good friend of mine, and that floor mix even made it to big gymnastics competitions, and even made to a national competition, and is still used to this day!

After graduating in Class of 2023, I dove deeper into music production. audiotool has been my main DAW, but I wanted to try other DAWs. I finally committed to learning FL Studio and, by winter, I bought the All-Plugins Edition for a college project. I also got Ableton Live 11 Standard and started learning both. Over time, I added Reason 12, Pro Tools, and Reaper to my workflow, pushing my skills even further.

Now, I’m here, still learning, still growing, and still passionate about music. I hope to grow even more, make more friends and make it in music.

How long have you been using Audiotool, and how did you discover it?

I have been using audiotool for about 4-5 years, and I first discovered it through a Google search back in 2018 on my school Chromebook, when I was looking around for free music softwares to make beats and make music.

What is your favorite Audiotool device and why?

My favorite device has to be the Machiniste, because its insane the amount of stuff you can do with it, and its the heart and soul for drums. Not just drums but you can load anything into it, and manipulate in a sort of way and create something completely new out of it.

What is your favourite trick in AT/What technique do you always use?

One of my favorite tricks on audiotool has to be M/S EQ. Its very cool and it allows me to clean up sounds and to clean up the stereo image of a mix, like if there's too much stereo low end, I can clean it up, or if I want to make something sound more wider, it lets me do that too! Sometimes, for my master on AT, I make a M/S EQ, and I modify the side signal, by putting a HPF at a slope of 48dB cutting around 30Hz-50Hz (really depends), and enabling a shelf, boosting around 7KHz to make the mix sound cleaner and wider

Have you ever had a writer's block? If so, how did you deal with it and what do you recommend to your colleagues

I still haven't figured out how to tackle writer's block, but a few things that I have discovered that have helped me get started with some ideas is:

1. Sometimes, its best to grab random sounds and not to think too much about what your doing. Sometimes I tend to think too much when producing. When I stop trying to force things and just experiment with sounds, it sparks new ideas that I wouldn't have gotten if I was too caught up in trying to make everything perfect from the start. I hate having a perfectionist mindset with music lol.

2. Listening to other songs for inspiration. Whether it’s a song in the same genre or something totally different, hearing how others use elements like rhythm, texture, and harmony can get fresh ideas going for my own tracks. I try not to compare myself too much, but rather use the inspiration to push my boundaries and try new things. 3. Sometimes, it's best to step out of your comfort zone. I’ve found that experimenting with new genres or styles challenges my creativity and leads to fresh ideas.

4. I like to produce on my laptop more and take it out, such as on campus, in a library, or in a student union area, I open up my laptop and tend to make music in a different place. This helps me a bit.

5. The other day, I was watching a Nick Mira video, and in that video, he was playing mediation music in the background, and started building his melodies, chords, and foundation based off the mediation music. What stood out to me was how he used the flow of the meditation music to help him craft melodies that felt calm and connected. A small change in atmosphere can influence your creative decisions. Watching that video, it felt like he was setting a mood first, then letting that mood shape the structure of the track, which was a cool approach. It reminded me of how important it is to be open to different kinds of inspiration, even from sources you wouldn’t normally use.

What has helped you the most on Audiotool to improve and widen your musical horizon?

What helped me a lot was how accessible audiotool is. I can use it anywhere and on any computer, which is just insane to me. I can access my projects from anywhere! And another thing that helped me was the community, that gave feedback and even showed me some tricks! Shout out to Cal Lycus and Client !

What do you like most about Audiotool? Is there anything you would like to suggest?

One of the main things that I love about audiotool has to be the community, because I have made some really great friends and I have met some of the most talented people on audiotool. audiotool is like a home to me. And other thing I love about audiotool is how simple it is, yet how powerful audiotool can really be, and it blows me away how its even free.

Your message to the community:

I just want to thank every single one of you for supporting me, watching me grow as a producer and as a person, helping me, giving me advice, and ultimately inspiring me to continue. Each of you has played a role in my journey, from feedback to simply liking my music, I am forever grateful for you guys. Thank you for everything because if it weren't for audiotool or for you guys, I wouldn't be where I am at today. Thank you for everything audiotool family!

Social/Music Links

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ryzennox

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@taikomadeitt

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/64B7JKhXSKrprI8wd674tQ?si=r0X6R_hbSQac437NRWYaEQ

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/taikomadeitt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryzennox/

Edition Audiotool: ryzenn AKA taiko

Track #1:

"Water" lil yatchy type beat by ▽Momo▽桃.

When I first joined audiotool, this was the very first track that I listened to upon joining. It brings back a lot of memories of when I first started on audiotool back in my freshman year of high school lol

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/0fu0tnm82dp/]]

Track #2:

f1ow by milla and n ​

This one will forever be a personal favorite. This was my first taste of wave, which is a style that I only make when I dedicate it to someone special. Sometimes I make wave due to the beauty of it. I love the emotion that this track conveys and it's a forever favorite.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/bxnc8g0co9il]]

Track #3:

ODYSSEY [SLOWED EDIT] by bladerunner

This one brings a lot of memories back. I still remember when I first heard it, which was in my environmental science class lol. Really great track, great vibes, and I remember hearing this on repeat while doing in class assignments, it really helped me to focus and to relax.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/aao46fsxs]]

Track #4:

backburner. [po9t remix challenge entry] by Uzeh

I remember when Uzeh dropped the snippet of this when it wasn’t fully done, and it honestly blew me away. This track was also my introduction to Uzeh and po9t. This song is a personal favorite of mine. Another track that gave me another taste of wave, and also inspired me to start making it.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/tfk7gdlzf/]]

Track #5:

Redda x Grim Brxzy Type Beat "ERROR" by elow

One of my first tastes into supertrap. This track opened my ears to more styles, and differents sounds that I haven’t heard before. I found this cool and also inspired me to try supertrap, even if I struggled to make it lol.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/qlysw8rqcq5/]]

Track #6:

lovestory by ryzenn

I chose this track because it means a lot to me. It’s a favorite among my friends and family, and personally, it’s one of my favorite beats that I’ve produced and released. This track also marked a huge milestone, got featured in an audiotool tutorial video by Cal Lycus on mastering a track, it got me my first ever beat sale and placement.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/rmyqweyt/]]

Full Album

Edition Audiotool: ryzenn AKA taiko!

• a-records

9

5 days ago

1		"Water" lil yatchy type beat ▽Momo▽桃.	▽Momo▽桃.	2846
2		f1ow milla n ​	milla n ​	3937
3		ODYSSEY [SLOWED EDIT] bladerunner	bladerunner	170
4		backburner. [po9t remix challenge entry] Uzeh	Uzeh	1593
5		Redda x Grim Brxzy Type Beat "ERROR" elow	elow	140
6		lovestory ryzenn	ryzenn	218