Welcome to the Hidden Frequency — your go-to source for the newest electronic music. Every issue delivers fresh underground tracks from indie and unsigned artists, a relevant headline from the scene, and a quick tip producers can use. If you were forwarded this email, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss a thing!

What’s included in this issue:

🔦 SPOTLIGHT: Kai Wachi - BAD4U
🎚️ SHAPING THE SOUND: Parallel Processing Your Synths
 🎵 NEW MUSIC: Mike Williams, Louis the Child, & More
 🔥 WHAT'S BUZZING: Bonnaroo Rained Out

SPOTLIGHT TRACK

🔊 Kai Wachi - BAD4U (ft. Julienne By)

Genre: Trap | Key: Dmin | BPM: 140

Artist Profile

Kai Wachi

 Origin: Boise, USA

Genres: Dubstep | Trap | Bass Music

Lables: Kannibalen Records | Monstercat | Disciple | Subsidia

Follow: YOUTUBE | INSTAGRAM | SOUNDCLOUD | SPOTIFY

TOP TRACKS

🔊 Glass Petals - Crazy Shit

🔊 Relique - Right Now

🔊 Charli XCX - party 4 u (Louis The Child Remix)

🔊 Mike Williams - Satisfied

🔊 Disco Lines & Tinashe - No Broke Boys (STAR SEED & Afinity Remix)

WHATS BUZZING

Martin Garrix announces new album, Releasing early 2026

Bonnaroo Canceled due to severe weather

Mike Posner - I Took A Pill In Ibiza (Steve Aoki Remix)

Teddy Swims remix contest

SHAPING THE SOUND

Why Your Synths Need Parallel Processing Too

Lets look at parallel processing and how underused this technique is for synthesizers. We all know about parallel compression on drums and vocals, but your synth sounds? That's where the real magic happens.

When you stack effects directly on your synth, each one changes what the next effect receives. But with parallel processing, you're basically creating multiple versions of your sound and blending them together.

Creating Lanes

Keep your original synth signal dry and clean. This becomes your reference point, your north star. Everything else you add will enhance this core sound rather than replace it.

Next you can create dedicated lanes for different jobs:

The Grit Lane: Duplicate your synth and run it through something like FabFilter Saturn or Soundtoys Decapitator. Dial in way more distortion than you'd normally use, then blend just a tiny bit back in. You get all that harmonic richness without turning your lead into a buzzsaw.

The Space Lane: Instead of drowning your whole synth in reverb, send a copy to its own reverb chain. Your attack stays sharp and punchy while you still get all that width and depth. Game changer for leads that need to sit in the mix but still feel huge.

The Movement Lane: This is my favorite. Take another copy and hit it with phasers, flangers, or auto filters. Automate these every few bars and watch your static synth patch come alive. The original signal keeps everything grounded while the processed version adds all the ear candy.

What To Use

If you're in Ableton, Audio Effect Racks are perfect for this. Set up multiple chains within the rack and go wild. Want even more control? Use return tracks instead. Each approach has its benefits, but both beat the hell out of stacking everything in series.

The beauty of this approach is control. Each texture lives in its own world, so you never have to worry about one effect messing up another. Your distortion doesn't interact weirdly with your reverb. Your phaser doesn't make your delay sound off. Everything stays clean and intentional.

Using this technique on everything from plucks to pads, the difference is night and day. Your sounds become more complex and interesting without losing their core character. Try it on your next lead line and see what happens.