Start in the middle

We all arrange tracks in different ways: some like to begin at the first drop and flesh out the surrounding sections once the meat of the track is in place, while others lay down the track’s intro first before naturally building the track up as the listener would hear it. These methods can leave you stuck for ideas, however – so try the unorthodox approach of starting a track at the second breakdown. At this specific point, you can freely introduce parts and assume the listener has already heard them before, meaning you can go more wild with automation and change – it’s much easier to then work backwards and fill out earlier sections by subduing the elements from the second break. Plus, you know this section is probably going to build to the most important climax of the track, so you can focus solely on ramping up the maximum amount of tension possible without having to hold back.