Wax On, Wax Off: Why Repetition Makes You Better at Synthwave
Jul 02, 2025
Whenever someone asks me for help making synthwave, they usually say the same thing:
“I just want to finish a full track.”
Totally get it. It’s exciting to imagine your own song out there—getting playlisted, maybe sitting next to The Midnight or Timecop1983.
But here’s the deal:
If you can’t make one solid 8-bar loop, finishing a whole track is going to be impossible.
It’s like wanting to be karate champion when you can’t even throw a decent kick.
Cue Mr. Miyagi
Remember The Karate Kid? Daniel shows up ready to fight. But instead of learning punches or kicks, Mr. Miyagi has him wax cars. Over and over again.
At first, it seems pointless. But all that “wax on, wax off” stuff turns out to be muscle memory training for real moves later on.
That’s exactly how I approach synthwave.
Before you dive into full tracks, we focus on small, repeatable exercises:
Short loops (I call them Main Stacks) and tiny arrangements (what I call Katas) with just a few sections.
Simple. Structured. Repeated.
What’s a Kata, Anyway?
In martial arts, a kata is a short, choreographed sequence of fight and defense moves you practice over and over. Not to perform—but to train your instincts, balance and flow.
Same idea in synthwave.
A synthwave Basic Kata is a short track—40 bars long—that helps you practice stuff like:
- Managing energy
- Bringing sounds in and out with intention
- Nailing transitions
- Keeping your mix clean and uncluttered
The point isn’t to “finish” something. It’s to build up your skills and instincts through repetition in a restricted and controlled environment.
You don’t become a great producer by thinking your way through it. You have to train your body and your mind—and develop your skills.
The “Ohhh, I Get It” Moment
One of my students told me this recently:
“I’ve made 16 different Main Stacks in the last couple of days... and now I feel like it’s finally making sense.”
That’s the moment everything clicks.
The Main Stack isn’t just a loop anymore. It’s a training ground. A safe space to mess with arrangement, tone, balance, and flow—without the pressure of building a full track every time.
And the best part?
Once your Main Stacks are strong and intentional, turning them into full tracks gets way easier. You’re no longer building from scratch—you’re building on solid ground.
Try This Next
If you’ve been stuck in “I can’t finish anything” mode, here’s what to do:
- Stop trying to finish full tracks for a bit.
- Make 5 solid Main Stacks (8-bar loops).
- Stick to 4 or 5 elements max (drums, bass, lead, pad, arpeggio).
- Focus on vibe, groove, and clarity.
- Then take a few and turn them into Basic Katas:
- Something like: Intro → Verse → Chorus → Bridge → Outro (every section 8 bars long for a total of 40 bars)
That kind of repetition—the same way Daniel waxed those cars—might seem slow at first.
But it’s how real producers build muscle memory, speed, and style.
It's not a shortcut. It's the real path.
