Modeselektor Break Down How They Rebuilt a 2005 Track in Ableton Live: Watch

Berlin electronic duo Modeselektor have shared a detailed look at how they rebuilt their 2005 track Kill Bill Vol. 4 (CV1), using Ableton Live inside their Berlin studio. Instead of simply remastering the original, the pair revisited the session from scratch and rebuilt key elements to give the track a heavier, more modern edge.

Breaking down the original mix

To start the reconstruction, Modeselektor used Ableton Live’s Stem Separation to split the original stereo mix into drums, bass and other elements. This allowed them to identify weak points in the old production, including a kick drum that was slightly out of tune.

They then used Ableton’s Sound Similarity Search to find replacement sounds and layered new drum hits sourced from the Modeselektor Extended Pack. Many of these sounds come from unusual field recordings, including sheet metal, doors and kitchen crockery, which the duo used to build new snares and rhythmic textures.

Building a layered kick drum

The redesigned kick became one of the most complex elements in the track. The duo combined several layers, including an internal sample from their track “Who Else”, a bass-driven kick from a pack by Lurka, and a multi-layer Instrument Rack built from four kick samples.

They shaped the sound with careful processing, trimming frequencies and summing the low end to mono below 170 Hz. Additional tweaks included low-end roll-off, subtle parallel compression using the Black Box Analog Design HG-2, and a secondary kick layer that adds occasional double hits for a looser groove.

Reworking the acid line

The track’s acid line comes from the UDO Super 6 synthesizer, routed through a Sherman Filterbank 2 for aggressive filtering. Modeselektor layered multiple variations of the synth line, using delayed versions to create movement and depth.

To keep the low end tight, they applied sidechain compression that ducks the acid line against the kick and snare. The result preserves space in the mix while maintaining the track’s heavy, driving bass.

Revisiting a 20-year-old project

The reconstruction also involved reopening old sessions stored on legacy computers and rebuilding them in a modern studio environment. Working with collaborator Hannes, Modeselektor treated the process less like a remaster and more like a creative rebuild.