How It Was Made: Adrian Roman – Domaine (TAU)

Creating house tracks that hit the sweet spot between old-school vibes and modern flair isn’t easy, but Adrian Roman’s new EP Domaine nails it. He’s been on my radar for a minute, and seeing him release his debut on Planet TAU got me curious about how he builds those killer rhythms and nostalgic stabs.

When Adrian Roman dropped Domaine, I knew it’d be perfect for a deep dive in the How It Was Made series. This track is loaded with tight drum programming, a mix of retro vocal chops, and rave stabs that somehow feel fresh yet familiar. There’s a real craft to blending those throwback elements with the polished production that today’s house scene demands.

Before we break down the nuts and bolts of Domaine, take a minute to spin the track and get a feel for what Adrian’s doing here. Once you’ve tuned in, we’ll get into the details of how he pulled it all together—so grab your notebook and let’s get into it.

Acoustic Bass

I’ve always had a relationship with strings. I took guitar lessons as a child and a few years ago the acoustic bass appeared in my studio.

Playing with my own hands such an important part of an electronic track as the bass allows me to get out of creative blocks.

In this case I was able to advance the song in the bridge between the drop and the break, around minute 3:07. Just a few easy notes provide an organic atmosphere that brings the song down to earth.

Transient Processor

FL Studio’s native Transient Processor is one of the tools I use the most in my songs. Just two knobs, attack and release.

In the screenshot it’s applied to the kick, but I actually use it on all tracks where I need to edit their character. Not just percussive elements.

It lets you mold sounds like clay, and although I sometimes use its Plugin Alliance or Waves counterparts, Transient Processor is the one that gives me the best results.

FabFilter Saturn 2

Of the many tools from FabFilter, one of the most used in ‘Domaine’ is ‘Saturn 2’.

It’s a fun, artificial saturator that doesn’t look like anything in the real world, and doesn’t pretend to.

I use it on certain sounds that I want to take to the extreme, without fear of distortion and broken sounds. It has lot of parameters that will help you be more clinical, but you can get very catchy results just by trying a few presets.

NLS Non-Linear Summer

As you can see, we are in the mixing project, as I use this plugin in this stage.

I love Waves NLS and everything it does. Its operation may seem a bit complicated at first, but I am surprised that a program with so many functions can cost about 30 euros.

Applied from the beginning, it begins to apply a warmth and organic color throughout the mixing process, which takes your track to more recognizable textures for all listeners.