Sporty-O hero
by Native Instruments

How Sporty-O uses Komplete to stretch viral energy into full tracks

Atlanta producer, MC, and viral sensation Sporty-O is no stranger to high-energy music. But with his new single “Blue Lights” and upcoming EP Symphonic Resistance, he’s building that momentum into something deeper by pairing his signature breakbeat-meets-UKG attitude with club-focused structure and Komplete-fueled creativity.

His music is also going viral regularly on TikTok, with brands like F1 and influencers like Marshmello, Charli D’amelio, Joe Jonas and Jason Derulo using his music in viral TikToks, which have amassed over a billion plays across more than half a million videos. Using Komplete, especially Kontakt and Massive X, he’s been able to break out of repetitive loops, keep his arrangement tight, and inject his tracks with contrast and weight that translate far beyond the 15-second scroll.

In this interview, he shares how Komplete fits into his current workflow, how he builds upon viral moments, and what it means to maintain a heavy approach when attention spans are shorter than ever.

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How do you keep the same energy from a 15-second idea while scaling it up into a full structure?

For me, creating and maintaining energy is all about contrast. Making a tune change a lot and having sections that are a “surprise” or a drastic switch up is what I think makes a ‘good’ song a ‘great’ song.

Sporty-O photoshoot

After I come up with an initial idea, I make the following sections kind of evolve from that idea…all whilst keeping it cohesive by using some of the same elements.

Pro tip from Sporty-O: Use edits to spice up your tracks. Try to refrain from having one section just bleed into another. Use pauses, dropouts, and drum fills to end phrases so it makes it exciting for the next part to come in.

What’s your go-to move in Kontakt when you feel like a loop is getting too repetitive?

If I have a loop that seems like it’s getting too monotonous, and I’m not using an audio loop, my go to method would be first to take the loop and splice it into different sections.

Next, I would create an instance of Kontakt and drag the first section of the sample into it to be mapped over the keyboard. I then repeat this process, each with its own new instance of Kontakt, each on its own channel.

And then use MIDI regions to trigger each section, so I can rearrange the loop via midi the same way I would be doing with the audio. This will give the loop an entirely new feel.

Pro tip from Sporty-O: When cycling through patches on Kontakt, pencil in your riff and draw a short loop around it. Let it loop while you cycle through patches instead of picking one and hitting the note on your keyboard. This way, you can preview them quickly and play the riff you created.

Which synths or samplers in Komplete are showing up the most across ‘Symphonic Resistance?’

Although I would say I used the effects even more than the synths in Komplete..such as Raum, Bite, Choral, and Dirt, I still also used a few of the synths as well. Kontakt is always my go-to.

Sporty-O Raum

For this and for all my projects, it was really used numerous times in these songs; however, Massive X was also used. I am obsessed with the analog circuitry sounds I can produce with that synth.

Pro tip from Sporty-O: Stack, stack, and stack some more. To get super complex and thick synths and basses, you can (almost) never stack too much. Sometimes I will stack 4-6 different instances of a synth before I get the sound I want.

What does the “drop” mean to you now in a time where attention spans are shorter than ever?

“Drop” to me, refers to the section of the song after the build where the energy is at its most full point, and going back to my answer to the first question, it is where you initiate that anticipated contrast. It should be dance floor filling, massive energy, and incredible vibes.

Sporty-O GetLow

And in my opinion, it should be the most unique part of this song as well. The “drop” still IS dance music to me.

Any tricks you’ve learned from working with short-form that actually help your long-form tracks?

Short form is great because in dance music, you really want to convey that energy and story of the track within a one-minute timeframe.

Sporty-O Live

Everything else based around it is mixing and mixing out anyway. So with short form, you are getting the beef of the song, which is the most important part. If you have the short form down, the rest should be easy.

Pro tip from Sporty-O: Make sure you do not have sound competing and conflicting in the same frequency range. Your EQ is your best friend.

What does a good studio day look like to you now, especially when balancing content and real writing?

Ideally when I am inspired to have a studio day, I like to start that day in the gym. Once I get the internal energy flowing, then I feel like my mind and body are in the same place. I like to work early in the day in the studio now.

Sporty-O Substance

When I was younger and inexperienced, I thought the midnight hours were the only time to be musically creative and rock out like all the iconic rap/rock stars. Now that I am a little older, more experienced, I find that during the day after a good workout and shower, I have the best creative results in the studio.

Pro tip from Sporty-O: If you have no musical training, and are trying to design complex chords, draw in your simple riff with a single note first. Then, on each note, add a second one 2-3 notes up and repeat for the 3rd note. Use your ear to hear what is correct. It is much easier to do than most people think. You do not have to be classically trained to make riffs.

Sporty-O zone

Wrapping it all up

Thanks to Sporty-O for pulling back the curtain on how Komplete fits into the evolution of his sound. Whether it’s breaking loops apart in Kontakt or layering multiple synths into one massive idea, his approach is all about keeping that same raw energy alive, even when scaling up to full tracks.

In a space where content is constant and attention is scarce, he’s proving that you can go viral and go deep. Tools like Komplete help him move quickly, express himself effectively, and stay focused on what truly resonates with people.

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