Milk (left) and Blika (right)—photography by Josh Hotz and Ulas Koja
Remote collaboration can be a gift to our creative lives when being together in the same space isn’t possible.
While there are a variety of technologies that have made remote music collaboration easier than ever, there are still countless questions that surround its process. In this article, we’re joined by Milk (Ashly Mikhow) and Blika (Kai Koja), two musicians who crafted their Anti Pop Vocals sample pack without ever meeting in person, to explore approaches and best practices relating to the art of remote collaboration.
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Approaches to remote music collaboration
There are many ways to collaborate remotely when making music, and the best method for any duo or group will vary depending on their unique set of skills and preferences—below, we share four popular approaches as thought starters.
1. Dividing work by elements
One of the most straightforward approaches to remote music collaboration is for each member to contribute a distinct element (or group of elements) in the arrangement. In a three-person collaboration, for example, member A could produce the drums and bass, member B could produce the chords and atmospheres, and member C could contribute the melody or vocals.
This is the approach that Milk and Blika took when creating their pack. “Milk would send me her vocals, and I’d build the tracks around them, matching the vibe to what she was giving me,” Blika tells us. “It became this really fluid process where her vocals set the tone, and I’d shape the production to complement that energy. We’d go back and forth refining the sound, and even though we were in different places, it always felt like we were on the same wavelength.”
“Blika and I are really in tune with one another, so our creative process can sometimes just be an unspoken thing,” Milk adds. “We both get inspired by one another, and I think that fuels our creative process a lot of the time. Our minds operate on a similar frequency—maybe some subconscious telepathy is happening.”
In this approach, you can clearly identify who’s responsible for what and where the boundaries fall. Ambiguity of boundaries and roles can be the downfall of collaborations—especially virtual ones where it’s not always clear how to put one foot in front of the other.
2. Dividing work by stage
An interesting alternative to highlight each collaborator’s area(s) of expertise is dividing work by the different stages or roles in the production process.
For example, if member A is an expert sound designer, perhaps they could build the sound palette and session template for the group to work from. Member B might be the strongest composer in the unit, and so they can compose all or most of the audio / MIDI in the session.
With the help of features like the clip view in Ableton Live, it’s easy to create lots of raw compositional information while leaving things open to interpretation in terms of sequencing. Maybe member C is the most adept in the group when it comes to arrangement, so they can be responsible for sequencing the compositional bits they’ve been provided and mixing them to their final state.
This process follows a similarly organized approach where boundaries are clearly established and there’s little room for confusion in regards to how to move forward, even under the constraints of physical separation.
3. An exquisite corpse: Interactive editing
The ‘exquisite corpse’ method—a creative practice used across artistic mediums pioneered by the Dadaist movement in the 1920s—takes the opposite approach by breaking down boundaries altogether. If everyone in the collaboration is comfortable with having their contributions heavily altered by their collaborators, an open forum of uninhibited editing across contributors can produce very interesting results.
When applied, an exquisite corpse might look like the following: Member A could program a MIDI pattern that member B changes by adding and subtracting notes. Member C might then change the voice of the instrument from a piano to a synth.
The outcome of this approach can be a production in which it’s difficult to distinguish who did what. In this sense, it encourages a true merging of creative visions, and a result that would be truly impossible to imagine by any individual in the collective. What’s more, the potential conflict or sensitivity that could arise with one person editing another’s work is conveniently eased by the fact that people aren’t doing this in real-time in the same room together.
Whether it’s for the exquisite corpse method or another approach, Blika encourages musicians to not shy away from sharing material that they might deem to be imperfect or too out-of-the-box. “Don’t be afraid to get experimental or weird—that’s where the most unique ideas come from,” she says. “Record every idea, even if you hate it later. You never know how the other person’s creativity will react to or spark from that idea, even if it’s just one tiny bit. Sometimes, the thing you almost tossed out ends up being the foundation for something great.”
4. Working by sections
Last but not least, another process that can be applied to remote music collaboration is each member completing distinct sections of the composition. Following a pop song structure, member A could write the verses and leave the choruses to member B. If the desired arrangement structure is less formulaic, member A could compose the first two minutes, leaving members B and C to interpret their beginning and compose minutes two – four and four – six respectively.
The outcome of this collaborative style can be a production with a journey-like narrative. Surprising twists and turns might be the result of different minds picking up where their collaborators left off.
Best practices for remote music collaboration
Below, Milk and Blika share two practices from their own remote collaboration that were key to their success.
1. Know your collaborator’s communication style
Effective communication is everything in a collaboration, and its need is further elevated when you’re not constantly in the same space together. That said, communication styles that yield the most success will vary greatly from individual to individual.
“We’re both kind of shy, so it’s funny how much we rely on texting to bounce ideas back and forth,” Blika shares. “When we need to dive deeper, we’ll hop on Zoom, but most of the time, it’s just constant messages, sharing stems, and sending sources for inspiration. We’re always sharing influences and expanding on each other’s ideas. It’s easy to get stuck on something you’ve spent time on, but we’ve found the right balance between exploring new directions and committing to what feels right. Sometimes, Milk will send a vocal, and I’ll pick up on a part that feels special—we’ll zone in on that and push it further.”
“There’s a lot of texting, Zoom, burning sage, Dropbox, and sending music and cute anime recommendations for inspiration,” Milk adds. “A lot of our sample names and lyrics were inspired by anime, movies, and other art that we love, which was a helpful—albeit less tangible—tool as well.”
2. Know how to give and receive feedback effectively
On a similar note, it’s important to know both how to give and receive feedback in a way that’s intentional and constructive.
“Communicating, asking for feedback, and providing feedback are all very important,” Milk notes. “We truly value each other’s thoughts and ideas. Working with Blika never feels like a push and pull—we both always feel understood and heard, and I think that’s super important to collaborating successfully.”
“Knowing how to share ideas, give feedback, and stay on the same page without being in the same room is huge,” Blika says in agreement. “For us, it’s about sending ideas back and forth and being open to experimenting, even if something feels a little out there. Knowing you have that freedom to try new things helps a lot.”
In fact, Milk and Blika are in such tight lockstep with their communication that they’re able to pick up on some of the smallest details about each other that have solved unexpected roadblocks.
“At one point during the creation of Anti Pop, I developed the weirdest medical issue and had to take a hiatus from working on the pack,” Milk recalls. “I had no idea what was going on. I did a bunch of tests and scans, and everything came back inconclusive. Then, Blika literally diagnosed me with drinking too much bubbly water. She was like, ‘Girl, when’s the last time you had some still water instead of bubbles?'”
“Anyways, long story short, I switched back to regular H2O, and the very next day I was pretty much cured. So yeah, that was a roadblock, but Blika clocked the demonic bubbles and we were able to keep things moving again.”
“Our only real roadblock is not being able to grab snacks together mid-session,” Blika laughs. “Seriously, we’ve never really hit a roadblock. We’re not together in person—let’s blame it on the laws of physics hating on us—but Milk and I are too mind-melded for anything to get in the way.”
Conclusion
Hopefully you’ve found these tips and approaches helpful in forming a mental framework for your own collaborations. Are there any other approaches for remote music collaboration we didn’t cover here that you’ve found success with? Start a conversation with us and an ever-growing community of other music creators via the Splice Discord.
Incorporate Milk and Blika’s immersive sounds into your own productions:
March 12, 2025
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