Where Rubin is intuitive, DeSantis is surgical. Originally published by Ableton, this is a structured taxonomy of creative blocks and how to break them — starting too late, finishing too early, overcomplicating arrangements. Aimed at electronic producers but the strategies transfer to any compositional context. The best practical companion to the more philosophical books on this list.
Chosen by shared topics, the entries that hold them, and the people who recommended both.

