I'm definitely interested in talking to more people about production/having a skype group.

Feel free to add me: jpjedmusic.

I've started it recently, and it definitely helps you think through the process of how to get to a certain sound. You don't need to know anything about synthesis going into, so it does start pretty slow. I can't speak to the later half of it in regards to how advanced it gets though.

What I typically do to start is take the structure from a reference track I'm using. In Ableton you can put markers in to label the intro, verse/groove, breakdown, bridge, chorus, and outro. I start with whatever the main idea of my track is (typically chords) and then build out from there. Having the structure from a reference track allows me to easily paste things out without wasting too much time thinking about it. After I have all the main parts down, I'll go back through and change the structure to better fit my track; i.e. deleting 8 bars here, adding 2 bars there, etc. Sometimes I'll also add a blank MIDI track and use the clips to add notes in sections of 8 bars.