In the studio this week, we meet Emery Olker, a DJ and producer out of Barcelona. He breaks down his favourite tools, from hardware synths to Ableton Live, and shares how he keeps his creative energy flowing. Whether it’s cranking out massive basslines, experimenting with modular setups, or cooking up wild rhythms, he’s all about pushing the limits. He also shares how platforms like RepostExchange have helped him connect with other producers, collaborate with others, and level up his sound.
I have been producing since I’m 14 years old. When I got my first guitar, my professor gave me a copy of Adobe Audio. This is where I fell in love with music production, using samples and adding my guitar lines over rhythms.
After this, I brought a bass guitar to fill my tracks with organic bass sounds. But at the same time I got a Korg PadKONTROL where I was able to play synths on Cubase. And step by step, I got a lot of synths, bought Ableton, and now I can say that I’ve been producing music for 18 years.
I learned by playing in my own bedroom and after a few years I went to SAE Barcelona to build my skills. I also work a lot with friends from different music styles and with my good friend Frauk with whom I was sharing a flat in BCN and made the project Vehils Live.
I actually use Ableton. I used Cubase, Maschine, Pro Tools… but my favourite is Ableton because of the live session. I love playing live with drum machines, synths and Ableton gives me the versatility to play live and record samples and after this, to pass on the session view and edit the full track.
I would say my hardware synths, it’s with them that I got inspired when I start producing. In the past I used to open Ableton and start with a plug-in but I was held back by the interface.
I feel more comfortable playing on a synthesiser than when I have to fiddle with plug-in settings.
I have another project with which I only play with machines under the name Rëlōk and it is really with this project that I enjoy playing with my synths to make samples and integrate them into the sampler and drum machines.
My favourite plug-in as a synth is Serum, I feel comfortable with him and the interface.
The Soundtoys plug-in pack is awesome and super easy to be creative and the iZotope plug-ins gave me the possibility to analyse my audio and the track from other artists and help me to get a better sound.
I do not have the same approach when I start creating a track.
Sometimes I start with a kick and I build everything around; sometimes I create a rhythm and I build everything around that.
It sometimes happen to think of a melody or a groove and try to make it as close as I think and then start to produce.
I don't want to have the same process to create my music because it gives me a challenge and it allows me to have another approach to the creative moment of the project.
YouTube is a gold mine for finding inspiration. You can get so much information on it. You have to be careful because not everything is good but it can be useful when you lack inspiration.
Not everything is good to take but it allows you to see how people work on their track and to be inspired by your own approach when creating your track
I would recommend Audioreakt's YouTube channel. You can get a lot of stuff for music production and also for inspiration. I bought some stuff on his website and you get really good stuff with Ableton internal plug-in presets and samples.
Do music with your feelings, with what comes through you. Don’t try to be someone and don’t do the same music. Be yourself and you will enjoy the process of doing music.
This advice has allowed me to enjoy more when I create, to have fun and to be less blocked at certain times.
Time.
To be an artist is not the job that pays your bill at the beginning. So you have to find a job, a house, work hard.
I’m not a full-time producer and so I have to be meticulous on how I manage my schedule to have time to make music.
My ML-185 sequencer allows speech onto the sampler. I slide the audio and start to move the sequencer step and I get wild rhythms.
I use it also with synth lines, percussion and groove that I made with a drum machine.
I put a good distortion or I pass the audio through a Marshall DSL-1 amp that I record with a Shure SM57 to get some nice character. Add some EQ to polish the sound and I get my rhythm done.
For my track A Dose of You, I used a vocal generator with a speech that I write and I find it nice so I keep it and construct the track around.
I’m not a super fan of the process, I prefer to work with someone and get the voice and the vibe in the moment.
Yes, I use platforms like RepostExchange and Groover to get feedback on my track. I think it’s an important part of the process because music is subjective and some people will love your music and others will not like it. I try to show my track to friends, to music producers, to music lovers and use all the different feedback (depending on their position) to improve my track. A friend can say I don’t like it and, at the same time a mix engineer can say, it sounds good.
I would say Secrets of Origins. I made the basis of this track in just one hour. I just let my feelings at the moment guide me and I made the music. When I listen to it, even if I think I could improve it, I remember that I captured the mood of the day when I made this track and that is just as powerful.
When I get time, I try to be on RepostExchange to network with music producers, labels, and to build a community. It’s nice to speak with people who are doing the same as you and share experiences. You learn a lot with them and you also find nice music directly from the community which can lead to collaboration.
Connect with Emery Olker on RepostExchange, SoundCloud, and Instagram!
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This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity
