Ohio’s own Dr Goo has been making beats for over 20 years, starting out with a drum machine his Mom bought him before diving into electronic production in 2012. He’s still rocking Acid Pro and loves building tracks loop by loop. We caught up with him to chat go-to plugins, his “less is more” approach, and how RepostExchange keeps him inspired.

How long have you been producing music and how did you learn?

I've been producing music on and off for over 20 years. My mother bought me a Boss DR Groove drum machine, which I used to make rap beats. My first piece of software was Hip-Hop eJay, which was severely limited to eight tracks!

There was a ton of trial and error and experimentation with new software. I started way before the rise of YouTube, so the bulk of any tips or feedback I received came from now-defunct message boards like Ughh.com, Rocbattle, and Ahh.com. In 2012, I started DJing and switched from making hip-hop beats to producing electronic music.

What DAW(s) do you use and why?

Acid Pro. I know no one really uses it anymore, but how I started using it is kind of a funny story. I was playing beats for one of the few people I knew who made beats, named Michael Green. The beats were all kinda terrible. I hooked my drum machine up to my computer through the microphone jack and recorded freehand-made loops using Hip-Hop eJay. The beats were barely on time; I had no clue what music theory was, and I was limited to 8 tracks. Michael listened to my beats and suggested I use Acid to quantize my music.

A few months later, I was at my sister's house, and she had a random CD that included a free full version of Acid. Apparently, a company trying to get people to use the internet for long-distance calls was giving away free copies of Acid. I've been using a version of Acid ever since.

What are your favourite pieces of gear and why?

I am almost strictly a mouse and keyboard producer. Every so often I’ll break out guitars, or a mic.

What are your favourite software plugins and why?

I think everyone and their mom uses Serum, but I really like it. Rift is a great plugin I have probably used on every track since I’ve gotten it. An under rated plugin I use a lot is Neutron by iZotope. If you do a lot of from scratch sound design Neutron can help EQ a sound so it sits better in a mix.

How would you summarise your approach / workflow when creating a track?

I start with a main loop. It might be drums It might be chords, or a melody. I just create loops that complement the main loop. Once I have about 15 to 20 loops I start to arrange them to where they make sense. I then create loops for the parts I think need them. Then finally go over each measure of the song to add finishing touches like transitions, drum fills, FXs, etc.

What resources do you use to improve your craft?

I’m still super old school. I don’t use YouTube as much as I probably should, but I do go on message boards on Reddit like r/edmproduction and I also from time to time post on Audeobox.

What is the last YouTube tutorial you watched that you would recommend to other Re-Ex Members?

I don’t watch a lot of tutorials but when I do it’s almost always from You Suck at Producing. He has a great understanding about sub genres, and is actually entertaining. 

What knowledge or advice do you wish you'd learned earlier?

I wish I would have learned that “less is more.” So many times early on I would try to add interest to my songs by adding so many often abrupt switch ups and pattern changes. That actually made people lose interest in the songs. A lot of times all I’d have to do is add hi-hats, or raise the octave on the existing melody.  

What challenges related to making music do you face and how do you overcome them?

My issues are the opposite of a lot of people. My main source of income is DJing (weddings, raves, bars, social events), which means my weekends are almost always tied up in some event. However I have a ton of free time during the week.

My issue has come in rushing too many ideas out. Instead of polishing up a great song and releasing it. I have slowed down a bit. I recently took over a label (Grimey Grooves) and the way DSPs work is a lot slower than just releasing to SoundCloud. It forces me to sit on songs longer. That gives me more time to fix and tidy up things.

Can you share any killer tips or techniques?

It’s about results not ritual. There are many ways to do the same thing. Just because you use a different DAW, VST, FX, etc., doesn’t mean you can’t come up with similar results. 

Do you use any online tools to assist with the production process?

This is very much a work in progress, but a friend of mine made an AI analyzer that judges your mix and master of a track. It also gives tips on what you can do to fix the mix. Some of the extra features are a bit wonky but the analyzer is top notch.

Do you try and get feedback or suggestions to improve your music?

Through DJing I’ve made a few producer friends, so I’ll often send songs to them to critique. I post on Reddit forms a lot, and I get a decent amount of feedback from RepostExchange. 

Which track are you most proud of and why?

My track 'Duck', when I play this one out live I get a great reaction. It’s also getting a great reaction online.

Has RepostExchange affected the way you make music?

Yes it has. It has opened me up to a lot of different genres and artists I may never have listened to. Almost every time I use the site there’s at least one super inspiring track that changes my approach to producing. Also seeing the quality of music artists like Scafetta and ADVM BOMB release has pushed me to make better music.  

Desert Island Gear (top 5 software or hardware)

Top left to right: Serum, Rift.
Bottom left to right: Neutron, Nintendo Switch, Acid Pro.

Connect with Dr Goo on SoundCloud, Instagram, and Facebook.

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This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity