I have been producing music professionally for approximately seven years. I was a teenager when I initially started pursuing music as a DJ. It was such a thrill to see the crowd reaction when playing certain records. After that, I began experimenting with drum machines and samplers, in particular, the Akai MPC series. As technology advanced, I started integrating hardware samples, sequencers, keyboards with computer DAW’s and VST plugins. This made creating music much easier and faster. The most important thing that helped me learn how to produce was listening to a wide variety of music from a variety of genres. This helps me with my inspiration and ear training; I believe producers should spend a great deal of time listening to and studying music.
Currently, I use Ableton Live 10 with the MPC Studio software as my basis to create music. I use Pro-Tools for recording purposes and post-production.
I still sequence all my beats with the MPC Studio black hardware in combination with the MPC Studio software. The reason why I like the MPC is that the timing of the sequencer is bar-none. I haven’t found a better sequencer than the MPC sequencer and the software makes sampling very easy. MPC allows a huge number of tracks and the MPC Studio Software works well with Ableton Live.
I use Ableton Live for sound design and their powerful MIDI and audio effects that rival none. It has a great way of organizing tracks which help producers with their workflow and comes with great sound packs and tools as well, which is particularly great for creating dance and EDM music.
The MPC studio black is my favourite. I have a piece of older piece equipment called Open Labs MIKO. They don’t make the MIKO anymore, but basically it is a computer that has a musical keyboard build into the box. I can create beats, record and do my post-production all in one box. The MPC Studio Black is a great piece of software for sampling and sequencing as I said before. In addition, it comes with software to integrate the hardware. The downside is that the MPC Studio black will not work without the software.
Great question! I enjoy using so many plugins, but to name a few: Serum, Sylenth, and Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2.
Serum is a powerful synth and you can create bass synth lines with it easily. It has filters and such that can be manipulated to create awesome effects. The drawback is that Serum seems to crash and staggers at times.
Sylenth is also a cost-effective synth. I like this synth because of the ability to create your own patches/presets. Also, there are plenty of patches and presets available online to purchase.
Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2 is my favorite VST to use. It contains so many sounds and effects. You can make any genre of music with this instrument. When I first purchased Omnisphere years ago, I didn’t have a fast enough computer to run it. However, now I can fully appreciate it.
I would describe my workflow or creative process is very sporadic and at times, unorthodox. When idea or melody comes to mind, I proceed to the studio. From there, I create the melody from an idea or a sample and then create the drum and percussion pieces that I want to sequence with the melody. At this point, I start working on song structure and create my build-ups and drops for the song. Finally, I add vocals, synths, basses, drums fills, etc. Once I am done with the song creation, I working on mixing the track down, adding effects like reverb, glitches and side-chaining effects.
As far as my craft, I study music more than anything else. I listen to music every day for at least one hour, this is actually how I learned how to produce EDM music. If I hear a technique or effect that I like in a song, I usually go to YouTube to search on how to use that technique or I will Google what effect plugin did such and such use. Reddit’s EDM Production Page is a good place for tips and advice. Groove3 is a great site for tutorials as well. Future Music Magazine has a good youtube channel. I listen to tons of podcasts, such as Re-Ex podcast. I go to many blogs I am constantly on Re-Ex to check out new music.
Currently, I have been viewing videos dealing with marketing and promoting my music. This is not the last video I viewed, but I would definitely recommend it.
To stay humble and be willing to go outside my comfort zone musically. For years I focused on creating a certain genre of music when actually there are many fans of other genres. Stay relative by diversifying your musical knowledge.
The biggest challenge that I face is time constraints and work-life balance. That is balancing family, time to create music, marketing and promoting my own music and various other projects. It is important to prioritize your life by what things are most important to you. The last thing you want is to lose your family, friendships, education or your main source of income in order to pursue music goals. I experienced losing friends and neglecting family in order to achieve personal musical goals. When things are very chaotic in your personal work and family life, I believe it stiffens creativity. Develop structured time for family, friends and music creation studio time.
Understanding musical chord progressions, song structure, and audio effect plugins are a must. The sidechaining technique is a thing producers need to understand. These three things can set one producer apart from another.
SoundBetter is a great site to link up with other singers, songwriters and engineers that can take your production to the next level. Re-Ex is also another resource to build a fan base and to gain feedback from your production works. I’ve met various singers and songwriters to help assist me in my goals through these channels.
Feedback is a plus. I like to get feedback by non-musicians or people that are not invested in my musical goals. These people are usually more honest and can give me their honest raw opinion. Once again Re-Ex is an excellent site, as is SubmitHub, for places where you can get creative feedback from other producers.
I have a new song called 'Run' that has charted on SoundCloud at #2 in the New & Hot Dance & EDM Charts.
Also, I have a song called Summerwav that has received over 110k streams on all DSP's.
I LOVE RepostExchange! You guys have been a godsend. When I first started posting EDM music on SoundCloud earlier this year, RepostExchange is one of the first sites that I discovered to help me market my music. The second EDM song I released called Summerwav it debuted at #2 on RepostExchange!!! We did another song called 'Only 4 Tonight' Feat Eileen Jamie it went to #1 in the RepostExchange charts! It also charted top 10 on SoundCloud New & Hot Dance & EDM Charts. I enjoy the feedback and love that I get from other Re-Ex Members!!
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This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
