“I was just toying around with an ultra basic [Native Instruments] Lazerbass patch. It can be what sounds sort of FM [synthesis]-y, but you can add too many beating layers to it and end up with this kind of pretty atonal sound. Because that’s on a dial, you’ve got something harmonic on one side and… Continue reading

“The Prophet-6 is my most used synth. It’s just got a nice balance of not trying to do too much, but doing enough to be flexible. The parameter space it covers is high proportion beautiful. Any synth, you’ve got a bunch of parameters with continuous values. If you’ve got 50 parameters, you’ve got a 50… Continue reading

“My usual way of approaching it is like: don’t be afraid of the EQ. Because essentially it doesn’t matter if the orchestra sounds natural or not when it’s in a full electronic mix. What matters is that there’s no frequencies or notes resonating in an unnatural way next to the electronics. So you just surgically… Continue reading

“You soon find out what the emotional range of an effect is. By that, I mean how it is applicable to the sort of material you wish to write, how it affects what you do and gives you further ideas.” “It’s the only way to do it when everybody’s got virtually the same equipment. In… Continue reading

“I do classic multi-track recording on a sequencer and that is no different from what I did on a four-track in the early days. It’s a very traditional, rock & roll process.” […] “Then the interesting part starts. I’m trying to transform an element and push it as far as I can to get something… Continue reading

“The rule is anything can be a sound source as long as it’s right.” Leafcutter John database Continue reading

“I never used the studio for its technological side since I only utilise a fraction of its capabilities to produce my music. That’s a philosophical point with me. An awful lot of music justifies itself on how sophisticated the technology is, but me, I don’t give a damn about the sophistication of the technology. I… Continue reading

“What I tend to do is work with a very basic idea. Everything is drafts. It’s drafts all the way down. You do something and you think, Is this good? Yes or no? If no, what do I change to make it good? You keep doing that and at some point you think, Yes, okay… Continue reading

“[Paul Stretch software] extends sounds. So, if you put a 30-second recording of a harp in there, it will extend it for an hour. It won’t mess with any of the transients within it, so it doesn’t sound terrible, it sounds like a really beautiful, long piece of drone. Sometimes I’ll put something into that,… Continue reading

“With my Zoom recorder I recorded some field recordings and percussive sounds, connecting the music to the visual ideas. I wanted to look for contrasts sound wise, make it sound organic yet digital. Using soft melodies but more bright and icy percussion for example. The act of ‘zooming in’ was a way of working throughout… Continue reading