and we were like , “ This is what I want ; this is what I hear .” We just kept working towards the goal until we found it . So , that song is a testament because it did pretty well but it also was new and was something you never heard before . I was kind of like , “ Why hasn ’ t anybody done this before ?” And maybe it had been , but I had never heard it . So , it was a challenge just doing that .
Sometimes you vibe and then sometimes you have a goal . It ’ s not always easy when you have a goal because sometimes you can ’ t find what you ’ re looking for .
FrancisGotHeat : This is a tough one , because I would say “ 4422 ” [ by Drake and Sampha ], but that came out in 2017 but I made that in like 2014 . So , when I made that beat , I knew at that point , that was my current sound , like a lot of big atmospheric pads . After I made that specific beat , I kind of unlocked that sound for myself . But it ’ s funny how that song didn ’ t come out for three years and then everyone started asking me for that type of stuff when I was out of it .
London Cyr : I like the melody I played on “ Know My Rights ” by 6LACK and Lil Baby . It has a bounce and it ’ s happy yet it still sounds kind of dark and mysterious . When I made it , I knew at some point it would become a song . I just found it by messing around with different VSTs and effects in FL Studio .
Prezident Jeff : That ’ s a good question . I think I ’ d have to go back to 2015 with “ Go Go Go ” by Roy [ Woods ]. That was a bit of a stamp for me . That one was special to me . That was very much in this time and place where I was not entirely sure of myself yet , in my abilities , and was still trying to figure out who I am . Then when that came out , and there ’ s a slew of records that we did , but with that one in particular , that was where I was like , “ I think I found myself here .”
Taabu : This is a great question . I have a single releasing later this year called , “ IRLY .” The drop is a vocoded mixture of two vocal samples . One track is me singing , “ So now I ’ m lying awake ,” which is not remotely audible . Another track has spoken word lines like , “ Oh yeah , wow ,” and , “ I really love you ” ( IRLY ). Both vocal tracks are modulated by the same carrier signal with volume automation so they don ’ t overlap . With the first track , you can ’ t pick apart any words or phrases , but every now and then you catch a phrase when the second track is unmuted . I thought this was a really cool way to represent nervousness and trying to get your words out in a romantic setting . Sounds are the best ; you can do almost anything with them .
PS : What are your favourite tools at the moment for recording / producing , and why ?
David Strickland : I ’ ve been using Ableton for a good 10 years or so . You know , everybody was using [ FL Studio ] and stuff and technology was changing , so I had to kind of upgrade . So , I got really got into Ableton , started using Maschine and then the [ Akai ] MPC Touch and all that , and the [ MPC ] Renaissance came out . So , I started using the Renaissance and the Maschine with Ableton . In Ableton you could add synths and MIDI and audio and samples and stuff , and it ’ s got warp and it ’ s insane .
So , then what I do is once I kind of got my idea , I usually export and go over to Pro Tools . I ’ m trapped in Pro Tools because I ’ m so fast on it – I ’ ve been using it since ’ 94 or ’ 95 – and I tried using Nuendo and Cubase for a while and I ’ m fast , but I ’ m just so fast on Pro Tools editing that if I go in anywhere else , to Logic or whatever , I just get slowed down . So , I never actually stopped and took the time to make that transition . So , I just kind of stay with what I know , which is not necessarily bad . I mean , Pro Tools has its plusses and minuses , you know ?
Then I go into the big studio once I got my mix on and then then I get into the real toys . I like to try new things and not everybody ’ s into outboard gear as much because everybody ’ s got plug-ins , but that ’ s the world I come from .
FrancisGotHeat : Well , for the last year or two I ’ ve been really loving the analog emulation plug-ins that they ’ ve been coming out with . People like Arturia make a great product , and Korg and Roland make some amazing hardware emulations , like from the Juno to the Prophet to whatever — they make it all . So , those are my favourite plug-ins and as far as hardware gear whenever I get my chance to rent these keyboards , I ’ ll always try them . One of my favourite keyboards to use is the Prophet . It ’ s really easy and versatile and designing on that is pretty fun .
London Cyr : FL Studio and my mouse and keyboard [ laughs ]. Although I love being in the big studios for the sound , you don ’ t need much to create something great .
Prezident Jeff : FL Studio , without a doubt . My MacBook Pro is a lifesaver . The Maschine MK3 is quickly becoming one of my favourite pieces of gear to use . The sounds in it are amazing . I don ’ t think I ’ ll ever need to buy another drum kit again – at least not for a while . I ’ ll integrate Maschine within FL Studio and it ’ s amazing . Also , Splice has been big . I find a lot of really dope textures . I don ’ t really go there for loops or anything like that , but it ’ ll be for these random-ass sounds that make for great textures that I can use for sound design . I can them turn upside down and create something really dope .
Taabu : Ableton Live is an essential tool for me ; a huge part of my sound . Ableton ’ s stock devices and instruments are very intuitive and “ non-stock ” sounding , which I love . Everything stock in Ableton sounds like an expensive VST to me . My Focal Twin6 Be ’ s are amazing monitors . They ’ re very linear at low volumes , honest and loud if I want to crank a mix or master . Xfer Records Serum and Native Instruments ’ Massive and Razor are some of my favourite software synths . These synths allow me to design , manipulate , and sculpt sounds with so much detail and precision that I know my creations are close to , if not one of a kind . A few other go-to plug-ins for me are Pro-Q and Pro-L by FabFilter , Vertigo VSC-2 and VSM-3 , Soundtoys Little AlterBoy , and Native Instruments Komplete . In my opinion , Komplete is one of the most diverse sample libraries out there .
Michael Raine is the Editor-in-Chief of Professional Sound .
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