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Courses → https://edmprod.com/courses

This week, Tisoki sat down to chat on the EDM Prodcast.

Tisoki is a multi-genre producer who is signed to Monstercat, who came up through the dubstep and bass scene. He’s previously been on the podcast for episode 92, three years ago. In this episode, we dive into how Tisoki has matured as both a producer and person and how previously he was caught up in the trap of chasing success.

Tisoki also covers what he’s been up to for the last few years and how COVID-19 has affected his career and touring prospects. He dives into the very real battle of dealing with no live shows, which has been a reality for many artists the past year and a half.

We also talk about his new album 01953 and how it has been a more experimental album in comparison to his previous releases, with a lot of tracks venturing outside of the realm of bass music. We talk about one of the singles from the album, SENSITIVE (ft. Charity Vance), and the production behind his unique take on the garage genre.

Towards the end we talk production, diving into topics such as why producers shouldn’t be shamed for using samples, the trap most producers fall into with layering, and how to add imperfections into your tracks.

Stream '01953' by Tisoki → https://listen.monstercatmusic.com/01953-ykeb

Connect with Tisoki:
Facebook → https://facebook.com/tisoki
Instagram → https://instagram.com/tisoki
Twitter → https://twitter.com/tisoki
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/tisoki
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/artist/0XW7mqhbaQnRtHmwfAVg64?si=piT0NKtrQS2iNAIlDnS36w&dl_branch=1

EDMProd:
Website → https://edmprod.com
Instagram → https://instagram.com/edmprodgram
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/EDMPsite
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/edmprod
Spotify → https://sptfy.com/edmprod

Aden Russell (Artsea):
Instagram → https://instagram.com/iamartsea
Facebook → https://facebook.com/iamartsea
Spotify → https://sptfy.com/iamartsea
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/iamartsea

Subscibe

#154: Tisoki on The Dangers of Chasing Success & Why You Should Use Samples

Courses → https://edmprod.com/courses

This week, UMEK sat down to chat on the EDM Prodcast.

UMEK is a techno producer/DJ from Ljubljana, Slovenia who has been a scene staple for nearly 3 decades. Over the years he has moved from the classic techno sound, through to tech house, and then back to techno with a distinctly dark and melodic sound.

We dive into how moving genres and selling out was a bad move for his career, and that having a core fanbase is important. As a result, UMEK has side projects such as Zeta Reticula which allows him to explore other sounds without compromising his main project.

We talk about how he almost exclusively uses software for UMEK tracks, and why he got rid of over 20 synthesizers in favor of synths like Serum.

UMEK discusses his writing process and that he doesn't overthink the story behind a track - he just writes music that he thinks will sound good in his sets. He also describes how his DJ sets are a sprint rather than a marathon.

Cryptic Speech EP → https://www.beatport.com/release/cryptic-speech-ep/3337925
The Thrillseekers - Synaesthesia (UMEK Remix) → https://www.beatport.com/track/synaesthesia/15399183
Viberate → https://www.viberate.com/
Show notes → https://edmprod.com/episode-155

Connect with UMEK:
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/umek.si
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/umek_1605/
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/umek
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/artist/5Hini2nQyoglzpdKe41cZt?si=7hZEpRmbT4u2eoLOE5GJZw&dl_branch=1

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
3:09 Interview Start & Background
6:23 Accidentally Moving Into Tech House
12:40 The Value Of Side Projects
16:04 Switching To Software from Hardware
23:06 Hardware is Different, Not Better
26:05 Good VSTs are Enough To Make Good Music
27:10 The Main Reason You Shouldn't Hoard Free Plugins
28:24 Using Logic Pro X
30:15 Switching Your DAW Takes A Long Time
32:05 Loudness & Limiters
33:42 Mastering Tracks for 1605
37:09 Why You Should Know How To Master Yourself
42:07 Going From Releasing A Lot To Fewer Releases
47:08 Cryptic Speech EP & Not Overthinking The Story Behind The Music
51:56 Detaching From Your Music
55:50 Success On Beatport
01:01:07 Should You Invest In All Platforms?
01:05:11 Viberate & The Future of Music Analytics
01:08:25 Spotting the Buying Of Fake Plays & Likes
01:10:32 What UMEK Looks to Sign An Artist

EDMProd:
Website → https://edmprod.com
Instagram → https://instagram.com/edmprodgram
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/EDMPsite
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/edmprod
Spotify → https://sptfy.com/edmprod

Aden Russell (Artsea):
Instagram → https://instagram.com/iamartsea
Facebook → https://facebook.com/iamartsea
Spotify → https://sptfy.com/iamartsea
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/iamartsea

#155: UMEK on Losing Fans By Selling Out & Starting A Scene from Scratch

Our courses → https://edmprod.com/courses

This week, Dan Giffin sat down to chat for the EDM Prodcast.

Dan Giffin is an Ableton Certified Trainer who runs the website Live Producers Online and hosts the Ableton Music Producer Podcast. Currently based in Indianapolis, he has taught Grammy-winning artists and major acts like Mac Miller, Machine Gun Kelly & The Band Perry.

He also produces under the alias Philia, where he writes bass music infused with jazz, soul, and other styles. Philia is also a band when they perform live, in which Dan does improvised DJing as well as playing the drums, along with a saxophone player and keys player.

We dive into topics such as the mental side of music production, and why he believes the key to music production is mostly overcoming mental hurdles. Later on, he also emphasizes the importance of finding a mentor and learning in a structured way.

Towards the end we talk production, some of his favorite plugins and devices right now, and some great techniques for staying creative.

Links:
Live Producers Podcast → https://www.liveproducersonline.com/podcast
Ableton Live MasterClass → https://www.liveproducersonline.com/masterclass
Ableton Live 11 Discount → https://www.liveproducersonline.com/buyableton
Expressive E Touché → https://www.expressivee.com/1-touche
Smooth Operator → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjqAFIaXvSs

Connect with Dan Giffin:
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/PhiliaMusic
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/philiamusic
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/philia-music-official
Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/artist/6WS2tulZgvxGCX2OnxPbMg?si=3fkWImXcSUOwJIp5_IjJnw&dl_branch=1

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:00 Interview Start & GIFs
3:52 Dan's Background & Becoming an Ableton Certified Trainer
6:26 Practice & Collab With People Better Than You
8:26 Listening To Different Types of Music (& Moving to NY)
11:02 Should You Move to A Major City for Music?
12:24 Does Playing An Instrument Help Production?
15:08 The Problem With Tutorials & Free Resources
15:45 Running Live Producers Online
17:40 What Holds Back Most Producers Mentally?
22:19 COVID's Impact on Writing Music for Live
24:45 The US' Explosion of Live Shows
27:40 How Performance Nerves Can Be Selfish
28:57 Working With Mac Miller & Major Artists
31:24 Finding Opportunities Working At Studios
34:04 Moving Cities For Music (Again)
36:35 Online Music Communities
38:26 Dan's Music Project - Philia
41:52 The Importance of Live Show Visuals
44:16 Developing His Live Show
46:04 Accidentally Throwing A Drum Stick At A Fan
47:37 DJing vs Live Shows
49:44 Pendulum's Insane Live Show
50:58 Redundancy in Live Shows
53:30 Dan's Writing Process
55:35 What To Consider When Working With Vocals
56:50 Sidechaining Things That Aren't The Kick Drum
58:16 Favourite Plugins & Techniques
59:59 Favourite Ableton Live 11 Features
01:04:36 The Power of Stock Tools
01:07:51 What's Coming Up Next?
01:09:11 If you had a time machine, what would you change?

EDMProd:
Website → https://edmprod.com
Instagram → https://instagram.com/edmprodgram
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/EDMPsite
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/edmprod
Spotify → https://sptfy.com/edmprod

Aden Russell (Artsea):
Instagram → https://instagram.com/iamartsea
Facebook → https://facebook.com/iamartsea
Spotify → https://sptfy.com/iamartsea
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/iamartsea

#156: Dan Giffin on The Mental Side Of Music Production & Performing As A Live Act

Learn more about Create 30 → https://create30.com

This week, Steve Duda sat down to chat for the EDM Prodcast.

Steve Duda is the founder of Xfer Records and creator of the ever-popular Serum synth. He has been in the industry as both an artist and programmer and has a wealth of experience to share with producers.

We dive into his background and how he studied music composition in college, which opened the door to many different opportunities (despite the 'normal' career trajectory of becoming a teacher). 

This set off a chain reaction of events, including a short DJ career in leagues with acts like Skrillex and deadmau5, which eventually lead him to learning programming and starting Xfer.

We also cover the massive success of Serum, and how it performed better than how he could have ever imagined, including the rent-to-own partnership with Splice.

Steve is excellent at drawing parallels between music production and programming and has many great pieces of advice for upcoming producers.

Links:
Serum Rent-To-Own → https://splice.com/plugins/15493-serum-vst-au-by-xfer-records
Songwriting For Producers → https://www.edmprod.com/songwriting-for-producers

Connect with Steve Duda:
Xfer Website → https://xferrecords.com
Twitter → https://twitter.com/steve_duda

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:38 Interview start & moving to Mexico
5:23 Studying Music Composition in college
9:26 The evolution of DAWs and computers
10:41 Rejecting the traditional 'college teacher' route
16:01 Being a jack of all trades
17:10 Pursuing the opportunities around you
18:33 Rich EDM kids and buying careers
21:09 What are you willing to do to achieve success?
23:51 Avoiding 'purist constructs'
24:41 Meta-music and influencing music in indirect ways
27:14 The Reverb filter and Riddim
30:36 Future updates and constantly innovating
32:15 Serum overtaking Massive & visual feedback
36:04 Teaching himself programming
39:26 Make what you would like!
41:24 Splice and rent-to-own
46:03 Serum 2.0 and not charging for updates
50:03 Serum's competitors
56:51 Imagine yourself but younger
57:46 BSOD and prioritizing the tools over writing
01:01:54 Customer support and being accessible
01:05:20 What mistakes are producers making?
01:11:45 If you had a time machine, what would you go back and change?
01:14:42 What's coming up in the next 12 months?
01:17:29 Wrapping up

EDMProd:
Website → https://edmprod.com
Instagram → https://instagram.com/edmprodgram
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/EDMPsite
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/edmprod
Spotify → https://sptfy.com/edmprod

Aden Russell (Artsea):
Instagram → https://instagram.com/iamartsea
Facebook → https://facebook.com/iamartsea
Spotify → https://sptfy.com/iamartsea
Soundcloud → https://soundcloud.com/iamartsea

#157: Steve Duda on Serum's Success & Parallels Between Music and Programming

Show Notes: edmprod.com/152

This week, Justin Mylo sat down to chat on the EDM Prodcast.

Justin Mylo is a Dutch DJ and producer known for his releases on STMPD RCRDS, Spinnin’ Records, and Revealed Recordings, and his collaborations with artists like Martin Garrix, Mesto, and Mike Williams.

We start with Justin Mylo’s background, discussing his first steps into DJing and production. He explains what it was like for his first release to be a collaboration with Martin Garrix, and how he effectively dealt with the pressure to follow that release up. He also talks about switching his style twice, and why he thinks he’ll never feel comfortable with where he’s at in his career.  

On the production side, Justin Mylo explains what his process is for building up songs from scratch. He details his favorite post processing plugins and techniques, how he approaches mixing both during and after the production, and what he’s learned working with artists like Martin Garrix and Mike Williams. He also explains how he deals with the pressure of staying productive in the studio, and how he balances between making music for his Justin Mylo project and making music just for fun.

Connect with Justin Mylo:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justinmylomusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinmylomusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinmylo/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7MFJyevu6jq0shwDuVLymu
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/justinmylo

#152: Justin Mylo on Crafting a Vision and Building Your Skillset

Show Notes: edmprod.com/153

This week, RAC sat down to chat on the EDMProdcast.

RAC is a Grammy Award winning musician and producer currently based in Portland, OR. He’s fresh off releasing his third full album BOY, an 18-track journey featuring collaborators like Louis The Child and Jamie Lidell. He’s also well known for his remix work, gaining a Grammy nomination for his remix of ODESZA’s Say My Name, and winning a Grammy Award for his remix of Bob Moses’ Tearing Me Up.

We start off with RAC’s background, discussing his upbringing in Portugal and his early experiences with piano and guitar. We discuss his first DAW that he found in a cereal box, and the albums worth of music he created before graduating high school. We talk about his initial idea for the RAC project, which began as a collective of remix artists. He discusses his unique vision for the project, and how he made the pivot into releasing original music. RAC explains the driving forces for each of his albums, distilling what he feels has helped him sustain his success in the music industry. 

On the production side, RAC dives deep into his songwriting and technical workflows. He explains his refined production process that allows him to write polished demos in under two hours, the key components of his impressive home studio, and why he boiled his SM57 microphone. He also breaks down his guitar rig and recording setup, his favorite plugins for mixing, and his detailed approach to find simplicity in his writing.

Later on, RAC explains his process for remote collaboration, which has become increasingly useful during the Covid-19 pandemic. On that, he explains how he and his team have adapted during the pandemic, questioning the norms within the music industry and pushing his project further. RAC also explains his more recent projects, including a creative approach for Twitch streaming, as well as his foray into cryptocurrency. 

Connect with RAC:

Facebook: facebook.com/remixartistcollective
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rac
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rac/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4AGwPDdh1y8hochNzHy5HC
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rac

#153: RAC on Honing in on Simplicity and Finding Sustained Success

Weekly episodes with electronic music producers, engineers, and music industry experts. Hosted by Aden Russell (@iamartsea).

A podcast from EDMProd - https://edmprod.com