I have some good news for those of you that liked my album Focus and are hoping to hear something new. I have just finished mastering what will be my next single. My plan is to release it on Spotify etc very soon and then release a new single every month or two over the next 8 to 10 months. After that, depending on the reception of those singles and how many tracks I manage to finish I will either release an EP or another full album.
You will have to wait some more before you can actually hear this new tune (which still doesn’t have any name) but I can already now share some of the ideas that I have for my future sound. I will continue to build upon the synth-based sound of Focus and then introduce some new elements to it, like the human voice / singing and also touches of acoustic intruments like piano, guitar and such.
I also have new toys in the studio that I intend to use, like the Arp 2600 clone TTHS (Two Thousand Six Hundred Mini Meanie) and new modules in my Eurorack setup. This new sound will be flavoured and seasoned with old school effects like Tape Delay, Plate Reverb and String Reverb. Finally I have started to use the excellent loop sampler Output Arcade which is a great inspiration and a way to come up with previously untried ideas.
As soon as I have something new for you to listen to, I will post it here on my site and on Facebook. Really looking forward to bringing you my new music. :)
My studio has gone through some relevant changes since the release of my last album Focus in 2017.
Even though one or two pieces of hardware have found new owners the biggest change for me has been on the software side of things. To be honest, I wasn’t really super happy with my setup a couple of years ago. Often I would find that the composing of a tune wouldn’t take that long but the process of getting the right sound and master would take forever. So for the last couple of Black Fridays and all the other sales surrounding them, I have been trying out and buying what I believe is a much better set of tools to use in my creative process of making music.
This is my very personal list of my top 10 VST plugins right now (Ok actually one is not a plugin, but anyway..)
In no particular order, they are all very very good. Ok here we go.
Arcade is a loop synthesizer that lets you perform and manipulate loops in real time. New sets and loops are added continuously so there is always something new to keep you inspired. The variation of the different kits and loops is very impressive. I wouldn’t use everything in there in my music but it has more than enough goodies to keep me as a happy subscriber.
What I use it for
So far I have used a couple of vocal hooks that I added my own effects to and also various sounds and snippets here and there. Arcade is now my go-to tool when I’m kind of stuck in my old ways and want to introduce something fresh and unexpected. I’ve found that I don’t always keep the sounds from Arcade in a tune, but that they instead served as a scaffolding for building something else.
It’s a plate reverb with three modes, adjustable decay-time and vacuum tube driver emulation. This was Arturia’s free Xmas gift for 2019. For some reason I’ve never really liked plate reverb, but this one.. WOW!
What I use it for
It has a very warm big sound that I can use for basically anything. One example is I played a typical lead-sound on my Sidstation, then smacked some of this plate on top of it and suddenly I had something that sounded like a strange massive string-like ensamble.
Valhalla VintageVerb is a postmodern reverb plugin, inspired by the classic hardware digital reverbs of the 1970s and 1980s. Actually I could write about any of Valhallas effect plugins here. They are that good. I also frequently use Valhalla Shimmer and Delay in my music.
What I use it for
Basically everything. It was my go-to reverb on Focus and it still is with the music I’m making now for my next album.
LoAir is a super simple sub-harmonic generator. It’s used for not only enhancing your low end but also adding new where there previously wasn’t any.
What I use it for
I use it mainly to add a nice naturally sounding sub to kick drums and basses. This used to be a very tricky process where I would spend hours of tweaking the EQs and compression and still not getting it quite right. With this plugin it’s super easy to get that extra bottom we all like and desire.
Halcyon is a Mid/Side Saturation plugin used for adding harmonics and warmth to a sound.
What I use it for
Halcyon is my new go-to plugin for saturation. When a sound is flat or dull and EQing doesn’t work, I add just a little bit of saturation to it and the result is usually something much more interesting.
Bassroom is a final mix and mastering EQ that you use to get that perfect lo-end. The interface is easy and the presets are good. As if that’s not enough you can also import reference tracks to help you get as close as possible to your favorites.
What I use it for
It is always the first plugin on my master channel, where I use to get a less muddy and tighter lo-end. Usually I don’t have to tweak it that much, really. It just sits there and does its thing. Pretty amazing if you ask me.
Pusher is an innovative multiband sonic enhancer and limiter/clipper used mainly for mastering. The interface is very simple with a just a few knobs to turn, but you soon discover that there is a lot of impressive sound sculpturing going on in the background. It looks like a toy but definitely sounds like a pro tool.
What I use it for
This is the second plugin in the chain on my master channel. Pusher takes care of a wide range of mastering tasks that you previously typically would need maybe four, five other plugins to do. When I first tried out the free version I was a bit sceptical. I have been an avid user of Izotope Ozone since version 5 and didn’t know what to think of these new types of plugins that demands you surrender control to a couple of buttons and knobs. I feared I maybe wouldn’t be able to get exactly the type of sound that I wanted. How wrong I was. It’s an amazing plugin for mastering and it’s super easy to get a pro mastered sound out of it. And it saves A LOT of time.
Ozone is one of the leading tools for mastering with tons of controls and literally everything you need. Version 9 has AI-powered assistive audio tools that gives you an instant starting point. Also you can load your own reference tracks and have Ozone adjust the levels accordingly.
What I use it for
As I wrote earlier Ozone was previously my number one choice for final master. I used version 7 for all the tunes on Focus. Today it is the third plugin on my master channel chain, where I typically use its analog limiter, adjusting it to make sure the LUFS are below the Spotify recommendations. The new reference track function seems very good though so I might use that more in the near future.
Youlean is a plugin for measuring Loudness on a master channel. It helps you to find the true perceived loudness of your audio and prepares it for TV or streaming services release. Back in the day, the thing about Loudness was you wanted as much as possible of it, because you wanted your track to be loud, or at least as loud as the others. This was before streaming became a thing. Now it’s the other way around. You don’t want your track to have too much loudness because then the streaming services, like Spotify will lower its volume so that it sounds quieter than other tracks on the service.
What I use it for
Youlean is my final plugin on my master channel. I use it to make sure the LUFS (Loudness Unit Fullscale) levels on the final master is on or slightly below the recommendations for streaming.
My final recommendation is actually not a plugin, although I wish it was. Expose is a standalone application used to expose potential technical problems with a final master. Drag and drop a sound file onto it and it will analyze and report back any issues with loudness, phasing and more.
What I use it for
When the final master of a track is done I export from Ableton live and drop the file into Expose to test if it’s ready for streaming. I admit it may be a bit of a tedious process at times – having it available as a plugin would be very beneficial. Still I rather do it this way than discovering some problems -after- the track has been released on the streaming services.
It’s that time of the year again, so without further due here is my list of top 10 movies of 2019. A few of them are actually from 2018 but since they weren’t shown or released until 2019 in Sweden I’ve included them in my list. Here we go.
With another decade almost upon us I think this is a good time as any to show you the current state of my studio.
It is, as always in a constant state of flux. Among the things I decided to sell this year, mainly because I wasn’t using it that much was the TB-303 “clone” Xoxbox, the Strymon El Capistan pedal and one or two modules for my modular setup. New stuff in the studio includes the Arturia Beatstep Pro and a CV.OCD which I’m using for controlling my analog gear.
Also I got the HYVE I signed up for during their succesful Kickstarted project. Haven’t used it in my music yet but I’m sure I will find a spot for it in an ambient tune soon. Here is a video from last spring where I’m trying it out.
Another fun little toy, a micro-sampler that I think I actually bought in 2018, but haven’t really used yet is the Teenage Engineering PO-33 KO. Might find some use for it now when I’m working on my next album (More info about that in a later post).
And finally I threw out my old, very worn-down chair and got the HÅG Capisco 8107. My back thanks me for it. It’s probably the most ergonomic stylish chair in the world. Got it for a bargain price at an online auction.
I recently finished another round of modded Game Boy DMG-01.
As usual I kept the original shells as they are in a very good shape with very little scratches or other signs of use. The usual mods were implemented – no reason to change a working concept I think. Video: White backlight and Bivert chip which means you can actually see the action on the screen. Mods for better audio: Prosound mod to the headphones jack, Bass Boost mod and decoupling capacitor mod on the power regulator.
Original yellow Play-it-loud Shell with new gray plastic screen cover.
Original gray Play-it-loud Shell with new gray glass screen cover.
Original black Play-it-loud Shell with new black plastic screen cover and beautiful organge transparent buttons.
The last couple months have been unusually slow for finding really good new music on Spotify. Still when I go through my list of recently hearted albums there are four entries that stand out above the rest.
Space Dimension Controller – Love Beyond the intersect
The first one is a concept album from Space Dimension Controller aka Mr 8040, bringing us fresh galactic funk from the edges of the universe. As expected, the retro feels runs strong on all the tracks. Think late 70’s, early 80’s funky space disco, vocoder included. If you like this, you should also check out his album Welcome to Mikrosector-50 from 2013.
Underworld – DRIFT Series 1
My all-time favorite Underworld recently released the final compilation of all the material from their DRIFT EPs.
Not everything here is top notch but there are still enough gold nuggets to say this is the best I have heard from them in close to 20 years. My fav piece of Karl Hyde lyrics is from the short track Mile Bush Pride. It’s the perfect example of describing as much as possible with as little words as possible.
Just listen to this: “Fierce beauty in the dance hall. One-time raiser of hell. Copper blonde. Skin in tight black.”
Beatiful.
Vince Watson – DnA
Next up is Glasgow producer Vince Watson – DnA, which was actually released earlier this spring. 18 tracks of glorious Detroit techno and classic deep house.
Jacques Green – Dawn Chorus
Finishing off with something perhaps a bit more accessible but still oozing with quality, good melodies and well-crafted beats. Dawn Chorus by French-Canadian producer Jacques Green. Although there are several gems on this album, my fav track has to be old-school Acid House-tinted Night Service.
It’s time for part three with photos I snapped in Japan. These are some of my best shots from the Fushimi Inari hike, which is a 3-4 hour walk up and down a small mountain, through over 10 000 orange-red gates. Beautiful scenery, lots of history. A must-see when you are in Kyoto. Not too difficult to do and very rewarding. Just make sure to be there as early as possible in the morning as it tends to become more crowded the further into the day you get.
After arriving in Kyoto I spent an afternoon exploring my closest neigherborhood, just walking around trying to fight the impending jetlag. Here are some of the photos I took on that day and early next, heading towards the Fushimi Inari temple area.
I recently got back from a one week trip to Japan. My main reason to go there was for my friends wedding, but I also got time to visit some really cool places. Here are my best photos from an afternoon and evening in Osaka, more specifically in the areas Dōtonbori and Shinsekai. I really really like the laidback vibe in Osaka and of course it has some amazing spots if you want to use your camera.
All of my photos were taken with an Huawei P30 Pro mobile phone. I’m trying it out as an possible replacement for my old system camera. So far I’m very impressed with the results. It’s not perfect all the time but it supports RAW format and I don’t need to switch lenses depending on of I want to take closeups, wide-angle or night photos.
And of course, the best camera is always the one you have with you.
It’s time for another ‘Here’s what I’m listening to’.
These are some of the albums that I have gravitated towards for the last month or so. All within the spectrum of electronic music.
All with my personal stamp of approval.
First out is Bones by Datach’i, aka Joseph Fraioli from Los Angeles, California. Friends of glitchy probability electronica have probably heard his music before, his first release 10110101=[rec+play] was 20 years ago. Very well produced with interesting textures and unexpected twists and turns. An album for special moments.
Next up, dreamy synth based pop. MOTSA is a new discovery for me. His debut album Perspectives was inspired by his acute awareness of modern society’s dependence on technology and the social media bubble also responsible for globally polarizing our current civilization. The highlights on this album are No Fear (with David Österle), Harp Enough, Rolling Back (Madeline Kenney) and Salvation (with David Österle).
Techno time. Gëinst produces music mainly inspired by nature. Released in 2018, Gallery is all about beautiful drones and ambient sounds soaked in bass. Long journeys into sound. Basic Ambient Techno that I enjoy very much. More of this please.
We finish with Melt, another fine release on All Day I Dream by the man himself, Lee Burridge together with Lost Desert. Deep technicolor emotionalism for lazy days by the pool, sunset or sunrise. Comforting Deep House at its finest.
