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Jimsey - Interview with a great SunVox artist

2/28/2014

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After hearing one of his songs some months ago and finding his Minimal Techno tracks being some of the best Minimal being produced with an Android app. 
Oh yes everything made in SunVox and Android tablet.
So put other things to the side and focus on what he has to say about many things related to music, production, SunVox and other interesting issues!
And as a bonus there is one of his latest tracks as a SunVox Song file in the end!!!
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Do you play any instruments and in this case which ones?

Well, I'd have to say I used to play guitar. Past tense, really. It has been up in the loft for nearly four years now and I've forgotten every song I could play. I can only play scales now and a rusty 12 bar blues. I always wanted to play an instrument. I tried to learn piano properly, reading music and all. I just found it too hard. I absolutely admire anyone that can get to a decent level at it!


What got you started producing electronic music and what was you first experience with Hardware / Software?

I was lucky enough for my parents to buy me an Amiga 500 computer in the late eighties, when I was a young teenager. A friend and I got hold of a copy of MED, before it became the better known OctaMED. We loved it and made a fair bit of music on it, mostly cliché ridden rave tracks based on samples discs (floppy, not CDs - this is the 80s!) that we would get in the post. My dad still has the only surviving recording of this work – on a cassette tape. He threatens to play it at family reunions every now and again.
After MED, I started using an early version of Cakewalk on a PC. I managed to get an AWE32 soundcard with some sample RAM on it, and later added a DB50XG card. I used that for a few years, getting distracted by general MIDI. My brother did a lot of music on that setup after I left home for university. I still have the source files somewhere if he ever wants a copy.
After I graduated and started working in London, I started putting together a (slightly) more serious studio. I got an SW1000XG card, a SB Live card running the KX project and a few bits of kit, notably a Kawai K1r. I used an early Sonar release to do a complete album on that. It was reviewed in the sound-on-sound magazine demos section in, I think, May 2001 or thereabouts.
After that my productivity went downhill. I got more kit (too much to list, I had a standing rack), loads of VSTs and spend almost all my time trying to make it work, which it never did. Perhaps the lowest point was the purchase of a Creamware Luna card which had all the promise and absolutely did not, ever, work properly. I got about five songs done in ten years.

Can you tell us how you got into SunVox?

Eventually, I got married five years ago and had a son three years ago. Needless to say that was the end of the physical music studio. I was not sorry to see it go. My brother took most of the hardware. He is a lot better than me at running the physical kit. As my son grew up a bit and time returned, I started thinking about producing music again. This happened about nine months ago. 
My commute to work is a 45 min train journey each way. Crazy as it may seem, I tried making music on this journey. I got a laptop up and running with an old copy of Reason and started having a go. Unfortunately, the seats are too small and the train is too crowded. There is just not enough elbow room to use the trackpad.
I had a think and I thought I could use a tablet on the train; there was enough room for that. It was at this point that I started to wonder if the android music scene was any good. It certainly was. I had missed a lot! I looked into tablets and quickly found a good, quad core tablet. I then found Caustic and a few other apps and downloaded them. I liked the look of Caustic because it was like Rebirth. A few days later I stumbled across SunVox and I knew instantly that was the one, no doubt about it. An old skool tracker combined with a modular studio designer on top of a totally superb arranger. I was immediately excited. I downloaded all the tutorial videos, read the instruction manual top to bottom. A few days later I was ready to start my new project.

Is there any other software / applications that you depend on?

Not at the moment, for now I am all SunVox. I am looking for a good sample editor in android and I expect to use it. I would love something that tags sample filenames with their BPM. I am curious about production in other android apps and I keep meaning to give Caustic a go too.

Could you tell us a little bit of how you start your compositions in SunVox?

I wish I could say that I have a vision of a masterpiece and then set about carefully creating it, but that is just not true. To be honest, I generally play with generators and effects for a little while on a blank canvas until I like how they sound. I know I need drums, bass, a pad of some sort, a noize, some acid-ish sounds and something unusual. If I have heard a song I love, then I will listen to that just before I start and maybe try to make similar sounds.
Once I have the basics, I will build up a 128 line loop, adding and adding to it until it sounds nice and full and tweaking the modules. That will be the 'meat' of the track. From there, I know I can arrange around it, do a beginning, end and breakdown without much need to change the core sounds. Just some automation, dropping out things and putting some fills in. I tend to switch between making sounds and doing the arranging.
I always have one or two ideas that I want to try each time, such as the reverb 'freeze' effect, note slides, the 'loop' effect, etc. There is always something new and tricky I like to try. Also, there are solid landmarks that usually appear in my tracks, such as the four to the floor beat, side chain compression on most things and a noise 'woosh' of some sort in the background. Of course, I'm always learning things all the time and SunVox is always being developed - it is sure to stay ahead of my abilities, which is ideal as it is hard to grow out of.

How much in your music that you make in SunVox is based on samples and how much is based on synthesizing?

I do use some samples. Not many, but if I find a drum loop or oddity that fits and enhances the track, I'll use it. The purist may that say it is not 100% SunVox if it uses samples, but I disagree. SunVox is a tracker and trackers started out with 100% samples! I never used a melodic sample or loop, just about every note you hear in my work is from a SunVox generator, I will say that.
You can hear the SunVox in my tracks, I’m sure of it. The FM and SpectraVoice generators are very distinctive, they are undoubtedly SunVox. The reverb too and the drum synth are also quite distinctive. Personally, I like to concentrate on making the music sound the way I want it too, not the tool so I don't worry about being 'pure' myself.

What modules outside of the sampler do you use the most?

The analog generator is the most common sound source for me and the filter the most used effect, I think. I tend to have long chains of effects. I have also recently made some of my own XI files for drum kits from various samples I have. This gives me some alternatives to the built in drum synth.

Are you excessive in your use of modules in your compositions?

Hard to say! My tablet plays most of my stuff with no stuttering, so I guess not. Also, I don't use the layers in the module view, at least not yet.

Any sound shaping tricks you want to share?

Well, if anyone wants to get a general EDM sound, try the side chain compressor. It’s great. Put it on long pad type sounds, trigger with a ghost kick drum and get it pumping a bit. Drop the audible kick drum, keep the ghost going and there you are – that sound you hear all the time. Another little trick to get 303-ish is to drop a slide on one or two notes in a busy acid loop, try values between 40 and 80. A good way to get sounds to sit well in the mix is to put them through a band pass filter. I love the LFO on the filter; it is a great and easy way to get some movement in a sound. In fact, I wish the LFO itself could automate any parameter. A triangle generator squared-off by a limiting distortion makes up many of my bass sounds. I also like to separate my automation from my notes in the arranger. That allows me to drag automation envelopes around and clone them. Finally, I always keep my individual drum tracks separate so that it is really easy for me to drop parts with no pattern editing.

Do you mix and master all in SunVox and if not what do you use?

I mix everything in SunVox, but I master outside. I have an old copy of iZotope Ozone which I run in an even older copy of Ableton Live as a VST. I don’t add anything in Live (I don’t want VST hell ever again). I take the ‘output’ modules WAV export out of SunVox on a laptop PC and import it as a single sample into Live, trim as needed and route through Ozone. It usually takes a few exports from SunVox before I don’t have any clipping, it always seems to come out hot. Once I have the levels about right I’ll start listening to the presets in Ozone. Once I find one I like I’ll edit it a bit more. I normally end up changing the compression bands a little, tweaking the parametric EQ and getting the levels right. 

What do you think of the latest update  SunVox 1.7.4 ?

Well, I guess it was a little while coming! I was worried that I had backed the wrong horse. Caustic 3 had come out and we’d not seen a SunVox update for a while. So it was great news when an update came through! It has some great stuff in it. The new ‘Sound2Ctl’ module is the main thing for me. I am already making use of it and thinking about what it can do.

If there was one thing you could implement into SunVox as a future update, what would that be?

SunVox is absolutely fine as it is, but I do have some ideas for it… which reminds me that I must log onto the SunVox forum and contribute something. I’ve been lazy and not done that yet. I want to be a part of that community too. One thing I would love to have is a way to write my own modules. The Buzz tracker (http://www.jeskola.net/buzz/) is similar in many ways to SunVox. It has so many amazing user-created ‘machines’ as it calls them – and they actually WORK unlike so many VSTs.
It would be jaw dropping, I think if SunVox could do that too. For sure, I understand the portability and performance concerns make that a daunting prospect to implement. But if there is anyway it can be done, if a community of great coders with great talent and inspiration can be let loose on SunVox at a lower level than MetaModules, then I think we can all stand back and watch SunVox take over the world!
Ok, if we can’t have that can we please have SoundFont support? Please! 

For someone that is starting to use SunVox what would you recommend is the best way to go about learning it?

Watch the tutorial videos first, study the manual a little bit, listen to the excellent demo songs then dive in and make something of your own! If you know nothing at all about synthesis or effects, then you will benefit from some study of that, but it is not important. You can just try things out in SunVox to see how they sound. I still don’t fully know how FM synthesis works, but it doesn’t stop me from using the FM synth. Don’t expect too much from yourself initially. You will improve as you use it more. Certainly I think my later work six months on sounds better that my earlier work. Also, don’t go for perfection. Just try to get something out and heard. Try to be prolific. A great thing about SunVox is that the save files are 100% standalone. You can be sure that if you want to change a track in years to come you will be able to.

When did you first start to listen to Minimal Techno and what was your first influences?

Oh, I’m late to this game. Minimal Techno for me is one of those things I discovered rather too late in life, along with motorcycling. About a year ago I stumbled across a copy of ‘10 years CLR’ by Chris Liebing (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chris-Liebing-Presents-Years-Clr/dp/B006OFMXB4) . I took a chance and bought it. There were no reviews and no links to anything else. I just liked what I heard on the previews. Listening to it was a seminal moment for me. I was like ‘where has this music been all my life?’. Ten years! I felt as if I had walked down a modern art gallery for the first time and ‘got it’. When I talk to people about this techno, few understand. I guess it is like looking at a Rothko painting, you either get it or you don’t, it does not work for everyone.
Now that I had heard my first route into this music, I loaded up on it. I’ve listened to little else in the last year and it rarely repeats itself. It is such a massive genre, so much excellent stuff out there of which I am still barely scratching the surface.

Any modern producers that you recommend?

From commercial stock, Chris Liebing and his CLR label as I mentioned earlier. This is some of the deepest and darkest stuff I have found. I like the stuff on Frequenza, too. I also listen to Alex Bau, Adam Beyer, Speedy J, Chris Fortier, Richie Hawtin, Luke Slater, Joris Voorn. Much of what I listen to is compilations and DJ sets. There is some good stuff on radio too. I often enjoy Drumcode radio (via Adam Beyer on SoundCloud), Slam radio (via Soma on SoundCloud), TM radio and Intergalactic FM.

Do you learn a lot from listening to other peoples work?

Absolutely, yes! When you find a track that you love, study it. Listen to it properly. How many different sounds are going on? What sort of sounds are there? How would you create those sounds? When and how often does it change? What changes? What would that look like in the arranger? I have in the past listened to tracks with a pen and paper and made notes. When you try producing something you want to sound like, put the track on your tablet or whatever and listen to it just before you start on your own track. Then listen again every so often as a check point. Isolate sounds in your own mind. Do your sounds match up? Are they fitting nicely into the mix?

Any tips for making / producing Minimal techno?

In a nutshell, play fewer notes! It sounds so simple, but it is something I have struggled with for over a decade. As an exercise, try making a full track where the only note you play is C. Any octave, any sound, but it must be a C. You will find yourself concentrating on the sounds more and on the notes less. You will have to automate, to use the filter LFO, concentrate on drums and have interesting arrangements to make it sound good as a track. The subtleties of the sounds are everything in this genre, I think. Small changes make a large difference to the feel of the track.

Do you have any favorite producers / musicians that use SunVox?

The SoundCloud group SunVox is very active. There are loads and loads of superb musicians out there doing all kinds of different things. Join the group, have a listen to the producers, follow them (they won’t mind!) and give them your support. By doing so, they’ll probably follow you back and give you some encouragement on your own work. Being involved in the community is something that spurs me on to do more and more. Unfortunately I don’t get nearly as much time as I would like to listen to other producers’ tracks but I do try to set aside one evening a week when I will catch up with what everyone has been doing.

Any specific song you want to share with us? 

Sure, I’ll share my current most-liked track with you all, ‘Waypoint Lost’. This track emerged from some seriously deep messing around with sounds over a few days. After the soothing tranquility of the preceding track ‘Interplanetary Cruise’, this track evokes a brooding uncertainty.

Any last words?

I’d like to say thanks to you Frank, for interviewing me! It has been fun thinking back through the past and also thinking about how I use SunVox. I would also like to mention in passing my brother’s latest project TimeDog (http://racketracket.co.uk/music/force-habit/). He is making some very cool ambient music now. I secretly want him to do something on VirtualANS. Well, I hope this has been an interesting read for you all. See you all on SoundCloud!
SunVox file for studying how he made the track Waypoint Lost:
waypoint_lost.sunvox
File Size: 1424 kb
File Type: sunvox
Download File

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Interview with Rej the developer of Caustic 1-2..... and 3!

2/28/2014

1 Comment

 
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Hey everybody. 
Today Musical Android is proud and happy to present you all with an interview with the man of the hour!
Think for anyone that have any interest in Android music making or have been reading this website more than once will be aware of what Caustic is, if not you invest a small sum of money and buckle in for a big long kiss of mobile music making.
Without further ado.
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Can you tell us a little bit of your musical background?

I did piano lessons from the age of 8 until maybe 12-13. Then my mind wandered to the cooler world of electric guitar so I took that up and played in bands throughout my teenage years.

How did you get started in programming ?

My dad bought a Commodore 64 when I was about 8 and of course it had a BASIC interpreter built-in. I managed to figure out the really simple commands like "print" and "goto" so I'd write these "programs" where the computer would ask what you wanted and you could choose things like a candy bar or instant noodles and the program would display some pretty ASCII art on screen and in my pretend world, food would come out. It wasn't really programming, but I was living in the future! I didn't do any programming after that until I started Uni in '96 and learned C++

What was your first more or less serious program/s that you did?

I have a whole pile of half-finished programs and games for Windows, but the first big one I did was a 3D editor. You could create models in 3D, apply materials, animation etc. I couldn't justify paying for bigger 3D suites and I wanted to make models for my games so I made my own editor!

How come that you choose Android?

My friend received an extra test device as part of a licensing deal for a game engine. It was a Nexus One. He already had one so he "sold" me his spare to help me get into apps. (I say "sold" because he never accepted payment for it, too nice a guy). His company has gone on to do great things and are doing really well too (www,defiantdev.com). The low barrier to entry for making apps on Android made it risk-free.

What is your advice for a budding developer of Android applications?

Hmm, that's hard. Probably the same thing I tell anyone who wants to get into any kind of programming. Start by finding a goal, a project that inspires you enough to want to finish it. I don't know how anyone could learn straight skills without practice or working towards a goal.

How did you get the vision for Caustic or so to speak what was your first inspiration?

I was brainstorming ideas with my friend after he gave me the Nexus One. My initial idea was because the device had a GPS, maybe I could create some kind of generative music app where the beat that played depended on your location and it would be unique for each location. I thought it would be cool because then you could tell your friends "come stand in front of my house and listen" or .. "try standing by that dumpster, it's a really cool beat". My friend then said my first step should be to create a simple synth, which I did and then he said: Why don't you just make a music creation app, there aren't that many good ones on Android.

What kind of programming language have you been using for Caustic?

Mostly C/C++. With all of its quirks, I love my C++. It's a like a quality, sharp knife that can do anything, but it's also really easy to cut yourself if you're not paying attention.

I've had to write some Java and Objective-C to wrap the app for various platforms, but it's usually just a few lines of code. I like to stay as close to the processor as possible.

How long time did it take more or less to put the first Caustic together?

From concept to release for Caustic 1 would have been ~6 months. I first wrote the subsynth as a proof of concept.Then of course Android's legendary latency made me reconsider a stand-alone synth so I focused on sequencing. I then wrote a simple drum machine to accompany the synth and wrote the pattern and piano roll editor for putting together a song.

Then came the early PCMSynth, which could just play 1 WAV file and pitch it across the keyboard. Later, I found some source code for a 303 synth and the bassline took off. At that point the app was looking more and more like a rack of machines than a simple groove box so I focused on that direction. 

What was the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge is keeping it all together. It's really easy to spread yourself thin over various support forums, email, Facebook etc. and until I can afford a PR rep. that takes a lot of my time. Keeping the app direction focused is also a constant challenge. Lots of users want different things from the app, so I try and find a middle ground that pleases the most people possible without blocking myself off for the future.

What has been the biggest challenge now with Caustic 3?

Calling it "done" and shipping something. After I broke free of the fixed rack with Caustic 2, my mind immediately wandered to the creation of new synths to insert in the rack. I've had countless prototypes and variations of new machines I'd like to develop, but at some point people want updates so you have to stop "playing" and buckle down to get something polished.

With the exception of the modular which of the synthesizers was the trickiest to get right?

The vocoder. Because it's so different than the other synths with the way it works, it has taken the longest to get running optimally and has probably had the most bugs during beta.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment with Caustic?

I'm really proud of how the app and its community has grown over the years. Mobile apps make it possible for one guy working part-time to slowly build up to something that's now placing next to much bigger companies, with a community that's closer and friendlier than anything I've seen on big websites.

Is there any specific smaller function that you feel extra proud of?

I really get a kick out of code optimization and I'd like to think people are impressed with how much this app can run at the same time, in real-time on such battery-sipping devices. As far as features within the app: I'm really happy with the new WAV editor. It's still very basic but it has lots of room to grow. Like the modular, it's a great avenue for expansion.

Is there anything that you would change in the basic setup that you feel have been nagging you after these years?

I wish I could easily rename the beatbox. You know how each DAW or plugin gives cool names to their synths, I wanted to avoid doing that. I just wanted to refer to the synths as to what they are. Unfortunately "Drum computer" was too long to fit in the machine label field so somehow I settled on Beatbox, even though it has little to do with acapella rap beats.

So what is the next step in Caustic 3?

I still have platform builds to put out for 3.0 and then after that it's Caustic 3.1. More connectivity options (especially on iOS), more MIDI fun and who knows what else. ;-)

Think that one thing that is very special for Caustic is the active forum and all the help and sharing going on. Not to forget about being able to share and upload presets, sample instruments and the song files for Caustic. Do you think that this has influenced in the success of Caustic and in this case how much?

I'm sure it has. I got an email one day from a guy named Mike saying he really liked the app and wanted to help build around it. The first thing he offered was to build a website and has been maintaining and improving it ever since. Since it launched, the community has grown to over 2500 users, with many of them quite active in discussions. This has saved me countless hours in email support and has grown into a great place to share and hang out.

What is your advice for somebody that start to produce music using Caustic?

If you've never used a DAW before, I'm confident this is a good place to start. I spent hours and hours making tutorials on all the basics and I hope people watch them and learn from them. If you're used to DAWs, especially rack-inspired ones like Reason, most of Caustic should be a breeze.

In your eyes what would you say is the most under appreciated function of Caustic?

Probably SoundFont import in the PCMSynth. There are thousands of free .SF2s still on the 'net and it opens things up to natural instruments, and wacky stuff you just can't make with a synth.

Do you have any other projects going on outside of Caustic 3?

I've got smaller stuff to keep me distracted like my falling sand game (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.singlecellsoftware.sandpremium), but most most of my attention is focused on Caustic and its expansion. Writing code has become my creative outlet and I'm having way too much fun to stop.

What do you think will be the future of Android in about two years time say?

Who knows, I'm sure mobile devices will continue to expand and I'm confident mobile apps are the fastest growing segment as far as programming goes. More power, more pixels, the usual.

Is there any other Android music applications that you use or that you find interesting?

I honestly barely get the time to use my own app, let alone others. I have noticed an pleasant increase in quality looking synths being built for Android. Apps that show a bit of love as far as UI is concerned like Mikrowave, Heat Synthesizer, Zynth and Syntheogen are examples that come to mind.

Okay so please leave us with some last words?

Go buy my app? 
Ok, more seriously: enjoy making music. If you're not having fun, stop.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------As a bonus here is some images from the first weeks of prototyping He felt a little bit embarrassed to show them but it is nice that he let us see them as we can see how everything great has humble beginnings.
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Many thanks for Rej to take the time to make the interview in these days when he probably should be concentrating on the release! 
Let us all wish him a big break after this year of getting Caustic 3 ready and released.
A great person and a fantastic application. 

Now it is up to you make great music as with Caustic 3 there is no more excuses!

Frank Malm

Playstore link:
Caustic 3
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Josie - Eight year old maverick mastering Caustic 2 and 3!

2/28/2014

1 Comment

 
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Do you play any instruments?

--Not really but I like to sing.

What musicians or bands have inspired you in your music making?

-- Well besides my dad, the Caustic Warriors who make really cool music.

How long have you been using Caustic?

-- about a year now....

In Caustic 2 what is your favorite module and why?

-- I like the PCMSynth because you can have lots of cool sounds, like flutes and drums and other stuff.

Was Caustic hard to learn?

-- Ummm haha not really.

What was the hardest part to understand?

-- probably making my patterns sound right.

What is your first impressions of Caustic 3 Alpha?

-- Wow! It's really amazing! The new machines! especially Pad Synth, I can make my sound just right very quickly to then make a pattern for my song! 

What was your biggest surprise?

-- Everything looks sooo different, but in a great way, and all the new synth machines were great too! 

Is there anything that you miss in the new version?

-- well no! Hello! It's new! It's just more of everything! 

To work with music is that something that you want to do when you are older?

-- Well I like to do art and things, I like to draw and write stories, and yes also like to make music, but I'm still learning. 

What do you feel is missing from your musical knowledge that you would want to study more?

-- Music theory which I really haven't learned much yet, but I really want to.

If there are any tips for someone that just is starting with making music, what would that be?

-- Take your time and learn.

As a final note, of the music that you produced is there one specific piece of music
that you want to share with the readers of Musical Android?


-- Oh yeah! Drum Break! 
So am happy to have interviewed the only eight year old doing serious music using Caustic for Android!

Playstore link:
Caustic 2
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