Close your Eyes – Wide Open

1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?

Feedback knob on my Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo. I like balancing on the edge of a wild totally uncontrollable feedback. Or even crossing this edge sometimes 🙂

Strymon El Capistan

2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?

Red Panda Particle 2.  For me it’s a perfect granular delay pedal. It can go from gentle reversed echoes to the wall of glitch and chaos in sound. And it’s stereo! It is important, as I use to process synths, drum machines or even groups of tracks through it.

Red Panda Particle

3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?

I’ll go with Digitakt and Hokema Electro Kalimba. Digitakt is an in-a-box workstation which allows sketching, playing jams on my own or with fellow musicians, and almost to do a finished track, while this kalimba is just tiny magic.

Elektron Digitakt and Hokema Electro Kalimba

4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?

It’s a tricky question, because all of my favorite plugins already have hardware prototypes. At the same time, I’m not a big fan of software to wish anything hardware turned into soft.
Nonetheless, recently I discovered amazing plugins by Puremagnetik. Although they obviously have some hardware inspiration, the plugins are truly unique and have strong personality in sound and usability. So yes, I wish I could have these in hardware.

Puremagnetik Plugins

5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?

The only thing I got rid of without any doubt was an AKAI MPK249. Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing midi controller which is perfect for its purposes, it just doesn’t work for me personally, cause I’m not really a controller-kind person. In this case I clearly realised that I cannot rely on computers in creating music. With this MPK249 in setup, I had an almighty controller and a laptop with awesome software, but I couldn’t come up with any idea for weeks.  Being honest, I actually don’t regret buying it, because it helped me finally to understand that midi-controllers are not my thing, speaking on composing workflows.
Talking about selling, I didn’t sell that much to regret something.

APC Key25 (the midi controller that stuck around)

6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?

Definitely my piano. If you’d do me the favour to call it “gear” 🙂

Piano money shot

7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?

No surprises — a piano! 🙂

8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?

Definitely any computer. Now I set myself a goal to reduce the computer part in my music production and live sets. However, I’m far from this right now, the computer still does lots of work. I don’t like endless possibilities which computers give, preferring a simple gear which is capable of very limited things — but does it perfectly.

MacBook

9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?

Turning a three-headed cassette recorder into a tape echo by creating a feedback loop on a mixer. I do it with my Marantz PMD 222, it sounds lovely.

Marantz PMD222

Artist or Band name?

closeyoureyes

Genre?

electronic

Selfie?

Close Your Eyes wide open

Where are you from?

Saint Petersburg, Russia

How did you get into music?

Melodica, Ukulele and Xylophone

I was obsessed with the idea of playing guitar in high school, so I tried to self educate. I played several bands, something like indie/funk/rock, we all know this good old story. Then I realized that composing music with the band doesn’t work for me personally, and no matter how awesome the band is. So I quitted all bands and started to search how I can do music on my own. This led me to electronic music — as a field where I can compose and perform alone. Nonetheless I still love acoustic instruments, therefore I use a lot of them in my production. Like ukulele, melodica, kalimba, flute, toy pianos, obviously not to mention guitar and piano. So the outcome is an electronic music filled with tricky processed acoustic instruments.

Pedals and Toy Pianos

What still drives you to make music?

A conviction that for me it’s the very best way to communicate with the world and to release feelings and ideas that I carry inside.

How do you most often start a new track?

I start with a piano or polyphonic synth mostly. The very first thing is the sound. Usually, I need to prepare my  piano with felt because a quiet sound with a lot of rustle going on is what I really like, and also do some experiments with mics positioning. At the same time I may apply some effects like delay or granular stuff because these effects  drastically change the way I will play the piano. When the sound is ready, the next step is to come up with a nice chord progression or/and melody. At this stage I try to catch the idea of the whole track with all its changes and turning points, and then use other instruments to amplify the emotions which are already included in the piano part.

Behringer DeepMind 12

How do you know when a track is finished?

I listen to it a lot. Mostly while walking in the streets, I listen and ask if I want to add something or get rid of it. When everything’s fine, it’s finished.

Show us your current studio

Close Your Eyes Studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

There were two actually.
1) Listen to your most inner voice. You have a lot of inner voices, but there’s one that always was there since your early childhood. Find it and listen to it.
2) Start to compose with the opposite of what you used to associate with yourself. You will add all this to your common features later, but the start should be far far away from your familiar territory.

Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.

Well it’s been a while since I released new music, but something new  is coming really soon, so I’ll leave these links in case you want to stay in touch:
instagram.com/closeyoureyesmusic
(here I share most recent news, studio sketches and some daily music related routine)
youtube.com/closeyoureyesmusic
(here I share live sets, both electronic or acoustic, gear demos, tutorials and all this YouTube stuff 🙂
And if you want to support what I do, you are always welcome to my bandcamp
closeyoureyes.bandcamp.com


[Editor: Do you have a favorite tip, trick or way of working with any of the gear from this interview?
Then throw a comment below…
]


Samplik Prost – Simple Sample

1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?

Tascam 424 Varispeed knob

This is the varispeed pitch control on the Tascam 424. My favorite knob. I like that you can use it to get a completely different song.

[Editor: This is a classic machine and that knob is a personal fave too]

2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?

I really like to shoot music videos on the street and I’m missing some kind of rig/stand for my kit.

3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?

Pocket Operators Operating

This is 3x po33 po-32 po-35, two reverb pedals, a bunch of wires, sony TCS-580V stereo cassette-corder and zoom recorder. Everything fits in one backpack

4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?

This is a stereo extender for mono devices

5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?

Yes, this is rk004 by retrokits. Great device, but I didn’t need it

rk004 by retrokits

6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?

This is po-33. I don’t know how it works, but every time when I pick it up, I create a new track.

Teenage Engineering PO33KO

7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?

PO400

I think it’s a modular synthesis. Although it’s not too late to get to know it better.

8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?

Ahahahah great question. This is a po-400. It really helps to understand the principles of working with sound, but sometimes I don’t understand anything at all.

9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?

On the PO33KO, if you select the filter mode, turn the encoder in different directions and hold the record button, you can get an amazing result. An example can be found here 👉  https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt3cRKzlq8y/    


Artist or Band name?

samplik prost / In Russian it means a “simple sample”.

Genre?

Disco house chill hop.

Samplik Prost

Where are you from?

Moscow, Russia

How did you get into music?

In middle school, my friend taught me how to play the guitar. He’s left-handed and I’m right-handed.It was fun. After that, I couldn’t stop making music.It’s always been a hobby. We played punk rock and alternative. It was a long time ago.But 3 years ago when I got my first pocket operator, I became interested in electronic music. I realized that there are no genres and that you can experiment as you want.

What still drives you to make music?

Most likely, this is a search for new ideas and solutions. It’s like searching for diamonds.You know they are there, but you need to dig a lot. But sometimes you find them right away.

How do you most often start a new track?

I start by searching for a nice chord, then drums and of course vocal samples.

How do you know when a track is finished?

When I feel that everything is in its place and I can start making the next track.

Show us your current studio

I want to move some of my stuff to the wall to free up my workspace.

Samplik Prost Studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

Steal Like an Artist / True, I haven’t read this book, but I like the title.

Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.

My first experience in creating music in this style  https://youtu.be/X5oRReeCTMQ
But my main experiments I am posting here:

https://www.instagram.com/samplikprost/


[Editor: Do you have a favorite tip, trick or way of working with any of the gear from this interview?
Then throw a comment below…
]


Tæt- a Tete

1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?

There are two of them – I just can’t choose because they’re like apples and oranges.
The first is the big Level knob of some of Universal Audio devices. A big black knob to control the volume from a microphone! The best I can imagine.

Universal Audio knob

The second is a protected switch you can find on Neve 54 series consoles originally made for broadcasting. It’s red and it’s do something you can regret later – like 1000 Hz tone to line or talkback to line. And you just can’t resist to try it!

Neve console knob

2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?

Off course I like my equipment and yes, it’s ‘almost’ perfect for me. It has a lot of limitations, but as many musicians I’m keen to explore new ways to make something with them. However since I’ve dived into the eurorack world I discovered how one single new module is able to change everything else in your setup, both in terms of working style and sound at the same time. For example, Synthesis Technology Morphing Terrarium was a whole new world for me and I changed some of my LFOs and filters. Later I moved to E370 which is pretty the same but has more voices, so I had to get several additional modules each with new options, then a new case because the systems gets bigger, and so on. That’s how I learned to control the size of the system.
Recently I’ve started experiments with quadraphonic sound and I definitely have to change my understanding of the mixing process, but it’s a different story and I feel myself at the start of the road again.

3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?

Every time it’s different: Lap steel guitar or Linnstrument and laptop or baritone guitar with looper. Last time it was a 92hp 6u case with eurorack modules I wanted to learn deeper.

4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?

For me it actually happened once. When I was looking for an ideal sequencer for my system I found a description of Five12 Vector Sequencer. It was pretty close to the time of the start of it’s production. But it was not clear for me what is VS what it was capable of doing, and also which way it was going to grow by software updates. So I bought the Numerology software just to understand the developer’s way of thinking about sequencing. After that I was so excited about it and now the Vector is one of my best friends. Brilliant piece of gear by Jim Coker.
Also I think that hardware version of Ableton Live workflow would be revolutionary and is a ‘must have’ device for many many musicians.

5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?

I still miss my black and gold Make Noise Cartesian System. Almost every module in there is awesome.

6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?

Literally every piece of gear I ever had. It’s quite the same as musical instruments. Synths, guitars, amps, stompboxes… It used to be Oberheim SEM (I’ve started my eurorack journey with trying to find a synced LFO for), Linnstrument, Roland TR909 with SH01, BlackCorporation Decard’s Dream. When I get my Deckard’s Dream it was.. well, sometimes I was not able to stop myself even to hit the record button. I tried new things every day and constantly felt that I live in the science fiction movie (I’m afraid I still feel like that though) DD is the only synth I use now regularly – all the rest stuff is in eurorack.

Black Corp Deckards Dream
An agent of Black Corp

I also should say that I am just delighted by the Strymon BigSky reverb guitar pedal. I can’t resist to use it everywhere – it’s crazy beautiful for ambient parts.
And of course there are so many really inspirational eurorack modules and cases (I have several MDR.modular and Doepfers – love it). Latest module I’ve got is the Dnipro Modular DOT – charming little trigger machine and really useful drum sequencer. In general, from sequencers to mixers – every new single module brings something you have to learn and experiment with. More time you spent – better results you get – it works for me.

Some of them:

  • Doepfer – all modules I have
  • Five12 – Vector Sequencer
  • Synthesis Technology – E352, E370
  • Roland 521
  • Xaoc Devices – Batumi, Tallin
  • Intellijel – Metropolis, Quadra with Expander
  • Mutable Instruments – all I have from them
  • WMD – Performance Mixer
  • Malekko – Voltage Block (a masterpiece!)
  • Eventide – EuroDDL (the best classic delay in euro)
  • Make Noise – QPAS, Mimeophon
  • Winter Modular – Eloquencer
  • Hexinverter – Mutant BD9, Mutant Hi-Hats
  • Audio Damage – ADM14 Boomtschak
  • Noise Engeneering – Basimilus Iteritas Alter, Sync Bucina
  • Dnipro Modular – DOT

7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?

Oh, It’s simple. Eurorack case 104hp 9u fully loaded and a decent recorder.

8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?

I think it’s my laptop. I definitely don’t enjoy making (or even just recording) music with computers, but sometimes I have to do it. For example when I am asked for stems, then I’m just not able to proceed with by preferred way (live recording of the only one stereo track) I have to manage a boring multitrack session and all that kind of stuff, just to recreate in software, what I’ve just played.

9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?

Every session brings something new and seems like it’ll never stop.

  • Most recent: combining two harmonically related sequences by sending them to the same MIDI channel of a synth and then playing with general velocity of each sequence and portamento (glide) slider of a synth. Some sounds will really surprise you and I think a lot of expression can be achieved that way.
  • About a two years ago: clocking some stepped LFO by the same trigger as drum module (BIA for example) and modulate several parameters of the drum and Bass VCO and VCF by that LFO. Absolutely awesome with random LFO – every drum hit becomes different and the whole line instantly gets a personality and vibe.
  • Some relatively simple things like directing ADSR envelope to VCF Cutoff CV input instead of VCA (so you need another free VCA again)

Artist or Band name?

TÆT.music – Vladislav Green

[Editor: Fun fact – ‘Tæt’ with that funny ‘a’, means ‘close’ in danish. Dunno what it means in Russian. Google translate was at a loss]

Genre?

How about Modular Wave?

[Editor: Sounds good!]

Selfie?

Vlad Green

Where are you from?

St Petersburg, Russia.

How did you get into music?

Short answer: singing songs, learning classic guitar, playing in a school band, learning piano, playing in Ned Hoper band, learning Kyma, playing as TÆT.
Long answer: my Mother was a music teacher she shared her love to classic composers with me and music was always near me. She used to play piano at home and we listened to some classical recordings quite frequently. When I was twelve my friend suggest me to form a band. We can’t play anything and have no instruments, but we found old drums just on the empty street exactly at the same day. We brought them at home and since that.. (see the short answer).

What still drives you to make music?

I often think about it, but I really don’t know exactly. There is some feeling inside me – like I’m hungry or something like that. I can’t resist and I’m getting upset when I can’t play.

How do you most often start a new track?

Sometimes I have an idea and it’s better to start working while it’s clear.
Sometimes I have no ideas and it is also better to start working just to get an idea.
There is no choice – I have to start working.

[Editor: That answer really appeals to me! Whether you have an idea or not… there is no choice… just get to work]

How do you know when a track is finished?

There are several markers:
1. Wow it’s great now! Time to record!
2. I’ve run out of patch cables – where is my box with consumer cables?
3. I can’t listen to it anymore – it’s better to record it as is and start something new.
You’ll need all tree markers to finish the track.
Seriously I never know – it’s more about feelings and mood.
Typically the patch is finished far before the point you start to think about recording. A good trick to check – mute instruments in different combinations – you can find that there is one needless or just muddy voice, and you’re fighting with the mix instead of cleaning or muting this voice. Just cut without remorse.

Show us your current studio

It’s a dark place, but I’ll try. I try to keep things as simple and clear as possible. My everyday recording setup: line output of my eurorack mixer into line input of my recorder.
But I keep more a advanced setup in case I need to record stems or just in the mood to experiment with some studio equipment. My favourite device in this department is my Neve 54 – an old twelve channel broadcasting mixing console modded with direct outputs and db25 interface. It has all i need – decent EQ with fixed frequencies, nice sounding preamplifiers and two pre/post aux sends. Also it sounds huge when overdriven. I set up a patchbay to manage connections with my Antelope Orion 32 interface and some outboard I have: three Distressors and API Lunchbox (with 4 API Pre’s and SSL GComp). I also love my TC Electronic 2290 – one of the best delays I ever had. I would add a Roland-201 and some big Lexicon reverb, but I’m pretty happy with what I have. I really rarely use all that stuff, it’s more like production headroom. But things are changing and I’m about to use it more in the nearest future.
Recently I’ve got four Dynaudio BM15A speakers with BM10S sub – they are not too expensive these days. It helps a lot to avoid mistakes, when I play and record at the same time keeping good overall volume to feel the vibe, if I need to play loudly.

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

Nothing can motivate you to make music more then having a dedicated space. It’s far more important than a new synth or pair of speakers. If you have just a guitar and an amp in empty studio – it’s more inspirational then having thousands devices in a bedroom. Create your music space. Then just start and never stop.

Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.

I have a couple of albums on iTunes, but actually I invite you to visit my YouTube channel – I’m trying to start live streaming in a nearest future.

I also always have something fresh on taet.bandcamp.com


[Editor: Do you have a favorite tip, trick or way of working with any of the gear from this interview?
Then throw a comment below…
]