1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?
Verbos knobs. They are red, they are smooth, you can spot them from a
distance.
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
My Tascam Portastudio keeps on breaking, it’s very fragile, but I like tape
saturation so much. I wish they made new-old tape cassette 4 track
recorders.
3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?
Laptop, QuNexus and Shure 215 in ears. The QuNexus is super slim and
durable, the in-ears don’t use up much space in a bag and they block out
exterior sound pretty good. All of this fits in my laptop case.
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
Sonic Labs Fundamental is my favorite plugin at the moment. It sounds
very organic and has lots of character. The hardware version does exist in
real life, but I do not own it (yet?). I’d also like for a OP1 synth engine VST to exist.
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
I should not have sold my Squarp Hermod. It was the perfect brain for my
modular setup.
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
The OP1. So many functions in a small format. Nice synth engines, 4
track recorder, built in microphone, speaker and built in battery.
Everyone loves the OP1.
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
Buchla music Easel and a Wurlitzer.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
If this counts as gear; I hate having to use an iLok. It uses up a usb port for nothing and I’m always scared of losing it. As for real gear, I get pretty crazy about ground loop noise. Very annoying to have to figure out where it’s coming from in your signal chain and trying to fix it. It happens often when I mix eurorack, synths and my computer in a live performance type of thing.
9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
For bass-y sounds, crank up the compressor on the OP1’s master, which will add lots of noise. After recording short sounds, add a gate in your daw with a very slow release and you’ll have a nice noise tail to your notes. Which will sound even better if you compress it again. Lofi.
Artist or Band name?
The Color Moxie.
Genre?
Spontaneous experimental compositions (?) I’ve just recently started
making one music video a day. It can be anything. It usually falls into the
synth / melancholic / saturated / overdramatic / noise category.
Selfie?
hi.
Where are you from?
Melbourne, Australia.
How did you get into music?
Growing up, my older brother played drums. I wanted to make music too,
so I asked my parents if I could get guitar lessons. I had a few rock bands
which led into effect pedals. Fast forward a few years and now I’m into
synths, noise & sound design.
How do you most often start a new track?
I find a drum sample I like, chop it up and mangle it, until I start hearing
what mood the music is asking for. After that, i’ll find chords add synths,
and add some spatial textures to complete it.
How do you know when a track is finished?
When you run out of ideas.
Show us your current studio.
Not an offcial studio spot yet, but here’s what I had setup today.
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
Record everything !
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
My instagram is pretty new:
https://www.instagram.com/color.moxie/
I’m also working on an EP which will be announced on that platform when it’s ready
[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…]
