Category: 9-Odd-Questions-For-Music-Gear-Junkies

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

Certainly, the “keyboard” of the Solar 42. It offers a huge range of possibilities for use, and its design is unique (just like the whole synth, after all).

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

Also in this case, I have to mention the Solar 42F. It’s a fantastic machine that can also be used — as in my case — for more experimental techno.

The only small flaw I would change is related to a technical detail: I noticed that the volume of the first 4 voices is slightly lower than the volume of the keyboard and the other two voices (5 and 6). I’m not sure why, but sometimes this creates small issues during live mixing.

But aside from that, it’s an incredible synth.

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

My setup depends completely on the kind of gig I have to play (when I’m on vacation, I don’t bring instruments with me 😉 ).

I divide my setup into 3 different possibilities:

• Small events — in this case I only bring the Syntrx II as the main machine for improvisation, together with the DB-01 Bassline and the Blackbox for some samples. This setup is essential when I have to travel by plane.
• Medium-sized events where I can travel by train — I add the Solar 42 to the previous setup, so I have two machines for improvisation.
• And finally, events in Berlin, like my last gig at Renate. In that case I brought almost all of my machines, including the Lyra-8, Zen Delay, and Nightverb.

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

I don’t use software, and I’m not interested in software either. I only use Ableton Live for multitrack recordings — that’s it.

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

I regretted selling the DFAM, and in the past I also regretted buying the Juno-106 — although in that case, I was actually happy to sell the Juno again.

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

Without a doubt, the Syntrx II. It’s exactly the kind of gear that inspires me the most every single time — I switch the machine on and I never know where I’m going to end up.

As soon as I hear something I like, I immediately record it, since there’s no possibility to save anything except the patch, of course. But this “always living in the present” aspect is actually the thing I love most about it (besides the fact that it has a HUGE sound).

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

A real professional studio mixer — and the only one on the market (at an affordable price) is the Big Six. That should be the very first thing to buy.

The sound of the mixer is simply too important, and I realized that far too late.

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

Maybe the Lyra-8. It’s practically impossible to use it in an “ordinary” way — it’s simply a strange synth, but an amazing one. I always try to use it, even just a little, in my productions.

I almost never bring it to live performances, except for special events where I’m able to bring a lot of gear with me.

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

I realized that, in order to achieve drumming that feels organic while still containing groove, it’s important to blend the analog sounds of a drum machine — in my case the Perkons HD-01 — with short digital percussive samples.

Maybe this only works for me, I don’t think it’s a universal rule, but for my aesthetic it feels like everything gains more organicity and groove. And those are always two elements I’m looking for in both my live performances and my productions.

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Artist or Band name?

Not Operated

Genre?

(Techno)

Selfie?

Where are you from?

From Italy

How did you get into music?

Music has always been my passion for as long as I can remember. But since I didn’t come from a musical family, I didn’t pick up an instrument until I was 16.

I bought an electric guitar and started playing metal in a band. Later, I studied classical music, graduated in composition from the conservatory, and then completed a Master’s degree in electroacoustic music here in Berlin at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin.

Electronic music and my passion for techno came only later, here in Berlin, when I discovered club culture.

What still drives you to make music?

For me, music is the most absolute language — the most beautiful one, and the only one that never bores me. The day I no longer feel the “physical” pleasure I experience when listening to or making music, I think I’ll stop.

How do you most often start a new track?

For me, making tracks is always a LIVE experience — everything starts from playing my machines. Sometimes I begin by working on the drumming and then everything else follows, but other times I might start from a texture, a sound, or a bass line. There’s never a fixed rule.

I play, I improvise, and when I like what I’m hearing, I record it in multitrack. That’s the first phase. After that comes another equally creative phase, which is building the structure of the track, followed of course by the mixing process.

The workflow is always divided into these three stages.

How do you know when a track is finished?

When I realize that there’s nothing left to remove, then I understand that the track is finished.

Show us your current studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

Listen back to what you’ve made many times, in different situations and on different sound systems. Never trust the excitement of a track that has just been finished.

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

I only use my IG page to promote my activities and my new productions

https://www.instagram.com/not.operated

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