1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?
I love the bass cut on my Fender Jaguar. I’ve personally found that switch to be extremely helpful in quickly solving some tone issues while recording.
Fender Jaguar
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
I’ve fallen in love with the Digitakt over the last 7 months. I have been writing an album where almost every piece of gear is running through it one way or another. I do wish that it had a polyphonic play mode.
Elektron Digitakt
3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?
I usually bring my OP1. There’s a lot to work with right in the box, plus I can create some samples or record into the box wherever I am!
Teenage Engineering OP-1
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
I use the Waves J37 on all my recordings in some way. I absolutely love it. I know it’s originally hardware, but I wish it was something I could afford to use regularly. I’m not really sure what would want to go from hardware to software that hasn’t been covered by a company in one way or another already. maybe a virtual Chase Bliss Audio pedalboard so I can use the ones that are discontinued or that I just don’t have.
Waves J37
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
I had the moogerfooger ring modulator for about 10 years and sold it because I didn’t use it much at the time. I immediately regretted that.
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
Even though I haven’t used it a lot in my current musical endeavors most of my ideas do stem from my guitar, the main one being a fender jaguar.
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
The first instrument I bought was a squier p bass when I was 13. at the time my friend and I were at our local Guitar Center and he spotted a used fender jazz bass which he tried to convince me to go with. at the time I wanted something brand new. I still to this day wish I bought that Jazz Bass. I’d probably still own.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
Can this answer be software? If so I would have to say Pro Tools. I’ve been using it for 14 years now and although it drives me crazy for many reasons I personally find it to be the best DAW for mixing and editing.
[Editor: You’ve probably heard this a million times. But I gotta say Reaper is great too… If you’re only mixing music. Sound to film has gotta be ProTools coz of Avid MC]
Pro Tools
9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
This past month I have been reamping through the Hologram Electronics Microcosm with the Mix knob at 100 where I feel a part is lacking something. After a bit of tweaking I typically end up with something that has really enhanced the part for me.
Hologram Electronics Microcosm
Artist or Band name?
Peninsula Repairs
Genre?
Ambient/lofi
Selfie?
Peninsula Repairs
Where are you from?
Boston, Massachusetts
How did you get into music?
The first time I ever wanted to play guitar was from seeing Dixie Kong shred after beating a level in Donkey Kong Country 2 on Super NES. I was also obsessed with Nirvana’s MTV unplugged performance at that time. About 5 years later my friends and I kept talking about starting a band, so I saved up for my first bass.
What still drives you to make music?
Pretty much everything. It’s the one thing I do where I feel like I can completely escape. It’s pretty much become a form of meditation for myself.
How do you most often start a new track?
I typically have one small idea from either a guitar, piano or synth and then just build from there.
How do you know when a track is finished?
I’m not sure I ever do. I usually get to a point where what I’m doing feels forced and figure that’s a good time to stop.
Show us your current studio.
Here’s just a section of the studio. I’m currently in the middle of rearranging and organizing.
Peninsula Repairs Studio
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
It’s a pretty simple one, but one of my best friends and old bandmates told me to stop overthinking everything I did. I would hold up songs for weeks or months over something so slight. The advice has helped me over the years appreciate moments of imperfection or even something I cannot control.
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
I released my first full length this past March. It is currently streaming on all platforms and bandcamp.
1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?
Akai S950 Data Wheel
I can’t isolate just one unfortunately! Boring answer: I just bought an Akai S950 and really like the feel of the main data wheel. The knob itself is quite aesthetically boring but the mechanical click feel of it is great and responsive.
Akai S950 12bit rack sampler
Slightly less boring answer 1: I also really like the XY stick on the Intellijel Planar 2. Slightly less boring answer 2: The main main frequency knob on the XAOC Devices Belgrad Multimode filter, superb quality!
Slightly less boring answer 3: the main pitch knob on the Strymon Magneto is also excellent. Slightly less boring answer 4: Most of the Erica Synths module knobs.
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
For ease of use, feature set and general overall desire to use, the MPC (previously the X and currently One in my case). I’d change a fair few things, some examples would be latched pads/looped samples (like the Roland SP404/505 etc have, so you can have an infinitely sustaining loop. I discovered a way to override this in the MPC by tricking it into not receiving a NOTE OFF message which is the issue. I’d also have a much deeper modulation matrix. Disk streaming, ability to install an SSD (MPC One), more CV outputs.
3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?
I don’t do any of those things to warrant taking a machine with me! But if I toured, my MPC One plus a midi controller or an MPCx would be the logical choice. Or two MPC Ones, a midi controller and a DJ mixer.
Akai MPC One… with a nice metal data wheel and some custom decals
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
No software equivalent of anything, but a hardware equivalent of Renoise would be amazing (if it had the exact feature set and capabilities, with 16 pads of course).
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
I regret selling my MPC 2500SE for sure, I’ve also had a few Yamaha SU700’s and have always thought I should have kept one, but it’s one of those machines that can be amazing and fun, but can be irritating to use on occasion. It also looks brilliant, and unique. No regrets buying really, not that I can think of right now. Maybe a larger Eurorack case but that would be irresponsible 🙂
Strymon Magneto
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
Once again the MPCs I’ve owned over the years, (2500se, 1000, 5000, X, One, Live).
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
An MPCx or if you mean go back in time, an MPC3000 / 4000 / 60
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
Roland MC707
The Roland MC707, I never intended to buy one, but initially bought it just to try and it’s been a complete revelation. It’s so good in many areas (the synth engine, the Scatter effect, the clips/matrix/scenes etc), but the sampling, file handling, some program parameters (like how the pads in a drum program behave in contrast to an MPC) and various other areas need much improvement. I’d really miss it if i sold it though. Also my Ensoniq ASR-X. I very nearly sold it recently as it takes ages to load and save samples. I have the Turbo version which means it has SCSI so I need to buy a compatible SCSI drive or emulator ideally, to see if it speeds things up considerably. Also, half the pads are failing (a well known issue) and the encoders can be slightly glitchy. But it just sounds so good and is really quick, plus the effects are great. Lastly, it just looks superb in my opinion. A lovely, underrated vintage piece of gear.
9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
I developed my own ‘granular time-stretching’ technique with the MPCx. You can control the start point of a sample with velocity. Dedicated sample start manipulation and automation was one of the biggest omissions from the MPC which the Elektron Octatrack could do since it was released in 2010, this technique brings the MPC feature set for experimentation up to par, but surpasses the OT because of the MPCs sound quality (something I felt always lacked with the OT). https://youtu.be/CE4ZaEExNdc
Ensoniq ASR-X – I
And again, the Ensoniq ASR-X – I discovered, or rather stumbled across a glitch when I was trying to create a synth tone, looping just a few frames of a sample. If you pitch the sample up as high as possible it can lead to some bizarre, circuit bent type effects and mixes and occasionally blends several samples together. Very cool and surreal trick.
Artist name:
Tubedigga.
Genre?
Jungle/Drum and Bass / Hip Hop / Electronica / Drone / Experimental
Selfie?
Mr. TubeDigga
Where are you from?
London UK.
How did you get into music?
Parents record collection, older sister bringing home early Electro records (Cybotron, Man Parrish, Tyrone Brunson etc)
What still drives you to make music?
I have an addiction to learning new bits of gear and making them do things the manual doesn’t mention, and I love designing sounds and discovering new textures/moods/tones/
How do you most often start a new track?
Maybe once a week/fortnight if it’s a full track, every day if it’s a basic loop/idea.
How do you know when a track is finished?
That’s somewhat subjective but I suppose when it sounds good, feels good, does the right things at the right time, and when it feels like it might go wrong or be ruined if I add more or too much.
Show us your current studio:
I keep those things private, sorry 🙂
[Editor: But here’s a photo of TubeDigga’s studio monitor]
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
Creative advice would be to try and take a step back from being too serious (electronic music and being a techie/geek can get like that sometimes). A great engineering tip from a well known jungle producer was ‘cut more, add less’ when it comes to EQ and mixing. I often ignore that advice though 🙂
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
[Editor: There are affiliate links to the relevant gear throughout the articles. It helps to support this blog. In fact, should you be needing some patch cables or guitar strings. Then clicking on one of the above links and buying any product that you prefer, will help the blog… doesn’t even have to be the ones in the link. Thx]
[Editor: Firstly I gotta admit that the reason behind this article is personal. I feel that in my little corner of the internet, that there has been a general uptick in the amount of online negativity and toxic behaviour. Maybe due to a global pandemic or maybe something else entirely? But I wanted to learn more about it and specifically how to deal with it. So I asked the following question to a few artist, who have a large online audience …]
While 99% of comments are positive and feedback is generally uplifting and useful. Sometimes, one negative comment just seems to stick. Human nature being what it is, we often only remember the negative criticism.
So what strategies have you developed to deal with online toxicity and trolls?
Hainbach
As my channel grew, so grew the influx of ill-spirited comments. At some point the anxiety I got from these was so great, that I had to do something: I needed to turn them into art. So I started taking screen shots of the comments. Instead of getting a ‘fight or flight’ response every time a mean, sexist or fascist statement came in, I felt joy – it was like a game of shitty Pokemon.
I asked other creators to join in – Red Means Recording, Noir et Blanc Vie and Simon the Magpie also collected and then read their hate comments on video. I created a tape loop collage out of the collected hate and destroyed that slowly over time, using sandpaper and knives applied to the magnetic tape loop. Hate Loops, which you can find as a video on my channel, was truly cathartic.
Ever since then I feel the freedom to react in whatever way I want to with trolling or simply hateful replies – laugh, sticky, repost to Twitter or simply ban.
I’m in a « choose love » kind of mindset where I try to refrain from typing that sick comeback line I’ve been mentally working on for 20 minutes. I often feel the urge to justify myself or to attack the Hater, because I know this will provide some instant satisfaction, but ultimately it can only lead to more toxic interactions, so I take a deep breath and I keep on scrolling.
Sometimes I will even heart the comment, that’s how hard I’m choosing love. Once I have completed this cycle I’m usually alright and ready to get emotionally destroyed by the next comment <3
One thing I try to do is think about why the person wrote what they did. I imagine most of the time, they are projecting some other issue or feeling onto you. That helps me not take the words to heart so much.
I’m a sensitive person and don’t really think I have a thick skin, so I find approaching these things from an empathetic or humorous perspective alleviates some of the negative feelings that I might initially feel.
The more extreme the comment, usually the less offensive it actually is, as it heads into absurdity. For the worst, sometimes leaving the comment for others to see and judge, is its own punishment to the person who wrote it. I suppose it’s the ones that play on your own fears and doubts that stick in your mind. But I really have learned from valid negative feedback, even though it hurt to hear, as it has unquestionably helped me improve things. Unjustified praise can make you complacent, and sometimes the negative person has a point, or part of one. But also, you have to acknowledge the universal truth that not EVERYONE will love everything you do all of the time, and so take comfort in that receiving negativity (along with the positives) means that your videos are being found, and watched. “Let the dogs bark, Sancho, for it means we are moving forward.”
One further thought – YouTube’s recommendation algorithm favours videos with high engagement, which includes comments. The reality, both sadly and happily, is that negative comments and ensuing arguments and discussions help your video rank higher. This of course leads to creators who may wish to create negative videos in order to stir up comments, and get views. It’s no different to any other medium in that regard, the choice of how to respond to controversy (namely, whether or not to encourage it) is yours. Either way, it will help you.
As a licensed psychologist I meet people all the time that are sensitive to other peoples’ judgements about them. Even the slightest negative comment, however innocent and well meaning, can feel like a stab in the heart and invoke feelings of rejection.
So what is it that makes certain people so hung up on that one negative comment, even in the face of several positive ones?
There could be several explanations: If you consider the fact that the human species historically has depended on the group for survival, it makes sense that rejection feels almost life threatening, because historically it actually has been! Try fighting off a hungry wild animal on your own…
A common theme in cognitive therapy is cognitive distortions, sometimes referred to as thinking errors. Thinking errors are faulty conclusions by our brain, or a tendency to interpret things in a certain way that might not be true. The mechanics behind this is assumed to be our basic beliefs and assumptions about our self. If we, for instance, have a basic belief that no one will ever love us, we might be at risk of only seeing the things in life that confirms this belief. So negative comments from others will be more aligned with our basic beliefs, and therefore we tend to focus on those things that confirms our view of the world.
This is a kind of confirmation bias, a tendency to see the things that confirms our pre-existing beliefs.
Another common thinking error is “Mind-reading” – we assume that we know what others are thinking of us, but in reality, it most likely tells more of our own thinking than the other persons’ thoughts… The reality is, we have no idea!
The dilemma with thinking errors is that they happen in a split second, almost like a reflex, out of habit. Our mind is lazy and often cuts corners, it’s more energy efficient and faster than generating new conclusions. Therefore it’s always a considerable effort to think new, more realistic and helpful thoughts. But it gets easier with practice!
Step 1 is identifying your negative thoughts. If someone gives you negative feedback, pay attention to what you think in that moment (for example “I will never make it in the music business” or “this song sucks”).
Step 2 is creating a more helpful thought. Because thoughts aren’t truths, they are just thoughts. We can train ourselves to think more helpful and realistic thoughts. What we do repeatedly will become a habit, so make sure to do the right things!
I think a lot of the time, people forget there’s an actual human being behind the computer screen, on both sides. And that can be hard to handle when you try to understand why people say such hateful things. There’s no understanding it. For me, my response depends on the severity of the mean comment.
For mild rudeness (someone hates my music) I respond with a “it’s not for everyone! thanks for watching!” and remind myself that a negative comment counts just as much as a positive comment in the YouTube algorithm. Heavier comments (usually misogynistic) result in a shadow ban from the channel and I go for a walk or spend extra time around my family and friends. For the heaviest comments — I won’t go into what those entail — I don’t really have a good answer for how to handle those. I’ve had panic attacks from reading those kinds of comments, and I’ve tried to rationalize, understand it, or picture the meanest and unhappiest person writing the comment, but the cruelest and most disgusting threat I’ve ever received happened on a public forum from a husband and father of 3 girls.
I wish I had a better answer for how to respond to stuff like that, but I think talking about it helps, and I’m really grateful for the love and support I get not only from the majority of my audience, but from my fellow artists who have to endure similar things while continuing to create things for other people to enjoy.
I think my bottom line nowadays is “I can’t help everyone”. I’d love to help widen their views, and get out of their malicious habits etc. But there’s just so much one can do. And even if it’s a bit sad to just leave them be, there’s just only so much you can do for people in a commenting section. I think my responsibilities towards myself are more important. To keep myself whole, sane and sound.
I have a sort of “mantra”: If my creation communicates, it’s good enough. Of course I know of my current level, my shortcomings, what I want to improve, what I might never reach etc. But as long as what I’m doing communicates, I can live with all of that. Attacks attack those shortcomings has no value to me anymore. It used to upset me, but now it kinda just washes away.
But to be honest, I’m truly blessed with the finest commenters on the whole Internet. People are usually very thankful and encouraging.
[Editor: This article will be updated whenever new answers find their way to my inbox… Also if you, dear reader, happen to have a way of dealing with internet trolls, then please leave a comment below]
