Martin Yam Møller

Ivo V – V for Valdivielso

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

That’s the FREQ knob on the Serge VCFQ filter—pure magic for bass. I almost always run it in low-pass mode; it’s got this gritty, alive quality that roughs up even the simplest sounds in the best way. It’s a core part of my setup at this point. I’ve actually had to fix it twice from how much I push it… says a lot about how essential it’s become for me.

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

Definitely the Octatrack. It’s complex, versatile, and can do almost anything. Whether I’m using it as a performance mixer, sampler, looper, or effects unit, it adapts to whatever I need. It feels very “modular,” if that makes sense for eurorack users. I use it as the main hub for most of my projects, mixing different sources together.

Even though it came out in 2011, it still feels ahead of its time. People are still sharing new tips on forums regularly. Honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s tricky to learn, but totally worth it. If you compare it to learning piano or guitar, getting comfortable with the Octatrack in a couple of years is a pretty good deal, haha.

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

It changes every year, but I always put a lot of care into it. There’s something I really enjoy about designing a compact setup that still brings inspiration. A few of my favorite “holiday rigs” have been: 1) iPad 2) Laptop with Strudel, the browser-based TidalCycles 3) Monome Norns Shield + field recorder

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

I’m a big fan of some of Hainbach’s iPad apps, especially Gauss Field Looper by Bram Bos. It’s a beautifully designed tape-style looper that’s super tactile and sounds incredible, especially with its built-in bit reducer, which adds a nice digital grit. I even recreated a similar patch on the Octatrack which does the job quite well.

On the other hand, I wish there was a desktop version of Monome Norns. It’s an amazing environment, but very tied to its hardware. I’d love to use some of those scripts on my laptop without needing the box.

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

Honestly, I don’t really have any regrets. When I first got into Eurorack, I bought a mix of modules from all sorts of brands. That phase helped me figure out what worked for me. Over time, I sold most of those and kept the ones that felt right.

Now I mostly stick to systems built around Make Noise and Serge. It helps me stay focused and more creative. If I’m not using something, I pass it on. Gear should be played, not just sit on a shelf.

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

Classical guitar. It’s not my most used instrument, but I really love its warm sound and how flexible it is. It was my first instrument, and even though I mostly stick to cowboy chords, it always feels good to play. No cables, no setup, just pick it up and go.

For my last album “Arquitectura”, I used a lot of flamenco-inspired phrases from maestro Pedro Javier González. They brought something really special to the music.

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

I’d keep it simple and affordable. You don’t need to spend a ton of money to make great music. If I were starting from scratch, these would be my essentials: 1) an iPad for sound design and recording, 2) a field recorder for capturing sounds, and 3) a sampler for building tracks and performing.

The iPad is super versatile. I use it with the AUM app as a mixer. To round it out, I’d add the Moog apps, especially Animoog Z and Minimoog, which sound great and are a good deal. I also use Koala, which is like a mini SP-404. For more experimental stuff, I love Hainbach’s apps like Gauss, Fluss, and Noises. For live setups, I’d add a basic audio interface (I use the Roland GO:Mixer) and a MIDI controller (like the Akai Midimix). You can get the whole iPad setup for under €500.

Olympus recorder, Roland GO:Mixer and Akai Midimix.

For a field recorder, any Zoom, Tascam, or Olympus will do. I use a Zoom H4n and an Olympus LS-11. Both work great, I even found the Olympus used for just €60.

As for a sampler, Koala app might be enough on its own, but if there’s room in the budget, I’d go for a newer Akai MPC (Live or One). They’re powerful for both sound design and live performance, packed with solid synths and strong sampling features. For non-experimental music, I’d even pick one over my beloved Octatrack.

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

The Monome Norns Shield is a super powerful little box, with an amazing community behind it (shoutout to the Lines forum). I’m not a coder, so I know I’m not using it to its full potential, but even without coding, it can do so much.

Some scripts can be a bit tricky, with menu diving and button combos, but it’s totally worth it. A few of my favorites are:

benjolis – a digital Benjolin
dronecaster – great for thick drones
icarus – Monotron Delay-style synth
molly_the_poly – Juno-6-style synth with random patches
oooooo – six-voice tape-style looper
passersby – a West Coast-style synth voice

All of these have made it into my albums. That said… I fried mine. Tried to fix a broken encoder and ended up burning the PCB. Thinking about upgrading to the full Norns now instead of just the Shield.

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

Honestly, I’m a bit late to this, but I’m really into feedback and making sound without external inputs. Lately, I’ve been having fun patching my small Euro Serge without using oscillators. It’s not just about music, it’s about exploring sound and how different devices work together. It feels like finding the machine’s soul.😀

Artist or Band name?

Ivo V. My active projects are Les Eines (The Tools), a solo project influenced by ambient, west coast synthesis, and musique concrète, and Refugi de Fauna Salvatge (Wildlife Refuge), a collective project. We use live coding tools (Tydal Cycles, Supercollider), trumpet, modular synths, and samplers. Crazy stuff!

Genre?

abstract electronic, alien folk, kosmische.

Selfie?

Where are you from?

I’m from Barcelona, though I currently live on the outskirts, in the Baix Llobregat area. It’s a nice place full of creativity and great cultural initiatives.

How did you get into music?

I started teaching myself guitar. Since I couldn’t find any bandmates, I began making backing tracks with a free software called “Dance Ejay” that came on a CD-ROM in a box of cereal. It was a cheap way to start!

What still drives you to make music?

Music makes me feel alive! I love learning new techniques, meeting new artists, and designing new projects. It helps to keep me balanced.

How do you most often start a new track?

I usually start with some samples, like a field recording, a guitar phrase, or a blip-blop from the modular system. I load them into the Octatrack and start jamming until it “clicks.”

How do you know when a track is finished?

I stay focused when creating tracks. Usually, the tracks are part of a bigger project, so they need to meet certain requirements. I do a lot of prep work: field research, interviews, sound decisions. By the time I start making a track, I know what I want. I’m not a big fan of post-production; I prefer doing most of the work in pre-production and creating with intention.

Show us your current studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

There’s a time for buying gear and a time for making music. Keep the phases separated for maximum creativity.

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

This is my last album from my solo project, Les Eines

And this is something very special. The Experimental Protest Song Device (DCPX) is the result of a collective creation process, drawing from poetry and computer code, science and activism. It is published by Discs noIA, an online record label for artists with a critical or confrontational attitude towards AI. Their website cannot be scraped by AI bots!

https://www.discs-noia.cat/dcpx-disc

Syed Ali – Qareebi

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

The spring reverb module and the dwell knob

The dwell knob on my spring reverb module. It’s basically the input drive level for the spring reverb and when it’s all the way up you can hear the audio if you bring your ear to the springs, Gives it a verrrryy distorted sound when its turned up to the max, i love turning it up for dubby snares and hihats. It might not be the prettiest looking knob on my rack but it’s definitely my favorite because this was the first module on my rack and it was handbuilt by me.

The insides of the spring reverb driver module, point to point soldered.

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

Probably the Mutable Instruments Anushri, it’s a mono synth, drone machine and a groovebox all in one, it can do so many things, but I always have to use it with the manual open on the side because each knob in the bottom 2 rows maps to something different in different modes and the panel doesn’t really show what they are, I’d maybe redesign the panel to have more information, but otherwise its relatively perfect in my chaotic and imperfect collection of things.

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

I’ve recently built a really cheap (1500 INR, 17 EUR at most) midi controller that’s based on the MIDI Fighter Twister, it has 16 knobs across 4 pages and across 16 midi channels. So I bring that, and my APC MINI because I work on Ableton. This, plus my laptop (Samsung Galaxy Ultrabook 3) and my zoom recorder that works as an audio interface. If I’m expecting a jam session to happen as well, I try to bring along my shruti box, I’m also trying to use it more often in my live sets. I’d like to travel with my modular rack but that thing is too heavy and delicate in its current state.

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

I’d really like to buy something that’s a hardware version of the Fors FM Dyad, it already has some pretty good Push integration, but like a dedicated box for it would let me just connect it with my modular and not having to stare at a screen would just make it so much more fun.

Hmmm… Hardware that I wish was software I’d probably go with my Fuzz module for its self oscillation and deep frying capabilities

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

I kinda regretted selling my AKAI APC 40 MK2, but then I basically ended up building the same thing with my 16 channel midi twister and the much cheaper APC Mini.

Something I regret buying is this Arturia 49 key keyboard, I bought it for like 2500 INR (27 EUR) from the side of the road in Mumbai and it does work flawlessly, but its just so big and I don’t have space for it so it just never gets used,

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

Fors FM Opal and Fors FM Dyad, they’re toooo fucking fun, best purchases I’ve ever made.

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

A better 4-in 4-out audio interface honestly. Maybe the Motu M4 because it’s also DC coupled so I can send CV out.

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

My Akai EIE Pro 4×4 Audio Interface, for obvious reasons, it’s the interface between all my hardware and Ableton and sometimes I feel like the noisy pre-amps on it hold me back. But it is absolutely rock solid, it’s built like a tank and is probably almost 10 years old and it still works really well.

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

Probably the self-oscillation on my fuzz module, I found a way to tune it by just blowing on the feedback pot or very very lightly touching it, it holds that pitch really stable and then whatever input I give it kinda morphs it into that tone, it adds a really fat sustain.