Hiroshi Ebina – Faded By Time

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

Knobs on my Nagra feels very nice to my fingers…. I mean, the whole machine looks aesthetically pleasant. I look at every single detail of it and appreciate all of the design decisions which they made, as well as the rigid construction. And of course it sounds amazing. It records and plays with wonderful tape sound that no software plugins can emulate.

Nagra IV-L

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

I think that’s the essence of the eurorack system! My case never stays the same; it’s always evolving with my taste and creative directions. I can’t put in whatever I want, since the space is always limited, but that’s the best part of it; I use my brain, not computers that can accommodate everything.

Eurorack

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

OP-1 would be my first choice. Mine is full of samples I recorded, and it’s nice to use along with my eurorack system, but of course you can even write a whole song in it. It’s such a rare combination of powerful sounds and nice design. I got mine before the price change…, which was one of the best choices I had ever made.

OP-1

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

I like Borderlands Granular…., but I think it’s just impossible to realize it on anything other than iPad platforms.

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

I used to own a Martin HD-28. It was a custom design model from the 90’s that came with a bigger sound hole. It had an amazing sound, but I had to sell it for my moving purpose.

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

Eurorack. Every single module I have.

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

There’re too many…, but I think I’ll pick ER-301, because it helps me achieve so many sounds with my eurorack, and I know it’ll never leave my case.

ER-301

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

Taylor T5. It’s an amazing instrument that does pretty much everything… As an acoustic guitar, it sounds pretty authentic, and as an electric guitar it’s very versatile. With EQ/Preamp knobs on it, you can have both a powerful humbucker sound and a strat-y single-coil sound. I like to browse new guitars and watch demos, but always come back to my T5 and think I may not have to buy anything new… (see photo 5).

Taylor T5

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

It’s really small thing, but I recently discovered that the Gozinta, a preamp eurorack module, has jumper switches in the back, and it can push up the input signal up to +36 dB. I often use it to increase input from line-level instruments to eurorack level, or just to crank it all way up to add distortion.

Artist or Band name?

Hiroshi Ebina aka. He_soundvisual

Genre?

Ambient

Selfie?

Hiroshi Ebina

Where are you from?

 Japan

How did you get into music?

I bought my first guitar when I was 12.

What still drives you to make music?

Tons of good music, regardless of genres, that people today keep making.

How do you most often start a new track?

I post videos on my Instagram, and they’re often about seeds of my new ideas. If it turns out well, I record it for my future works.

How do you know when a track is finished?

That’s very tough to say, but I don’t think I can really finish a song within a day or two, since I need to leave it for a while to really decide if I’m doing it right. It could be a few weeks, a few months, maybe a year. I need some time to leave it under a bed to look at my own work from a different perspective.

[Editor: I really dig how Hiroshi’s visual and sound aesthetic ties in so nicely with his concept of using time to create perspective]

Show us your current studio

He_Soundvisual Studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

Limit your choices, or something like that, said by Brian Eno. I definitely agree with his ideas, that a lack of options is the best tool to get inspired to set a direction for creative works, not an abundance of options.

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

I’m releasing a new album very soon via KITCHEN. LABEL (once this virus outbreak settles down…)

https://www.kitchen-label.com/artists/hiroshi-ebina/

[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…]

The Front Room Fuzz Lounge – Lizard Of Distortion

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

The volume knob, as it makes things LOUDER!!!

LOUDER!!!

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

My old Arbiter fuzz face from 1966/67. That pedal sounds incredible, but it’s a little bit temperamental when it gets too warm, the work around is to put it in the freezer for 20 minutes to cool the old NKT275 transistors back down and it roars like a lion after that. 

Freezing Fuzz Face Arbiter

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

I actually prefer to be away from any kind of music making when on holiday, I see it as time to reset and recharge my batteries and also allow for a bit of mental clarity.

[Editor: That is also a refreshing way to think]

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

I wish there was a hardware version of Valhalla Shimmer in a pedal format, as it sounds beyond huge!!!! I’d love a Fuzz style VST that sounds close to a genuine old Fuzz Face, sadly I can’t imagine anything filling those boots.

Valhalla Shimmer

[Editor: I love ValhallaDSP plugins too. I find that I use the Particle Reverb algorithm on the ZOOM MS70cdr in the same way as Shimmer. Note: They don’t sound the same, just that I use them for similar musical purposes. There is also a shimmer reverb in the zoom]

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

If  I’m honest I’d say the Elektron Digitakt, not because it was a bad piece of gear, I just couldn’t get my head round it, despite trying, I think my simple brain likes simpler UI or more linear workflow, win some, lose some… ha ha.

Elektron Digitakt

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

I think having access to a DAW at home has probably been the most inspirational piece of gear. You can have all the ideas in the world, but if you’ve no way to capture them, they are soon lost or sadly forgotten….

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

Knowing what I know now, it would probably be a DAW, midi keyboard and headphones/monitors and then get creating.

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

As previously mentioned, I’d say it was my old fully loaded NKT275 Arbiter fuzz face, when conditions are good, it makes the guitar sing like a violin, when the conditions are wrong, its spluttery farts-ville… ha ha.

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

For me  the penny dropped when I discovered  automation in Cubase, total game changer (might not sound too ‘out there’ but I’m a simple guitarist ha ha). It massively helped me to control the dynamics of my tracks and also is a great tool for destroying sound when gradually applied to distortion and bit crusher VST’s too.

Artist or Band name?

John McRitchie

Genre?

Blues/Rock/Doom/Electro/lo-fi

Selfie?

John McRitchie aka. The Front Room Fuzz Lounge

Where are you from?

Scotland.

How did you get into music?

My Grandfather taught me to play bagpipes when I was 13, from there I progressed to electric guitar and synths. I soon realised what I had learned on the bagpipes could be applied to other instruments and also, having to play as part of a marching band developed a strong sense of timing in my playing, as my grounding was in odd time signatures vs. 4/4 of most rock/dance music.

What still drives you to make music?

Both the pure enjoyment of hearing the fruits of my labour and the challenge to keep coming up with something new. I have some close friends who are a sound board for me and it’s always good to get their input too.

How do you most often start a new track?

It’s all very mood dependent, often I’ll start a track with drums/beats just to set a temp then delete them and leave only the instrumental. Sometimes it will be a bit more abstract where I may use some pre-recorded sounds that I slowed down to form more of a soundscape.

How do you know when a track is finished?

For me, the whole premise of writing a track is to tell a story without using words, like every story it should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Often when writing a track it doesn’t always come together in such a linear fashion, you may write a riff or chord structure that,whilst sounding fantastic, might not be appropriate for opening the track with etc (handy tip,record it anyways and save for the future).

The part I find most cathartic is the arrangement process after I have recorded everything into the DAW. By applying the ‘like a story’ method, this is where you can really start to shape your track and ‘trim the fat’ in a sense, I see little value in machine gunning the track with some wild guitar solo if it doesn’t require it or some equally self indulgent “look at me” type of playing, its all about balance.

I tend to do a lot of my work late at night, as I feel that’s when I am most creative and because of this, I always will sleep on a track and revisit with a fresh pair of ears a day or so later, this allows me to be more critical with what stays, what goes and what maybe just needs tweaked to sit better in a mix.

I’ll end this question with a quote that from Takaakira Goto —  ‘Music is communicating the incommunicable’.

[Editor: ‘Like a story’ – I like that]

Show us your current studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

My good mate David, from the band Slomatics, advised me to ‘make music for you first’. I took this to heart and have done so since then, if people like what I do, then that’s an added bonus. But as an artist, getting ideas out of your head and developed into actual musical pieces is incredibly rewarding.

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

Instagram The Front Room Fuzz Lounge

[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…]

Scott Campbell – Sharp Sonic Soup

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

Currently its the Scan knob on the Instruo Arbhar. That giant skirt is so classic, and as a graphic designer the entire aesthetic approach of Instruo really appeals to me.

[Editor: I gotta say, I’m totally diggin’ the Instruo look as well]

Instruo Arbhar

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

The ER-301 Sound Computer is very close to perfect for my needs. It does so much and really lets me bring my ideas to fruition. I wish it had more CPU power and a nicer reverb. Maybe more outputs too, but I’m just being greedy.

ER-301 Sound Computer

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

Occasionally the iPad. There are so many great granular synthesis apps like Borderlands and Quanta. I also put together a small portable modular centered around the ER-301, but I haven’t taken it out of the house yet.

Portable Eurorack setup

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

I don’t use much software, but I wish I could have hardware versions of some of those amazing sample instruments like Una Corda (NI) and Blisko (Felt Instruments).

Una Corda

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

I’ll always regret selling my MemoryMoog. I bought it for $150! It was the mid 2000’s and someone found it in the attic of a house they had just purchased. They couldn’t get any sound out of it so they brought it to my friend’s music shop. He called me and I waltzed in and bought it without even turning it on. When I got it home I discovered that all of the level knobs in the mixer section were at zero, so I turned them up and it sounded glorious! I sold it years later for a hefty profit in order to fund a move out of state, but I’ll always miss it.
[Editor: Damn!]

Memory Moog

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

Getting into modular really got me back into making/recording music after taking a break for many years. I love being able to build out multi-layered complex musical ideas all within one system. Working with grooveboxes was sort of close, but I always seemed to hit a wall of limitations.

Eurorack Modular

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

Maybe a serious sampler/sequencer. In my early electronic music days I worked with an Akai S20 and Acid Pro on my PC, but I probably could have progressed much faster with an MPC or one of those old Roland boxes.

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

If something’s too annoying I usually just sell it, but I guess I’ll say tape machines. Maintenance is just part of the deal when you own one. I’ve learned how to service them, but when one stops working during a session its a real buzzkill.

Uher Tape Machine

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

This isn’t gear specific, but using noise (white, pink, etc) to modulate pitch, filter frequency, amplitude or whatever. When used subtly it makes sterile sounds more organic and can impart an analog tape vibe.

Artist or Band name?

Scott Campbell

Genre?

Ambient, Instrumental

Selfie?

Scott Campbell

Where are you from?

New Orleans, LA

How did you get into music?

I started playing bass at 16 and simultaneously learned how to record on a 4 track (Tascam 424) with my friends. I eventually got a Moog MG-1 and have been hooked on synths ever since.

What still drives you to make music?

The desire to find new sounds, learning a new piece of gear or technique, the need to create.

How do you most often start a new track?

Usually I start with a sound/texture that’s inspiring and build on it. I also do a lot of improvising, then edit it down to the interesting parts.

How do you know when a track is finished?

Good question!

Show us your current studio

The old bois
Tape station
Scott’s Studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

“If you’re not making a mistake, it’s a mistake.” – Miles Davis

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

https://linktr.ee/scttcmpbll

[Editor: Also I gotta mention that Scott makes the wonderful playable cassette-tape-machine-manipulator Onde Magnetique. Definetly worth checking out, as well as his instagram]