1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?
I use a Nektar Panorama CS12 controller which has a fader you can easily assign use for automation in Logic, so I’ll go with that. Not just good for plugins and hardware synths either – I’ve a fair few MIDI enabled guitar pedals it gets used for too.
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
It’s a recent purchase but the Vult Freak Manifold Filter is just amazing, and I say that as someone who isn’t a heavy user of filters normally. I cannot understand how something digital can sound so organic. Leonardo, the guy that makes them, must be some kind of coding genius.
The only change I’d make is more filter types but that’s being greedy as there is already a fair few and I imagine that will happen eventually anyway.
3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?
Something not too different from the setup I used on my new live album Appearance, but now I’m the proud owner of a 4ms Metamodule I’d use that rather than the the Mod Audio Duo. There’s a Pam’s Pro Workout and Bitbox Mk2 sampler in there too – you can get a lot done with that setup.
As for holiday, I’d normally just take a laptop or use that time to get a break from music and recharge.
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
I wish all of those excellent UAD and Softube plugins I own were hardware – as I’d be asset rich in that instance, although space poor as the studio is at capacity in terms of kit!
There’s a few modules on VCV rack that I wish were hardware but the Metamodule is increasingly making that a reality.
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
My GAS would never allow me to regret a purchase but the one thing I regret selling was a Dreadbox Abyss synth – which is both sonically and aesthetically beautiful. I had used it too much on tracks though and didn’t want it to define my ‘sound’.
Also the WMD Crucible, a Eurorack drum module for cymbal type sounds that can be pushed to some really interesting places – but that’s less of an issue now those guys are back in business so I’ll be getting another one eventually.
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
Gear comes and goes in order to keep things fresh but both albums so far have had kit which has inspired the most. For The Market Deities it was the Moog DFAM, the only Moog thing I’ve ever owned, and the 4ms Ensemble module – which can create really unique tones and textures.
For The Vanishing it was the aforementioned Dreadbox Abyss and the ASM Hydrasynth, both of which helped me push sonic boundaries a fair bit.
I think the Waldorf Iridium, Michigan Synth Works Xena (an excellent take on the Mutable Instruments Ambika synth) and the Nord Drum 3 will probably define the next album, as they’re seeing serious use right now.
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
I’d probably just start with a laptop and VCV rack, and then learn the aspects of Eurorack I enjoyed before dropping cash on random modules in the hope they might chime with me. Also a great way to understand the fundamentals of Eurorack too.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
I have an OXI One sequencer which is excellent normally but for some reason is misbehaving at the moment. I’ll have sort it out soon though as I genuinely cannot live without it, especially for controlling Eurorack drums through its CV module.
9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
One thing I do often but don’t hear much of elsewhere is using clocked LFOs and sequencers to creatively modulate Eurorack drum and FX parameters – especially using less common LFO shapes and sequencer patterns at irregular and shifting speeds.
I use this technique to add additional rhythmic aspects and it makes the drum parts feel a lot more organic, as well as adding some weird offbeat variations to their tone and texture.
Artist or Band name?
Invictus Hi-Fi
Genre?
Experimental Electronica
Selfie?
Where are you from?
UK
How did you get into music?
I listened a lot to Prince as a kid and he inspired me to learn a fair few instruments and start creating my own tracks.
What still drives you to make music?
I would just lose my mind if I couldn’t do so. It helps me process the world in ways I don’t even understand.
How do you know when a track is finished?
When it’s uploaded to the distributor. Honestly, I’m much of a perfectionist for my own good and so that helps formally draw a line, stop tweaking and move on.
Show us your current studio
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
I’ve honestly only ever seen or heard bad advice, especially on social media as of late. I’ve learned to ignore completely – and advise others to as well.
Forge your own path, people!
[Editor: I genuinely don’t know if Mr. HiFi is being ironic. Advising people to ignore advice. Either way I must disagree… Sharing thoughts and advice is … Well, the entire point of this blog, and I’ve never come across a piece of advice that i didn’t learn something from. Including Mr. HiFi’s… Which is why I’ll still post it, even though I disagree]
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
The new Invictus Hif-Fi album Appearance is out on the 31st January. It’s a live album with raw and experimental versions of past singles and album tracks using a method inspired by 1970s Dub sound systems.
You can find it on BandCamp or watch the performances each track comes from over on YouTube.
https://invictushi-fi.bandcamp.com/album/appearance
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcbOYfqrRFi0povr3YC9gUyoivQu2B0M_
