1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?
Probably the Cutoff knob on my Moog Mother-32. I just love how dramatically it opens or closes the sound.
Moog Mother-32
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
Pladask Elektrisk Tåken delay pedal. I would put three together (a Triple Tåken?) similar to my TC Electronics Triple Flashback delay.
Pladask Elektrisk Tåken delay pedal
3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?
It depends where I’m going, but I usually end up bringing the wrong kit and then get an e-mail request to create something entirely different. I’ve been trying to bring my Zoom H4N to capture sounds or found instruments and usually a Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator or three.
Zoom H4N and a bunch of Pocket Operators
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
My Omnichord OM-84 as a playable plug-in would be cool. Conversely, putting the complete Soundtoys plug-in suite into a pedal would be amazing!
Omnichord OM-84
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
I sold an Ibanez Gary Willis signature 5-string fretless bass for a Fender Jazz copy and cry every time I remember. I’m pretty careful what gear I buy now, generally, but there have definitely been a few pedals I questioned and re-sold rather quickly.
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
Probably a tie between my Warwick Infinity LTD 2000 bass and my Fender Telecaster.
Warwick Infinity LTD 2000 bass and my Fender Telecaster
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
First, a sufficient room to compose and mix in… but that’s not gear, so maybe proper room treatments… ok, ok, a nice set of monitors.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
The short guitar pedal connector cables that always seem to break or crackle.
Short cables
9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
Maybe not a bit of kit, but in Apple Logic, the “Chase MIDI Note” option so that it triggers the MIDI note even if you start the playhead in the middle of the note.
Apple Logic Chase MIDI Note
Artist or Band name?
Chris Joye (but, I also created a handful of albums under the moniker Cue, and then also as Christopher Joye, before settling into my actual name)
Genre?
Typically a blend of indie rock with classical/soundtrack elements
Selfie?
Chris En-Joye-ing himself in his studio
Where are you from?
I live near Seattle, Washington.
How did you get into music?
My dad always played classical music on his big sound system and my mom listened to Oldies. I took piano lessons as a kid, but quit for sports until one of my brothers bought an electric guitar as a teenager and I decided to play it. Eventually, a friend convinced me to try out bass guitar and I was sold on that!
What still drives you to make music?
The endless options of blending sounds and textures. This can also be a hinderance, too, when you hit a creative block, but it still makes me come back to experiment more.
How do you most often start a new track?
Most of the music I create for myself, I’m still writing with the intention that it may be used in sync to video or a video game or some sort of storyful project later on. So, I guess, I usually start with a concept, maybe it’s a mood, or a theme, or a character or something. However, sometimes, I just mess around with sounds or chords and find an interesting combination.
How do you know when a track is finished?
I’m always intrigued by how a simple melody or chord or texture turns into a full piece. Something usually clicks at some point in the process where I feel like I’ve found the direction to take, I can never pinpoint it, but usually after the 4,000th time of playback, that I can generally feel when a song is done and ready to mix. Sometimes, I’ll add another element or two and if it sounds too cluttered or muddy, then I know I’ve nearly reached this point.
Show us your current studio.
Here it is, more or less.
No Joye in Chris’ studio
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
One of my Film Scoring instructors at Berklee said something once that I always remember, “Just finish it and move on.” That may not motivate some people, but it resonates with me!
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
I released my 14th album, “Reposition”, which is an album of spacious ambient tracks that I wrote thinking of dialogue- or emotionally-heavy film scenes that just need a slow-moving “mood” for a backdrop. It’s available everywhere and here https://chrisjoye.bandcamp.com/album/reposition
1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?
Uher Speed Knob
The speed selector on my Uher. The older model has a tiny gear shift for selecting the speed, but the new one just has a knob; a knob with a nice feel and weight. When you move it, you can feel the shifting of the gears inside as the mechanisms thunk into place. It’s immensely satisfying.
Uher Speed LeverUher Tape recorders
My second place choice is the hi-hat decay knob on my 808 clone. Riding that during a groove is endless fun.
808 Hihat decay knob
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
It might be the SE-02. The first synth I really learned how to use was the SH-09. It taught me how flexible a simple architecture can be, and how rewarding learning how each piece of a synth works together is. It taught me that the controls are as much a part of the instrument as the keys. Ever since then, no synth has been as fun to play as a solid monosynth.
Roland SE-02
The SE-02’s very much in the same vein, and it seems to be able to scratch every sonic itch I have. The delay’s grainy in all the right ways. The filter has a character that doesn’t make me think “Moog” for some reason. The filter has grit, filth, and somehow feels cold. Not machine cold, but unfeeling in the same that the universe is. When that filter sweeps just right it feels like the dawn, it feels like the slow and sudden heat as the sun rises in the morning. I love this thing. There’s magic in the way the envelopes and filter interact with the delay.
There are three things I’d change. The first thing I’d change is the knob taper. It’s exponential and it makes playing the knobs an extremely delicate procedure. The second is I really wish I had full ADSRs. That extra level of control would be much more welcome than panel controls for portamento. The third is the sequencer. It would be a lot nice if I could have longer sequences, and I really wish the sequence transpose could latch.
3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?
The obvious answer here is the OP-Z. It’s fun, quick, and easy to use. It’s also super easy to take on a plane. Making a full track with just this is surprisingly easy and fun. It definitely caught me off guard with how user friendly and fun it is to use.
Teenage Engineering OP-Z
Realistically and historically, though, my preference is to bring either the Volca FM and Mini KP or the Roland SE-02. When I sit down to play I’m not typically trying to write or work on a song. Usually I just want to explore a sound or a musical phrase. The SE-02 and Volca FM are excellent for sound exploration. If I want to make a minimalist composition these are my go-to pieces of gear, and fortunately they’re small enough for a carry-on.
Korg Volca FM and Kaoss Pad Mini
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
I am (un)fortunately a luddite. When I record or make music it’s almost entirely analog. One thing I wish I could do with my hardware setup is automate parameter controls. There are ways to do this if I went modular. If I used software I know I could automate some of the parameters of my physical instruments. Bringing Windows, Mac, or Linux into my setup would violate a lot of what my setup’s built on: spontaneity. I can write and record a song relatively quickly and easily, without worrying about system updates or getting sucked down the black hole that is the internet.
Analog recording
This is typically just called a DAWless setup. But I really don’t like that nomenclature. It defines a musical approach as being the absence of something, in a way. Really I just like playing instruments and don’t want to try and play a computer like an instrument.
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
DSI Prophet 6
The Prophet 6 is a rare animal. I’ve bought a lot of gear that I regretted, but this one the only one I’m keeping. It sounds great and it’s super flexible, but it has a lot of little design choices that drive me nuts. The problem is it sounds sooooo good. So, when I use it I love the sounds I get, but I always find myself frustrated by something.
It seems like it’s made for people working in studios who want to lay down tracks, or sample its lush sounds to use in a DAW. Regardless, it doesn’t seem to be made for my workflow.
DSI Prophet 6
But I am going to keep it around because it sounds ridiculously nice. The sound is so rich and deep I forget how annoying it was to program it. It’s like hiking up a mountain with uncomfortable shoes. It’s a real pain at times, but the views you get make the discomfort worth it.
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
The Volca FM is definitely my most inspiring. It’s endlessly versatile, and has more features under its hood than it has any right to for its size and price point. It has the wild and wiry sounds FM is known for, and the limited controls on the surface are deceptive in their simplicity. It’s easy to rely on presets, and tweaking the few controls on the surface gets you tons of control. It also plays nicely with any effect you want to pair it with.
Korg Volca FM
It’s an instrument I have a love-hate relationship with, though. I’ve owned three of them. Whenever I try to dive into the parameters to do some deep editing, it make me want to toss it out the window. The balance of features, and how easy it is to switch between playing modes to introduce variations makes it really fun to play.
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
The Jazzmaster. Even though any synthesizer can run sonic circles around any guitar/pedal combo, it feels more emotional to play than any synth or drum machine. Fiddling around with the different intervals on the neck taught me everything I know about music, too. It’s cliche as hell, but playing a guitar with some fuzz and delay could keep me happy forever.
Fender Jazzmaster
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
The Zoia is hands down the most useful and inconvenient piece of gear I own. If I have an idea that I can’t achieve with anything else, the Zoia can usually get me close enough. It does what it does better than anything else I know of, but I wouldn’t want to use it with a band.
Empress Effects Zoia
9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
Envelopes are surprisingly underrated. Clones of “good” ones don’t really get talked about, and people don’t really seem to covet and worship the exact curves of one over another’s.
No two synths I’ve played have had the same envelopes. Each one has its own type of pluck, swell, and decay. It feels like they’re what transform a synth into a playable instrument. I wish there was more emphasis on modulating and controlling their parameters. Slight modifications to the decay of an adsr can completely transform a bland sequence. They really breath life into every sound.
Artist or Band name?
Willy
Genre?
I’ve never been good at sticking to a genre. It seems to waffle between synthwave, cinematic, harsh noise, and synth-pop.
Selfie?
William ‘Willy’ Stewart
Where are you from?
Benson, Utah
How did you get into music?
My mom signed me up to play violin in my middle school’s orchestra. After that it was relatively easy to play bass in my friend’s band. From there I was hooked.
What still drives you to make music?
It’s an emotional thing mainly. It helps me experience my emotions. Lately when I sit down to play it’s after a rough day, and it helps me process what’s happened. Other times, it’s when I’m feeling numb, and playing helps me open up and experience my emotions. This is essentially why I haven’t recorded very much music. It’s usually an expression of anxiety, depression, or fear. So, I don’t really want to live in that moment long enough to record it.
How do you most often start a new track?
Most often it’s with a riff or a phrase. I’ll have an idea for a sound, or find one via knob twiddling, and then I see what notes feel good with that sound. Once I’ve got something that makes me happy, I start seeing what other sounds I can layer in to compliment the original sound.
How do you know when a track is finished?
When I can listen to it without wincing, and it doesn’t feel empty. If I can listen without wincing it means I don’t have anything to redo, and as long as it sounds “full” I don’t need to add anything else.
Show us your current studio
William’s studio
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
Play every day. Some variant of that’s what I hear all the time from everyone, but there really is no better advice. In my twenty years of music making experience, this advice has always held true. If you’re not inspired then try learning theory, practicing your technique, try reproducing real world sounds with synthesizers, try something outside of your comfort zone, or just have fun making noises. Keep at it every day to keep your tools sharp, then you’ll be ready to act when you actually have something to play.
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
1. Favourite knob/fader/switch on a piece of gear and why?
After much deliberation, I’m gonna go with the volume knob on my 80’s Japanese Fender Precision Bass. Something about the textured metal just feels so solid and badass.
MIJ Fender P Bass Volume knob
Honourable mention goes to the knobs on the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor for their sheer monstrosity, which I get to use when I work at @SixBitDeep.
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
Every piece of kit is perfect just the way it is =D
VervilleAudio MDC-1
Ok, actually I’ll shout out my homies at @VervilleAudio for their MDC-1 which is a hand-made 2-channel Variable Mu tube compressor on steroids plus 2 preamp channels. I have a Beta version which sounds incredible, but I’ve been in close contact with them discussing some minor improvements (mostly just the interface) and I think the next version will be close to perfect! These guys are developing some amazing gear in Montreal.
VervilleAudio MDC-1
3. What setup do you bring on holiday/tour/commute etc.?
The last tour I did was a solo one around Europe and the UK. I was taking planes, trains and busses everywhere, so I needed a really compact setup. Laptop, small RME FF400 interface and Novation Launch Control XL controller (+ some vinyl and extra clothes) in a backpack and my lap steel guitar and a few pedals in a soft gig bag (actually a rifle case!)
Gibson Lapsteel in a rifle caseRifle softcase
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
Hardware sequencer Faderfox SC4
I don’t find myself wishing this very often. A lot of the software I love is already great emulations of hardware, and generally when I’m using hardware it’s because I want to have my hands on something other than the mouse. Having rare and expensive hardware reverbs and compressors easily available in the form of plugins is a godsend! And conversely, there are so many software sequencers, but I always seem to get more interesting results when I use a hardware sequencer. So I guess the short answer is no 🙂
Hardware sequencer Akai MPC1000Hardware sequencer Arturia Beatstep Pro
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
When I moved to Copenhagen from Montreal I had to sell a ton of stuff, and while sometimes it’s nice to do a purge and move on, I sure do miss the amps I had. There was a Traynor YBA-1 head with this awesome old Peavey cabinet that was painted white and that I put a vintage 15” Jensen speaker in. And the love of my life was a Music Man 210HD One Thirty. One of the guys from Arcade Fire once asked if they could buy it from me and I said no.
Traynor YBA-1 with Peavey cabinet
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
Sennheiser MD211Electro Voice RE15
Probably getting a new microphone. Whenever I pick up a new mic, I immediately want to hear how it sounds on different sources, and putting myself into that engineer mindset always makes me feel super creative. A new instrument has a similar effect. When I got my Korg Mono/Poly I did a pretty deep dive and got really inspired with the sounds it can make. That thing is all over my new album.
Korg Mono/Poly
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
That’s a tough one because I started with a guitar (a cheap copy of a Gibson Les Paul) then an amp, then a wah pedal, and I don’t think I’d change that course of events. But in the early 2000’s I had a friend who sold all his keyboards. He had a Rhodes MKI, a Roland JX-3P and a Korg MS-10. I bought the Rhodes and 2 of my friends each bought one of the synths… all for dirt cheap. I wish I had taken the MS-10 instead of the Rhodes (I can’t play piano for shit) but synths were such a mystery to me then. My homie still has it though so at least it’s in the family.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
Getting on the case
CASES! Rack case, road cases, instrument cases etc…It’s such a juggling act to set up a studio that’s ergonomic and makes good use of available space. I feel like I’m on a never-ending quest to find the best compromises between a great setup that’s easy and inspiring to work in, and portability (if I need to take some gear on location or on tour, etc…). And all the seldom-used cases take up so much space, but, like what do I do when I need to take my synth somewhere once every 2 years?!?!
9. Most surprising tip/trick/technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
It’s not actually about the gear, it’s all about what you do with it.
My parents put me in guitar lessons for a year when I was 10, then I essentially taught myself the rest.
What still drives you to make music?
Some kind of burning inner demon, I mean a compulsion to create, to experiment, to push boundaries. Music has given me so many of the most visceral and emotional experiences of my life and I’m very interested in all the ways sound can affect us, both physically and emotionally. So there is a constant quest that I can’t imagine ever coming to completion.
How do you most often start a new track?
Generally with some kind of “play.” If I can lose myself and not worry about how productive I’m being or what I’m doing this “for” that is when I feel like I’m accessing real creativity. So being in the moments and just playing is often how my tracks begin.
How do you know when a track is finished?
Some kind of combination of utter mental exhaustion, and 1 or 2 re-scheduled self-imposed deadlines.
Show us your current studio
A leopard skin chair is essential…. for those vibesFX and PedalsStacks and RacksGuitars and Synths living together in harmony
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
If you’re getting stuck, grab an instrument that you don’t know how to play. It breaks you out of the confines of muscle memory and patterns you’ve developed and it opens up creative doors that you probably didn’t know were closed.
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.