Vincenzo Gabriele – Estelle Avenue

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

Akai s612 sampler

It would have to be the start and end sliders on the Akai s612. I love the immediacy of playing with those sliders and reversing the sample with my fingers. That tactile feel lets me feel more connected to the sample.

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

It would have to be the EMU Command Station. I love the sound it puts out. Plus the 16 track sequencer and hands on real time sound manipulation that can be had. If I could change something about it, it would be to save presets and programs better.

EMU Command Station

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

Just my iPhone running Koala sampler with either AUM or EG Nodes. I usually can create something I’m happy with using that, without the worry of having expensive pedals/synths/samplers broken, lost, or stolen.

Koala sampler

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

BACKMASK by Freakshow Industries. It’s some type of reverse, but more than just a regular reverse. Whatever it’s doing is usually pretty wild, but sonically pleasing.

Backmask by Freakshow Industries

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

My brother and I bought a Studer A820 8 Track 1 inch machine from a local radio station. Low hours, pristine condition. We made some great recordings, just recording super hot at 30ips. We never did any maintenance on it and so one day (surprise, surprise), it stopped working. I definitely don’t regret buying it, and we haven’t sold it, so I can’t regret selling it. LOL!!
I regret not being able to fix it. (but hope to one day)

Studer A820 8 Track 1 inch machine

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

The Hologram Electronics Microcosm. Once I got that, it allowed me to start thinking outside the box. Giving old cheap keyboard/samplers a whole new lease on life. It inspired me to try and run different things through it to see the outcome.

Hologram Electronics Microcosm

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

Most likely the most powerful iPad Pro I could possibly afford. I believe they are capable of producing incredible results, in such a fast, efficient, portable, and sonically pleasing way.
I just enjoy plugging and unplugging things more. Twisting knobs and pushing faders is satisfying too.

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

Chase Bliss Habit. I don’t know exactly what it’s doing, but I need it on all the time.

Chase Bliss Habit

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

If you split your bass into two channels and run one into the mic input of the Akai S612, and the other direct, (essentially using the Akai as a distortion) you get a bass that really rips and cuts through the mix.

Akai S612

Artist or Band name?

Estelle Avenue

Genre?

Experimental Lofi Ambient Sound Texture Moments

Selfie?

Vincenzo Gabriele aka. Estelle Avenue

Where are you from?

Italian descent
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada

How did you get into music?

My parents bought my sister, brother, and I a Casio keyboard when we were young. I didn’t think much about at the time, but it must have had some affect on me.

What still drives you to make music?

I love creating something new when I can. It’s very therapeutic. A creative outlet.

How do you most often start a new track?

I try to go and create whenever I get the itch to.

How do you know when a track is finished?

I don’t really create tracks. Just moments.
Create something. Upload. Gone forever.
I’m not going to play it live or try and recreate it somewhere else.

Show us your current studio

Tempera Beetlecrab Audio
EHX Q-Tron and Memory Man
Walrus Audio R1 and buddy
Rack FX

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

Don’t take yourself too seriously. Enjoy the process and have fun.

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

https://www.instagram.com/estelle.avenue


Asymmetric Cut – Davide Bernardi

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

Arturia MicroFreak

One of my favorite knobs are all the Arturia MicroFreak potentiometers, but my fav thing about the MF is the touch sensitive keyboard (I was scared at the beginning, but now I’m totally in love).
Another thing that I like so much, are the wooden and clicky buttons of the OrganelleM.

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

I don’t own many things, I have the Critter & Guitari Organelle M, Norns Shield by Garret Labs (+ Novation Launchpad Mini MK2 as 64 “Grid”), Arturia MicroFreak, Koma Elektronic Field Kit FX, Zoom MS-70CDR pedal and an old Panasonic Dictaphone.

Panasonic Dictaphone

I use an old version of Ableton Live Intro (8), just as multitrack recorder + Audacity and Adobe Audition for “editing” with Zoom U-22 as audio interface.
I would love to start/switch into the modular world, but for now I’m learning/trying this great and awesome world with VCV Rack 2.
Also the Ciat-Lonbarde ecosystem, it fascinates me a lot.

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

Critter & Guitari Organelle M

Organelle M is the perfect companion in combination with the Norns Shield (with external power bank) and Zoom MS-70CDR.

Zoom MS-70CDR

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

Valhalla Supermassive as a real pedal and almost all the Splice VST effects.
I would love to have all the Ciat-Lonbarde (Cocoquantus, Deerhorn Organ, Sidrax Organ, Tocante, etc …) as virtual instruments, to try/learn their workflow.

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

Regret selling, the Boss SP-202 and the Yamaha MT50 4 track cassette recorder.
Regret buying, probably nothing, all the equipment that I’ve had, have in some way either good or bad things about them, that help me to learn something.

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

Norns Shield and Organelle M are my main “brains”, especially with generative scripts / patches.
I like to control them with 2host USB (Midi USB-USB) or sequencing the MicroFreak.
Sometimes I like to record samples / fields recording, with piezo mic on the Koma Field Kit FX or with the Dictaphone.

Norns Shield

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

I’m not consider myself as “musician”, my workflow is about feelings, insights and following the flow, so maybe probably, learn and study music theory and a lot of things that I don’t know, even if I like (perhaps too much) the transportation and philosophy of the generative music.

Arturia MicroFreak and Organelle M

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

Cables and power adapters.

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

I have no real tricks (being self-taught), but I have learned a lot thanks to the various online communities (for Norns and Organelle) and I wanna say thanks to all those who spent time and energy creating new scripts and patches!


Artist or Band name?

Asymmetric Cut

Genre?

Ambient / Soundscape / Drone

Selfie?

Where are you from?

Italy

How did you get into music?

When I was child, I got an xmas gift (Bontempi keyboard) then around 14, playing guitar (hardcore / punk / grunge), then I dive into electronic music with FastTracker 2 on 486 PC.
Later with different gear, such as samplers (E-mu ESI-32 and Boss SP-202) and grooveboxes (Roland MC-303 and MC-505).

What still drives you to make music?

I’m not a professional musician (I’m photographer and teacher), so for me it’s just something to relax, make something (hopefully good) and with the social media, make connections and know nice and talented people (like you and many others).

How do you most often start a new track?

Depends of my mood, but usually I start with the Norns Shield or /with Organelle M and the MicroFreak through the MS 70-CDR, layering some sounds and working on, till I’m ok with the result.

How do you know when a track is finished?

I usually start listening to it many times to understand if I have skipped any steps or made some drafting errors, then I let it settle, like wine and decide if it is usable or not.

Show us your current studio

Desktop Studio

I don’t have studio or studio space in my little apartment, so every time I wanna play I set everything on the living room / work / eating table.

Koma Elektroniks FieldkitFX

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

For me works very well the Samuel Beckett’s quote: “Try again. Fail again. Fail better”.
So this kind of mantra could be … try, try, try, don’t be afraid to fail and then try again, having learned something valuable from your experience.
Eventually it goes without saying, you will achieve success.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asymmetric_cut/
Bandcamp: https://asymmetriccut.bandcamp.com/

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/asymmetriccut