Ricky Mendoza – The Screaming Hearts

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

Bellari RP220 tube preamp

The gain knob on the Bellari RP220 tube preamp is so damn delicious, especially when hooked to a guitar. What you get is the unique crunch of Neutral Milk Hotel’s Aeroplane Over the Sea. It’s a crunch that I’d been looking to emulate and when I read that Robert Schneider (the producer of that album) did not use any guitar pedals and only used the Bellari RP220 preamp (cranked to the max!), I was determined as a dog to get me one. I found one used and it’s been a love affair ever since.

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

iPad and hardware

When I had ZERO audio gear, an iPad pro helped me realize sounds that were unavailable to me without hardware (special salute to the independent plugin makers). All I had was an acoustic guitar, a mic, zoom h4 and an iPad (along with affordable plugins). I got so much out of them and being on an iPad didn’t feel like I was on a computer. I still use it for recording, but as my journey rolls on, I have actual hardware that have replaced a lot of the digital plugins.

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

Lately, I try not to take any music gear to really be present and enjoy the place I am at, but I may sneak one of the Dream Machines (OP-1 Field or the Synthstrom Deluge) and either the ultra portable Martin backpacker guitar or the Screaming Heart guitar.

Martin Backpacker acoustic guitar

Another piece of “audio gear” that’s been surprising is an apple watch. Especially as an unobtrusive recorder, it’s been so damn handy to capture ideas and for field recordings (or for recording doctor appointments!). Very handy.

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

Music is an escape and I fucking hate computer screens! I write emails and work on a f’n computer all day and when it’s time to go in to the happy place of making music and writing poetry, there’s no better ware than hard-ware.

I collect typewriters, tape recorders (4 track and 2 tracks), analog preamps, guitar pedals, among other earthly tools. Don’t get me wrong, digital stuff is still super cool, but there’s nothing like the tactile feel of making music with an actual instrument. So, in short, I’ve spent my musical career converting all the software tools into hardware.

As a side note, I recently bought a Critter & Guitari Kaleidoloop and I’ve been loving the damn thing. The reason that I mention it, is because it brings both software and hardware together to make this unique tool to capture sounds and mangle them on the spot.

Critter & Guitari Kaleidoloop

I truly love this time in our lives where hardware creators make these hybrid software/hardware instruments.

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

At a time when I was desperate for money, I sold my OG OP-1 and it felt as if I had sold a friend. Like Tom Hanks losing Wilson. I deeply regretted it.

Teenage Engineering OP-1 Field

Things got better and I got a new OP-1 field and all the gripes and shortcomings I had with the OG were now fixed and I had a new and improved best friend. And if you’re reading this OG OP-1, I am so damn sorry.

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

Screaming Heart Martin Acoustic Guitar

The Screaming Heart Guitar turns feelings into sounds.  She’s a beautiful Martin acoustic-electric and can make sadness come alive, fill the room with angst or make a grown man rage with utter hatred against this cruel world. It is majestic.

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

Another Martin acoustic-electric guitar.

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

The Synthstrom Deluge. It is so beautifully annoying.
It is a magic machine that is both simple and complex. It is a tactile piano roll that is ready to work at the drop of a hat.

Synthstrom Deluge

What is annoying is my ambition to put in my favorite sampled instruments and make it my go-to instrument that’ll help me create at the speed of thought. A feat that is yet to flourish, but will one day. You’ll see Martin!

When I first saw (21 years ago) how Robert Rodriguez made music for his movies (https://youtu.be/c9-R6Fgzi9c?t=175) I was hooked, now I can achieve this in a super tiny and portable music machine.

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

I am floored by how cool the compressor sounds on vocals. I have a Bellari Dual Tube Compressor and the sound is magical (paired with the Bellari preamp). The compressor and I are yet to be besties, but every time we work together it is an adventure filled with joy.

Top: Bellari Dual Tube Compressor

Side note: I always had a compressor plugin that works well, but my goal is to get real-time effects (without computers).


Artist or Band name?

Ricky Mendoza on streaming platforms and when performing live we go by Ricky Mendoza and the Screaming Hearts Collective.

Genre?

Folk-Punk

Selfie?

Ricky Mendoza

Where are you from?

From the border between Mexico (Coahuila) and Texas (United States). Got the best of both worlds. Currently reside in Austin, Texas.

How did you get into music?

At 35, I was at low point in my life. I was getting a divorce and my passion (up to this point) was making independent films (I had made 2 films). So, I had no more money (making movies was an expensive hobby) and I had all the time in the world, so I bought a guitar and decided to learn how to sing and play guitar at the same time. Thanks to the wonders of ultimate guitar (the website), I learned some chords and some punk songs. As time went on I discovered a sort of a “fraud”.

The “fraud” was that many of my favorite songs used the same chords that other songs used (and many of them used the same chord structures). This was a huge revelation to me.

I had also read that the most popular songs in the world were written in the key of C and G. This simplified things even more for me.

At that time, I had begun to write poetry and one day, in my small apartment a chord structure started playing in my head. As I was playing the chords with the guitar, I sang the words in melody and like magic, I had invented a song.

I couldn’t believe it. In one sitting and in about 4 hours of work, I had a song. In contrast, each of our independent films had taken about 4 years to make. I was stunned and it was a glimmer of light in those dark times.

I began making more and more songs and that has snowballed into 3  full-length albums, tons of of live shows and collaborating with some amazing humans along the way. It’s been 12 years now and it’s been an incredible journey so far.

Zoom LiveTrak L-20R

What still drives you to make music?

Music is life and there is no life without music. It sounds cheesy, but there’s no way around it.

Marantz Casssette Tape Machine

Even though my genre is Folk-Punk, I love making ambient music. As a kid I loved movies so damn much that I would buy the soundtrack to a film to continue the experience into my daily life.

These days, I’ll turn on my music machines and just get lost in drones, in ethereal sounds and just play (no recording). Just like the thousands of meaningful conversations we’ve all had with our loved ones, it’s a deep connection, I feel like I’m connecting with myself at a very deep level when I play.

Elmyra by Neutral Labs

It sounds pretentious, but here’s the practical reason: Some days are just too damn rough for me. Sometimes I’m really overwhelmed with juggling everything that has to do with life (work, business, family, etc) and having a space where I can just go in and play music for the fun of it is so damn stress relieving. It really is therapy for me.

How do you most often start a new track?

If I’m playing guitar and there’s something that excites me, whether it be a riff or a chord progression, I’d get my most recent poems and start joining the words with the music. Most of the time, the tracks won’t work but I don’t judge. I just let it happen, record the track on my voice notes app and let it sit there for a night.

Pedalboard

I come back the next day, listen and if it excites me, I’ll develop the tune. Otherwise it’ll go into the sea of archives.

How do you know when a track is finished?

Until satisfaction levels are at 100. But it’s interesting (with the passing of time) to hear something that was done in the past and think, “I could’ve done better”. I try not to judge too harshly because as time passes, I’m a different person with a lot more knowledge and more experience so it is very unfair to judge my past self like that.

I like to think of my past work as a diary and to be proud of the work that I could (to the best of my abilities).

My main goal is to make the music that I wish my favorite artists could make if they were me. And since, they’re not, I have to make that music myself but still honor how my favorite songs sound and try to capture that sprit.

Show us your current studio

Studio
Studio
Studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

I’ve made little labels all over my office that read “Don’t think. Feel.” This is from the legendary writer Ray Bradbury, who had this sign over his typewriter
(https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ij8ziAN5pTU).

Don’t think, feel

Another label I have around the office is “surrender control”. This is from author Michael Singer. I’ve been learning to be part of life and try not to control every damn thing. It’s a struggle but that’s where I’m at.

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

The latest record is called THE NEW HURT and it’s a 32 minute trip you won’t forget. It’s got songs about emotional breakdowns, rough sex, death and journeys into the unknown.

Take a listen and if you like it please add it to your favorite playlist (it helps a lot).

You can listen or watch the music videos here: rickym.org


David Rothbaum – Cross Town Patching

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

The octave levers on my Yamaha CS-50. They are very playable. There is also just something very satisfying about the aesthetic of them as well as the acoustic clicking sound.

Yamaha CS-50

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

I would say the combination of the monome grid and ansible using kria. To me this set-up is a perfect combination of thoughtful composition mixed with performance and improvisation. Honestly, it has fundamentally changed the way I think of composition. My only issue is the grid is near impossible to see in daylight. I do a lot of outdoor performances and this is always an issue. I often bring a beach towel to throw over the grid and myself to be able to see it.

Modular Field Trip

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

I bring my modular with me a lot. I compose and record on the spot in various locations and occasionally that included what was my daily 1-5 hour commute (pre-Covid). Doing this while driving is clearly a bad idea, would not recommend at all. To be clear I only patched while at a dead stop, which in Los Angeles is most of the time.

[Editor: Ha!… Make art anywhere]

Patching in traffic

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

Paulstretch in a module would be awesome. SketchCassette too. I honestly cannot think of any hardware I’d like to see as software.

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

I am generally not too precious about gear but I did have a Roland Jupiter 4 that I sold to fund more modular and I wish I still had my Tascam 388.  

Tascam 388

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

In the last few years I would have to say again the monome / Whimsical Raps eco-system. 

Monome and Whimsical Raps in a case

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

Good taste.

[Editor: Nah, good taste is overrated…. and anyway, it’s just a by product of the artistic process, that can happen to the best of us 😉 ]

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

The computer.

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

I think in recent years it would have to be manually manipulating the Marantz PMD-430 cassette deck while monitoring live on the tape. Being able to play the tape warbles is pretty great.

Marantz PMD-430

Artist or Band name?

David Rothbaum 

Genre?

Recently, I would say ambient-adjacent. I tend to write mostly melancholic ambient music but I often add more rhythmic elements (I have been obsessed with odd meters and tuplets since forever), which I think disqualifies me as really being ambient. That said, I have made music in a number of different genres. I had a solo project called Monsturo for quite a while. That was very minimalistic drone/noise music, I used to describe it as field recordings for imaginary spacecraft 🙂 I have also played a lot of metal, jazz, noise and free improvisation. I auditioned once for Donny Osmond when I was a teenager in the 80s. 

Selfie?

I don’t really do selfies without my kid so…

David Rothbaum +1

Where are you from?

Born in NY but have lived in Los Angeles for 30+ years and that is my home.

How did you get into music?

As a listener I became obsessed with music as a kid. At around 7 years old I got into The Beatles & Donna Summer. Then shortly after that it was The Eurythmics, AC/DC, Supertramp, Devo & horror film scores. I would make tape mixes from the radio (I had an entire tape with recordings of “Sweet Dreams”). I also made tapes from the TV, grabbing bits of music from horror movies and TV shows that I liked. I failed at saxophone in 5th grade (I did learn the “Pink Panther” theme, though), but when I was 14 I took up the electric bass and played heavy metal.

What still drives you to make music?

Cannot imagine a life worth living without it. 

How do you most often start a new track?

More often than not it will start as an exploration of a technical or aesthetic idea, be it teletype code; a rhythmic, timbral or harmonic thing; or a patch idea. 

How do you know when a track is finished?

When whatever it is I am working on transforms from the technical into something that carries some emotional weight. Or I have a deadline that has expired. 

Show us your current studio

David Rothbaum’s studio

The modular is not the only thing in my studio. I have guitars, hardware synths, an electric piano etc., but it is overwhelming the center of it.

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

Not comparing your work with others.  This is exceedingly difficult but absolutely liberating if you can do it.

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

I will be releasing a collection of short pieces that I have recorded and posted to social media over the last 4 years. It is called “Miniatures 2016-2020” and will be released on cassette and digital by the awesome Mystery Circles label in early 2021.

[Editor: Check out David’s lovely instagram or his website for more info]


[Editor: Do you have a favorite tip, trick or way of working with any of the gear from this interview?
Then throw us a comment below…
]


Per Hansen – SongsFromTinPanAlley

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

Definitely the structure-knob on the Rings-module in Sympathetic strings-mode. I just love turning it and hear the subtle changes of harmonics! And it’s bigger than any of the other modular knobs I have.

Mutable Instruments Rings-module Structure knob

I also recently got the Microcosm from Hologram and the filter knob is turning out to be a favorite too. Turning it all the way clockwise and the reverb cranked nearly all the way up results in such beautiful and musical textures.

Microcosm from Hologram Electronics

But to be totally honest, then I’m more of a fader-man. I actually think knobs tend to be tedious and not so expressive and musical as faders. Just purchased the Sweet 16 from Tesseract Modular and I love being able to control my Disting ex and especially parameters on my Norns with it. I feel more focused and in control with faders.

Tesseract Modular

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

The Deluge is the mothership of my setup. Even though it has some flaws, like its lack of a decent file structure where you have to scroll through all the synths till you find the one you need, killing the flow, I cannot live without it. In an almost dawless environment, it is essential!

Synthstrom Deluge

And of course, I cannot live without my feelings. I consider feelings my main instrument and 100% my most perfect kit. All compositions start and flourish from the state of mind I’m in and it’s important for me to embrace it and let it unfold without any dogmas and restrictions.

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

My Oscar Teller guitar and the Deluge! Used to own the OP-Z, but unfortunately had to let it go to finance other gear. The Zed has a more handy size compared to the Deluge, but the Deluge has some other aces up its sleeve, like the fact that you are able to record very long samples on it and its ability to create an endless amount of tracks.

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

I’m actually trying to spend the least time possible with software. I get impatient behind a computer screen. What I love about making music is the tactile experience. Tuning “knobs” and “faders” with a mouse doesn’t give me that 😉

Audio Damage Quanta

It could be cool, though, to have the Qaunta by Audio Damage in a hardware eurorack- or synth version, with all the matrix possibilities.

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

Went down the eurorack-rabbit-hole and had to let go of my OP-1. I miss it every day, but they’re too expensive compared to what they can do!

I also sold my two polysynths – Digitone and Novation Peak. Miss them dearly every day. Maybe I have to buy a new secondhand Peak in the near future.

I usually don’t regret buying anything. Cause every purchase is a new adventure for me.

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

Definitely the Rings module. Whenever I send a sequence to it, it turns out to be a keeper.

I also get very inspired when looping random objects and instruments using the Cheat Codes script on my Norns.

Norns and Grid

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

A Grand piano in my own giant palace. Joke. It’s just a dreamers mind speaking, living with four kids in a relative small apartment.

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

My mini Mac!

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

Marantz PMD 222

Thanks to @perbarfot I discovered how cool it is to run an instrument through the Marantz PMD 222, while giving the loop tape a good scratching massage. Love the wow and flutter effect it gives. Also tried it on my Revox B77 using the tension arm with very good results.

ReVox B77

Artist or Band name?

Songs From Tin Pan Ally

Genre?

Ambient

Selfie?

Per Hansen

Where are you from?

Denmark, Copenhagen

How did you get into music?

When I was 15, I got a worn-out classical guitar from my grandmother and my first step was to learn every GNR song from a tabs book! Must have sounded pretty bad because I didn’t know how to tune a guitar 😉

But I really loved it and after learning the basics a friend of mine and I started a band and from there I began writing my own songs.

What still drives you to make music?

I’m always striving for music of chance. That’s my drive. Love the way a simple melody or a sound of any kind of music instrument can turn into something totally mind-blowing! And you end up asking yourself… Did I really do this?

How do you most often start a new track?

I often start a new track while patching my modular stuff and turning knobs. It can be a sound, a melody or just a drone-kind-of-sound that express a feeling or a mood. That’s the foundation. From there, I just try to add different layers to that foundation.

How do you know when a track is finished?

When I press stop rec 😉

I listen to it many times the following days and if it still blows my mind, it’s a keeper.

Show us your current studio

Per Hansen’s Home Studio

Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?

Don’t think too much. Just play and make a lot of mistakes!

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

I’ve just released ‘tænkeRUM’ on bandcamp and not long before that ‘Time’, which is also available on any streaming platform. In a couple of months, my first physical release is a reality. I’m planning on releasing it on cassette. At the moment, I’m calling it ‘autumn lullabies’

https://songsfromtinpanalley.bandcamp.com/album/t-nkerum

https://songsfromtinpanalley.bandcamp.com/album/time


[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…
]