1. Favourite knob or fader or switch on a piece of gear and why?
Aesthetically, the knobs and selectors on the Nagra III drive me crazy: big, solid, and the selector has a really nice click.
From a functional point of view, I love the Var Shape on the NTO oscillator by Serge/Random Source: I really love that continuous waveform change.
Honourable mention to the frequency knob of the Soundfreak Triple VCO (VCS3 in 4U format).
2. Do you have an ‘almost’ perfect bit of kit? What would you change?
The Fostex X-28 multitracker. I’ve been using it for years, even live; it does everything it needs to do and it does it well, but despite regular maintenance, every now and then (still don’t know why) it decides not to turn on.
It’s not particularly nice when it happens 10 minutes before a live show, but since I decided to use it, I factor in a bit of thrill!
3. What setup do you bring on holiday or tour or commute etc.?
On holiday, just headphones to listen to other people’s music.
For live shows, lately my setup consists of a Eurorack system, a pedalboard with mixer, Fostex X-28, and Osmose.
4. What software do you wish was hardware and vice versa?
Nothing. I’d say there’s enough choice both in software and hardware.
5. Is there anything you regret selling… or regret buying?
Sentimentally speaking, I regret selling the Korg Microkorg, it was my first synth.
Another synth that I always regret selling every time I try it again is the Moog Grandmother: fat sound, nice keyboard, great spring reverb, semi-modular.
Sooner or later it will come back into my studio 🙂
6. What gear has inspired you to produce the most music?
The piano.
It’s the instrument that shaped me, even beyond a purely musical point of view.
The one that has always been with me.
7. If you had to start over, what would you get first?
In general? A piano.
Synth/production-related? PC + audio interface + speakers/headphones.
8. What’s the most annoying piece of gear you have, that you just can’t live without?
CASES! Hard cases, soft cases, flight cases, pedalboards. They’re expensive, big, heavy, and when I change setup often you have to modify them, adapt them, or worse, replace them.
But it’s the best way to transport my instruments around, so that’s how it goes.
9. Most surprising tip or trick or technique that you’ve discovered about a bit of kit?
Well, it’s a technique that I really like and use a lot: cross FM modulation.
One oscillator modulates another in frequency, and the latter modulates the first one back.
You end up in definitely wild sonic territories, but I really enjoy being able to tame the modulation by finding various sweet spots that allow me to use it in a melodic way as well.
Two of the modules where I prefer to use this technique are the Piston Honda mk3 by Industrial Music Electronics and the Brenso by Frap Tools.
Artist or Band name?
Francesco Gennari
Genre?
Electronic.
Selfie?
Where are you from?
Brescia – Italy
How did you get into music?
I started playing the piano as a child, around the age of 5.
One day, a teacher at the kindergarten I attended brought in a digital piano to play, and I was completely enchanted by it. From that moment on, I started taking lessons, and later, around the age of 13/14, I entered the Conservatory to study classical piano, completing the course about 10 years later.
At the same time, I began developing an interest in other instruments: I played guitar and bass in a couple of bands with friends, until I got my first synth around the age of 18.
However, the synth loop started more seriously and intensely a few years later. Curious, I took part in a DIY workshop to build a small synth with three oscillators and a filter.
I then went through Pure Data/Max, continued with DIY, other keyboard synths, and eventually landed in the Eurorack modular world.
What still drives you to make music?
The urge to create something, to express myself, and the curiosity to try and discover something new.
How do you most often start a new track?
Most of the time everything starts at the piano.
The process can begin from a melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic idea. From there, I tend to transcribe my idea into my main sequencer in my modular system, which is Usta by Frap Tools, or bring everything into the DAW.
The development often continues in parallel by creating further interlocks, melodic lines, or interventions on the piano keys, and then moving on to timbral and structural research within the modular system.
How do you know when a track is finished?
In most cases, I realise it when I notice that I’m obsessing over too many details of the track, or when I see that I already have too many different versions of the same piece.
At that point, it means I’m stuck in an endless hyper-perfectionism loop.
Show us your current studio
Best creative advice that you’ve ever heard?
Be curious.
Go beyond, explore, experiment, and research.
This helps you understand yourself and allows you to find a way to express yourself creatively.
I remember how my piano teacher at the conservatory used to introduce me to, and push me to investigate, the context of the piece I had to study: discovering the composer and placing that piece in a specific historical moment and in the composer’s own life. This process always changed my reading and interpretation of the piece.
Promote your latest thing… Go ahead, throw us a link.
My latest album: Studi
– Bandcamp: https://francescogennari.bandcamp.com/album/studi
– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBdrsKXF5H_y91ONIyzsYOt05CMWgL6nM
– Platform: https://tr.ee/WKJTshcvsA
Studi is made up of 8 tracks inspired by the concept of the Étude, where technical exploration and sound research converge.
Each Studio is accompanied, in addition to the album cover, by an artwork created by artist/designer Daniel Hicks, based in San Diego, CA, offering a visual counterpart to the music.
You can also find a performance of each track followed by a track breakdown on the Frap Tools channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPVhsLeaCG8ouhhsNamWOdhtU07GYkItN
