Fred Again’s favorite piece of gear…the one in your pocket.

This interview was another excuse buster for anyone out there who says they need x y or z piece of gear, fancy plugin, studio time, or any other reason you can’t make music.

Fred’s excitement is infectious when he talks about how mental it is he can be anywhere in the world, capture samples, sounds, and inspiration on his iPhone, then go sit in the park with his laptop and make a record.

He recommends listening to your sketches on the built in phone speakers, which forces you to make decisions about the actual track/feeling of the song, and not get technical about how your kick drum sits in the mix.

He also raves about the compression algorithm in the iPhone voice memo software, specifically the one in the WhatsApp voice memo, and overall just exudes creativity and a passion for his work.

Check out this interview and then stop procrastinating and go make some music! Speaking directly to myself.

Elektron Octatrack/Sequencer Training – EZBOT

If you have one of the sexy Swedish Elektron machines you know how powerful and fun they are. More importantly, you know how much of a pain in the ass it is to figure out how to use when you are an Elektron workflow neophyte.

First, RTFM. Finished? Excellent! When you want another resource I can highly recommend EZBOT’s YouTube channel.

He is articulate, clear, concise, and a major resource for the “Elektronauts.” He is helping reframe my use of the Octatrack in live performance and studio settings. I speak for all the silent viewers when I say: “Thank you Matt!”

Interview with FKJ on his music making journey.

John Kennedy and his Tape Notes podcast series is another gold mine of inside information on the making of an album.

What stood out to me most about FKJ’s interview was his “no excuse’s” attitude to making music and placing limitations on himself to think outside the box and create.

This one was super inspiring for me, I took a lot away from it, plus I can relate to another self taught multi instrumentalist. Give Tape Notes a listen; so valuable.

Music making process and creative flow with FKJ.

Dub Techno Effects + Actionable Ableton Techniques

Oscar over at Underdog Electronic Music School is an absolute wealth of production knowledge for Ableton users. Have you ever wondered how to sound design the hypnotic dub techno echo effects?

I played around for hours with just two chord stabs after learning this technique; check it out.

What I appreciate most about his channel is you come away from a five minute Youtube break with an actionable, easy to implement technique in the studio. Creativity ensues; thank you sir!