TOP DOWNLOADS
Top 10
10 questions with Martin Eyerer
Martin Eyerer's minimal tech-house cuts have appeared on labels from Renaissance to Toolroom. He takes to the S2S hotseat to talk about everything from living room monitoring to the secret of long-term success.
With releases on the seminal Kling Klong, Renaissance and Toolroom labels, Martin Eyerer has sealed an international reputation for his unique brand of groovy minimal-infused tech-house. He has remixed and collaborated with the likes of Gui Boratto, Robert Babicz and Oliver Koletzki and is also responsible for the second instalment of the hugely successful Riemann Kollektion, available exclusively on Sounds/To/Sample. We track down the Teutonic tech-houser for a brief chat ahead of his Mexican tour...
What is the key ingredient for a track? Breakdown? Style of production? Bassline?
There's no real key ingredient. It can be anything. It just has to be something that makes the track stand out in its own unique way. It can be a breakdown or a bassline, or it can be a sample used in a special way, an interesting vocal or, sometimes, just outstanding production values.
Do you mainly use analogue or digital soft synth sources? Do you think analogue really makes a difference?
I use both, and get the best of both worlds. What I like about analogue gear is that it gives you the feel of a real studio: I love the knobs on real gear and the feel that I'm not just sitting in front of a laptop. I love the sound too. I believe there's a fairly obvious sonic difference between analogue and digital, with some machines, like the Lexicon 480L or a Manley tube compressor. At the same time, digital plugins offer loads of advantages. Plugins are sounding more and more like their analogue originals and you have the choice of total recall at any time. My DAW of choice is Cubase 5, though I sometimes use Ableton 8. I have a lot of Native Instruments software and the UAD and Powercore plugins. I also own plenty of analogue gear such as the aforementioned 480L, a Studer tape machine, Amek compressor and various Roland goodies. What makes a bigger difference to my ears is analogue mixing. I use 16 Neumann channels for the mix and I highly recommend that.
Any arrangement secrets you wish to share with us?
I have no secrets. I just do arrangements as and how I feel them on the day. No two tracks are the same.
What sounds do you find are the hardest to create from scratch?
I don't find anything to be impossible. It really has to do to with your creativity or how inspired you feel. Some days you're very creative and you can easily make the sound you're after - transferring what's in your head into the computer. On other days it doesn't flow so easily.
How do you see the dance music industry developing over the next two to three years?
Commercial dance music with all its facets will always be there. At the moment vinyl sales are decreasing, as many people predicted, and this could end in labels stopping vinyl production (if they haven't already). Legal downloads need to rise in number - otherwise it could dramatically decrease the quality of music. For sure, there was big money in the nineties, which I don't think we'll ever see again, but there's always a market for underground dance and I think there will always be business models that create money from it.
Any advice on monitoring? Quiet? Loud? Do you prefer flat and boring speakers, headphones or big, phat and chunky monitors?
Monitoring too loud has the same effect as monitoring too low: you'll get a wonky mix. They say listening to stuff at 100 dB is perfect, but I would say listen at a volume you feel comfortable with. At the end of the day, what counts is the final mix. If your monitors are not 100% flat - which very few are - or your room has acoustics problems, then you must invest time in getting to know your listening environment inside out. Get to know how commercial mixes sound in your own setting and replicate the sound of these mixes for your own tracks. I know guys using hi-fi monitors in their living room and they do a great job. This is because they know their system. I personally use the Dynaudio Air 15s with sub. They sound very clear, linear and have enough volume to get a club feel when I want to push them. I've tried to mix on headphones loads of times and I've failed. Because I travel a lot it would be really helpful if I could do some pre-production on the road, but I find it impossible. I need my Dynaudio system in my studio room to get good results.
How important do you think it is to have your music mastered commercially? Can you do it yourself as effectively and what tools would you recommend?
The main idea behind mastering is that you get someone else to check your track with different ears, in a different room and with access to top-end gear to push your mix the extra 5%. Of course it's impossible to polish a turd, but a great mastering engineer can make good, well produced material sound a lot better. If you've got the money to pay for a mastering job, then I would say do it. Also, a good tip is to record two masters when you finish a track. One should be a mix that's not pushed too hard that can be sent for mastering. The second mix you can master yourself, really driving it to the limit so that you can send it to DJs straight away. Sending the same heavily limited mix to a mastering engineer will waste your time and money: an already processed premaster is nearly impossible to work on.
Have you got any advice for aspiring young producers out there?
First of all, create your own style. This may take a while, but there is too much stuff that is programmed to sound like something else. Long-term success comes if you develop your own sound. Secondly, learn the tools of the trade. Learn the essential skills of a producer: don't just shove a few loops together and hope for the best. Aim always to deliver unique tracks with amazing production values.
Describe your typical workflow on a track.
I usually start with a sample that inspires me, or some vocals or a bassline. I never use templates. I always build my groove from scratch in order not to sound the same or follow the same formula for every production.
What do you believe is the secret to your success as a producer?
It's definitely a mixture of knowing how to produce (in the traditional way), continually refining my skills and also willing to progress. I'm still reading books and I try to get better with each track, always aiming to stay ahead of the game. It's vital to stay up-to-date with what's happening out there musically. My travels really inspire me too, helping me to discover new sounds and ideas.
_________________
More from Martin: www.martineyerer.com and www.myspace.com/martineyerer
(c) 2009 Sounds/To/Sample