Flatfoot Sam has been dabbling within the intricacies of music manufacturing ever since taking an curiosity within the Dance music from 18 years outdated. His profession started taking traction after the discharge of a number of vinyl hits within the early ‘90s, which distinguished his love for the dance music trade and cemented his picture within the scene. His admiration for dance music has trumped each different style that the scene has to supply, Flatfoot Sam has all the time been beguiled by the sweetness and emotion conveyed by the artwork of digital dance music. We caught up with Flatfoot Sam for the most recent suggestions and methods on music manufacturing:
Do you assume that it’s important to have the ability to play an instrument or to have the ability to know music idea first earlier than studying find out how to produce?
Howdy, properly truly no, not important however helpful. I truly wrote three tunes earlier than I realised, I ought to in all probability get to know music idea. I did a mash-up of two tunes with the vocals from one and the riff from one other. It appeared to work properly, and folks appreciated it and it practically acquired signed however I fluked the 2 as a result of they had been in a distinct key however a sympathetic one to one another. The man on the report firm was going onto me about altering this, that, and the opposite in an F minor – or no matter he was saying – and I realised I used to be out of my depth. You are able to do so much by your ear however I feel to advance, that you must decide up some fundamental idea and there are many locations you may on-line.
Are you able to recommend any good YouTube channels or blogs for individuals to be taught from?
Sure, there actually is an abundance of individuals doing helpful and funky stuff for zip all on the market. Will Darling does a very good channel protecting fundamentals as much as superior stuff, a NZ man runs a channel below the identify Collective Intelligence which covers a load of stuff, however he’ll take you thru the method of writing a tune from begin to end which helps massively. You could possibly spend a 12 months watching what’s on the market and nonetheless solely have gotten midway by – it’s useful to get some fundamentals down after which begin trying to find specifics like “how do I side-chain?” or “kick and bass stability”, or extra importantly, “The place is the closest store that sells Guinness at the moment of evening”.
What are some dangerous habits new producers ought to attempt to keep away from?
I take into consideration perhaps not ending stuff or doing the identical factor on a regular basis. Take a few of your whole time, perhaps 20% or so and spend it studying new software program or methods. Continue to learn; the subject is huge, and it’s a lifelong journey, so get cracking…
How do you spark your creativity?
A great deal of methods, perhaps I hear a monitor, perhaps I get an concept, or typically taking part in with riffs and sounds on the pc. When you begin jamming stuff, you may hear what sounds cool and what doesn’t. Whether it is getting stuffy and never working, stroll away – go exterior, drink Guinness, do one thing else and are available again.
Which plug-ins are finest to make use of?
LFO instrument is certainly one of my favs for straightforward side-chaining kind stuff or gating or typically screwing round with a sound. SPAN is insane, it’s a visible mixing instrument and is borderline legal that it’s free. You have to love an arpeggiator too, proper? My staple synths are Spire, Sylnth, and Serum.
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What’s your recommendation on sampling?
Go nuts and pattern something you need and fiddle with it. The good factor about dance music is the dearth of boundaries and the heritage of sampling is what made dance music so cool. I like discovering out the place samples got here from. “WhoSampled” is a depraved app that tells you what got here from what tune. A lot goes again to Hip Hop – so influential.
What are the important expertise {that a} producer ought to work on first?
Have enjoyable and put some concepts collectively however attempt to be taught the precise method to cope with the weather as you go so you might be doing it proper from the get-go. Find out about bass, study drums and the way they work collectively, and be taught from a number of sources so you may see it for your self. In the end, crucial factor is having good concepts so work on these and hearken to a great deal of music and make psychological notes about what you discover cool and learn the way they do it.
What gear would you recommend a newbie to purchase?
Assuming you have already got a good PC or MAC then it’s the software program to run the sequencing. If you happen to get one thing respectable like Ableton, then it has huge quantities of built-in synths/plug ins and so forth. so after that preliminary outlay of money, theoretically, you don’t want to purchase an excessive amount of extra for a while while you be taught your expertise.
Which a part of a music is finest to begin with?
I’m positive everyone seems to be totally different. For me, usually kick and bass and get a groove on after which a good chord development. Generally I would hear a melody first and must get that down. Possibly a pattern kicks off some inspiration.
What recommendation was you given whenever you first began out?
I’d like to be insightful right here for others, however I don’t bear in mind any. Family and friends are all supportive, however I don’t bear in mind Mr. Miyagi-like recommendation from anybody. My recommendation to anybody beginning out is simply love your obsession. It’s a privilege to be into one thing really to the purpose of forgetting to eat. That’s my yardstick, something that stops me consuming is fairly particular.
