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Undrig wrote:Once you go about setting up a sub bass patch, what process do you use to modulate it within a tune? Is it something primarily done within the arrange window of the sequencer, something done internally within the sampler perhaps? Maybe a little bit of both?

I tend to find myself stuck with destructive audio bits that I can't go back and change due to (much like yourself) having a barebones machine.

Your idea of using mutisamples at diff root notes made from soundforge gave me an idea of making slight modulations to the sounds and coping those sounds to different velocities within the sampler as well.


Also, what do you make of how tunes like yours and guys like full spektrum, sully, scanone and the like fit within the confines or what people might consider the "dubstep scene". You and many others are all bringing something unique to the table that really blurs the lines and catches people offguard in a good way. Showing people music with an emphasis on low end doesn't have to be either strictly couch spliff jams or wonky transformer sodomy. Cheers!

Tbf, I never modulate the sub, it's normally just straight, with whatever's on top having the modulation. I have in the past done it a few times where i just set an lfo to the volume in the sampler itself tho!

It's a good idea to keep track of bounce versions, so you can go back a few stages if need be. I always save my project as a different number, rather than overwriting the same project so i can go back and rescue sounds/patches from previous versions!

I'm always a fan of original music and respect anyone who's doing their own thing so got a lot of respect for those who you mentioned!

legend4ry wrote:Well it seems I have gotten over my sleeping problem; cause you have a new fan.

Good to hear mate

drooka wrote:yoo, sorry to get away from the technical side of things for a minute, but i don think this has been asked yet. How'd you get into producing when you first started?

Kinda by accident mate. I dabbled a bit at school, but as time progressed I started meeting people who knew what they were doing, introducing me to the world of audio and fruity loops/rebirth. For me it was a logical progression from my old tascam 4track and boss drum machine!

I think as I lost patience with playing in bands I turned to cubase more and more, and then as I got more into electronic music and general chilling I found producing a lot more interesting than playing live with the bands!

blinkesko wrote:I'm just interested, what do you think of the "brosteppers" like Skrillex, Datsik etc?
Also, huge fan of you, Afterglow is amazing! Big ups for doing this

Well I always have respect for people doing what they want to in life and following their dreams. For me, I'm not really into the music. But if I was 15 and discovering drugs, alcohol and clubs for the first time I'd probably think it was awesome, and be having the time of my life so won't say what people think I will about it

deadly habit wrote:do you have a set template or process when you go from finishing a track to mixing it down?
oh and as always boxers or briefs?

Not really, I tend to freestyle each tune as it comes but i guess most times i'll get the drums and the bass sitting right together, even if they're not the most important parts of the track. I tend to do vocals last and make sure i've left enough headroom for them, so I don't have to do last minute adjustments on the other sounds!

Boxers!

Turnipish Thoughts wrote:What does your name mean? It's a pretty unusual name, is there any hidden meaning behind it e.t.c?

Also, I'm finding that the more tunes i make the more towards ambient type stuff I'm leaning and I've found that being involved in music producing communities has really influenced/effected me somewhat and confused my idea of the type of sound I'm actually trying to make. It took me a while to realize that i really do actually want to make chilled ambient stuff and not face melting dance-floor smashers, although i really like that type of stuff too.

At what point did you really begin to feel like you found your style in music production, what did you do to find and retain a unique sense of style in the music production world, did you find that there was anything at any point that got in the way of where you are now style wise, any 'red herrings' as it were, places you felt you wanted to go but found it just didn't fit where deeper areas of yourself wanted to go.

I'm at that point now, rather confused about exactly what it is i want to be making stylization wise which i find really hinders my sound choice process and commitment on/belief in a track. Do you have any tips on stopping being so flippant (/schizophrenic ) about your musical identity? I feel as growing musicians we all pass through that stage, it would be very enlightening to get insight from someone who has evidently passed that phase very successfully.

Majour big ups on the Q&A btw!

My name means nothing, I just liked the shape of the letters next to each other and knew that as I'd made it up it would help with registering a myspace and google searchs

Mate, always make what you feel like. Music is a form of self expression, so no one else can tell you what you should or shouldn't be doing. If you wanna make a banger followed by 20 chilled tunes, go for it! I appreciate that people want to convey a coherent sound, but at the same time, do what ever the hell you like, as the most boring musicians are the ones who cannot deviate from one sound. Even some of the heavier producers out there make the odd chilled tune, and I think its good for your general sanity to mix it up a little!

I'm not sure about finding my sound, i've always mixed it up. If you compare a track like In The Twilight to a couple of remixes I've got forthcoming, you would never presume it's the same producer. I definitely felt the pressure of trying to make more 'dubstep' tracks whilst getting my name out there, but the tunes I wrote when i tried that were just shite! Even the heavier tunes on Wheel and Deal weren't intentionally made as heavy tracks, just happened by accident. Just trust your instincts when making a tune, and let it go wherever it needs to.

If the differing styles is such a big issue, then I'd consider just doing them under different names. No one needs to know it's the same guy. If you did want people to know, then I reckon it's no issue doing it under one name. There's so many diverse producers out there, look at someone like DJ Madd. He makes proper sick heavy tracks, which kill it on the dancefloor, but some of the more chilled stuff or garage sounding stuff equally kills it. Don't feel like you have to make one thing and stick to it. I know producers who are so obsessed about what style they are, following sounds as they come and go, but they never get anywhere because they're always following others rather than just expressing themselves. I think people can hear in music if people are being honest with themselves musically, so just do what you want and don't worry too much about what labels apply to it!

props man! That's exactly what i needed to hear really. I do tend to make vastly different tracks and that's whats kinda thrown me as everyone I listen to always seems to have a really defined style and it's so evident that they have a very intimate and personal relationship with their own idiosyncratic collection of timbres, textures and vibes, where as I'm still floating around in the metaphysical void with so many options and inspirations, most of which being (at least right now in my ability) mutually exclusive on the most part.

So its people like you we look up to in times of self doubt, as proof that it really aint about adhering to the current cultural demographic, but forgetting it all and disappearing into a void of sound and thought.

phaeleh wrote:

vertx wrote:

phaeleh wrote:I highpass all my reverb quite aggresively (same with all sends) and also roll off the very top end, as if you're sending everything to it, it can get quite messy at the extreme ends of the frequency spectrum. The EQ curve kinda looks like an igloo if that makes sense

Yeah I hear you, and when you say aggressively what does that mean in terms of ballpark figures? say a 24db hi-pass and an 18db lowpass on the highs (of course depending on material)?

Er, not sure off the top of my head, probably rolling off from 100-500hz, but it looks like an igloo b2b roof of a london cab, that's about as technical as i get

Cheers!

My question is this: Why was your Outlook set so short??? It was one of the best sets of the festival for me, long blends, beautiful music, beach...

Also you have the nicest drums in the world. and the bassline from Plateau will never leave my head.

Am I allowed to double dip?

You're mentioning a lot emotional connectional to your music. I think most people will agree this is what music is about, but for me I either pour my soul into a song because I'm miserable, and then have my parents calling me after listening to the song to see if I'm ok, or I just fuck around and try to make a track that sounds cool. It seems to be hot or cold with me, and I'm always struggling to find a balance. So, when you're starting on a song, do you come up with an idea and think, "i'm going for this mood/this song represents this feeling I'm having right now," or do you kind of just come up with cool ideas and let the percieved emotion/vibe of the song reveal itself? How do you find this balance?

not a question.. but.

mad respect to you phaelah, you seem like a real down to earth guy.

Turnipish Thoughts wrote:props man! That's exactly what i needed to hear really. I do tend to make vastly different tracks and that's whats kinda thrown me as everyone I listen to always seems to have a really defined style and it's so evident that they have a very intimate and personal relationship with their own idiosyncratic collection of timbres, textures and vibes, where as I'm still floating around in the metaphysical void with so many options and inspirations, most of which being (at least right now in my ability) mutually exclusive on the most part.

So its people like you we look up to in times of self doubt, as proof that it really aint about adhering to the current cultural demographic, but forgetting it all and disappearing into a void of sound and thought.

Glad I could help man, just enjoy making the music you want to make and it'll be all fine!

vertx wrote:
Cheers!

No worries

Kochari wrote:My question is this: Why was your Outlook set so short??? It was one of the best sets of the festival for me, long blends, beautiful music, beach...

Also you have the nicest drums in the world. and the bassline from Plateau will never leave my head.

It was a complicated one man, I got a call a few hours before saying they wanted to move the set forward an hour due to power issues, which wasn't what I wanted to hear after spending the weekend telling everyone the set was at 7.

In the end the set started about 20 minutes early, and had about 10 minutes cut from it. So could have been a lot worse, but for people turning up at 7 they only got to catch 30 minutes

I know a lot of people have complained about this on the facebook page, so I think they're going to make sure it doesn't happen again next year. Think they're putting me on a different stage as well, but might try and get a beach set as well for the chilled stuff! Really glad you enjoyed the set though and a fan of Plateau, I definitely need to get on some more dubby tunes!

Manic Harmonic wrote:Am I allowed to double dip?

You're mentioning a lot emotional connectional to your music. I think most people will agree this is what music is about, but for me I either pour my soul into a song because I'm miserable, and then have my parents calling me after listening to the song to see if I'm ok, or I just fuck around and try to make a track that sounds cool. It seems to be hot or cold with me, and I'm always struggling to find a balance. So, when you're starting on a song, do you come up with an idea and think, "i'm going for this mood/this song represents this feeling I'm having right now," or do you kind of just come up with cool ideas and let the percieved emotion/vibe of the song reveal itself? How do you find this balance?

I think the songs just go where they want to. As i mentioned before, if i go in with any kind of plan the song soon ends up being pretty terrible. I think once a tune is rolling you can pick up on if it's going to be some kind of emo anthem or a rinseout monster, and then act accordingly to emphasise those things more.

I've always approached music in a different way to a lot of friends. Most people I know are quite scientific or calculated with it, by just tend to go with the flow and see what happens. Not sure that helps answer your question but the way I perceive it anyway!

Dataloss wrote:not a question.. but.

mad respect to you phaelah, you seem like a real down to earth guy.

Thanks man, whilst I can have my moments, I'm definitely a believer that just because you've have some music released on some round bits of plastic or do something creative, it doesn't give you the right to walk around like the queen of sheeba and suddenly give no one the respect which all human beings deserve! Tbf, pretty much everyone I've met in this genre are down to earth good guys, think they're just not as addicted to the internet as i am

RINSE wrote: going for a 2 in 1, abit cheeky, but whats your favourite remix done one one of your own songs?

Whoops, missed this one!

That's a tricky one, but I'm a big fan of the dBridge remix of afterglow because he's taken it somewhere completely different to the original!

phaeleh wrote: I'm definitely a believer that just because you've have some music released on some round bits of plastic or do something creative, it doesn't give you the right to walk around like the queen of sheeba and suddenly give no one the respect which all human beings deserve! Tbf, pretty much everyone I've met in this genre are down to earth good guys, think they're just not as addicted to the internet as i am

don't really have a question, just wanna say thanks for the q&a. nice read so far!

just here to say hi

So, after being familiarized with your sound; here are the things I am interested in knowing..


Can we get a screenshot of some drum arrangements/a fully sequenced track?


Listening back through those tracks you posted for me - I really love how much movement you have while still being quite half-step; fascinated by this! A lot of my drum tracks sound very stiff (though this has come part of my sound now and I like it) I have always been interested on how people get such natural sounding groove and vibes in their drums while still sounding sequenced - I think its a brilliant sound and who doesn't have love for well programmed drums.


Do you think its a lot to do with sound choice?


Also whats your favourite break-beat ? (mines Funky Drummer or NT)

Yo Phaeleh! What a great surpirse seeing a Q&A done by you!
First of all I recently discovered your music and I feel sorry, for my self, that I didn't find it earlier! I think your track If is my favourite song right now..
And now to the questions.

1. Do you have any superspecial tip to keep good variation in your drums throug a whole song, without loosing the original vibe?
2. The vocals you use in your tracks are possibly the best ones I've heard, what is the trick!?
3. Who is your favourite aspirng/underground/unknown producer?

Thanks! You're the boss!

Easy guys, I'm just in Holland for the weekend, so going to be a bit of a ball ache answering questions properly on my phone. Keep the questions coming and i'll get on the replies when I'm back in the UK

Big up mate! Thanks for the interview we did a while ago (hint)

I read the topic so far, but don't remember hearing about this one.

How do you deal with creative blocks and how often do you find facing one?

Cheers!

Phaeleh is in Holland at the moment, being the jetsetting mother fucker he is. I'm sure he's frantically trying to find internet access to answer all questions as we speak, but in the mean time please be patient.

x

A couple of questions from me. Firstly, how long does it take you to finish a tune? and... what do you use to sequence your drums?

Hey man, was wondering about developing your own musical style. How long did it take for you to develop, and how much of your sound has been influenced by other artists?

I'm just finding it difficult to develop an individual flavour to my songs, since I enjoy so many different types of dubstep and different styles of music and enjoy jumping around on producing different tracks...

How do you make a Phaeleh track Phaeleh? Is it something consciously done through use of similar effects chains/plugins and vsts as well as keys and drum patterns, or is it something done subconsciously and done regardless of the type of song or plugins and equipment?

Cheers for doing this man, I know you can't immediately respond but I'm keen to see your reply

love your tunes, thanks for making yourself available to this community!

How do you pronounce your name?