Music is for life..

Preiau si eu ideea de la K.ro si va dau o lista cu ce foloseste Storch in studio. CIne e Storch? Il stiti voi!

Mac 3 GHz Quad, Digidesign 64 Channel 192 I/O Icon Console (Pre-mixes, Mixes on Instruments),

SSL 9000J Console (Final mixes, Mixes on vocals, Mastering), Avalon VT-737SP Preamplifier/Compressor/EQ (Compression and EQ-ing used only on final mixes, mostly on vocals for singers, rarely on rappers)

Sony C800G Microphone, Genelec 1031A Monitoring System, Sony Systems MDR 700 Headphones

Yamaha Motif XS7 Keyboard, E-MU Vintage Pro module, Novation Super-nova Synth Keyboard, Roland XV 5080 Sound Module, Studio Electronics SE 1, Sound Art Chameleon Audio DSP Engine Module, Moog Voyager Synth Keyboard, SSL Duende DSP Engine, UAD Quad II Omni DSP Engine

Pro Tools HD (Tracking), Steinberg Cubase 4 (VST Hosting, Pre-mixes), Arturia MinimoogV VSTi, G Force Mellotron Pro VSTi, G Force Oddity VSTi, Native Instruments Elektrik Piano, NI B4 II, NI Kontakt 4, Bitheadz Unity, Digidesign Long Delay, Line 6 Echo Farm, EXS  Software Sampler, NI Battery 3, Antares Plugins, Waves Center, Waves Renaissance Plugins, TC Electronics, Spectrasonic Stylus Plugin, Atmosphere Synth VSTi, Trilogy Total Bass VSTi Module,  Focusrite Saffire Audio Interface, Akai MPC 2000 XL, Akai MPC 3000, Plogue Bi-Dule, Apogee AD 8000 AD/DA Converter

First of all, thank you for taking your time and putting the pen on the paper for us. It’s a real honor for having you chat with us.

1. So, I’mma start with the begining. How did you get in this awfully congested music production industry? Like, do you have a past in music and what got you started?

Well the earliest memory i have of music is at the age of about 7 or 8, being in the studio with my father, who was a producer, and playing on the piano (by ear) a classical piece that i heard in a cartoon once. I always said that i played the piano as a kid, but i didnt really play it, i just liked the piano so i told everyone that i played it… lol. anyway, once i figured out how to play that first bit of the classical piece my pops came bustin in the door like “who taught you to play that?”. I was scared i thought i did something wrong. Then i found out that he was extremely excited and proud of it. Moments later he taught me how to play “Lean On Me”. And from there i knew that music is what i wanted to do. Although i officially began playing at the age of 12 because thats when i really took it seriously.

2. What about the present, everybody knows how big you’ve hit them up with the T.I. chart-topper and I know you got a “hot banger” – as Sha Money XL said – on 50’s upcoming album, “Before I self destruct”. How did you get into working with the likes of T.I., 50, Young Chris and is having a manager, an important part of this?

Man yo having a manager was a major part of all of this. I have all my connects because of my first manager. even tho he did some bad business and we dont talk anymore i still dont regret meeting and doing business wit him. Long story short, My ex-manager introduced me to Young Guru which lead me to Just Blaze. And he also introduced me to Sha Money who got me the Tupac, Gorilla Zoe, and 50 placement. And from there i met more people throughout the industry but it all really came from meeting Young Guru, Just Blaze, and Sha Money.

3. I had to flip a coin for this question, and here it is, what are you’re tools of the trade and as a request from our users, what are you’re felling on the most known sequencers on the market? (Reason, Cubase/Nuendo, Ableton, FL Studio)

haha. I dont mind answering that at all. Infact i have an online live stream where i show people how i work and the tools that i use. But to answer your question I use Logic Pro. I find this best for me because i produce, mix, and record. Logic is great at all. I like Reason alot but Reason does not support 3rd party plugins or audio channels, so you cant record and you can only use Reason sounds and effects. I started off using Cubase, which was cool, but then i went to protools which i found more efficient. I havent used FL Studio, Ableton Live, or Nuendo.

4. This has had to come, also from a user request. Tell us how did that magic happened with the “Live you’re life” (it would be cool if you could share the tools used to make that song, if it’s ok to you), a song that sat were the chart was hanged on the wall for many many weeks. As a P.S., I know Dan Balan, here in Romania is pretty damn happy on the money, but he must hate Chris Brown, cuz he didn’t mai ia heed on the Grammy’s stage:))

lol. Well that came from a simple thought from Just blaze one night while we were in the studio. Just decided to sample song, and then i added some other instruments on top. Just Blaze used the MPC4000 and a Fantom. When i did my part on the brass and synths i used a combination of Logic/Fantom sounds. When it came time for me to do the strings on the record i turned to Logic because i have a specific group of string sounds that i use that have now become known as “Canei Strings”. lol. people can pretty much pick them out when they hear them. So after me and Just finished the beat, he wrote the hook and we both sang the parts, I did the high notes that Rihanna sings on the song. And Just did all the other parts. In Fact, on the recording you can still hear both me and Just still on the record behind Rihanna.

5. What do you think that music is missing right now? And I’m not just saying hip-hop…

hmmmm.. i think music is at a pretty good place right now. I was a little depressed about music about 2 years ago. But now i think it is more balanced with the mixture of pop/rock/r&b and everything else. Although, i do think that classic hip hop is the missing element. Hip Hop has changed over the years. Most of the hooks you hear now are singing hooks, everything is much more commercial/pop, and there arent as many groups/movements. What i mean by that is… where is our 2008 Wu Tang, or Rocafella, or G Unit, Tribe, De La, Run DMC, Outkast. I like to see groups come up and start a whole movement and just take over for a minute. But it seems as if that hasnt happened in a while. For the most part there has been single artists like Kanye, T.I., Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Young Jeezy. I cant wait for someone to put out a group like Wu Tang, that can take todays music and turn it into a movement of a new sound. but thats just with hip hop. Im pretty comfortable with everything else. Except if i hear another pop song with a 1 word title, and the word just keeps repeating through out the chorus. like Umbrella, Halo, Womanizer, Diva, and a whole damn long list of others, i think im gonna throw up.

6. Some words ’bout what you’re feeling at this time, producers, rappers, singers…

well, I feel like music overall is in a very good place. And this may not be the same for everyone, but for me i can listen to all types of music, so if i want to hear something with no Autotune then i’ll listen to some Alicia Keys, Musiq Soulchild (besides that song “Radio”), or Rock music. And whatever else im in the mood for im sure i can find it somewhere in the mix. The only thing thats slightly missing is some good ol soul sample or hardcore hip hop. Kanye just did a pop album. Autotune and all. and everyone else is dirty south for most part. Im looking foward to hearing 50, Eminem, and Dr Dre’s albums. When those come out then i’ll be satisfied.

7. Any tips that you can drop in how to make the mix sound better, make the drums more crispy and stuff?

yeah. First off. Producers all around the world… stop compressing your whole beat. It sounds terrible. lol. The problem alot of producers make is that they want there stuff to sound like its been mastered so they put a compressor on it and crush the hell out of it. it doesnt sound good. Also dont worry about having the beat super loud. This is another reason why they do this, to make the beat louder, but as long as you have a decent volume it can be turned up through the stereo/car system. A good mix is more important than a loud mix. remember that. There are a bunch of tips and tricks to making your stuff sound great but its there are so many things to mention. Thats why i have the Ustream show to teach people techniques. But overall, to make your stuff sound better, you have to have an ear for rich/well blending sounds to begin with. A mix engineer should clean up your song and blend it better, not reproduce your whole beat by transforming each individual sound. You have to start with good sound to begin with.

8. What’s your opinion on newbee’s? In the meaning of what they should do to get a good start on making music. Do you feel that musical and/or engineering education plays a important part of that?

I get this question alot. People always ask me how did i learn? what school did i go to? I didnt go to school for music or engineering and im just about completely self taught. As far as production and songwriting goes, music is not mathematical. When it feels good, you record it, thats how great records are made. The gift and curse of this business is that anyone can pursue a career in music. Thats why this industry is so congested. The bottom line is most of us will not “make it”, and some of us will be lucky and get in where we dont even deserve. For anyone who does take music seriously and is pursuing this career, know that school will help you when it comes to music theory, engineering, and knowing your equipment and how to use it, but creatively, you either have it or you dont. Going to school will help you build on your creativity and overall make you a better musician, But its either you have an ear for music, or you dont. It is the responsibility of the musician to know whether to make music a career or a hobby.

9. I had to ask this question and the next two. Have you heard of the Open Labs NeKo? (http://openlabs.com/). Whay a Mac and not this baby, wich does not have the issues of regular Windows OS?

Well i think altogether Mac has a great operating system. The major difference between the Neko, and having a macbook pro and logic is the size and traveling convenience. I cant travel all around NYC with a Neko on my back. Aint gonna happen. Also, i use Logic. Which is not compatible with Windows OS. Put it this way… you either buy a Neko, And keep it in your house, Or buy a Mac or PC (which might be a faster computer than a Neko) and a midi keyboard of your choice, which will still be less money than a Neko. And with a Mac or PC laptop you can use them for home use and everyday computer use as well. I just dont see why they made that Neko machine.

10. The virtual instruments are driving the world crazy. Some recommendations from your side?

I use alot of Logic stock sounds, but i also like Native Instruments sounds. The FM8, Battery, Kontakt, B4 has some great sounds. Also Applied Acoustic Systems makes the Lounge Lizard, Analog Factory, and String Studio which are all good. I use those more than anything else.

11. This is a question recently put into this kind of interviews. Sample or “from scratch”?

I prefer working from scratch because i like to have control over what i am doing. With a sample you might be limited to the chord arangement and rhythm of the original record. but when you do something from scratch you are unlimited. Although sampling will get you a feel that you wouldnt have been able to create by yourself. But, i am confident in my ability to create something interesting.

12. Thaks a very lot for your time and sharing of knowledge. Please drop some words on where can people find more about Canei Finch, his music, his awesome video blogs and where the hell can they get those drum kits that you make and whoom are pretty unique sounding.

No problem at all. Thank You! You can see my stream at www.ustream.tv/channel/caneitv
and here are my other links:  www.myspace.com/caneimusic
www.twitter.com/caneilive

Interviu realizat de Andrei “VST” Popa. ©2009, Kreuzet Blog.

Stia careva ca “Girl” a fetelor de la Destiny’s Child e produsa de Wonder?

Situl lui Needlz.

Jonathan “J.R.” Rotem works in his Los Angeles studio surrounded by a rack full of keyboards and walls covered with platinum records. And if recent history is any indication, he’ll continue to have trophies to hang for years to come; created with singer Sean Kingston, who Rotem signed to his label Beluga Heights, the song “Beautiful Girls” spent four consecutive weeks in the top spot of Billboard’s Top 100. Another sign of Rotem’s widespread success is on display in the foyer — a platinum ring tone plaque on the wall, complete with a platinum cell phone and seven-figure sales numbers. Having worked with everyone from Destiny’s Child to Britney Spears, Dr. Dre to Snoop Dogg, Rotem has established himself among the pop, hip-hop, and R&B production elite, though he has a background most of his contemporaries can’t claim: a youth spent in serious classical piano training.

Rotem was born in South Africa, grew up in Canada, and came of age in Northern California. He studied classical piano starting from age five, playing regularly in competitions and recitals. He concentrated on learning Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky; however, during that time, he became a fan of pop music and hip-hop, influences that would plant the seeds for his future career. When asked of his biggest classical influences, Rotem cites the masters, mentioning Bach, Stravinsky, and the Russian romantic and contemporary composers. But how did the promising young classical pianist make the transition to hip-hop and pop? Rotem recently unfolded the story for us in his Hollywood studio.

The Road to Production

“I came from a family that was very musical, but they were more into classical and jazz, obviously not so much hip-hop,” says Rotem. “And I didn’t grow up in Los Angeles or New York. I didn’t really have people around me that listened to it. But there was something — I was just very drawn to it. At first, when I was young hearing Run DMC’s ‘Raising Hell,’ never did I think I would have anything to do with that sort of music. It was more in ’93 when I heard Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, when the beats started to get more musical. I was like ‘Whoa, I really like the music going on here,’ and not just the rapping. But still at that point, I didn’t see how I would be involved.”

Once Rotem began attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, he discovered jazz. His original plan was to learn film scoring and he already had a grasp of the compositional process and the craft of MIDI sequencing. However, jazz took hold of him. “I became so immersed in the world of jazz that I forgot about the film scoring thing. I started practicing 12 hours a day to learn the art,” he says.

Rotem absorbed music from Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and many influential jazz pianists, but one in particular set him off: “The pianist that was the most shocking to me was McCoy Tyner and his use of fourths,” he says. “I had never heard music like that and that just became the most important thing to me. So in the course of being in Berklee, I transitioned into becoming a jazz pianist.”

Even as he studied jazz, Rotem remained a loyal fan of hip-hop, adding songs from that genre to the jazz performances for which he would subsequently become known in the Bay Area scene, post-Berklee. When he started producing, he relied on his own performance skills to perform tracks and thought he’d never have a reason to sample. But as it turns out, two of his biggest hits — “S.O.S.” by Rhianna and “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston — are both based on prominent samples. So what does Rotem think about sampling now?

“When I made the transition to truly being a producer, which to me means giving the artist, label, and public a hit record, I started thinking less from the ego standpoint of, ‘I have to compose it and I have to play it. Let me show you my chops on keyboard!’” he says. “It was more like, ‘Okay, what would make for the ultimate hit?’” Rotem replayed the keyboard hook on “S.O.S.” himself using a Roland Juno-60, rather than keeping the original, however.

The Producer’s Rig

In his studio, Rotem relies heavily on an arsenal of keyboards that flanks him at his mixing desk. These include a Yamaha Motif XS8, Korg Triton and Radius, a Roland Fantom-XR and V-Synth, and an Akai MPC2500, plus a host of rack-mounted gear. Most of the sounds he uses come directly from the keyboards rather than soft synths. “I’m just more comfortable on keyboards,” Rotem says. “I like scrolling through the sounds. They’re not buggy. Coming from the jazz world and classical piano, I can still feel the latency on soft synths, even though it’s small.” Rotem’s operation isn’t hardware only, though. “I might start getting inspired playing,” he says. “I’ll pull up a piano sound and if it’s a pop ballad with a very exposed piano, I might then either layer or replace the sound with a soft synth.”

The Yamaha Motif is Rotem’s main production axe, though he has logged many years as a Korg Triton devotee. “One of the most important things I learned from production is to not have all your sounds come from one keyboard,” he says. “One of the ways to get things to sound big is to combine sources. Yamaha has a certain kind of texture to it, Korg has a different one, Roland has another one. I never like to have everything come from one keyboard. However, having said that, I would say that [the Motif] has a lot of stuff. The pianos are incredibly realistic. The electric pianos are great. The organs are amazing. It has a lot of synth-type sounds that I use that I can’t find in other things. One of the patches from the Motif that I can’t beat it is called Sweet Flute. It’s an amazing sound.”

Though Rotem likes the breadth and realism of the Motif, he sometimes prefers the Triton’s digital edge. “It’s got wilder sounds to it, especially in the percussion,” says Rotem. “I like a lot of the string sounds in it.”

How does the producer begin using his tools to build a hit? “I’ll start stacking the beat,” he begins. “Again, one sound from every keyboard — a four- or eight-bar loop or something similar. Then once I have the meat and potatoes of it there in MIDI, I track it all into audio. So now I have four- or eight-bar audio loops. I put plug-ins on them so I’m sort of mixing as I go. Then I cut and paste, and start adding more layers to it, which usually I do in MIDI for the purpose of being able to edit or quantize first. I then immediately bounce everything into audio. I don’t just do it in MIDI and then call up the sounds.”

For making beats, Rotem uses a classic MPC2500 sampler, but not as the brains of his operation. “The majority of hip-hop and R&B producers use this as the centerpiece of everything,” he says. “They sequence MIDI through it, they sample all their drum sounds, and all that kind of stuff. For me, I treat it as basically a drum module. The type of drum sounds that you can get from keyboards — there’s a limit. They’re going to end up sounding cheesy if you rely only on them.” Rotem appreciates the ability to trade sounds and tweak samples, and has his MPC hooked up via MIDI to his keyboards, through which he does all his sequencing in Pro Tools. “I’ll sequence stuff in Pro Tools in MIDI and then record it into audio,” he says. “I don’t even play the MPC’s drum sounds off the pads. I’ll play off the keyboard. I’ve always been a lot more comfortable that way.”

What roles do Rotem’s other axes play in the production process? “This is a really cool keyboard,” he says, referring to his Korg Radius. “Before this, I used the Korg MS2000, which I still have. I was looking for a wild keyboard to give me more analog stuff, very edgy, techno-y sounds and arpeggiation — things like that. To be honest with you, I probably don’t tap into a fraction of what these keyboards can do, especially a keyboard that’s this tweakable. I love a lot of the presets on it. There’s this one sound — I have to admit one of the songs of recent times that really influenced me was Justin Timberlake’s ‘My Love.’ So I found [the synth sound featured on that song] on here. I probably use it way too much. It’s called Visualizer. I use it for leads, basses, and things like that.”

Rotem also recently purchased a Roland V-Synth GT in a quest for new sounds. “For me, new patches are just essential to be inspired when making new tracks,” he says. “I’ve always needed a steady supply of new sounds, because that’s probably the most inspirational thing for me when I compose. So I listened to this and there’s just no keyboard like it. The sounds are very complex and textured.” Rotem also finds the Fantom-XR to be indispensable, using it mainly for pianos and lead sounds. “It’s like the Motif and the Triton. It’s an everything kind of module. But again, it’s very important for me to use sounds from different manufacturers.” For realistic Mellotron sounds, Rotem uses the GForce M-Tron soft synth; he also utilizes Synthogy Ivory when he needs a realistic piano sound. “Sometimes it’s even a little too realistic,” he says. “In certain kinds of productions, that kind of realism doesn’t blend well, but in times when the piano really needs to be exposed and you want it to sound real, Ivory is pretty incredible.”  Despite his heavy rig, Rotem leans acoustic as well; he has a Yamaha C2 in his apartment to keep his chops up and to help him unwind.

N.R.: “We don’t even use a console,” he explains. “I have all the keyboards plugged directly into a [Digidesign] 96 I/O, and they’re just recorded directly into the computer, so it’s completely digital.” On “Beautiful Girls” and other tracks, Rotem sometimes relied on the Antares Tube plug-in to “dirty up” the sound, as well as IK Multimedia’s Miroslav Philharmonic soft synth for his strings. “The song is based on ‘Stand By Me,’” he continues, “but I used Miroslav to replay the string lines, then I filtered them in a way to make them sonically believable with the sample.” A combination of Waves Renaissance EQs and Focusrite Red preamps gave Rotem the vintage sound he wanted.”

(nota aditionala preluata din Remix Magazine)

Navigating the Business

Though J.R. is into making records, he realizes how strongly the market is currently geared towards singles. “These days, the whole way people are buying and listening to music — and even recording music — is completely different,” he says. “People’s attention spans are not what they were. Before, I remember buying an album, putting on headphones, zoning out for an hour — it was a day experience. Now, kids can just flip from one song to the next with iTunes. It’s definitely a singles game.” And it’s a game he plays better than most. “Nowadays, to be truthful with you, I’m not too excited about any song that doesn’t become a single because people are buying a lot less albums. So the album cuts and the continuity have become less and less important. Obviously, CDs are going to become extinct like cassette tapes are. The format is going to be files. It just makes more sense.”

Even so, Rotem holds out hope for the album’s survival as an artistic format. “I hope that it does endure, because the albums that I like, even as a producer, are the ones that have continuity,” he says. “For instance, Quincy Jones doing all of Thriller or George Martin producing an entire Beatles album. I love that. That’s why the type of artists that I sign to my label, like Sean Kingston — I wasn’t interested in making a lot of money off him, or producing just two songs on the album and delegating the rest of it to other people. For me, it was like, ‘I love this, I’m inspired by it, and I’m doing the entire album.’ So I love the concept of the cohesive album. There are intros on [Sean Kingston’s] album and continuity. Is it as appreciated as it would have been ten years ago? No. It’s tough to know where it’s going to go.”

Other Gigs

It wasn’t so long ago that Rotem played piano for a living, albeit a meager one. Years ago before he was a producer, he played at a Nordstrom’s, which taught him a lesson or two in humility. “That was really not a fun gig,” he says. “I had to wear a tuxedo. I had to play there for very low pay. The thing that was the most morally humiliating — I’m a very creative person, and they obviously want you to play at a very low volume level. Not even just volume, but the type of chords that you use. It’s a very corporate kind of environment. I would have a crowd of people around me listening, but my manager would tell me, ‘You really need to tone it down.’ So it squashes your creativity. I understand where they’re coming from. They’re hiring you for an ambiance and not necessarily for the art of it. But for me, that was tough.” Rotem also had a stint playing piano on a Carnival cruise line right out of Berklee. “That really sucked,” he says. “I thought, ‘I’m going to get on a cruise ship and I’m going to get good food and all this stuff,’ but they treat the musicians like third-class citizens. You’re playing very bad versions of Broadway shows and things like that. That was not a fun gig.”

Luckily for Rotem, his current gig is not just fun but creatively fulfilling. As Rotem puts it, “I’m very blessed, to be honest with you. When I look at my life, there isn’t anything that I’d rather be doing. I just want to continue doing what I’m doing, and get better at it. It’s an infinite craft and art, making hits. I love coming in here every day and creating.”

Interviu realizat de Robbie Gennet pentru si preluat din Keyboard Magazine. ©2009, Toate drepturile rezervate autorului si publicatiei.

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Latest News: In EXCLUSIVITATE, un interviu incendiar cu co-producatorul piesei “Live Your Life” interpretata de T.I. si Rihanna, domnul CANEI FINCH. Stay freekin’ tuned romanule!