This Goes Hard, Alex on SoundBetter

I've built a decent catalog with upcoming Toronto rapper, DillanPonders. We've built a sound around thumping drums and trippy melodies. I've also worked with two more underground artists in Toronto, perfecting sad-boy trap soul.

I specialize in beat making, producing, & drum programming as well as background vocals and mixing. I've been producing rap and pop for 5 years and have a Bachelor's of Science in Audio Production from Middle Tennessee State University. I also sung in choirs and praise teams for most of my childhood, which helped develop my musical ear as well as my sense of harmony.

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Interview with This Goes Hard, Alex

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I'm very proud of "Speak Easy", the album that Dillon Matheny and I co-released. I produced, programmed, and performed on all of the record. I also wrote two of the songs on the project.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I just released a solo beat tape. I'm currently working on DillanPonders' next album, a project with an artist named Castlx as well as writing and producing solo EP.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. There is a beauty, texture, and sound with analog gear that can't be exactly replicated in the digital world, but digital has become streamlined and almost indistinguishable from its analog counterparts.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I promise to be receptive, diligent, and creative.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Being able to take one tiny idea/feeling and flesh it out into a whole track.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: Because it is fast, it's easy and cheap.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: "What vibe are you going for?" "Do you have any reference tracks?" "What groove are you looking for?"
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: If you don't like loud drums and huge low end, don't hire me.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Literally everything I need to make music: laptop, charger, interface, headphones, midi keyboard.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been making music since I was fourteen, but I didn't find production until I went to college for engineering. I feel in love with the process of making a song and haven't stopped since.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Weird slappy shit your mom won't like
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Dead, I would choose Mac Miller because he is one of the artists who inspired me to make music. Alive, I want to have a session with Young Thug, both to make heat but also to watch his process. I also want to have dinner with John Mayer and pick his brain, but I don't know if that counts.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't assign anything to what you're creating; let the idea flow out completely and refine it later on.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Hard and soft rap
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Drums and arrangement for sure
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring banging drums, weird textures and melodies, as well as an in-depth knowledge of song arrangement and production.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: When I create by myself, I start by finding a sound that inspires me, whatever that sound may be. Most cases, I find a synth/instrument sound I like and build a pattern around the individual sound's timbre and mood. From there, I find similar sounds to flesh out the whole vibe melodically, then write bass parts around that loop. Depending on the beat, it could be an 808, sub bass, or live bass. Next, I move to the drums. Once I've completed a loop I like, I arrange and mix it. If I work with a musician, I find a drum groove and sounds that inspire them and help start the writing process. Once we find an idea we like, we build as we go.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I run a very simple in-the-box rig. I have Ableton Live on my MacBook Pro, which I run using a UAD Apollo Twin. I also have a host of plugins from iZotope, Slate Digital, and UAD.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: My influences range from Mac Miller, J Dilla, Kenny Beats, Jetsonmade, Future, Key! to Jon Bellion, George Benson, and John Mayer. That mixing pot somehow produces weird trap music.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I make trap and melodic beats for rap artists as well as produce full tracks with pop and rap artists. I'm known for my crushing low end and textures.