Andy Kay on SoundBetter

Having Worked in the music industry for more than a decade, and having ventured in Metal, Hardcore, and Electronic music, and sharing the stage with international acts, I can provide you with a lot of compositions, sound design and a lot more to write your own music and share it to the world.

Andy Kay first joined a lot of well known local bands before creating "Strungout", which was a melodic death metal band, that had been rising to fame in the local scene. Andy and fellow member Eli, wrote a lot of material for the band, but never released them officially, due to the constant attacks on the metal scene in Lebanon was receiving under the claim of being "Anti-Christian". In 2008, Andy joined the metalcore band "Before We Drop Dead", where the band was playing gigs from underground venues to some of the biggest stages in Lebanon. Before We Drop Dead played along international bands like No Longer Music, Bilocate, BLYND, and Relics Of Martyrs. Before We Drop Dead grew notorious in the hardcore scene. Due to ongoing clashes between the metal scene and authorities under the same claims as earlier days, most bands stopped performing, and Before We Drop Dead disbanded before a promised tour in the Middle East with Relics of Martyrs.

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Interview with Andy Kay

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: The Medusa Project (Mediterranean Tourism Campaign), I had to do all VOs, since the music was provided by the International NGO, even though i contribute to the instrumental, but I did work with the director on sound designing the narrator's voice to give it an interactive cinematic feel.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Releasing my solo debut album
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Im New Here!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both honestly, as a musician and a producer, I think both come in at the right time. Analog usually gives richer tones and more color, but you gotta know your sound first. Digital, is easy for touring, I had recently bought a DSP, to reduce cargo load when performing. Back then, we would carry a buck-load of gear for one gig/collaborative writing session, Digital comes in handy at most areas.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Delivering on time, and giving my best.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: It gives me a big canvas loaded with many options and outcomes.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: How did you do come up with this Bass drop? How did you write this riff? How did you write this melody? How are you this fluid in transitions? My answer is: " I'll just show you"
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The biggest misconception is seeing music production as easy to perfect.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What's the main purpose of your project?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Listen to his/her work, and try to find someone that speaks your language. Chemistry is everything.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My ESP Guitar, My HeadRush, My Minibrute 2, My Monitors, and a Hand Pan (Akebono)
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: My main career path is Petrochemicals and Plastics Manufacturing, but I have been in the music field for more than a decade.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Ethereal, Psychedelic, Melodic, Progressive.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Jan Blomqvist because to me this guy is a Genius!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Work on your identity and try not to copy others by giving your audience a part of you!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Techno, House, and Hardcore
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Writing catchy and unique harmonies and melodies.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Variations, Color, and Hooks!
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I start off with a writing a well established beat that starts off the pace of the song, and involve a dominant chord progression to give my project the main theme. After that, I start off with a bass line that accompanies the prime elements, and eventually give a thematic melody that takes off the song into a bigger canvas that later on establishes the story of that track I am working on.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: In my private studio, I have a professional isolated vocal booth installed with a variety of mics from Shure. I use an 2 X32 as primary mixing consoles, with an Arturia Audiofuse as a main sound card, and a Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 as a back up. I have synths from Arturia and IK multimedia, along with midi controllers from Arturia, Novation, and Native Instruments. I am also building a new studio for the corporate field, which will be done on a different scale, The new Studio will include a bigger live room and control room, along with a photography studio in another department. Our field of work will mainly consist of corporate work for brands in the form advertising and marketing media for their campaigns.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Andrew Wade, Howard Benson, Chris Lorde Alge, JB Brubaker, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Caleb Shomo, Toufic Aoun, Alex Stein, Victor Ruiz, Yalcin Efe, Bebetta, Soul Button, Nick Devon, Jan Blomqvist, Ben Bohmer, Rufus Du Sol
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I mostly do instrumentals for artists and bands, and send them for mixing and mastering to my partner to ensure maximum quality. I do venture into sound design for some artists if they want to add new sounds to the table. I also do help sometimes in writing lyrics for some of my clients.