I make music to inspire

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: When producing, I always begin by taking time to come up with something unique to serve as the song's foundation. Anything can be used, from a guitar riff to a melody or sample, as long as it envokes the right feeling in me. I find that as long as I have a strong foundation, the track will lead me down the right path by itself. From here, I’ll start adding layers of components, refining the sound and constructing the arrangement. If all the components sound well individually, that's a solid indicator I’m on the right track. When it comes to mixing, I work in limited time periods, so as not to overwork a project. My outline for a session usually begins with a 20 minute mix, doing some rough adjustmens to the overall levels, followed by further adjustment in mono using eq and compression to make all elements clear and audible. After this i switch back to stereo to work with reverb and delay, where my goal is to fill out the empty spaces in the mix. From here, I pull in a reference track to get some context before continuing with final automations and minor tweaks. My philosophy for mixing is the same as for production. You can always add more, and make more tweaks, but you will eventually get to a point in the production or mix where there is nothing you would want to remove. Then you know you're done.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I recently collaborated with a singer and songwriter called Sara Sangfelt under the name Scarlett on a track called Timeless Days for my newly launched artistname Blank. My role as an artist, producer and songwriter involved producing and mixing the song, as well as writing the story for the lyrics. I am very proud of this project since I believe we all had a shared understanding of what we were trying to accomplish from the start, and everything went smoothly. The outcome was awesome!

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm currently working on a track with a producer from Norway named MISBHV. We've mixed strings and guitar to come up with an insanely catchy melody. I'm very excited to release this song, which is more in the pop genre than my usual songs.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: I've had the great fortune to collaborate with the incredibly talented singer-songwriter Sara Sangfelt. If you need lyrics and vocals for your song, I would certainly recommend her. She does a fantastic job.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog hardware is great because it gives a warm feel to the song that is difficult to reproduce digitally. But there are many good VST plugins with sampled instruments and analog synths which works exceptionally well. I use both, but of course it depends on the sound the client is trying to achieve.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I believe that you get back what you give in life. My promise to my clients is that I will do my very best to bring your vision to life and that I will always be honest with you because that is what I expect others to be with me.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Nothing can replace the feeling when I send off a finished project that I’ve put everything into, and the customer loves it. Helping others succeed is the core of my values, and makes me feel like I’m doing something right. It's also worth mentioning that this job gives me the chance to massively increase my skill set and learn from others. Because I know that putting up my best effort will move me closer to my goals, this encourages me to do my best in every project.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: I am often asked about turnover time, which is usually a week for production and mixing.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: Many musicians have the misconception that they can only create when they are inspired. Well, you can either choose to be a professional musician, or just play music as a pastime whenever you feel like it. The professional on the other hand, makes promises and holds himself accountable for keeping them. Inspiration will come and go, so it's not easy, but a professional has to show up each and every day no matter what. "Action leads to motivation" is a saying I always keep in mind. Even if you don't feel like creating music, simply keep going; as soon as you start doing things that offer you fresh impulses, creativity will flow on its own.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My imagination is without a doubt my best quality. I can’t help but try new things in new combinations all the time. I always start new projects with a blank template, because while templates can be useful at times, I believe they can also limit your thinking. Since I'm always exploring new possibillities and testing out new things, I frequently stumble into really unique sounds, melodies and effects that give the song a truly unique feel.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I would love to work with Eric Prydz. His productions are uplifting, energizing, and inspirational. He's a talented producer, and seeing his process would have been a dream come true.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What story are you telling? Where can you imagine your song be played? Are you up for exploring new things, or are you looking for a commercial sound?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Spend some time outlining your vision clearly and expect nothing less than the best.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: That would be my notepad, pair of Genelec 8040 BPM, Universal Audio Apollo Twin X, Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S49 MK2, and my SM57 for recording topline ideas.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: In 2016, a friend introduced me to the FL Studio DAW, which allowed you to build your own beats. After downloading a pirated copy (don't worry, I bought it a long time ago), we started experimenting. It didn't take me long to master the fundamentals and begin producing and publishing music under the name Acan. As music began to take up all my time, I realized this was something I really had a passion for, and could make a career out of. After releasing over 50 songs under Acan for Norwegian listeners, I made the decision to begin a new chapter as an international artist, Blank. I was looking for a method to put my skills to use benefiting other musicians in the industry when I came across Soundbetter. Now i work as a producer, mixing engineer and songwriter at soundbetter, while also pursuing artistic projects under Blank.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style is deep, energetic and uplifting. For me, the rhythm is very important, which is why I aim to have a clear kick, with punchy drums and percussions to create a groove that fits the vibe of the song. To achieve a deep atmosphere, I like to use strings, pads, and ambient effects.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Keep it simple. Give the vocalist, mixing engineer and mastering engineer room to do their job. Not only will the result be better, but it will be much easier for the listener to follow along to the song.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I've worked with almost every genre over the years, but since club-oriented music really appeals to me, I typically work on deep house, UK house, tech house, progressive house, and house-pop.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I believe it's simple to tell when someone is giving everything they've got for something they genuinely care about. I’m proud to say that when I’m doing music, there is nothing else I should be doing. To the songs I work on, I bring a bunch of experience, maximum effort, authenticity, and a process of going on with creative art that I’ve been refining for years.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: In an acoustically treated space, I use a pair of Genelec 8040 BPM monitors, an Apollo Twin X from Universal Audio, and a Komplete Kontrol S49 MK2 Keyboard from Native Instruments. I fell in love with these monitors about 2 years ago, and they’ve been my go to monitors for mixing ever since. With many other speakers I’ve found that when I’m done mixing a track, and play it in my car, or other speakers, it seems to be something missing with the energy in the track. But when i do my mixing session on these monitors, the energy always carries on, which is what’s most important for me. 
As for the Apollo audio interface, it’s just very reliable. It has a clear sound reproduction, which gives me the ability to hear every detail in my music. My S49 keyboard is essential for me when producing. Early in my career, i was making melodies inside the DAW. It took some time for me to realize that for me as a producer, to achieve the best result, i need to feel the melody. And for me, the way to do this is by using a keyboard.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: My major influence are the brothers-based Norwegian duo KREAM. I admire how well they balance club music and emotion. Other inspirations are Diplo, Avicii, Rüfüs Du Sol, MK and Sonny Fodera.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Often, the client comes to me with an idea that needs to be developed. I do my best to understand where the client wants to go, and what’s needed to get there. From my experience working as a producer i usually have a lot of ideas i present to the client, and we take it further from here. My role as a producer and mixing engineer is to help and guide the artist with my technical skills, tools and resources to achieve the result they want. This can vary a lot, but usually consists of production, mixing, songwriting, finding vocalists, musicians and ensuring it’s all in line with the artists vision.