Electronic Music Producer

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

A: "I'm Already Yours" by Blu Garcia. I sent out a demo to her once and she was dissatisfied with it when we met in person for vocal recording, so on her dining table I produced a new arrangement for the song in less than 30 minutes, and she loved it. This collaboration of ours is her most streamed song on Spotify and my most streamed project as well, with over 75,000 listens as of this writing.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: As of July 2024 I'm working on an ambitious birthday project.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I almost always choose digital as equipement is cheaper and more accessible, and, with advancements in technology, the song quality found in streaming services and digital stores have been hi-res as of late.

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

A: I bring the best outcome to your projects, in a cost- and time-efficient manner, all while keeping the songs' quality intact and making them relevant for several years to come.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love communicating with clients to satisfy and go beyond their expectations, and I am blessed that they happen most of the time. It is lovely to see their reception and feedback on our collaborations especially months or even years after the songs have been released. It goes to show that music should be as timeless as possible so that it doesn't get lost in history.

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

A: Sometimes I get mistaken for having a huge setup of a studio. I work on a "budget" room—this is influenced by making the instruments/arrangement on my projects as minimalist as possible, so I work as lean as possible.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What is your budget, and, if you can't afford it, how much are you willing to negotiate? How much does this song mean to you and your image as an artist? What kinds of inspirations, emotions, thoughts, and influence are you willing to show through this song?

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

A: Be as complete with your request as possible, but also give the produce creative freedom to bring the song to its fullest potential. While producers are usually hired to make your song marketable, do not be afraid to remind the producer you're the one who will actually market the song and carry it throughout your lifetime as an artist.

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

A: When I started producing, I was still in university studying psychology and sociology, which shaped my perceptions and beliefs about the self, society, and the world. My beginning in production was in 2014, so it has been more than a decade already since I started picking up my MIDI keyboard, microphone, and DAW. After that I worked in corporate for a few years. Although I do plan to make production as my main source of income, I also want to concurrently study in graduate school and finish it by 2030, more or less.

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

A: If I had to choose one well-known artist, it would be BABYMETAL. Their sound marries my influences of my favorite genres, and I want to make a huge contribution to their discography by making a heavy metal collaboration with heavy electronic and dance styles. Their flexibility in genres as a kawaii metal band shows their openness to risk-taking in the music industry and I want to be a part of that as well.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: A common practice of mine in composing and arranging includes making the sound as thick as possible in every instrument while using as few instruments as possible. This habit comes from my emo-rock/post-punk influence, especially because they usually only use vocals, one or two guitars, a bass guitar, and a drum kit. To thicken the sound, I add miscellaneous instruments that have a looping sound that are panned extremely left or extremely right on the stereo spectrum, and I also thicken it by arranging instruments as spread out in the frequency range as needed. For example, instruments would be assigned in different frequencies, such as a bass guitar or saw bass from 100 Hz downwards, then mid-low pads, mid to mid-high melodies and sustained chords, and high lead synths. Finally, the song can be thickened through the mix and the master; however, as an ironic move, I make attempts to maximize limiting by focusing only on the loudest part of the song (usually the final chorus or drop), so that the dynamics is still intact while making the as loud as possible without much distortion.

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

A: I work on electronic and dance music whose tempos can vary from 95 bpm for slow tracks, 110–135 bpm for many of my tracks, and 150–200 bpm for fast future bass- and drum-n-bass-inspired tracks.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My biggest assets include composition and vocal tuning. My manner of composing is largely based on Japanese and western rock music, usually dependent on the four-on-the-floor style that is common in electropop and house music. Specifically, chord progression, melody, and extra instruments are my strongest suite, with attempts to make melodies and chords as least repetitive as possible with the purpose of avoiding boring and lulling listens.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: My songs usually have a bright sound with a bit of warmth for better bass. Through the influence of Japanese producer Yasutaka Nakata, I tune and harmonize vocals to my best. However any vocal track is tuned or harmonized is usually my decision. For many of my own works I tune it heavily, nearing the similarity of an overly processed singing robot voice, but on client work, I do as minimal tuning as I can at client's request.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: For my personal work, I compose and arrange first. Then I fit my singing by writing and recording according to the already-prepared instrumental. Once that is done, I edit the project by reworking on the tracks and vocals as seems befitting. After that I mix the project then master the track with testing across different sound systems. For external client work, clients usually already have a basic idea with lyrics/recording, composition, and arrangement, typically with a "peg" or inspiration as well. Once the collaboration is agreed upon, I ask the client to pay half of the professional/talent fee upfront. I bring the song to life by tweaking composition and arrangement and creating an atmosphere that fits well with its overall message and theme. Then I mix and request for any feedback. After all of that, I master the track and test it on various sound systems. Once the client has no further requests, questions, or feedback, the client fulfills the remaining payment and I send them out the final lossless file(s) (.wav and/or .flac). Sometimes I may remix the song with my own version at my discretion with no additional cost.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio setup is small and bedroom-based. My machine is a Mac mini installed with Logic Pro and iZotope. I use an Arturia Minilab for my MIDI keyboard and Focusrite for vocal recording.

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

A: My biggest influence in music production has been Japanese producer Yasutaka Nakata, having collaborated with countless number of artists in Japan and internationally. But, I was first truly interested and inspired by pop rock bands of the '00s such as Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Paramore, among others; they have greatly influenced my lyric style especially with heavy usage on metaphors, irony/sarcasm, and personal experiences such as relationships with friends, family, and loved ones. Other influences include LE SSERAFIM, Porter Robinson, Madeon, and Charli XCX.

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

A: Most of my client work include composition, arrangement, mixing, and mastering. I also get hired for lyrics and vocal editing/tuning.