Interface column

Judging the judge. (Dutch version below) The tension is evident on their faces. We've just listened to a track that was put together in an hour with blood, sweat, and tears, using a USB stick loaded with samples. I'm expected to say something meaningful about it. Constructive, honest, and with integrity—values I hold in high regard. Particularly when it concerns young producers participating in a competition where they can win a substantial prize package and a year of coaching. My male fellow jury members have provided technical feedback on EQ sculpting and frequency dips in the highs. They discussed how the mix sounds on speakers in a space not designed as a studio but where the walls usually drip with sweat during intense club nights. The participant looks at me expectantly. And I hear myself saying; how the music affected me, how the intro created an expectation that wasn't quite fulfilled, but that the use of the samples was original. The end of the track doesn't se...

  Video Tutorials: During my adventures with modular modules, I sometimes become somewhat uncertain about the following: I enjoy searching forums, watching tutorials, and conducting research just as much as actually getting hands-on experience with my modules. Sometimes, I wonder if I should spend more time on practical experimentation instead of losing myself in the world of information. Hoyte van Hoytema, a respected cinematographer who collaborated with director Christopher Nolan on films like Interstellar and Oppenheimer, shed light on this during a Zomergasten broadcast. He shared a retro video clip from 1970 featuring Wendy Carlos explaining the world of modular sound synthesis in a structured manner. Hoyte's appreciation for tutorials that combine creativity and technology made me realize that my fascination with research alongside practical experimentation isn't all that strange. An engaging discussion on the Modular Reddit forum revolved around the various elements tha...

Thanks Mind: You probably know them well, the unhelpful thoughts and feelings that arise when something is exciting or challenging. The negative voice in your head that tells you that you can't do it, that it's not for you, that others can do it better, that you're not technically capable enough, and that you should stick to what you already know and are good at. Recently, I embarked on a new adventure. After years of working in the box with occasional forays into hardware—only to hardly use it in my productions—I started with Eurorack, or rather 'Eurocrack.' Eurocrack, as in too addictive, where you go down the rabbit hole and there's no turning back. If this deters people from starting with modular systems, it's understandable. When people at modular events asked me why I hadn't started, I felt I was too busy with work and didn't have the funds to go down that rabbit hole. Yet, in hindsight, my inner voice, my mind, had a significant influence in h...