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Your name seems to appear on so many album sleeves - who
are some of the bands that you have worked with?
"I have worked on many projects including LionRock, Ladytron,
Olive, New Order, Circusgirls, John Foxx, BeeGees and Simply
Red (no laughing at the back)."
Over the years you have gathered vast amounts of both hardware
synths and software synths - do you personally think that the
software versions are as good if not better?
"Hmmm..... a tricky one that. I think that this year soft-synths
have really come of age. They sound so close to the originals
now it is unreal - my current favs being the Minimoog
V and CS-80 V."
"I love all the NI stuff too, but see those as a very good
studio toolkit (B4,
Battery and
Elektrik Piano
being my favs) but the best thing for me is the absence of hiss,
crackles and hum. The space saving is great too as is increased
polyphony, but best of all you can use as many instances as
taste and processor will permit. Worst thing is still the interface
though. You cannot beat the feel of a real control panel (come
on guys what happened to immersive virtual reality!!!)."
Arturia's Minimoog V and the CS-80V - a must have for any
producer?
"Hell yeah!!! These are truly fantastic instruments - not
just emulations."
You're using both Cubase
SX and Nuendo?
"I use the Steinberg platform for many reasons. The biggest
single reason is that whether its SX or Nuendo I know I can
get the session rocking ultra quick. These are the easiest systems
to actually compose with whether its with a live band recording
or sequenced stuff. I can open a new project, add my fav instruments
to the rack and be writing in two minutes.
Don't get me wrong, I do use other systems too and I do like
things with the other systems BUT when you are against the clock,
why should the program dictate what I am going (take note MOTU
and LOGIC) to do and not me? On Logic and DP it seems to take
forever (well ten mins) to get to a stage where I can start
using virtual instruments. This kind of thing really matters
to me AND THE CLIENT!!!
I also love the backwards compatability with older versions
of cubase and VST (I wonder if I can load Pro16 and Pro24 files???)
I love the fact that I can use virtually any file format that
a client sends me too."
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Steinberg's HALion sampler has been mentioned before, do
you think HALion
3 is now the ultimate sampler?
"I have had the pleasure of HALion 1, 2 and now 3. It is
a LOT better than ever. I particularly like the browse window
and the new FX and filters are a big step forward for me. The
benchmark IS Halion 3."
Any tips for producers as far as equipment and production
techniques are concerned? Come on, tell us your secrets!
"Best tip? Keep it simple. Its all about getting the song
across, NOT showing off your latest toys as a producer (although
I am often very guilty of this).
If you are "new school" (i.e. you have never used a 24 track
tape and a real mixer) try and learn a bit of old school methods
(I am talking about mic placement and technique etc)."
Will you be using Steinberg's V-Stack live now that it is
Mac compatible?
"Oh yes. Not had an appropriate chance yet though."
What projects are you currently working on, and for the
near future?
"I am currently producing an album for a Finnish-UK collaboration
called Roger (not after me though) and an album with Peter Hook,
Mani and Andy Roarke as well as a new CircusGirls album (this
will be our 3rd critically ignored album)."
Lastly, what would be your favourite bit of kit?
"Tricky... I think its gonna be the Minimoog
V closely followed by Groove
Agent and CS-80V."
Thank-you Roger!
www.majortweaks.com
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