You created the Sinergy Kick Drums for Serum 2. Why do you prefer building kickdrums in Serum 2 over dedicated tools like Kick 2, Bassment, or Audija? And what are your top 3 kick-design plugins right now?
“I started creating the Sinergy kicks in Serum before tools like Audija or Kick3 existed, mainly because Serum gave me precise control over the phase of the oscillator. Using the phase knob to lock the phase with the bass felt extremely natural to me, actually the most non destructive method.. and I liked how the envelope / LFOs in serum or the patch structure made the kicks sound full and punchy.
Speaking about patch structure, Serum also gives me control over every segment of the synth — envelopes(in great detail), modulation, shaping — so I could tune kicks exactly the way I wanted. At some point people started asking how I made kicks in Serum, and it just became my workflow. Top 3 kick-design tools right now: Serum is still one of my favorites, but I also use newer tools like Audija and Kick 3, which are less destructive when adjusting phase as well. Both are also great for pitching a sine.”
As a mastering engineer, what are the most common issues you hear in mixes sent to you? And what should producers focus on to fix these before the mastering stage?
“The biggest issues I see come down to balance and dynamics. If the dynamics are wrong, the whole mix falls apart. One of the most destructive problems is low-end phase issues, which translate into weak or unstable dynamics. In this cases usually the mid-range and high-frequency balance become broken… Many artists focus too much on getting the kick and bass loud and punchy, but forget the phase correlation between the low end elements is what makes the entire mid-range sit properly for the track to feel glued together.
You can have a slightly imperfect kick and bass and still end up with a great mix...? True! if the mid-range supports the whole picture. But having the low end supporting correctly in phase, will absolutely help making the hard choices in regards to the hi and mid frequencies... Getting that balance right is the real challenge.”
Mexico has an insanely strong electronic scene — who are your favorite fellow Mexican artists right now, and why do they inspire you?
"Mexico has always had a very strong electronic scene. Some of my favorite producers are friends I grew up with — many of them started in psytrance and now also make techno and progressive. Odiseo is an amazing producer with several projects, ranging from progressive to offbeat. If we mention him, then we have to talk about Hamelin, both from the old Xibalba project. He is still producing psytrance in all styles and is a very prolific writer. The guys from Ecliptic are great with Undergroove, their label. Caballero is doing great work and now has his own label, X-Tao. And of course, there are the bigger names: Endeavor, Oksha, Jossie Telch, Audiopathik, Stereoxide, Cocodrilo, Barak, TorMa, Ishdub — the list goes on. They’re all pushing their own distinct styles. I love how unique everyone sounds. After so many years, they’ve really refined their identities, and that’s what inspires me most. Even newer artists like Zigoor, Introspect, or Kalicel are blasting right now. There are honestly too many great producers to name — the scene here is incredibly rich and diverse."
