Robert Anselmi began Reason 101.net last fall with the intent to create a place where Reason & Record users could acquire the skills to use their favorite software creatively. And in less than a year Reason 101 has become the go to place for advanced tutorials and interesting sound design tips with Propellerheads software; Featuring Robert's own articles on topics like CV Switching and Creating Grain Samplers, as well as guest spots from the likes of EditEd Bauman. Somehow between creating his own music under the guise Phi Sequence and running Reason 101, Rob found the time to release the amazing refill Generations earlier this month. In this interview we explore Generations, Robert's own music, and of course Reason 101:
- Where are you based and what's the music scene like there?
I’m based out of Boston, and there’s an extremely healthy nightlife here. Not enough Techno, Trance, Glitch, or Experimental groups for my taste, but there’s still a few eclectic bands that call Boston home. One of my favorite would be the Dresden Dolls. Look them up if you have a chance.
- What was your first instrument?
My first instrument was a geetar. First Acoustic, then electric, then I dropped it for about 20 years, and got back into playing a little bass. Then Keyboards, and finally back to Guitar again. It’s a vicious cycle. Every time I get bored with an instrument, I need to stop, leave it alone for a while, and come back to it years later. That’s probably why I’m so attracted to Computer-based music. This way, I can create any instrument I like (even those that don’t really exist in the real world) and not only can I shape their sound, but I can also play and compose with them. Now if they only made a stable, affordable, intuitive midi guitar, I’d be a happy camper.
- When did you first start using Reason?
I started using Reason around 2005, so probably not as long as most folks. I was never there for 1.0, though I did use Rebirth as far back as 1998 or 1999 or thereabouts. I remember thinking that this had some really great potential. Then fast-forward to 2005 when I finally got my hands on Reason 2.5. I remember buying it (legitimately I might add) from someone over ebay. I’m the type of person who does all his homework before every single purchase. It’s a curse or a blessing. Not sure which. But I knew from what I had read that this would be the right software for me. And I wasn’t disappointed. It probably took me a good year or two to learn, and with the advents of Reason 3 and 4, which in my mind were major releases, I finally got to the point where I could say I’m fairly comfortable with the software. However, it should be noted that I was able to pump out a track in under a month from initial purchase. Though those tapes will never surface and will gleefully go to my grave; down with the ship so-to-speak.
- What's your day job and how does music fit into your day?
I work as a Technical Writer for a manufacturing company in South Boston. Music doesn’t necessarily fit into my day job, however, my day job fits into my music by way of my www.reason101.net blog, where I try to provide some written tutorials and videos to showcase some of the creative power of Reason and Record. It seems that no matter what creative task I undertake, it always involves an element of writing.
- Now that we've got the basics out of the way... First off I'd like to thank you for the early sneak peak of Generations! I really dig this refill and have quite a few questions about it! Beginning with - When did you start working on it and what was the initial idea behind Generations?
I started working on Generations probably about 2 years ago, though the majority of the momentum and majority of patches in the refill were completed over the past 3 or 4 months. Generations incorporates some of the best patches I’ve come up with since I started seriously constructing sounds in Reason.
The initial idea behind Generations was two-fold:
1. to provide something completely unique and creative for Reason; a set of modular audio processors and synths that had never been thought up or developed (at least not that I had seen before).
2. To provide a wide selection of sounds and effects that could be easily integrated into any musical project.
- My favorite part of Generations are the Systems. Systems are multiple combinators set-up in .rns files with corresponding combi-backdrops that show signal flow of the devices. The Evolving Mood Generator, Deep ReGlitch System, Audio Drum Processing... You've turned Reason's rack into a modular beast with these templates! Why did you decide to use multiple combinators set-up in .rns files for these and how did the idea come about for them?
My thinking was that everyone is always focused on creating one-off Combinators to perform specific tasks. Why not integrate these Combinators to construct modular systems out of them. In essence, why not create your own Modular Synth or effects processors out of a string of multiple Combinators?
The other impetus for putting the systems together was the fact that each Combinator is limited to 4 knobs, 4 buttons, and the two performance controllers (pitch and mod wheels). I kept bumping into the hurdle of needing more knobs and buttons to complete some of my Combi designs. So I started by adding another Combinator to be able to tie more parameters to the setup via more Rotaries and buttons. Things just kind of grew from there.
If you read through the Propellerhead User manual, this kind of “external routing” is frowned upon, mostly because you can’t save a Combinator patch which is externally routed (you’ll lose any external connections. But I think this was a mistake and missed opportunity on the part of the Props. Instead, I think folks should be encouraged to build and construct their own systems for their own projects, such that the Combinators interact with each other to produce sounds and FX that could not be achieved otherwise.
That is precisely what I was trying to develop and present with this refill. But while these systems are at the forefront of the refill, it’s important to note that this is only one facet of “Generations.” There are also many different patches, drum kits, synths, arps. etc. which CAN be used separately.
- I'd be re-miss if I didn't bring up the fantastic drum sounds and combinators in Generations. Many of these combinators have great patterns set-up ready for the tweaking. Having recently picked up an Akai LPD-8 pad controller myself, I've had an absolute blast playing with the kits in real time. My favorites are Glitch Box 3, Minimal Super Kit and Electro Drums. What initially struck me with your drum sounds is many of them are melodic sounding, fit so well together and they aren't your typical "drum sounds". How do you generally go about designing drum sounds? Do you have a set idea from the get go of the kit or is it more trial and error and experimentation?
Well let me say thanks for the kind words. I’m really glad you’re enjoying the kits. I had initially wanted to put more kits together, but after developing 3 massive drum combinators with 61 drum sounds each, I had to put it down for a bit. But the next version of the refill will definitely have more kits from which to select.
How do I go about designing the kits. That’s a tough one. I think there are two distinct and different ways I go about designing any sound, not just the drums. One method involves trying to imitate a sound. If that’s the case, I’ll load up that sound or sample in Reason and have it looping in the background on one track, while I attempt to get as close as possible to that sound on another track. This can sometimes involve a single synth, and at others it can involve a whole stack of devices. But the end result is to come as close as possible to that sound. Most of the simple 10-drum kits were developed this way. Trying to mimic drum sounds I have heard.
The second approach is the one I used with the Massive Combinator Super kits. With these kits I didn’t want them to sound like anything I had heard before. So I was not limited by forcing them into drum sounds at all. I just let my imagination run wild, and tried developing distinctive sounds that seemed to work together with each other and work well when used as a “one-shot” drum hit. I should say there was one limitation I imposed on myself and that was to try making them as light as possible so as not to strain the CPU. This is why most of the sounds only use a single Oscillator or single Oscillator and filter pair. There are a few that use more than one Oscillator, but not many. It’s safe to say the massive Combi kits were trial and error. Those kits took more than a little while to put together. But they are also the kits I’m most proud of producing.
- From a sound design perspective the other combis that really struck me in Generations were the Arps, particularly Cinematic Anticipation and FM Madness. Many of your Arp patches in Generations have multiple synths set-up with multiple RPG-8s, some at different rates on different octaves with unique insert settings. This all could have resulted in a complete mess, yet it really works here. What can you tell me about designing these patches? I noticed in many of them you used Stereo Imagers...
The Stereo Imagers are usually used to send different sound parts to different spaces in the patch. The Stereo Imagers are such a great tool to do this. You can send a sound to the back of the mix (Mono) or to the front (Widening). If you think of the performance happening on a stage, generally your drum and bass would be at the back and your synths and guitars would be at the front. This is precisely what the Stereo Imagers do. And so you can utilize them in your patches to replicate this. When working in a Combinator, it’s easy to create one synth or arp to target the back of the mix and one to target the front. That’s the Stereo Imager’s job.
Same goes with the Arps. In some cases, I like to use various Arps running in various directions and then try to hone in on which sounds or Arps go where in the mix. You could even do this with panning so that you have one Arp targeted to the left of the mix and one to the right. Or you can use a combination of Panning along with the Stereo Imagers to create a four corner mix (left back, left front, right back, and right front). I have a tutorial on my site that goes over this process of segregating elements in your mix. You can get very complex if you want to. And generally speaking I like to push the limits of Reason and see how far it can be taken. Not to say that everything is complex. It’s not. But just to see where the experimentation can lead.
- I know this is kind of like asking a parent who their favorite child is... but what combi or device are you most proud of in Generations?
Oh good grief. I really couldn’t say. I can tell you that since I’ve released the Generations refill, I’ve been shifting gears and starting to do more composition and create some new tracks for an upcoming CD I’m working on, and here are some of the patches that keep gaining my attention:
Combinators > Drum Kits > Mamba Jamba
Malstrom > Pad > Trillium
Thor > Synths > Yolongo’s Horns
As well as some of the Thor Textures and one-shots in the Thor > Drums folder. As for FX, I keep going back to the 12-way Filter FX Combinator and Verb Deli under the Combinators > FX folder.
- I love the backdrops for Generations as well as your websites design, do you hire out for your graphic design or do it yourself?
I do the majority of the graphic design myself. Though I have recently used a few stock photos to help promote and market some of my work. And Matt Pearson was the guy behind the design of my most recent “Dream Sequences” EP. We collaborated on a piece where I provided the music and he provided the visuals. He’s a great generative artist who creates these amazingly hypnotic visuals. I remember seeing some of his work online and saying to myself, I must get him to do a video for my track. And surprisingly we found we had common musical and artistic interests. It was the best case of things coming together perfectly between us. I hope to work with him again.
As for the Combinator backdrops and system visuals inside the refill, those are 100% my own graphic design. I needed a proper way to convey the sounds inside the Combinators, and needed a clever way to provide the signal path for the systems. When you have a system which spans 15 Combinators, any help getting you from A to B is going to be needed. This is where I decided to weave the signal path using a set of arrows within the Combinator backdrops themselves.
- Speaking of websites... You started Reason101.net last fall and it's become one of my go to places on the internet for advanced Reason tutorials and information. You have an extensive collection of posts with templates, patches and thoughts on music and music production. First off how's the reception been to your website and where do you get the idea for your different topics?
I’m glad you find the site useful. That means a lot.
I think the reception has been overwhelmingly good. It’s odd really. I think there are a lot of folks in the Reason and Record community who are willing to share ideas and thoughts. This goes against the thinking of a lot of other folks who are very closed-off and guarded when it comes to the tricks of the trade. This has led, unfortunately, to a lot of bickering, infighting, egotistical battles, etc. A side of the industry I find very sad.
It’s because of this guarded nature that topics such as Mixing and Mastering become known as “dark arts,” as if they are some secret concoctions brewed up by witch doctors. What a stupid idea. There’s nothing dark about it. It’s the physics of frequencies. And we can teach each other through methods and tutorials. Wouldn’t it be better if we all benefit from that knowledge instead of stepping on each other to keep it secret? But I digress. . .
I think that as a result of the state of the industry being what it is, when someone comes along to challenge this notion and provide knowledge in a free and open forum, such as Hydlide, Ed Bauman, James Bernard, Peff, or myself (and many others of course), people want to eat it up. It’s like they were starved and now all of a sudden there’s a nice big piece of cheesecake on their plate. Of course they’re going to be happy to have it and enjoy it and savor it. I’m just lucky and happy that I can be one of the ones to provide some of that sweet sticky goodness. Since I’ve been lucky enough to come into contact with others who have helped me along the way, I’m glad I can give something back to the community as well.
I look at the example of Hydlide as a case in point. When I provided the refill to him, I said, “Well, here you go. Do what you want with it. And if you get a chance, put together a song and send it over and I’ll include it in a ‘Demo’ folder on the refill.” A week later, he comes back with 10 amazing tracks that can hold their own. I was thinking “holy shit! You’ve got to be kidding me. And he’s still putting together showcase videos for me, writing a blog article about the refill, and more. I couldn’t have been happier. His songs BECAME the demo section of the refill. Because they deserve to stand on their own, and in my opinion are worth the price of the refill, even if there was nothing else IN the refill. It’s a perfect example of the way we as musicians should help each other out and collaborate with one another. It still shows me what our small community is capable of becoming when we work together.
- I'm always interested in hearing about other people's studio set-up. What makes up your home studio and is there any particular piece of gear your eyeing now and hope to purchase?
That’s a hard one. I tend to keep everything as simple as possible. I know there are those out there with every refill under the sun and every known piece of kit. But honestly, I live by the 90/10 rule, which states that you can achieve 90% of something in 10% of the time and effort, while the final 10% of a project will usually take you 90% of the time and effort. My thought is to get rid of that 10% and try not to worry about it so much. That goes for my music, my setup, and pretty much anything in life. Read The Four-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. It’s incredibly enlightening for anyone really.
I know that there are those out there that will find this heresy, but you don’t have to have the best setup, just like you don’t have to spend days EQing that one frequency to get it just right. The majority of my work is done using headphones, and sometimes the TV is going on in the background. Shocking! I know. I’ve even been on the bus between Boston and New York using my white iPod headphones mixing away. If I can’t put together a first draft of something within a few hours, I’ll drop it, and move on. That’s not to say I haven’t spent months on a tune before. But just remember if you can’t finish something in a few days or a week, don’t let it drag down your creativity. You have an unlimited supply of creativity. Learn to make the most of that instead of your gear. Get a track 90% of the way and let it be done. Or else hire someone else to work out the other 10% detail work.
So my setup consists of Reason, Record, Recycle, Audacity, A set of really good headphones, two laptops (A Toshiba Qosmio single core, and a Sony Vaio dual core), Novation SL-25, Gretsch Guitar, Line 6 UX input, 2 monitors, and plenty of backup and USB jump drives. That’s it really. Work with what you have and don’t lament what you don’t have. As you can see by my setup, I’m still able to put together production and release-ready music and refills. Don’t focus on what can’t be done, focus on what you CAN do with what you have.
That being said, if there was one thing I would love to own which I don’t already have, it wouldn’t be any hardware or software, it would be more time and a better computer chair with better back support (the former I know I’ll never have, and the latter I’ll have before the month is out).
- In addition to running Reason 101.net, releasing the Generations ReFill, you also somehow find the time to create your own music under the Phi Sequence moniker - which I love the description of on your website- "Ambient Glitch Music for Experimental IDM Minds". In a few of the tracks it almost feels like you have multiple time signatures going on (at the same time). Is this done primarily in Reason/Record? Do you mix and master the tracks yourself?
I appreciate you taking the time out to visit that site and check out some of my tracks. I have not put as much effort into it lately as I would like. All my time has been spent on Generations recently. But now that it’s completed, I’ve gotten back into composing and recording several tracks which will be released soon.
As for time signatures and the music theory behind the tracks, I very seldom pay close attention to the theory. The time signatures in Reason are more there for markers and placeholders, which is nice. But I’ll often start off a track with a set tempo in mind, leave it at 4/4 time, and just start working out some patterns and ideas; trying to get them out as quickly as possible and not stay too long on any one particular sound or track. If you spend more than 15 minutes auditioning different sounds or playing the same track over and over, I feel you get stuck. Better to quickly get everything out and then fine tune it all later. This way it stays fun and interesting, and you often find new ideas out of mistakes along the way.
I often start off tracks by cycling through a random matrix pattern to see what sounds right for the job. I do play parts in as well, so it becomes a combination of both random chaos and controlled order. That’s something I think every track should have. And while I don’t think I go as far as Autechre or Aphex Twin for the chaos that can be found in their tracks, I do have an affinity for glitch mayhem.
Apart from recording various samples through Audacity and now Recycling, everything is done in Reason and Record. I do everything myself for Phi Sequence. From sound design to Mixing and mastering. Though I also use other sounds from other people’s refills as well, when it fits. I particularly like the Lapjockey series of “Flatpack” refills, and Exode’s massive synthesis refill, which is incredibly huge and diverse.
- Reason 5 / Record 1.5 is coming out at the end of August. Kong, Dr. OctoRex, Neptune, Blocks - what are you most excited about and why?
Honestly I’m most excited to give Kong and Neptune a whirl. The Dr.OctoRex, Blocks and Direct Sampling features are all well and good, but to me they are more ways which will streamline workflows that we already use. For example, you might use Audacity to sample something through your mic, and then edit the wav file and bring it into an NN-XT. This has been one of my own workflows since I started using Reason. Now with Direct sampling, I don’t have to go into Audacity or import into the NN-XT. I can do it straight inside the NN-XT. It doesn’t add anything new. It just streamlines something I’ve already been doing.
With Kong and Neptune, I think there are several additional possibilities inside Reason, some of which are not obvious upon first glance. If you are a sound designer, however, you can use Neptune to process your synth sounds – not just vocals. There’s one idea. And in Kong, you can create some new and interesting drums based on Modeling synthesis. To me, those are the most exciting features. The rest is nice and all, but not mandatory for my own workflow.
- Who are some of your favorite musicians and where do you find inspiration for your own sound design and musical creations?
I get inspiration from everywhere. One of the best sources of inspiration comes from the people who participate in the various internet forums and communities. Many of their questions can eventually turn into articles on my blog. For instance, recently someone was asking how to turn the Combinator buttons into radio buttons so that if you had 4 devices, and each of those devices was connected to a button (turning the device on or off), could you then switch from one device to the other using the buttons). No easy feat. But when I was able to work out how to do this, it dawned on me that this might be a good topic for a tutorial. There’s one kind of inspiration.
Musically, I love anything Ambient, Experimental, Glitchy, Dub, Reggae, old school blues, and really anything that musically inspires me. I think a big key here is that I tend to gravitate to bands that are very much against the mainstream. Mum, The Orb, Future Sounds of London, School of Seven Bells. I truly appreciate any band that can go against the current trend of popular music and find their own voice. It takes a strong will power to do that. But I also think it’s the most rewarding musically.
I also find inspiration in areas outside music. The works of artists such as Jackson Pollock, Johannes Vermeer and the Dutch painters, J.K. Potter, Darwin Wiggett, and Matt Pearson are just some of the many artists I appreciate and find inspirational. They play a huge part in the finished product of my music and my sounds.
Thanks for the great interview Rob! Pick up your own copy of Generations at www.reason101.net today for the low price of $49 USD.
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