samedi 18 janvier 2025

Kitchen Notes : Kreign on III

Les oreilles en Europe mais les pieds aux Etats-Unis, Kreign vient de livrer un album qui colle une patate pas possible. Voici quelques infos sur la façon dont cette bonne claque de III a été produite, avec une surprise : s'agirait-il du premier groupe à faire de l'Electronic Bidou Music ?

The ears in Europe but the feet in US, Kreign just delivered an uncredibly uplifting album. Here are some info on how this blasting III has been produced with a suprise : are we talking about the first band to make Electronic Belly Music here ?

Gears and software

What gears/softwares did you use for III ?

Nord Lead 2
Access Virus Ti Polar
Korg Monotron Delay
Roland JU-06A

Your favorite gear(s)/software(s) ?

Cubase 10.5
Serum

Any evolution in your setup ?

The Juno was the latest addition for hardware. We did invest into a lot of new synths, but most of the music was finished by the time we got them.
On “II” we used Massive a lot. We are almost exclusively using Serum now.

Sound Design

Do you use/tweak presets ?

Not any more. We usually start with our own sound patch we used for a different song or just start from scratch. On “II” we used some presets off of the Access Virus.

Do you design you own sound ? On which synth/plugin in particular ?

We love designing with the Nord Lead 2 and Serum.

Any particular synth history ?

When using the Nord Lead 2, we would play the notes off of the computer through midi. Xian and I would both use both hands to tweak the knobs while recording. It was usually attack, decay, fm amount, cutoff, resonance, pitch bend, and the wheel. We would do a lot of takes and try to surprise each other with the sounds. The wilder the better. We would usually start laughing with how crazy things got. We would really push the sound too far, but then ask, “is it too far or is it not far enough?”

Writing/composing method

What would be your main writing/composing method ? Do you start classical rythm/bassline then arrange around it ? Do you already have structure in mind ? Do you improvise, record sessions then select ? ...

It depends on what inspires us. Sometimes it is a bassline in my head and I would sound it out with “doot doot” noises for a scratch track. I made a video about this:

Sometimes, it is a drum sound or a creepy atmospheric sample. Sometimes it is a lyric, such as “Ignition”. I really wanted to repeat the last two syllables for the chorus; “Start the Ignition –nition –nition!”

Producing/mixing method

Do you produce/mix in the box or do you use mainly external gears (effect/comp/eq...)

Nothing external. Mostly Cubase default plugins.

What is your most painful / enjoyable step in track production ? Sound design, arrangement, mixing, mastering ?

Our most painful process is getting our vocals EQed similarly. Usually his voice is very deep and mine is very thin.
We love it when we get the bassline just right in the mix and we play it really loud in the studio.

Kreign's tips

Don’t be afraid to pump the treble on your synths by 12db or more. When mixing, I will turn the master volume really low so I can hear what is coming through the mix. It is something I would not notice at normal volume and especially when it is loud.