Electraumatisme aime bien donner de la visibilité à des groupes qui passent sous le radar alors qu'ils rentrent parfaitement dans les styles musicaux soutenus par le podcast sans bénéficier de la communication des labels en place.
Penetrate the Facade fait partie de ce genre de projet et nous a surpris avec un premier album True Reality sentant l'application et le respect pour les styles Dark Electro/EBM un peu à l'ancienne.
Ils se soumettent donc à la Kitchen Notes et entérinent pour de bon le fait que Reason est le logiciel de prédilection pour les styles qui nous intéressent. Etonnant, non ?
Electraumatisme always tried to put the light on bands that act undercover despite the fact they fit perfectly with the musical styles promoted by the podcast without benefiting from already settled labels communication facilities.
Penetrate the Facade is part of this kind of project and their first album True Reality was a pleasant surprise, with feelings of diligence and respect for kind of old school Dark Electro/EBM styles.
So they submit to Kitchen Notes and ratify for good that Reason is the prefered software for the style we like so much. Surprising, don't you think ?
Gears and software
What gears/softwares did you use for True Reality ?
Unfortunately, I don't have a hardware synth. Because of lack of space and of the costs.
I only use a midi controller and Reason for making music.
Your favorite gear(s)/software(s) ?
Reason!
I've been using Reason since version 1, currently version 12.
Reason offers for me everything I need, even after years of using Reason. With the wiring on the back of the rack, there is so much that can be changed in terms of sound. I only use the so-called rack extensions for Reason, no VSTs. I think there are a lot of great synths and other instruments. Sure, Reason has its rough edges, it's certainly not the perfect DAW, but which DAW is perfect? The main thing in the end is that you have achieved what you wanted to achieve, are satisfied with the result, no matter which DAW you use.
Any evolution in your setup ?
Nothing is planned at the moment. I'm happy with what I have so far.
Sound Design
Do you use/tweak presets ?
Yes, I find presets to be a good basis. I change it until the sound fits.
Do you design you own sound ? On which synth/plugin in particular ?
No, as already mentioned, I use presets and change them until the sound fits. Or several sounds are layered until I have found the desired sound.
My favorite synth is the Obsession, an Oberheim X emulation.
I've often used it in the current album.
Any particular synth history ?
I started making music many years ago, in the mid-80s.At that time still with a C64 and a tracker. Then came the Amiga, I also used a tracker.
At the beginning of the 90s, I’ve got my first PC and a short time later I had a Roland MT-32 sound module. LA synthesis. In between there were several longer breaks until I bought Reason in 2001. Between 2007 and 2021, there were also several longer breaks.
I've been using Reason 12 since 2021 and the learning curve is steep...
But, I've always used a PC or software synths.
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 varies greatly. Sometimes I have a beat in my head, or a bassline, or even an arpeggiator. Often, however, I just sit in front of it and play a bit, build a loop. If it's good, then I try to make a chorus to go with it. If it fits, then I try to sing to it.
The lyrics are written by my wife. She always writes several texts in advance. So I always have a few to choose from. A lot of lyrics are relatively long, so the songs are quite long. But you want to tell a story, and you want to tell that story to the end. In any case, I'm looking for the right lyrics to the loop and chorus and sing along. When everything fits, the song structure is built up and the song takes shape.
So far, this has always worked very well for us. The beat, bassline, melodies and so on, always fit well with the theme of the lyrics.
Producing/mixing method
Do you produce/mix in the box or do you use mainly external gears (effect/comp/eq...)
Yes, I produce exclusively on the PC as well as mixing and mastering.
What is your most painful / enjoyable step in track production ? Sound design, arrangement, mixing, mastering ?
Every single step in the production of a song is a challenge, but at the same time a lot of fun. Sometimes it happens very quickly from the beginning, sometimes it takes longer. You can't find the right beat, the bassline doesn't fit, the chorus doesn't match the rest, and so on. When the song is finished, it's time to mix and master. To do this, we listen to the song on various speakers, in the home studio, in the living room, of course in the car and also through headphones.
We try to make our songs sound equally good to everyone.
Sometimes I or we hear small mistakes after days or even weeks and then this is changed again afterwards.
Contact info
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/PenetrateTheFacade
Bandcamp : https://penetratethefacade.bandcamp.com
eMail : PenetrateTheFacade@outlook.com
