Ever wanted to get inside the thoughts of a dubstep producer? I got the chance to interview upcoming producer Jacob Jenner, exclusively for TheProducersChoice.com
Q - Hello Jacob! To start, what interests you most about dubstep?
A - Well obviously Dubstep is very experimental at the moment, And it just jumps out at me. I can never get bored of it.
Q - Do you enjoy collaborating with other artists?
A - On certain occasions yes, But at the moment iʼm still developing as an independent artist, and I feel that working with somebody else, I might not be able to get all of my ideaʼs down.
Q - If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
A - Thatʼs a hard one... Hmm Iʼd say either one of the three magnetic man members, Or Funtcase. Iʼd also to work with Rusko, Caspa and maybe a few female vocalists.
Q - Which female artists would you most like to work with?
A - Well Claire Maguire would be great. Or Katy B. And I would say Rhianna but people tend to criticize and be scared of interacting with Pop/Commercial Musicians. This is like an ongoing rivalry and creates music tensions when we should all be helping each other.
Q - What is the best track you have produced to date?
A - I feel my best track at the moment is ʻDeep And Dirtyʼ. If I compare It to what I was producing a few yearʼs ago you can tell a
major difference on how much iʼve improved... Also if you listen to my other dubstep tracks this one I feel is going in a new direction, and is a lot dirtier.
Q - When have you felt most accomplished as a producer?
A - When somebody asks me to create a sound, and I mange to do it - with a comprehensive understand of what there asking for..
Q - Do you have any general mixing guidelines you can share with us?
A - Layering drums is essential! Make sure you use EQ appropriately, but don't go over the top. For example, when working with a snare drum sample, i would use EQ to take off the low-end (to about 150Hz), because we know the snareʼs frequencies sit in the mid to hi sections. Experiment but make sure you donʼt go EQ happy!
Q - Do you have any other techniques to share?
A - Well itʼs hard really, you sort of develop your own personal ones as you go along. I know your personal one, Grant, is you have to chew gum because it helps you focus and sort of sets the mood. A good tip is to record any ideas down into a voice memo, as often the tiniest ideas can make a whole track - and in my case usually do!
Q - What inspires you to produce music?
A - Hearing a good track and getting ideas from it. You have to feel it and absorb it. A mood can inspire me, like a work ethic that comes over you. For instance I was in a bad mood and wanted to be lifted so I created a ʻchilled vibeʼ song.
Q - What equipment do you use?
A - Currently iʼm using a 13 inch mac book pro, with Logic Pro 9, and Reason 5. I am also using some cool plugins, and some drum samples from theproducerschoice.com
Q - Can you explain why you use two DAW's?
A - Well I use logic as like the main base where I create everything and mix, However I do like to rewire logic to reason for the synthesizer called ʻTHORʼ.
Q - Comparing these two, which would you say is the harder program to use?
A - I learnt logic first and earned a brief understand of how everything works. Logic is more in depth, but also has a very user friendly interface - itʼs hard to compare. Logic definitely has more to it though.
Q - How are you planning to develop as a producer?
A - I just want to keep making tracks as each time I do I feel like iʼm improving. Also getting ideaʼs from others, learning from others and continuing in education.
Q - What would be in your dream studio setup?
A - I would go with a high-spec mac with Logic & Reason. Certain VSTʼs as well as my drum samples (including some of the ones I
purchased from theproducerschoice.com). Personally at the moment I donʼt think hardware synthesizers will benefit me as I prefer the flexibility of software synths.
Q - Would you say forums are helpful for music producers?
A - Well yeah, any advice is good and you should take it in. You should always take in constructive criticism, absorb it but donʼt take it the wrong way - build on it.
We really hope you enjoyed grabbing an insight into the mind of a dubstep producer. I believe itʼs good to talk to fellow musicians about how they work - and can be very inspiring. I want to thank Jacob for being so kind and spending the time to speak with us. If you would like to know more about Jacob, why not check out his tracks?
Do you want to be interviewed by our team?
Big time or small time, everyones got an equal chance - so get in touch! Contact me directly at grant@theproducerschoice.com or tweet me.
Thatʼs it for now - but be ready for next weekʼs issue where iʼm giving a detailed guide on layering drums.
Written By Grant ʻSTKʼ Fosbraey, exclusively for TheProducersChoice.com