Celldweller

Klayton on M-Audio Hardware: “My main studio is equipped with a Power Mac G5 Quad running a Pro Tools HD system and several slaved PC computers with Delta 1010’s running Native Instruments Kontakt. I have a surround set up consisting of BX8a’s and a BX10s subwoofer. The Axiom 61 recently replaced my previous archaic controller, and I was glad to see it go. My other rooms are equipped with Macs running Pro Tools M-Powered with more slaved PC’s with Delta 1010’s. I will oftentimes grab my MacBook Pro and crawl into bed with an Oxygen 8 or Axiom 25 and work on a beat or sonic texture. My head is in a different space there and I sometimes capture unique ideas this way. On M-Audio Software: “Last year my friend Criss Angel had asked me to work on his Mindfreak theme song. I had recently purchased GForce’s Minimonsta after being quite impressed with the demo, so when I started Criss’ track, Minimonsta was one of the first elements in the song. I also did a remix of the Mindfreak song and there are probably 4 or 5 separate instances of Minimonsta represented in the track. I use GForce’s Imposcar and M-Tron quite often as well. “Most of my audio ultimately ends up in Pro Tools. Unfortunately for me I am not happy unless I am taking on more work than I can handle, so I have my assistant bouncing and editing sessions on a secondary rig while I’m working on something in my main room. The ability to trade Pro Tools sessions back and forth relatively seamlessly is important.” His songwriting and production process: “I started in music completely organically. It was all about the guitars, bass and drums for me until the glorious day when the angels descended from on high, singing Hallelujah—the day I discovered the sequencer. Dramatics aside, technology has allowed me to take my abilities as an organic instrumentalist and single-handedly create the cacophonies I hear in my head. I can blur the lines between what is organic and synthetic – no rules. “Growing up, I cut my teeth on Metal, New Wave, Hip Hop and Disco, so from a musical listener’s point of view, I am schizophrenic. This translates in my sound. I guess I am too dumb to believe that there have to be stylistic boundaries when I create, therefore I have no specific method of creating. It could start with a lyric, a melody, a guitar line, a drum beat or loop, a sample or sonic texture. Sometimes there is simply a concept in my head and I have to dive in and mess around for a while to see if anything transpires. I’m sure I have hundreds of crappy demos that will never see the light of day, but that’s all part of the process.” Using M-Audio on tour: “I had custom keyboard stands built to house the Oxygen 8’s which my live band and I abused nightly. Despite some blood, sweat and broken keys they continue to remain useful and are scattered throughout my studio. The portability and usability was key on the road. I’m inclined to overdo anything I can get my hands on, so I didn’t need complication and gear taking up more room on the stage than I already had. Video projection, three drum stations and three keyboards with stands in addition to guitars, bass, drum set and vocal mics gets a little overwhelming and unpredictable on a small stage. “When inspiration would strike, I would grab an Oxygen 8 from the tour trailer and use it with my PowerBook G4, which was my laptop at the time (kinda sounds like I’m referring to an old girlfriend.) Using Logic and as many softsynths as it would handle allowed me to begin ideas that would later end up being fleshed out in my main rig. “During the making of the first Celldweller CD I took some files from my song Stay With Me (Unlikely) with me on vacation. Using Pro Tools Free in OS 9, I built the beginnings of the remix Unlikely (Stay With Me), which is also on the debut Celldweller CD. All of the editing and sound design I began in Pro Tools Free made it to the final mix. I have countless numbers of tracks that I create on the plane when I fly, equipped only with a laptop, headphones and a bag of peanuts.” What’s next: “My main focus right now is the next Celldweller CD. I am in the throes of demoing and preparing songs for it and will start recording shortly. In fact if you were so inclined, you can watch it unfold. I will be launching Cellout, a TV show of sorts covering the making of the whole disc in addition to any other madness I may encounter in daily life, and also showcasing relevant guest artists, technology, musicians and models. “I have simultaneously launched my label, FIXT Music as well and am overseeing the production and recording of my first two artists, LVL and Subkulture. This is where multiple Pro Tools rigs come into play. I have the artists and assistants working on programming and editing while I’m working on Celldweller material and can jump in and out of sessions when I need to. “I guess all that wasn’t enough work for me, so I’ve also launched a Celldweller remix competition, of which M-Audio is a sponsor. The competition has multiple rounds, each unfolding over the next year and has already become an international event, with remixes coming in from all around the world. Part of our agenda at FIXT Music is to find artists looking to get involved in Film, TV and Video Game music placement. The competition provides unique opportunities to tie the contest and label together by allowing us to handpick artists to submit original music for those purposes. For more info, check out http://www.fixtmusic.com.”