Jez Colin

Colin on M-Audio hardware and software: “My studio setup is really two types: permanent and portable. M-Audio gear is essential in my portable setup—it is the hub of my system. I use an Oxygen 8 to control virtual instruments in Pro Tools (including GForce’s Minimonsta), an MBox and MIDISPORT 2x2—which are all carried around in a Studio Pack Deluxe. This setup is generally used in hotel rooms and around as many swimming pools as I can lounge next to!

“I use the Oxygen 8 keyboard to control virtual synths in Pro Tools or Ableton Live when I perform with The Latin Project. I used the Oxygen 8 during the Winter Music Conferences of 2004 and 2005, during which my band The Latin Project won Best Latin Dance Track award at the IDMA’s. The MIDISPORT 2x2 replaced an older serial port device for me, and I use it frequently on the road as well.

“I always take a laptop based system on the road with me. Five Latin Project songs from our LP Nueva Musica were started on a laptop-based system whilst on the road.”

What he is proud of: “I co-wrote, produced and mixed the #1 song on Billboard’s Dance Chart for The Latin Project’s first single ‘Lei Lo Lai’. I also won the IDMA award for Best Latin House Track in Miami, 2005 and had a Grammy nomination in 2005 for the remix (Masters At Work) of ‘Lei Lo Lai’.”

Colin on M-Audio software: “Pro Tools is THE universal software that allows me to share and collaborate with other musicians/producers/remixers. I work with collaborators from every corner of the globe and share files via the Internet. With fast connections and smaller loop-based sessions, I’m able to upload all audio data and session files in relatively small amounts of time to a server in the UK and come back to the studio the next day to receive the additions from my UK-based Latin Project partner—all within the same software host.”

His songwriting process: “Songwriting is entirely married to the way I work with software, computer hardware and live musical instruments. As I enter into the process of conceptualizing the start of a song, there is an immediate connection with the availability of specific technology and how I can create sounds, record them and finish up the final mix.

“For example, if I’m in my own studio I have an established relationship with the gear and the way it’s set up. I know that in order to program and record a drum sequence, I have a choice of launching a specific sequencer (or two), record into a specific hard-disk recorder (Pro Tools) and select from a library of plug-ins (VST/Audio Units/TDM, etc). So, for the last two decades I’ve been enthusiastic to stay and create in my familiar environment—kind of as a slave to technology, but very willingly so!

“However, I’ve recently been able to create a truly portable programming/writing/recording setup that has released me from the constraints of needing to be in a specific room with a bunch of gear. I took a road trip to Spain and created six songs for the next Latin Project LP using an Oxygen 8, MBox, ProTools LE and a microphone—all while sitting around a swimming pool overlooking the Mediterranean!”

Why M-Audio? “M-Audio audio interfaces are reliable, lightweight (good for those European luggage restrictions!) and durable. The software is intuitively designed and basically fun to use.

Pro Tools is rock-solid and never fails me. It allows me the freedom to travel and create on the road. M-Audio has brought affordable but high-quality products into the arena that seem to integrate well with other manufacturers’ gear. It is plug and play, effortless and above all fun to create with.”