"When mixing, don’t resort to using lots of effects" - Skytech interview

What's better than getting some tips, tricks and insights directly from an esteemed dance music producer? Following the release of his sample pack and Serum presets for mainstage, big room and future rave, we sat down with Polish DJ and producer Skytech to talk about music production, his biggest challenges in the studio and what his trade secrets are to making his sounds so massive.

Firstly, could you give us a little background? When did you start producing and how did you get into music in the first place?
I don’t remember exactly. It started when I was just a kid. At first, I was a sidekick for my brother, who is a bit older. He infected me with his passion for electronic music in the early 2000s and we started to make some beats. I don’t really have any musical background, but I guess music was just a perfect hobby and a great getaway from everything. It keeps me excited to this very day.

From a music production perspective, what are your biggest challenges in the studio and how do you tackle them?
It looks to me like the ultimate results from your studio work require you to keep a certain balance between being focused on your goal and being carried away with your ideas. You also need to keep a balance between being critical about your idea and enthusiastic about it. You need not to overthink, but then you also need to be smart about your decisions. It’s all about keeping a great balance. That’s when you hit the zone of proximal development.

Can you talk us through the process of making both packs? What was your approach and inspiration?
The packs are a collection of sounds used in my work this year. I bounced the samples and presets from the existing records I produced and some unfinished ones that still need some more time to finish. In my opinion, the sounds that have proven that they could work in a track can easily work again in a different setting. I always focus on using high-quality sounds that have a certain attitude to them. They are supposed to be ingredients that can make a fine dish.

What really shines through in both packs is how big and powerful the synths and bass loops are. Could you share some of your trade secrets and tell us what you do to make these sound so massive?
Thanks! This is something I’ve always been looking for in music, and it took a while to learn. It has a lot to do with the frequency range of sounds and using various tricks to place your sound right on the frequency spectrum. It makes a lot of sense to not only listen to your sounds, but also have a look at the frequencies and think what a certain sound needs to present itself better in the mix. With the right EQing, saturation and little bit of compression, you can definitely take your sounds to the next level. I feel like even though I’ve progressed a lot lately, there’s still lots of room to improve for me as well, to make all the sounds even richer.

What characteristic do drums need to have to fit your sound and how did you make sure the drums in the sample pack conform to that standard?
That’s a tough one to answer. I think if you listen to the drums in the pack you can quickly understand my taste. I’d say the drums I use need to give a good percentage extra to the drive of the record. So even if it’s a hat loop that plays in the higher ranges, it needs to give a lot of speed to the record. I like them to be bold and require them to make a difference, basically.

Why did you choose to work with Serum for the presets?
Serum is my go-to synth. I’ve gotten very used to it over the ten years I’ve used it. I guess the thing that stands out in it is still the FX section, where you can really craft your sound outside of just synthesis. The Vital synth is doing it now too. I find it very useful. The internal effects in the plugin are often not so great, but these two have it on point in my opinion.

And of course, Serum just sounds great; the variety of wavetables and ways to modulate your sound is amazing. I don’t consider myself a great sound designer, but with Serum I feel like I can do a lot, and this is something that attracts me.

The Serum presets all have this grand mainstage feel to them. Could you walk us through the steps of achieving such a full sound with Serum (and/or with soft synths in general)
For this, I believe you need a certain context. All these sounds are from “real” tracks, so of course I was not just making sounds, but I was looking for something specific to fit into a record. Context is everything, because when you have it, it’s much easier to determine what the sound exactly needs. That being said, I usually don’t start with sound design. I need a bunch of samples first to set the mood, and then I start to think of sounds and melodies that go with it.

For all the producers tuning in, do you have any go-to hardware/software tools for making music you could share? Why are these your favorites?
I observe a big influx of great free tools lately that help you a lot. UU by Zdrewe is a great free reference tool to check respective bands of your mix. Youlean loudness meter is great for your metering purposes; I think the core of it is free, but you can upgrade to even more options. Other than that, I use pretty standard stuff that everybody has: Serum, Vital, Sylenth1 in terms of synths, FabFilter bundle for the effects etc. Of course, the new AI features of iZotope are amazing too. For the sample selection, I like to use the Loopcloud app. I love using the search engine there, especially because it can catalog samples you’ve already collected on your HDD. We live in great times now. There are so many ways to make your life as a producer easier :)

Finally, do you have any tips or advice for producers who are just beginning their journey?
Find your balance! Definitely follow your heart in terms of the idea, but then make sure to cover the basics too, so that your idea can shine through better. Don’t overdo your master, especially early in the process. When mixing, don’t panic and don’t resort to using a lot of effects too fast. First, look at your sounds from a few perspectives. Determine if you have the right length of the notes, the velocity of the notes, then the loudness levels compared to other sounds in the mix, then the color (EQ). These small details matter a lot. And yeah, make stuff that makes you go crazy. There’s definitely going to be an audience for it.