Djebali

Amek Mixer by Langley Design

Before the album project, I worked with an old Mackie CR. I upgraded my studio with this mixer: it’s a 32-channel console that I use like this… Every single synth and drum machine is plugged directly into the mixer. The key here is the superb preamp on the EQ, which gave the album its warm sound. All the direct outboard, groups, busses and inserts are in my patch, like my dynamics and temporal effects. It allows me to be really flexible: I can take a sound from a synth and send it to the UREI compressor for example (that is crazy for basslines by the way) or to my Lexicon reverb.

Event Opal Monitors

When the time comes to buy new monitors it is always a nightmare! As I built up a totally new studio for my album project, I wanted to upgrade my cheap monitors to have more control, especially on the low end. I chose the Event Opal because they are two-way speakers that act a little bit like a three-way, i.e. you don’t really need a sub to enjoy the low end. I listened to them few times but in a shop environment, and they are not available everywhere, which made the testing process more difficult.

Before, I used cheap M-Audio monitors but I knew them really well and in a space I was very familiar with as well. It was a big change and really hard at the beginning to adapt myself to everything: New space, new room, new monitors! I was lost… But in the end, the details of those monitors and the low end they transmit are really precise without being too cold. It’s exactly what I needed, even if I still use my cheap monitors to compare the sound during the mix!

TR-909

It sounds like a cliche but there is not a single track of mine without it. I usually use mostly the hi-hat and open hi-hat on my tracks (clearly recognisable on my track ‘Nineties Playground’). If you’re afraid to sound too “90s” or too “Chicago house”, don’t worry, just mix it behind everything to drive your track… It works a treat!

I also use the clap a lot as well. I just love it, it fits everytime. I use it synchronised with the MPC3000, so I can work up a nice groove quickly to start a new session.

What I also love is the way you program on it… Simple, but with feeling! What is really bad is the very high price at the moment, but there are a lot of clones of the 909 so you can find cheaper alternatives. It’s a very versatile drum machine at the end of the day, which is why I always use it.