Stakka has a new sample library pack out entitled Stakka's D&B Plates, so we spoke to him to find out more about his approach to music...

 

How do you approach a tune?
I almost always start with the drums and get something going so that I can play either a bass or synth over it.  Sometimes instead of a synth I may have a sample I'd like to play around with but anything goes really.

Does your approach differ depending on which genre you are making?
It doesn't but I have started a few songs with leftover parts from other songs, like a synth line that I liked but didn't use. So I'll load that up and then that becomes the foundation, but even in that case I'd get some drums in there fast as I don't get into it until a groove has formed.

What time of day do you work best?
Typically I'm in the studio late at night. The evening through until 4am-6am.  

Where do you get your inspiration / motivation from?
It comes from random places, I listen to a lot of music, old and new and of all genres. Often something will catch my ear and give me an idea or two.  I also go through some of my sketches of half finished songs and usually one of them will inspire me to take it a bit further.

What do you do when you're not feeling inspired?
I normally do some of the more mundane studio tasks, compiling vocal takes, revisit a mixdown that need more work and stuff like that. If I'm really procrastinating I'll do some computer maintenance.

Where is your studio set up and what does is consist of?
I'm set up in the basement. I'm mainly digital now with a few outboard pieces of gear. So it's mainly my computer running Cubase SX5, processing cards such as the UAD and Powercore. I have LE Lavry converters which I monitor through and record through, Yamaha MSP-10 monitors and I mainly use software samplers, synths and plugins.

What's the boring, workhorse plugin/piece of kit that you use all the time?
I have a few that I use on every song: Kontakt, Stylus RMX, Cambridge EQ, Voxengo Stereo Touch, UAD Neve series, Waves SSL series, Waves Renaissance pack on vocals. Those are all in heavy rotation at the moment.

Any new studio technology or gear you're liking at the moment?
That's a hard one. I think at the moment the UAD cards are a great buy, they emulate a lot of classic gear and do it very well, especially priced at $150 - $250 per plugin.

Which sequencer do you use and why?
I use Cubase.  I've used it for years and I know it pretty well so I don't feel that there is a benefit from switching and learning a new one.

Any advice you can give us regarding mixdowns?
I think one of the best things to do is make sure that your room sounds true / flat. It's worth reading a bit about this, acoustic treatment, etc. because that could easily be affecting your judgments in a negative way. Take time to cross reference other good mixes in your room as that will quickly highlight any deficiencies.

What production technique do you think is really overused / annoying?
I despise the autotune vocal effect that was originally pioneered by Cher. It has been done in some D&B and a lot of pop hip hop. It doesn't matter how good the track is, if I hear that I just cringe.

What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started out?
I wouldn't know where to start answering that, it's an ongoing process.  

What have you been working on recently?
I've just finished working a D&B sample library pack for Digital Redux called Stakka's D&B Plates.  I've also been working on an album with a hard rock band and with a female MC so musically I'm all over the map. Me and Skynet have a bag full of new beats that we have been working on for some time.

What tracks, producers and labels are you feeling at the moment?
Anything that is solidly produced, forward thinking, and, refined or unique in some way.  Personally I don't really like the sound that the mainstream crowd create and follow as it's all a slight variation on the same theme.

Who would you like to co-produce with?
Nigel Godrich [Radiohead producer].

Anything else you'd like to tell us about?
Look out for the full Underfire & Audio Blueprint back catalogue which will be released digitally in the next few months. Also new Stakka & Skynet tracks in 2010.

 

Download 28MB of samples from Stakka's D&B Plates sample library pack.

 

 

 

• Free Samples
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• Stakka

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• Dark Atmospheres & SFX 02 Sample Pack
• In The Studio: ASC
• Jungle Veterans Sample Pack
• In The Studio: Total Science
• Free Samples: Liquid Drum & Bass

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