86 - Rev

Author

Giannis Kampiotis
June 16, 2023

Artist Interviews 🎶 Studio Tours 🎛

Hello music people 👋

Today in the spotlight, Rev

Coming from France, he has a passion for the sound of electric guitars and synthesizers. Over the years, he delved into sound design and production, eventually establishing himself as a content producer, sound designer, and music producer 🎶

Read Time: 12 minutes 📰

Studio

Gear List

Synths

Controllers

Pedals

Guitars

  • Kramer - Baretta "Custom Order" (1983)

  • Kramer - Pacer Deluxe " American" (1988)

  • Kramer - Pacer Classic Reissue modified

  • "Frankenstrat" Strat style Custom made

    ( Yay I'm a huge Van Halen fan )

Guitar Amp

  • Marshall - JCM 900 4102 (Modified) (1994)

I primarily work and produce on a "Hackintosh" computer. It's very stable, powerful, and more than sufficient for my current needs. My audio interface is an Audient iD44.

My speakers are Focal Alpha 65. And I have a lavalamp, because your home studio always need a lavalamp, right?

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Interview

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

I'm a French guy who was born in the 90's in Lyon, an awesome city in France.

I've been listening to all kinds of music with particular attention ever since I was very young. First, I was fascinated by the sound of an electric guitar solo and the sound of a synthesizer when I heard one. I would listen to music with guitars and synths all day long. I still don't know why, but the sound of the electric guitar had a particular resonance for me. The soundtracks of some video games and films have certainly influenced me a lot as well.

A few years later, at 15 years old (after a few negotiations because we lived in an apartment), I finally got it: my first electric guitar. For me, it was everything and the beginning of something new. I started practicing for hours and hours primarily rock'n'roll songs before and after school. It became my main center of interest. I have met some cool guys at school, including one of my best friends who eventually became my drummer. We decided to play together, we learned together, made mistakes, and sometimes played those AC/DC & Led Zeppelin songs the wrong way, but I think it's a cool part of a young musician's journey because we enjoyed it so much.

As the years went by, I started playing more and more music on my own. I was becoming increasingly addicted to the sound design in the music tracks I loved. It has become a form of therapy for me. I decided not only to play music but also to produce it and become a sound engineer. I have studied some fundamentals of music, sound design, and the relationship between music and image for almost 5 years. I dedicated time to producing electronic music and exploring the world of synthesizers for a Chillwave Downtempo/Synthwave project named "Bounty Hunter City" as the only producer. One of my tracks received a substantial number of listens, which was very encouraging for me, thanks to its upload on some truly amazing YouTube channels. I have learned a lot through this project.

Today, I work as an active content producer, sound designer, and music producer alongside my other commitments.

Which piece of equipment in your studio is essential to your production process?

A guitar/any external synth because I don't want music to be confined to just my screen.

What is the least expensive piece of gear that gave you the most results?

I might be bugging everyone with this, but I genuinely think the Behringer Model D is underrated.

You can record truly incredible sounds to enhance your tracks. Considering the price of this synthesizer, I honestly think it's hard to find a better option if you love the sound of Moog. The modulation part is really an advantage.

Now, we'll have to wait and see how the quality of its components holds up over time !

Walk us through your process for creating and producing music.

I often start from scratch, but I use templates to save time on basic elements.

I often switch between Ableton Live and Logic Pro X for music production, but I also use ProTools for sound design for visual media.

I must admit that I'm not a big fan of making music in ProTools, although I haven't really taken the time to explore it extensively.

Sound design is a huge inspiration for me, and I enjoy spending time on it. I have my habits and regularly use certain VSTs and plugins for effects or for specific sounds.

I no longer enjoy using just VST plugins; I need external hardware and the ability to turn knobs. I need to have effects pedals inserted to save on CPU usage.

I always strive to optimize my workspace, even though I'm fortunate to have a computer with plenty of power and resources.

I may not be a pianist, but I still feel the need to have a MIDI keyboard at my fingertips. Indeed being able to control multiple synthesizers with a single keyboard is undoubtedly beneficial in terms of streamlining your music production process .

I also think that we can do a lot of things today with just a computer at any time!

Some people do miraculous things with just a computer...

What is a production technique that you always come back to?

I really enjoy using delay and sidechain compression.

I also often use my own guitar samples, which I transform with EQ and effects to enhance pads.

I also really need to creating groups to separate percussion, drums, pads, external machines, atmospheres, and other effects.

I don't have a mixing desk, but I have an Akai APC40 MKII controller, so I've gotten used to sticking to 8 tracks. This way, I can easily use samples from any of my song on it.

How would you explain your style?

With "Rev", I find inspiration in the soundtracks of video games or science fiction movies.

The aerospace universe is also something very inspiring to me. I have been fortunate to have traveled quite a bit, and I continue to do so. It inspires me a lot.

I really enjoy drawing inspiration from various styles and bringing different worlds into my music to diversify the sound. This project is less than a year old, and I myself still have difficulty defining the genre... I like to think that I fall into the realm of Melodic Techno, Ambient Techno/House, and even Progressive something

The fact is, I also love surprising myself by bringing something new each time. We'll see in due time, haha. I think I'm really afraid of having to limit myself to just one specific genre.

What is a big challenge you have as an artist?

As an artist, I believe that the most challenging aspect today is having to enter and fight in the never-ending cycle of social media, excessive self-promotion, in order to stand out and appear at the right moment in people's news feeds. Indeed, every artist knows it, but yes, it is a real job that requires a lot of time and effort.

Some may think it's easier than before the internet era, but nowadays, due to major music distributors, it has become very complicated. The compensation from streaming services is far from being adequate for the artists' work.

I'm also quite concerned about the rise of AI in the creative domains, both visually and sonically. As long as people keep going to see real artists perform live and not robots, everything should be fine. Hahaha.

Has building a hardware setup changed your perspective on music or life in general?

I started investing in external hardware in 2020. I felt the need for physical interaction, as guitars alone were no longer enough for me. I really enjoy the tactile experience of working with electronics.

Building a setup with synthesizers has radically changed the way I produce and create music. I have taken a lot more liberties and become much more curious. It is also an excellent opportunity to expand my knowledge in sound design.

I don't have a huge collection either. I like to choose what I will actually use. I don't like having machines just for the sake of having them displayed on a shelf. That allows me to spend more time with each individual machine and truly get to know it inside out.

I have also learned to build a setup with the bare essentials to avoid getting lost and spending hours tweaking knobs, although I must admit that it can still be quite enjoyable ;)

One tip on how to spark creativity?

Don't push too hard to extract melodies from your mind.

Give yourself good time, sleep well, eat, exercise, and perhaps most importantly, put away your smartphone from time to time and observe what surrounds you, look with your own eyes.

Never be afraid to listen to 20 different music styles in a day. Indeed, by doing so, you enrich your ear and your mind :)

A book, movie, article, or album that has inspired you?

The soundtrack of Blade Runner had a tremendous impact on me

Where can people find more of your music and connect with you online?

I am currently preparing for the release of an EP, so soon you will be able to find me on mainstream streaming platforms! :)

In Case You Missed It

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