120 - Studio Cee

Author

Giannis Kampiotis
October 13, 2023

Artist Interviews 🎶 Studio Tours 🎛

Hello music people 👋

Today in the spotlight, Studio Cee

Coming from Scotland, he started making his own sounds after a deep love of music 🎶

Interview & Studio Tour

Who are you and what is your relationship with music?

Campbell Montgomery making music under the name Studio Cee.

Based in Ayr, a town on the west coast of Scotland.

I started developing a wider taste in music while at university and I think it's a natural progression from really loving music to wanting to try and create music of my own. It's another step along the road of music enthusiast.

Music making isn't a source of income for me, I have a day job but one day I hope to get further with my music.

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

Probably my Akai MPC 2500.

I started making music on an MPC 1000 due to really loving the sound of producers like RJD2 and Prefuse 73. They used MPCs so that's what lead me to getting one.

Even though I have added several other pieces of gear along the way (as well as a DAW which is pretty essential) if I only had the MPC I would still be able to make full beats. It's such a capable bit of gear and I'm quite used to the workflow.

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

I have a cheap kalimba (thumb piano) that I have recorded and processed to get some good sounds.

Walk us through your process for creating and producing music.

I usually start with a loop of some sort, this can be a sample or playing some chords on the keyboard until I find something interesting or pleasing to the ear.

Then it's a long and slow process of trying to find things that compliment that initial loop. Adding things and taking away until I have something I am happy with.

I am trying to get more proficient with instruments too and trying to play keys and guitar more.

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

Adding reverb to things in the beat.

Reverb can add so much more interest to a sound and sometimes you can have a not-so-good sound that will be more listenable with reverb.

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How would you describe your style?

I'm not too sure what my personal style is. I think I make electronic, downtempo type stuff with roots in hip hop.

What is a big challenge you have as an artist?

Self doubt. I still struggle to think of myself as an artist.

I always am aiming to improve on the last thing but I've been doing this for a good few years now and don't feel I have progressed much. I think it's hard to be creative in this day and age without comparing myself to others and feeling I'm not where I want to be or that my music is lacking in some way.

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

I'm not sure if it has or not.

These days it's possible to make complete tracks with just a computer or DAW but hardware will send you in directions that a computer might not. Gear will interact with other pieces of gear in certain ways or you will stumble across things by not really knowing what you are doing. It can also be more immediate to just mess about with some gear instead of clicking a mouse around.

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It's also interesting to transfer workflow techniques or ideas from one bit of gear and try to replicate it on something else to see what results come out.

One tip on how to spark creativity?

Just start.

Often you might not feel inspired or creative but if you just sit down and mess about with no real purpose you could stumble across something you like.

Try different things or techniques you haven't tried before.

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

RJD2 - Deadringer

Anything else you'd like to say?

Thanks very much for asking me to do this. It's amazing to have someone else show interest in my music!

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

Gear List

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