INSIGHT 009
MATTHEW DEAR
MFA: You’ve been releasing music for well over two decades - how have your production techniques evolved alongside developments in music technology? Has your perspective on music production changed? What constants remain in your creative process?
MD: I've been at it for quite some time, yes! I was lucky enough to experience the tail end of exclusively gear based production, and even made my first few singles with samplers and synths. All of that radically changed in 1998 when I purchased a Sony Vaio desktop for my sophomore year at college. It was the first computer I owned with some substantial processing power. I had made edits on my family PC using Sound Blaster Pro in highschool, but that was the extent of it. The Sony Vaio was a beast, and came with these little desktop speakers. I started to meet other electronic music heads who started sharing cracked software with me. Ableton wasn't a thing yet, but I was using Fruity Loops, Acid, Reason, and this incredibly simple but powerful DAW called Making Waves Audio from this guy in the UK. I recently bought a Windows laptop just to install it again. Still works and sounds like nothing else.
Ultimately it was an incredible time. I started releasing albums, gaining traction, and touring all over the world. My first full length album got four stars in Rolling Stone, and I made the entire thing in my college apartment on headphones and those desktop speakers. I felt like I was breaking the traditional rules of how to be a successful artist. I was 100% independent and free to make any kind of music I desired.
It’s crazy how that sense of freedom can seem to diminish the more you get stuck in certain production habits. So do you still find value in these early tools? How do you balance them with newer options?
For a big chunk toward the middle of my career I started spending loads of money on gear, mics, outboard processors etc. You know, the “Vintage King” life. Honestly though, I've sold most of that stuff and still find the most joy in boutique pieces of gear from local music shops. I also can proudly say I now have authorized copies of FL Studio and Reason. I try not to limit myself to one DAW since each platform can provide vastly different results. I'm head over heels with Bitwig at the moment, but still love Ableton — and your tools of course!
Nice one, that’s awesome. Can you walk us through your typical workflow when producing a new track? Do you have a defined process or is it more freeform?
I rarely come to the table with a preformed idea. It's more like, "Oh do I have some free time at this very moment to play around with some music? Let's go!"
That being said, I'll often end up working on a motif for hours on end. As I've gotten older, the act of making music is far more rewarding. Just being in that state of creativity. Arranging songs into verse chorus verse structures with clear beginnings, middles, and ends though is like pulling teeth. I like to improvise and press record on the master buss. I've got thousands of songs like that. I can't for the life of me go back to those moments and reopen the idea, or spread it out. Something about song structure just feels mundane, or contrived. Don't get me wrong, I love listening to great songs and appreciate the artists who make them. Something about the process for me just seems tired.
I feel that, and I’m sure many others do too. I sometimes wonder whether music is innately meant to be structured in such a way, or whether that’s more of a convention borne out of media formats. But aside from the arrangement part, I know some producers like to separate sound design, production, and mixing into dedicated processes — what’s your approach to this? Is it more of a continuous, intuitive process or something more segmented? Any tips for getting the most out of each of these processes?
I got bogged down in the weeds about 5-10 years ago, trying to learn about the small details. I was never formally trained in sound design, so I started watching tons of YouTube clips. After a while I realized I had gone way too far in that technical direction, so that I forgot about creating a vibe or idea first.
All of my first and arguably biggest techno songs never had EQ on the channels. I didn't know any better, or didn't care. I would just put a limiter on each track and a big limiter or maximizer on the master and adjust the levels of the tracks by ear. Some of that stuff still fills a festival stage and has zero concern for sound design. What you can hear though is a creative mindset. Just making choices that sound fun in that moment, rendering the song, and calling it a day. I try and remind myself that is what is most important these days. I have a few tools and techniques I use on every session, but I'm not allowing myself to spend an hour on the kick drum EQ for example. That stuff can be poisonous to the flow state.
It’s funny, I’ve actually seen some YouTube tutorials recently, maybe more on the drum’n’bass end of things, where they actually recommend just throwing a limiter on each channel for super saturated maxed-out hard clipping. So maybe everything really has come full circle. But so in your live performances, how do you balance the precision of studio techniques with the spontaneity of a live environment when reproducing your material?
Backing tracks! I always figured, hell, I made this music so there is no shame in relying on it on stage. When I'd tour with my five-piece band, we'd strip out a lot of the pieces the band was playing, and then just play the other tracks in Ableton and route the metronome to my drummer.
I'd have the random synth or guitar for real time noise. I've always enjoyed playing my voice like an instrument on stage as well. Lots of fun with Eventide pedals, and/or OTO Machines. I'd route my sends through volume pedals on the floor so I can flail around and tweak pedals to effect my voice.
Sounds fun! Are there any new pieces of gear, software, or tricks you’ve learned that have influenced your sound recently?
Your stuff! Heh... I like quirky tools. Things that help me hear or create music in a different or exciting way. Rare finds at resale shops. DiscoDSP has a new Bliss3 sampler that I'm loving. Also, I just got the entire Roland Cloud library and absolutely love the robust sound banks. The SRX Dance Trax in particular is a lot of fun.
Yeah, I got the Roland Cloud virtual TB-303 recently, impressive. Preacher’s Sigh & Potion blends folk elements with electronic music. What led you to such a fusion?
I was born in Texas and my dad was a finger picker. I grew up on John Prine, Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. He always had a Martin or two around, so a lot of the first full songs I ended recording once I learned how to put songs together with electronic techniques were the Preacher's songs. You can hear the underlying structure of dance music arrangement and sequencing, but I just used more organic recordings or my voice. That album was written between Leave Luck To Heaven and Asa Breed, but we didn't put it out until 2021.
Wow, that’s a long time to sit on material. I was going to say your vocals have become more prominent in recent works, but maybe it’s been there all along. So how has your approach to lyrics and singing evolved over the years?
I've never thought of myself as a real singer, you know in the classically trained sense. I do love layering and creating textures with my voice. My vocal melodies are fairly simple and straightforward, but I find enjoyment in vocal rhythm and stacking of different tones or harmonies.
Yeah, a little stacked re-pitch vocal goes a long way. In the past, you’ve operated under various aliases like Audion, False, and Jabberjaw. How do you decide which persona to adopt for a particular project? Do you find the need for distinct aliases as pertinent as before, or has your approach to them changed somehow?
I did more so in the past. I guess now it's just Audion for techno and Matthew Dear for everything else.
Well that definitely simplifies things. You’ve cited influences ranging from Thomas Brinkmann to Brian Eno. How do your inspirations manifest in your current projects? And where do you find (or look for) inspiration currently?
Man, I don't obsessively listen to music as much as I did when I was younger. I listen in the car or occasionally on a plane, but for the most part I find myself listening to podcasts or watching YouTube in time that was once spent listening to music. It's pretty fucked actually if I really think about it. Music used to be a safe place where I'd disappear into, as a listener and a producer. But that was before social media, and the immediacy of what fast internet provides. It makes me wonder if I was born today, would I even become a musician given all the other stuff I could get my dopamine fixes from? Who really knows. But, I digress — let's just say I find my inspiration from nature or some bullshit like that.
Ha, fair enough. But so as you mentioned, you’ve used some of our devices, most notably our Sonification Tools — with a focus on translating video formats. Can you share how these fit into your practice? How do you use them?
I was surprised to find your products for the video formats honestly. I've used your MIDI tools and audio devices like X-Translate, X-FX, etc. for a long time. I'm still surprised so little is out there for video to parameter mapping, or video to audio. It almost seems like sound designers for video and musicians need to team up and create a whole new platform. Don't get me wrong — I've been playing with video in Ableton for years. I enjoy Videosync and Ebosuite's tools very much. Those tend to function more as audio producing the video. None of them have video tools that use image or motion elements to control audio or MIDI parameters. Enter your Sonification Tools!
Wow, that’s so great to hear — sometimes when we make these tools and features its unclear who might find them useful, so it’s always exciting to hear how they actually resonate with artists. As a lecturer at the University of Michigan, how does teaching influence your own music production and vice versa?
I really enjoy witnessing how fast music changes in my students' lives. Every year feels like a whole new set of influences or trends. It's refreshing to view it through their eyes.
That makes sense. You’ve also been involved in ambitious technical projects like Microsoft’s DELQA. How do interdisciplinary collaborations like that impact your approach to music and production?
That was such a great collaborative project. I love being able to join larger teams for things like that. When corporations want to pay a bunch of nerds to make interesting art, sign me up.
Ha, yeah — sounds ideal when you put it like that. Speaking of nerdy developments, with music technology continuing to accelerate and AI's influence looming, how do you see the future of music and production fitting into all this? And what advice would you consider giving to emerging producers navigating this rapidly shifting landscape?
I've been an early adopter and user of most AI platforms. Visuals, lyrics, tech, music. I treat it like a tool, and investigate new features and uses if they interest me. There is a lot of garbage being made though, and it's really starting to overwhelm my senses. I've definitely lost the “wow” feeling now that VEO3 is out. It's kind of like okay, now what? I'll still use some tools for idea sparks or content to bend and twist, but ultimately people can tell if something sucks. And let's be honest 98% of AI art sucks. Does that mean protest it and treat it like satan? I don't think so. To me it means keep your guard up and remember why you're creating something.
So long as the AI tools are remunerating the artists they’re trained on, I think that’s a reasonable stance. Seems like critical thinking can only become more valuable. So what are you working on currently, and what do you have coming up? Any new projects to share?
Thousands of songs that may never be released.
I TRY NOT TO LIMIT MYSELF TO ONE DAW SINCE EACH PLATFORM CAN PROVIDE VASTLY DIFFERENT RESULTS.
JUST MAKING CHOICES THAT SOUND FUN IN THAT MOMENT, RENDERING THE SONG, AND CALLING IT A DAY. I TRY AND REMIND MYSELF THAT IS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT THESE DAYS.
I LIKE QUIRKY TOOLS. THINGS THAT HELP ME HEAR OR CREATE MUSIC IN A DIFFERENT OR EXCITING WAY.
I REALLY ENJOY WITNESSING HOW FAST MUSIC CHANGES IN MY STUDENTS’ LIVES. EVERY YEAR FEELS LIKE A WHOLE NEW SET OF INFLUENCES OR TRENDS. IT’S REFRESHING TO VIEW IT THROUGH THEIR EYES.