Patrick Reza Interview

Oh you knowww.. just havin a spot of tea with Patrick Reza…

 

 

 

 

 

If you had to pick one instance memory or moment that influenced you to start producing music, what would that be?

July 21, 2007 seeing Daft Punk’s Alive Tour. Them and Aphex Twin really got me introduced into the electronic music scene. As far as dubstep I was really pulled into the genre from my appreciation and love for Bassnectar and Zeds Dead’s early productions, for example Timestretch, Magical World, and Eyes on Fire Remix.

 

What do you think is the most challenging part of making music for you?

I think one of the most difficult parts of producing electronic music these days is trying not to get caught up in the wave of those who are riding on some bandwagon. It’s really important for you to have you’re own unique sound. Additionally, as far as my production the hardest part for me is trying to glue opposing sounds together, i.e. huge chords and a face ripping bass to sound cohesive in the overall tune.

When you aren’t slaving over a song, what else captivates your attention? Who is your biggest supporter?

As far as personal supporters I’d have to give it up to my family, girlfriend, and friends. They’re always there pushing me to better myself and my productions. As far as professionally, I’d have to say one of my biggest dreams has come true in that I was able to work with and gain support from Bassnectar.

 

What song of yours is most personal to you and why?

I think Take Me Away is the song I am most proud of as it is my first fully original song in which I was happy with the lyrics, vocals, vocal processing, and instrumentation. Lyrically speaking it really captures the essence of my mindset while producing. Shout out to my girl Jilian for killing it on that track!

 

Do you have a favorite set of plugins you typically tend to use when processing basslines?

I tend to use a lot of the stuff that comes Native in Ableton.  As far as baseline synthesis I usually stick to Operator, Massive, and Sylenth for the midrange bass stuff. I use my Analog Arturia MiniBrute for my sub bass.

 

Your snares are always so fat and bottom heavy. Could you tell us some of the steps you take when processing snares?

The key to making good snares is really in working with good samples to begin with. As far as processing I usually tend to do minimal compression, eq notch at anywhere from 180-220hz (depending on the key) to beef up the initial punch/ring of the snare. Lastly I always throw a low pass filter around 150hz to keep room for the subbass and the kick.

Your drums are very punchy and translate well on any system. Could you give any tips on how to maintain your drum transients so that they punch through a mix even if its heavily limited?

Side chaining is really a key factor on making room for everything in the mix. Additionally, I use fabfilter pro-q on almost every channel doing very precise harmonic eking to get rid of all the “muddy” frequencies. At the end of the day the real trick is knowing how to mix down a track and create room for everything. That way you can get great dynamic range and volume with minimal smashing/limiting.

And lastly, where would you like to be in 5 years?

A Headline Tour with full stage design and production, work on some more movie soundtracks and establish my own label to help out up and coming producers get started.

 

Thank you Patrick, we are so excited to see you at your next show in Los Angeles: Alive! A music festival teaming up with nonprofit organization We Are The Movement to create an INSANE experience filled with crazy performances, live painting, art installations, interactive art and amazing beats by Epoch Rises, Tristan Hendy, DJ Miss Dust, Baaze and Bullet Made Statues!  You’ve gotta come!!

https://www.facebook.com/events/246991765462366/