Sample-gathering
“When I start a new piece of music, I like to have an idea or theme in my head. This may not make the final cut, but it’s better than than just sitting down with a bunch of synths and lights flashing at me with no direction. I’ll create a folder on my hard drive, and go through my sample library to find sounds I like – sounds that convey the mood I’m in, or the direction I want to take. I’ll also create a few synth patches – keys pads, stabs, etc – and dump them into this folder.”
Paul also enthuses about his Zoom H4N. “I’ll create field recordings and record sounds in the house, or when I’m out. It’s indispensable for getting sounds no one’s heard before.
“Then, once the track’s rolling, I know I’ve got sounds to pick at, because once the core elements are down, having those sounds to chuck in – even if they’re not in the right key – gives you something usable and inspiring.
“From that folder, I’ll then start creating new sounds from those sounds. I’ll load those sounds into UVI Falcon, or I’ll filter them through the Pro-2’s external input.”