Talking Shop: Nuage

Discover his top tools and tips for making music

The Russian producer may have started out in drum & bass, but recent releases have seen his sound evolve into more eclectic styles. After the release of his new album, Wild, we tracked Nuage – aka Dimitry Kuzmin – down to find out how his working methods have taken root. FM: Tell us about your studio. “I work at home almost all the time, except perhaps the final mixdown. I want to be as flexible as possible and work from home or on the road, sketching ideas and thoughts at the laptop. I work with the Korg Microkorg MK1, Propellerhead Reason and Mac Pro. I still have a Novation Launchpad S for quick sampling.”

What one piece of gear in your studio could you not do without, and why?

“I think I can work with only a laptop, DAW and monitors/headphones for recording. Maybe if I didn’t have Reason, I wouldn’t have written anything good on any other software for a few months.”

What’s the latest addition to your studio?

“The Microkorg. It helps me, both in live performance and in a producing as well, it sounds really warm and is very intuitive, which is important. From time to time my work turns into jam sessions, then I record presets and sounds, noises, arpeggios etc and collect them for future tracks. I picked up the Microkorg around three years ago, and didn’t use it for quite a long time… but when I started to experiment with it, it really opened my eyes to the world of hardware devices.” Nuage’s essential production advice

Feel free to add more sounds

“My project often consists of 70 different tracks or more, I usually create separate groups or mixers and unite them in sends for effects.”

Don’t over do EQ

“Some people advise you to get a crystal-clear mixdown by precisely EQing each sound. The mix sounds clear when you EQ things hard, but the final mix can lose the dynamics.”

Don’t be afraid

“Don’t be afraid to sample and use sound banks and libraries, especially if you do not have much experience in creating your own sounds.”