TALKING SHOP

Argentinian-born, Berlin-based musician Sebastian Plano is a man of many talents – an accomplished cellist, classicallytrained composer and electronic producer. He puts all these skills to work on his latest album, Save Me Not, a beautiful concoction of delicate piano lines, haunting vocals, luscious strings and electronic atmospherics. We caught up with him to find out more...

When did you start making music, and how did you first get started?

“I started playing cello when I was seven and writing music when I was 11. Classical music was definitely an influence growing up; both of my parents were members of the Philharmonic in Rosario, the city in Argentina where I was born. However, I remember being really captivated by electronic sounds at that time. When I was seven my dad used to watch Cosmos by Carl Sagan. I remember running around the house picking up all those amazing tracks by Vangelis. For my 8th birthday my dad gifted me a cassette tape by Vangelis, which opened up a fascinating palette of new electronic sounds. I then got Reason and started experimenting.”

Tell us about your studio...

“I’ve had my own studio in Berlin for the last five years now. I’m mostly using a mix between hardware and plugin tools to produce my works; it would mostly depend on where the new composition is heading to and what it needs. It’s an inspiring place to create, especially at night. If there is anything I would like to change it would definitely be making the shift to having a studio outside the city and located in nature.”

What DAW do you use, and why?

“In the very beginning I started making tracks with Reason, but then moved into using Logic for all production and Ableton Live for live shows. I find Logic to be a very simple and dynamic DAW to use, especially when it comes to multi-track recording and editing.”

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

“Definitely my cello. It’s surely my voice when it comes to making music. It is a very versatile instrument, I’m constantly searching for unconventional ways of making music with it by experimenting and exploring extended techniques.”

What was your last purchase?

“An Aurora Audio GTQ2 MKIII preamp: it makes a beautiful combination with the ribbon mics I use to record with. It also adds beautiful tone and colour to synths, especially the Juno-60.”

What dream bit of gear would you love to have in your studio?

“A Fairchild 670.”

When approaching a new track or project, where do you start?

“I am very much driven by the tone, colour and nuances of a sound, this is most often a starting point. Musical ideas would also come from improvising on cello or piano, often a motif would trigger other musical ideas too. Experimentation does also play a big role in how I make music.”

What are you currently working on?

“My new record Save Me Not is out now on Mercury KX. I am also currently writing the score for a short film by Oscar winner director Chris Overton.”