Author Interview: Visualgroove

This week in our series of interviews of AudioJungle authors, we meet…

Visualgroove (Febby Tan)

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from, what do you do for a living?

My name is Febby. I live in Jakarta, Indonesia. I’m female, and nineteen years old. I’m still pursuing my degree in Arts and Design. I do some graphic & web design works freelance. I was a guitar player, but now I’m a drummer for a local metal band called Vendetta.

2. How long have you been composing music and what got you started producing?

I have been composing music since 2004, when I was 14 years old. I started composing everything with Fruity Loops, and used to do some cover songs with it. I made the drum and bass lines, then filled the guitar parts with a cheap microphone and small amp. And it helped me so much in learning how music is arranged and composed, and understood the whole recording process. Later I recorded my own materials.

I started producing because I used to be underestimated because I’m a girl and still young, and they thought I was only bragging when I said I could play instruments. So I made my first recordings to prove it to them.

3. Do you play any instruments? Do you have any formal music training?

My very first formal music training was on an electone (like an organ) when I was five. My mom puts me in training, and hoped that when I was accomplished, I could play in church. Then I grew up and realized that I want to be in a band and no bands are using electone players.

So I gave up my training and start self-teaching guitar at the age of twelve. Then I was interested to learn drums at fifteen, and just recently started to learn bass. All this was self-taught. The Internet is a very huge resource on music lessons, really.

4. Could you describe to us your home studio and the equipment and software you typically use to produce audio?

I use Logic Pro 8, Amplitube, and Addictive Drums. And lots of free AUs (or VSTs) which are too many to list. Sometimes it’s good to experiment a unique sound.

My recording setup is really economic:

• Macbook Pro (a workhorse for my music and design needs)
• Line 6 TonePort UX8 interface
• Samson Drum Mic Kit
• Shure SM58 for vocals
• M-Audio Keystation 49
• Yamaha MSP5 Studio Monitor Speakers
• Washburn Maverick BT-4
• Cort SFX1F
• Yamaha RBX-270J
• Sonor Force 3005 with Paiste Alpha Cymbals (haven’t used it yet on my AudioJungle tracks. maybe later )

5. Could you tell us a bit about how you typically compose and then produce your audio? Describe your creative process.

Sometimes ideas comes out of nowhere in my head. I believe ideas come anytime, anywhere. We have to do something to record the moment. Maybe by recording your hummings on the recorder, or writing some notation if you can. (I can’t. So, yeah.) This happens usually when I’m driving – the traffic is crazy here in Jakarta, so I have lots of free time inside the car, lol. After that I decide what kind of music I want to create. Later I process the idea in the software, with an acoustic guitar in my lap.

6. What genre of music do you enjoy producing for and why?

I really enjoy doing electronic music with a pumping beat. It’s a fun way of experimenting with sounds, adding small details here and there while keep your feet moving.

7. What kind of things inspire you to create music? Do you have any musical influences?

I have a (maybe stupid) analogy for this: I believe my brain works like a digestive system, with music as the food. I like to feed my brain with lots and lots of music. My brain will digest it, and at some point, it can’t hold anymore ‘food’ and my brain will throw up a new melody.

My musical influences are Dave Matthews, Carter Beauford, Secret Garden, Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas, Victor Wooten, DJ Tiesto, George Benson, and Randy Morton from Lamb of God.

8. What genres of music do you listen to in your spare time? Do you have any favorite bands or artists?

I have really diverse taste in music, based on my musical journey so far.

• I learn guitar by listening to pop punk music, so I like Yellowcard, The Starting Line, and Blink 182. I grew up with it. Well all people at my age did, lol.
• My former drum teacher was a jazz drummer, so he fed me up with Casiopea, which leads me later to Dave Weckl Band, Niacin, Tower of Power.
• I’m in a metal band, which mostly doing Lamb Of God cover songs, so I listen a lot to Lamb of God, Necrophagist, and Spawn of Possession.
• I really enjoy acoustic guitar sounds, so I listen to Depapepe, Andy McKee and Don Ross.
• My best friend is a huge fan of classical music, so she gave me a lot of her collections. Hans Zimmer, Secret Garden, Every Little Thing, and a few Handel classics.
• Currently I listen a lot to Black Eyed Peas, Timbaland, and DJ Tiesto.

9. What is your advice to other AudioJungle authors regarding how to create a successful portfolio of audio?

• Listen to as much music as you can, and other authors’ work as well. Some tracks in AudioJungle are very inspiring and creative.
• Find your market. In this case you have to find the right genre that sells and make sure you still enjoy doing it.
• Most important: do it with your heart. You have to put emotion into it.

10. What do you do to market your AudioJungle files?

So far I’m just uploading tracks. But being active in the forums really helps. I’m currently redesigning my website. Later I’ll promote it there as well.

11. What are your three favorite tracks in your AudioJungle portfolio and why do you like them?

Disco Inferno

I had great fun experimenting with small details here, like some scratches on the left pan, some delayed beeps on the right pan, ambience moving, that sort of thing.

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Elektroclash Revival

This song was actually a remake of one of my track called ‘Clash’. I wanted to add a dirty grungy feel but still groovin’ loops and pumping beats. And I love adding the broken synth in the middle part of it

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Flow

This is my most recent track. I just love to listen to this one with my eyes closed.

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12. Apart from yourself, who is your favorite AudioJungle author and why do you like them?

I like Soundroll. I listen a lot to his tracks and I found out that his tracks are clever and flawless. He stops at the right place, and puts loudness at the right time. Everything sounds balanced and perfect. His children’s music has a real playful feeling. I guess he puts a lot of emotions on his tracks. It just blew me away.

Others that I like are Yio, Slavador, and Solidbeats.

13. If you could change anything about AudioJungle, what would it be?

If I would find it earlier!

14. Could you tell us about some of your audio projects outside of AudioJungle? What have been some of your biggest audio successes so far?

I haven’t been really serious about doing audio tracks and selling them. Mostly I do recordings with my band, and they haven’t been released yet. So I guess my biggest audio success is here.

15. When you aren’t busy creating music, what do you like to do in your spare time?

College, doing web design, graphic design, and currently learning motion graphics and animation.

View / listen to Visualgroove’s AudioJungle portfolio.