Are there ever disagreements about which direction to take with tracks?
Yeah, we’re by no means carbon copies of each other in terms of taste or opinion so we often have differences but finding that compromise is not only essential to the longevity of our partnership but it creates a more rounded sound, the sound that is Audiojack. The results are definitely better with both opinions in the melting pot.
Last we heard from you you were using FL Studio. Is that still the case?
Every version gets better and we know it inside out nowadays. There’s nothing we want to do that we can’t with FL Studio so until that time comes we’ll continue to use it as our main production software.
How about the monitoring? You used to use the cheapo Kam Soundpack 2 setup, right? Have you upgraded?
We have, but not through dissatisfaction. After several years of daily use they just conked out and we thought we’d try something else, so we got the KRK RP6s which are still not very expensive but they do the job perfectly well.
I get the impression you’re not really gearheads. What does the rest of the studio setup look like these days? Do you use any hardware or is it mainly software-based?
Mainly software-based. We’re not nearly as passionate about equipment as we are about the music itself and if we can get the noises we want from software then we’re happy. If we heard a piece of hardware making noises we wanted that you could only get through the hardware then we’d invest, but we’re getting great results with plugins at the moment. We’ve got a MIDI keyboard and a Korg Triton LE, an Akai APC40 and a mic but apart from the latter they’re only used as controllers.
So if you’re only using plugins what are your favourites? I’m especially interested in what you use for your basslines.
For bass our go-to plugins are Image-Line’s Harmless and Harmor, Rob Papen’s SubBoomBass and Albino 3. Massive has some nice ones too. Then it’s all about treating it properly with just the right amount of filters, reverb, delays and any fine subtleties that make it sound refined, full and warm.
We’re not nearly as passionate about equipment as we are about the music itself.
Is there increasing pressure on artists to be all-rounders these days? We’ve reached a point where artists are almost expected also to be DJs (and vice versa), and possibly to run a label too. Is that a problem?
It’s not a problem for us as we’ve always tried to have a good understanding of the industry and whatever we’re doing we want to do it as well as we can.
It seems natural that if you’re passionate about playing music then you’re probably interested in learning how it’s made, and maybe then you might want to try and have a go at making it yourself. Then maybe the idea that you could make and distribute your own music might be really appealing – as it is to us – but obviously everyone’s different.
Finally, after building up to the success you’ve reached with the DJing, the production and the label, what one thing do you wish you’d known back when you were starting out?
Everything’s a learning curve, so positivity can come even from mistakes as well as good decisions.
If we could have our time again we’d be a lot more precious about where we release our music. When you’re just starting out and desperate to pay your rent from your music income it’s easy to jump at the money on offer for remixes, without fully appreciating that the whole process after you hand them your remix is out of your hands.
Positivity can come even from mistakes as well as good decisions.
Nowadays we can’t be persuaded to do a remix by dollar bills at all. The right label is the most important thing, as we put our trust in their integrity, alongside the original artist and the musical content.
The No Equal Sides EP is out now on 2020Vision. Find Audiojack on Facebook and SoundCloud.