If you’re a regular reader of our site and haven’t heard of Max Porcelli, you must be missing out. Just a few weeks ago, he had a phenomenal release on Magnetic Magazine Recordings with his track “Lotus.” This is just one of over seventy productions in his extensive catalog, which includes remixes, originals, and EPs. With so much time spent in the studio, Max has clearly learned a lot, and we’re here to explore those insights.

Before discussing how “Lotus” was made, take a moment to listen to the track below and get a taste of what Max has been cooking up. Lotus” is out now on Magnetic Magazine Recordings.

Synth PadShop

PadShop is this super cool Steinberg Cubase VSTi made mainly for creating pad sounds, but I’m all about using it for plucked strings too. It’s a Granular and Spectral Synthesizer that lets you dive deep into samples like never before. You get to play around with the tiniest bits and pieces, grains and building blocks, and morph them into totally new, unheard synth sounds. It’s a game changer in how you handle samples. So, I’m into it for the sheer versatility and the wild manipulation possibilities it offers.

Mostly, I use it to import, redesign, and synthesize my own samples, or I start with the presets you can find. Then I tweak all the granular synth parameters or classic synth parameters to get the sound just right. A touch of effects finishes off the whole process.

In this track, I whipped up the plucked synth, bell, and whistle sounds to give it that fresh, background vibe. The goal was to keep things interesting and avoid being too repetitive. If you’re into Cubase like me, definitely give this underrated VSTi a shot. It seriously works wonders, especially if you’re into granular stuff like some of the big names out there.

Soothe

Soothe takes the edge off any sound source. It’s awesome for vocals but also works wonders on drums, instruments, bass, and pretty much anything else, very transparently, all without changing the original vibe. Plus, it’s a game changer for clearing up muddiness and boominess in recordings.

I mostly use it on tops and synths, but I’ll throw it on the master channel too, or anywhere I sense a resonance that’s sucking energy out of a track. My approach with almost every plugin is to kick things off with this plugin by starting from the default preset and then zeroing in on the troublesome frequency. Like when I use EQ, I like to go a bit overboard at first to get a feel for its limits and when it starts to color the sound too much. Then, I dial it back until I notice its impact on the sound.

Honestly, this plugin is super versatile. You can use it on any recording or genre because it’s transparent. Plus, the difference it makes to the sound is seriously noticeable.

BX_subsynth

The Brainworx bx_subsynth is all about pumping up your tracks with some serious low-end. It doesn’t just boost what’s already there like an EQ; it brings in new, deeper bass frequencies an octave lower than your original sounds. 

In Lotus, I slap it on the kick and totally dig how easy it is to add that extra oomph in the low end. Mostly, I stick to playing around with the filter section, but I always make sure to get the gain staging right first. This plugin can pack a ton of energy, so dodging distortion is a step I never skip when mixing a track.

This plugin is so powerful, it’s super easy to overdo your recordings. So, before you dive into tweaking the low-frequency vibes of your music, make sure your listening space is on point. Trust your ears and listening spot, and you can mess with those bass frequencies without worrying about making disasters rather than good things

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A BIG TIP ABOUT PRODUCING ORGANIC HOUSE

Recently I’ve been shaking things up with my music production approach. In fact, in the last period, I tend to avoid using compression (unless it’s totally necessary, especially with vocals). If I can get away without compressing, I’ll go for volume automation instead. 

This lets me keep the mix’s natural dynamics alive as much as possible. My goal? To keep the original sound’s integrity intact, allowing each part of the track to shine on its own. This choice really lets me capture the true vibe and energy of the music, and I leave any compression that might be needed to the mastering engineer. That way, the final mastering touches can boost the overall sound without messing with the dynamic range I’ve worked to keep. 

You might ask, how do you balance the dynamic between bass and kick? A classic side chain compression? Nope 😁 If possible, I tend to fix it into the arrangement. For example, in “Lotus,” the kick and the bass play separately, thus there is no need to compress anything, and, by the way, they create a very nice groove interlocking between each other.

The post How It Was Made: Max Porcelli – Lotus (Magnetic Magazine Recordings) appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.