erthboy

Interview

About: Eric AKA erthboy:

I'm Eric. Just a guy haha. I'm from St. George Utah: a half hour from Zion National Park, and two hours from Las Vegas. I got put onto Audiotool through my love of "those techno songs" from the Need For Speed games by artists like Pendulum, The Bloody Beetroots, and Digitalism. I was like 12 and I wanted to make those kind of songs so had my dad buy this software called Magix Music Maker 16. Later, I was browsing apps on the Chrome App Store and found Audiotool there. My first account was called erictheo47. I cycle through being intrigued by many styles of electronic music as they come and go, but I'll love bass music always and forever.

Describe the style of music you produce

I produce distorted bass music. I like hearing how low frequencies interplay with higher harmonics. My music used to be much more melodic than it is now, which I sometimes lament, but I like designing sounds and coming up with fresh things that I haven't really heard before. I think of melodies and themes as ideas to support the "meat" of a track (which is the drop).

What is your musical background and when did you start making music?

I've played drums since about the same time that I started producing music and I played in my high school's Jazz band. I also grew up singing in choirs and smaller performing groups. I started producing music around the time I was 12.

How long have you been using Audiotool, and how did you discover it?

I've been using Audiotool for roughly 15 years. Found it on the Chrome App Store in 2011.

What is your favorite Audiotool device and why?

My favorite Audiotool device is lowkey the note splitter. It is SO nice to control multiple devices with one note track. It makes creating complex sounds with lots of layers SO simple and I use a lot of those types of sounds in my tracks.

What is your favourite trick in AT/What technique do you always use?

My favorite trick is probably FM from oscillator B with the Heisenberg. It's the foundation of almost all of my sounds. Close second is a HUGE compressor on the master haha.

Have you ever had a writer's block? If so, how did you deal with it and what do you recommend to your colleagues?

I have literally disappeared from making music for years at a time. I personally deal with it by just moving on and finding another hobby for a bit. Inspiration will hit when it hits. I've always kept making music in the realm of fun/hobby/decompression. I don't intend to push deadlines or try and profit from it, so it keeps things stress free.

What has helped you the most on Audiotool to improve and widen your musical horizon?

I learned pretty late that you can learn plenty of things from tutorials for other plugins or DAWs that can be applied to Audiotool. I spent a long time in my life mistakenly being an Audiotool isolationist. Once I opened up to the broader world of producing music I feel like my sound and style really took off.

What do you like most about Audiotool? Is there anything you would like to suggest?

I like the familiarity, the sample library, the versatility of the devices and signal routing mechanics, the community, and at this point the nostalgia of using Audiotool. I'd suggest this to you, the reader: start taking Audiotool seriously if you are not. You can achieve almost any sound and style with Audiotool with enough practice/experimentation and that is WILD for a free, web-based DAW.

Your message to the community:

Thank you for all of your support through the years. I love having this place to retreat to, where I feel at home, where I feel free to experiment. Thank you, community. And thank you, Audiotool team for such a life-changing platform.