leadenshrew

Interview

About Gabe aka leadenshrew

Hi, I'm Gabe. I'm 21, I live in the UK and I just finished my first year at university studying Television Production. I first heard about Audiotool at school from a friend who showed me a track he made. I've gone by other names on Audiotool over the years but was never really proud of my output, but I feel like as leadenshrew I've really found myself and I'm able to create music that's personal to me. Overall I'd say I've been on Audiotool for about 7 years. Also, since they asked, I'm partial to a meat feast pizza.

Describe the style of music you produce

I'd say I'm mostly known for my bass music, but I've been trying to branch out more. Whether trap, dnb, trance — a common theme of mine is just making something really loud. I really enjoy making music that sounds like it's about to fall apart at the seams.

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

I remember as a kid, my dad used to have a really old version of Cubase on his pc and I just thought it was so cool. He was also the one to introduce me to Kraftwerk which cemented my love for electronic music in general. My mum could play piano and she tried to teach me, but I was always too impatient to slow down and practice. It was only until I found Audiotool that I took the time to sit down and start learning. Outside of Audiotool I picked up the bass guitar around 15 and started teaching myself.

What is your favorite Audiotool device and why?

I really can't decide between the pulv and the heis. I love the noise on the pulv for obvious reasons, but messing with the ratio on a heis is always so much fun. Also tiny gain. Love that little guy fr.

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

1trillionMPH introduced me to parallel compression and that's been a complete game changer for me. It gives things more character and you can get some really punchy drums. I also strive for "movement" in my tracks.

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'm actually going through a pretty nasty block right now. My drive usually comes in bursts, but that hasn't happened in a while. My advice would be to try and occupy yourself with something else creatively, for me that's drawing and writing. Stuff like that could give you inspiration for a sound or an entire track, and you can also expand your talents in more areas.

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

In short, an open mind. Having the widest range of music to draw from will help you out tremendously. I do that through Soundcloud stations and Spotify radio, as well as asking my friends and family for music recommendations. If I hadn't known withdecay I probably wouldn't have ever listened to Deftones. Mashing everything you know into one weird amalgam always produces interesting results and something uniquely you.

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

I probably would have jumped to something like Ableton completely if it weren't for the community aspect. I always enjoy speaking with people about Audiotool and having tracks open for remix is genius. If I were to add anything, I'd love it if there were some kind of pitch knob on the Audiotrack. Pitching a loop to the scale I'm working in would be a lifesaver.

Your message to the community:

Keep on keeping on. You guys are why I'm still here making music.