Audiotool

Interview

My name is Truls, from the far-off land of Norway. I see myself as just another hobbyist producer.

About Truls Enstad aka naut:: My name is Truls, from the far-off land of Norway. I see myself as just another hobbyist producer who likes to experiment with a variety of different genres and techniques. I found Audiotool in the Chrome Webstore about nine years ago and the rest is history. I'm a big nerd; can fix most things with duct tape and a screwdriver; and in my honest opinion - if a pizza place can't pull off a good margherita, then it is not a good pizza place.
Which artist has had the most influence on you (on and/or outside Audiotool)?: Musically, I find it hard to pinpoint whether I've let myself be inspired by anyone in particular. I don't really set out with much of a plan when I start projects, I just try to wing it until I run out of ideas. When I first started out, I was very inspired by artists who were at the forefront of incorporating real instruments into their productions like Olaf, Lionson and Tornsage. I've also been particularly inspired by some of the insane supergroups we've had throughout the years like Future Sound Collabs, future baes, and Untrust三.
Who would you like to work/collaborate with on and outside Audiotool, and why?: I think it would be really fun to do more band stuff with sim, aeiter, naswalt and the bunch. I'd also love a collab with goon, though we have very different styles.
Which film/game would you like to produce the score for or contribute a song to?: Anything directed by Denis Villeneuve I guess? Sci-fi would be cool, but games would be fun too.
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 constantly have writers block, and I generally lack the motivation to work on big projects for an extended period of time. What usually helps getting me out of a rut is doing short projects where I try to finish it all up in about a day's work. Forcing myself to finish up projects more often prevents me from getting frustrated and anxious about artistic integrity. Generally just listening to music can also be inspiring.
What has helped you the most on Audiotool to improve and widen your musical horizon?: I think just being exposed to so many different genres of music I wouldn't necessarily have discovered on my own - definitely has helped me widen my musical horizon. Genres like dub, minimal, and future garage being worthy of mention.
What do you like most about Audiotool? Is there anything you would like to suggest?: One of my favorite things about audiotool is that it's so accessible. One of the reasons I haven't made the switch to any other standalone software suites is the fact that it's always right there at the push of a button. There's no annoying licensing restrictions, it's completely platform independent, all your assets and project files are kept track of in the cloud, all offered at no cost. I also appreciate having the somewhat limited toolset audiotool offers. I think audiotool provides you with most of all the fundamental building blocks needed for digital music production, forcing you to put two and two together without too much handholding. Like cooking your own dinner instead of ordering takeaway again.
Your message to the community:: Don't be afraid to try something different, and especially try your hand at creating and recording your own live sounds with whatever you have available! Stay away from the drama and/or clout chasing - think about your creative process and how to make it more enjoyable for yourself:)

“One of my favorite things about audiotool is that it's so accessible. One of the reasons I haven't made the switch to any other standalone software suites is the fact that it's always right there at the push of a button.”
— Naut