Name: Carlos Félix Calderón Soto aka Azaria
Nationality: Spanish
Occupation: Producer, composer
Current release: Azaria teams up with Andrea Lacoste for the Hexagrama EP, out via La Belle.
Recommendations: Geoff Emerick: Here There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles (Geoff Emerick became an assistant engineer at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in 1962 at age fifteen, he was present when the Beatles recorded their first song and kept working with them until their breakup)
David Byrne: How music works; Michael Bienhorn: Unlocking Creativity

If this Azaria interview piqued your interest, visit him on Facebook, Instagram, and Soundcloud.  



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in production and technology?

Since I was very young, I was immersed in music, mainly because of my father. At home he listened to a lot of music of all kinds (progressive rock, fusion groups like Weather Report, traditional Latin American music, Disco music e.t.c) and he always gave me access to the room where he had his equipment and records.

He also had a 4 track open reel tape with which I started to experiment with recording myself.  From those moments on, I knew that music and technology would always be in one way or another in my daily life.

What were your very first active steps with music technology and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist/producer?

I started with the 1/4" open reel recorder. Later, when I was playing in a band with friends, I recorded the demos with a Tascam 4 track multitrack in cassette format.

The first contact I had with a digital tool was with a software called Rebirth and it was an emulator of the Roland TR909 TR808 and TB303 machines, a lot of fun. Later I enrolled in sound and image school and learned to record with 24 track 2 inch wide open reel tape recorders. It was the time when they were already disappearing from most recording studios (late 90's early 2000's). 

At the same time I was already working with a Mac 9600, an Akai 3000 sampler and Cubase trying to develop  techno music ideas which was the music I was listening to the most at that time.

[Read our feature on the Roland 303]

I learned Pro Tools which is the software I use the most nowadays together with Ableton live. Since 2000 until now I have been working in recording studios.

You can learn to be an artist and producer through continuous training and practice. Technology has made the process more accessible than ever, but creativity, commitment, discipline and teamwork are still essential to be complete.

Were/are you interested in the history of production and recording? If so, which events, albums, artists, or insights stand out for you?

I always liked to look at the album cover to see who had recorded it, where it was made and this kind of information. As time went by, I would realize or associate certain sonorities and arrangements with producers and engineers who had participated in those records. Even bands that changed their team in the next one didn't sound the same and the records didn't have that charm.

The two fundamental events for me are the recording of sound on a physical format and the revolution of the multichannel recording.

Choosing emblematic albums is quite subjective. I can tell you some that have been for me starting with the first album I had which was Thriller by Michael Jackson. The album I have listened to the most in my life by far.

After this one to name a few that come to my mind right now: License to Ill by Beastie Boys, Loc'ed After Dark (Tone Loc), Legend (Bob Marley), Love (The Cult), And Justice for all (Metallica), Jazzmatazz (Guru), Spiderland (Slint), Goo (Sonic Youth), Nevermind (Nirvana), Repeater (Fugazi), Slanted and Enchanted (Pavement), Painful (Yo la Tengo), Bakesale (Sebadoh), any album by El Inquilino Comunista, The Downward Spiral (Nine inch Nails), Chemical Brothers' First and second Albums, Insides (Orbital), Form and Function (Photek), Jeff Mills and his labels Purpose Maker and Axxis, Niung Niggun (Mouse on Mars), Basic Channel / Chain Reaction whole discography, Head on (Supercollider) …

[Read our Jeff Mills Interview]
[Read our Alessandro Cortini of Nine Inch Nails interview]

Making music, in the beginning, is often playful and about discovery. How do you retain a sense of playfulness as things become more professionalised and how do you still draw surprises from equipment you may be very familiar with?

Experimenting with new approaches, using new sounds and collaborating with other artists helps me keep that feeling and evolve as an artist.

Also, even with familiar equipment, there is always room for innovation and surprise because you never stop evolving. Even if the machine remains the same. You approach it differently.

For your own creativity, what is the balance and relative importance between what you learned from teachers, tutorials and other producers on the one hand – and what you discovered, understood, and achieved yourself? What are examples for both of these?

It's totally different to learn from a tutorial than first hand from a professional. I think the best way to learn is to watch another professional work. You can learn technical concepts and advanced techniques  faster. The way seasoned mix engineers  use a compressor is radically different from the way it is explained in tutorials. The point  is to apply this knowledge to your own creative vision.

Studying the work of other producers and mixers has inspired me and influenced my own workflow. There is quite a bit of information available on Les Paul, Glynn Johns, Al Schmitt, Martin Hannett, Bruce Swedien, Brian Eno, Steve Albini, Michael Wagener, Don Zientara, Terry Date, Joe Barresi, Dave Fridmann, Flood, Dave Jerdenr or Brendan O´Brien to name a few.

I was lucky to meet  Tchad Blake (Tom Waits, Black Keys, Peter Gabriel, Artic Monkeys e.t.c.)  who has been the only mentor I’ve ever had and from whom I was fortunate enough to learn many of the techniques I use on a daily basis.

How and for what reasons has your music set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear and software for you?

As I have been gaining experience, becoming more professional and discovering new technologies, the evolution has been constant and has not stopped at the moment. What used to be a modest studio shared in a rehearsal space with another lad has become a more sophisticated space with high quality equipment.

Some of the most important equipment for my studio work includes Neumann microphones,  Neve and Api preamps, Distressor compressors (which do everything and everything well), my ATC speakers, the Mac and Pro tools.

When I write electronic music, a laptop, Ableton live and a handful of virtual synths will do.
 
Have there been technologies which have profoundly influenced, changed or questioned the way you make music?

The advent of DAWs (digital audio workstations) and advanced synthesis software has totally transformed the way I compose and produce music. Also, access to high quality samples and sounds has broadened my personal sound.

In addition, guitar amp modeling and effects technologies have changed the way guitarists work today, in the recording studio and live performances.

Yann Tiersen, in a surprising statement, told me: "I feel more sincere with electronic instruments [than acoustic ones]." Is that something you can relate to?

I understand Yann Tiersen's perspective.  Personally, I have found a deep connection with electronic instruments and tools because of the versatility they offer.

However, acoustic instruments bring a unique warmth and authenticity.

Late producer SOPHIE said: “You have the possibility with electronic music to generate any texture, and any sound. So why would any musician want to limit themselves?” What's your take on that and the relevance of limitations in your set-up and process?

The creative freedom that electronic music offers and its possibilities are endless, which can be very inspiring if you learn how to control it. It's very easy to get lost in all those decisions that have to be made, but limitations can be valuable. Constraints can drive creativity and shape a distinctive sound.

I may have about 300 plugins on my computer organized in categories such as  Eq, Dynamics, Modulation, Reverbs, Delays  etc of which I usually use about 40-50. As with all other tools, depending on the task and  being very familiar with  specific tools, you trust in principle which tool will do it best.

If it does not give the expected result, then it is replaced by the next alternative in the category.

From the earliest sketches to the finished piece, what does your current production workflow/process look like?

My way of starting a track begins with an idea or starting point that can be a programmed sound  in the synthesizer, a drum pattern, a voice ... Something that speaks to me.

I try to work fast and have an idea of what the song is going to be in about 3 - 4 hours. Then finishing the production, automations, details and mixing can take me days or weeks but usually if it takes me too long to develop an idea, I tend lose interest in it.

Rhythm, sound design, melody/harmony, something else – when do the different elements of a piece come into play for you?

I often start programming  a beat or writing a riff (an accompanying melodic line that usually spans one or two measures and is repeated throughout a song). These elements establish the foundation and atmosphere of the piece.  Establishing an initial setting or mood. Then, melody and harmony come into play to give life and emotional impact to the music.

There are some very important elements that appear only at certain moments of a song, which are the breaks and transitions. A noise, a drum fill or a simple ad lib can end up being the hook of a song.

I always maintain the flexibility to adjust and rearrange these elements as the piece evolves..

In relation to sound, one often reads words like “material”, “sculpting”, and “design”. How does your own way of working with sound look like? Do you find using presets lazy?

Working with sound more than sculpting for me is like cooking. In fact most of the producers I know also cook quite well or are quite interested in it and find the same similarities.  

A preset is like using a ready made recipe. The interesting thing is to take one of those recipes as a starting point and then eliminate or change some steps, add your own refinement and your own spices to achieve another dish.

I also have no problem sampling other sound sources if I consider it interesting for the development of a track. Although presets can be useful in certain situations, I prefer to create sounds from scratch or modify existing presets to suit my vision.

What, to you, are the respective benefits of solo work and collaborations and do you often feel lonely in the studio? Can machines act as collaborators to you?

Both solo work and collaborations have their advantages. Working alone allows me to explore my personal vision and experiment freely. However, collaborations can bring new ideas and perspectives from other angles, which is enriching. At times, the process can feel lonely, but that solitude can be a space for deep concentration and creativity.

My most creative states have been working alone after several hours, there are days when you go into a kind of state that whatever you are looking for comes out. There are other days when it is better to turn off the computer and go for a walk.  

The machines are helpful because they allow me to experiment and generate new ideas that I hadn't planned before.

To some, the advent of AI and 'intelligent' composing tools offers potential for machines to contribute to the creative process. What are your hopes, fears, expectations and possible concrete plans in this regard?

I am not against them and I am hopeful that AI tools can be regulated wisely before it is too late. I believe they can speed up the creative process and provide inspiration.

However, I also have concerns about the loss of authenticity and human creativity. There is still an artistic factor that they don't have (and I hope they won't have it for a long time). For example: There are online mastering services where AIs are not yet able to apply aesthetic and artistic criteria to the task.

In the rest of the areas they are not very optimized yet either, but we have been using this kind of technologies for a very short time. I can't even imagine what will happen in 10 years.

If you could make a wish for the future directly to a product developer at a Hard- or Software company – what are developments in tools/instruments you would like to see and hear?  

There are so many interesting people developing new applications and software that I don't really need any.

If I need any specific tool, it is available and with several alternatives, the software is advancing by leaps and bounds and they really sound great, plugins, samplers and virtual instruments.