Irish-born, Berlin-based former Mixmag columnist Gavin Herlihy has over the past few years been pushing his twisted house leanings on world-respected labels such as Luciano's Cadenza Records, Cocoon, Crosstown Rebels and Moodmusic among others. Drawing influence from the classic house template but re-imagined into his own distinct flavor, his productions are a witches brew of influences that can range from Detroit inspired grooves to proper deep-house. Sonic Academy caught up with him for the first in our "15 Questions With…." series.  

Where did you learn your skills from. Self-taught or education route?

I started off experimenting with first Cubase and then Logic thanks to my flat mate who was producing at the time. I then graduated to my own set up and decided that the best route forward was to teach myself with the aid of YouTube tutorials and computer magazines. The idea being that I’d come up with my own style by doing it this way but I can wholeheartedly say  in reflection that it was probably the worst way of doing things. Learning any new skill is about asking as many questions as possible and pestering those in the know for advice. It’s the difference between months of fighting with manuals on your own or an hour’s worth of watching someone else show you how to do something. Without doubt though, this new age of  video tutorials is vital for the learning process. I don’t think it’s totally necessary to spend a fortune going to an expensive production school. You could probably learn just as much from a video but make sure you use an online video tutorial site like Sonic Academy as there are a lot of YouTube jokers out there who haven’t a clue what they’re on about. Also learning your basic skills are one thing but learning to make the type of music you’re into is another so I spent a lot of time studying the arrangements of other people’s tracks and this was key to progressing my own tracks.

What is your current studio set-up? 

Mackie HR 824 Mk2s, a quad tower Mac, Logic 9, an 88 key M-Audio  keyboard  and a Roland Gaia synth. I’m not really one for obsessively chasing the latest plug ins. I alternate between using Kontakt, the Gaia and Spectrasonic’s Omnisphere for sound creation. Omnisphere in particular is amazing as I only use analogue or hardware VA sound sources and Omnisphere is a treasure trove of sampled vintage synths.

What made you decide to use your current DAW?

I started with Cubase, experimented with Reason and I occasionally use Ableton but Logic’s sound, speed of workflow and ease of use has made it a difficult act to follow.

Talk us through your typical workflow from idea development to conception…..

I generally try to start with a sample. Whether that’s a hi hat or a clap or a vocal snippet or even just some crackle from an old record, I find it important to have something to set the wheels in motion before I begin. I also spend the beginning of a session studying and playing along to favourite tracks by other artists that I wish I’d made. That helps get my head in the zone a bit like when bands have a jam session before they start to write. I use this time to also try and work out a loose idea of what it is I want to achieve with a song. Ie. Do I want to have a very cold synth based sound? Do I want it to be based around breakbeats or just a big long reverb snare? Etc.

What part of the production process do you find the most challenging?

Conjuring up vocals. I’d love to be able to sing but my voice is just not there and I’m rubbish at writing lyrics so instead I have to rely on hunting for samples. I have a rule of avoiding sample Cd vocal collections like the plague also so it can mean a very labour intensive trawl through old records, acapellas or sampling audio from films or TV. Anyone whose ever skipped or clicked through a couple of hour’s worth of r’n’b or soulful house acapellas knows how suicidal this kind of work can make you!

How do you deal with 'hitting a brick wall'?

I usually try and aim for the sound foam on the wall rather than the brick wall itself.  It can save an embarrassing trip to the doctor and you’ll feel a lot less of a dick afterwards.

What piece of software and hardware could you not live without?

My brain. It’s seen better days and the circuitry doesn’t work as good as it used to be generally speaking it does the job. Sort of. With regards to musical equipment, synths, DAWs etc all come and go but you’re ability to make music comes from deep within and can never be replaced whereas instruments can quite easily. Also, sometimes the key to a creative spark is acquiring something new so forming attachments to musical instruments is not so essential in my book.

What piece of equipment would you most like to own?

There is a very long list of desirable hardware on my desktop. First place is probably a Moog Voyager XL.

Is there a piece of equipment you regret getting rid of?

I’m a hoarder so no I haven’t gotten rid of anything yet!

What piece of software or hardware are you most looking forward to launching this year?

I’m massively lagging behind on this one but my girlfriend who I share  a studio with and I are currently awaiting delivery of a Maschine and also in the process of getting a Slim Phatty.

What's your current live/DJ set-up and why have youchosen this over everything else available in the market?

I DJ with Traktor Vinyl. I still buy vinyl (although mostly from Discogs and occasionally from Juno/Phonica) but luckily it sits on my shelves these days rather than getting torn to pieces from one club to the next.  Traktor suits me because I like the extra degree of control and because I always have most of my music at my disposal. I don’t hit the sync button (unless some sort of disaster has taken place in the booth and the record’s skipped) not because I don’t agree with it but because I personally like to let tracks breathe and also using it makes DJing a bit boring otherwise! It’s nice to have something to do that locks you into the groove of the record that little bit tighter and there’s nothing worse than watching a DJ drinking and chatting away to someone in the booth when they should be heads down in the mix.

Is there too much choice in the music technology market these days?

There are too many products definitely (especially in the controller market) but not enough quality products and where there is quality there is usually a piss taking price tag. Haven’t the big manufacturers realised we are in a global financial meltdown or are they comfortable in the knowledge that most people will slavishly accept the constant price hikes?

How do you think the technology affects the music producers release?

There are two types of people who use music making technology. People who make music. And people who like technology. I have friends who obsessively collect the latest gear but release little or no music and then there are other people who use archaic gear to create game changing moments of musical mastery. I guess music making is like any other craft. Pick simple yet quality tools to use but be aware that the rest of the process is up to you.

What's the secret to good mastering?

I’m not a mastering engineer but I have it on good authority that the secret to good mastering lies in the secret to good mixing. Mastering engineers can only polish a turd afterall so the onus is on the producer to present a well mixed and full bodied track for the mastering engineer to add his magic dust to. And the secret to good mixing? If you want things to be louder, turn things down instead and listen to the individual tracks of your song at very low volume  (starting with your kick and clap/snare) to workout a rough idea of their appropriate volume levels. Oh and on that note never automate volume! Use a gain insert to automate instead otherwise mixing becomes a nightmare. And while I’m at it, as you begin writing your song choose elements that fit into different parts of the EQ spectrum so that you’re track is already Eqing itself before you’ve opened up your EQ plug in to fine tunes things.

What projects are you currently working on and what can we expect from you in 2012?

I have EPs for Get Physical, Leftroom and Crosstown Rebels as well as VA tracks for Leftroom and Dogmatik and a collaboration with James Barnsley for Overall in the pipeline. IN addition to that as ever I’m continually working on new material for the circle of labels that I produce for.

Gavin Herlihy 'Get Loose' EP b/w No Regular Play Remix is released on Leftroom Records on March 12th

www.gavinherlihy.com