The DSI Artist Interview: Morgan Page (continued)

AM: One of the things that really struck me listening to the album is that there is a definite through-line, it sounds like an album and not just a collection of songs. Is that something you consciously set out to do?

MP: It's a long process. This album took about a year and a half, and certain songs didn't make the cut, but I wanted to have a variety of sounds and also have continuity and be satisfying to hear again and again. It's a really tough process. Getting the right track order is important, as well, figuring out what's going to be compelling and keep the album interesting. I think the hard part right now is choosing the singles. We have two earmarked, but it's tricky. If you really like all of the songs, it hard to single one out and say this is the focal point.

AM: It seems to be almost an antiquated notion these days of producing an "album," something that actually holds together as a piece, but I definitely get that impression from Believe.

MP: Yeah, well I'm glad it came together the way it did. I like both models, the singles-driven model and the album model. I think it's funny how people seem to feel like they have to choose between the two. You've got Radiohead and other bands that want to completely abandon the album format and just release singles now and then, which I think is a cool way to do it, but this album is something I wanted to release as a whole, a continuous thing. It's not continuously mixed, like a DJ mix, but it's something I wanted to have a long life to it.

AM: Though you rely on technology fairly heavily to create your music, there's a very—for lack of a better term—organic quality to it. Can you comment on that and how the DSI stuff factors into that?

MP: A big part of that for me is meshing synthetic and more real-world sounds; taking acoustic guitars and layering those with pads from the Prophet '08, and things like that. As I develop songs for the next album, I'm stacking sounds from Mopho with traditional live sounds, like acoustic drums layered with synthetic sounds. That's made a huge difference. It's not like 1 + 1 = 2, it's more like 1 + 1 = 3. There's this x factor in there due to the combination of the sounds, the way harmonics are interacting with each other. I think that's what that organic sound is. Part of it's compression technique and how I'm using side chaining to sort of wrap around the kick drum, but a big part of it is this mid-rangy sound that I get from certain Prophet '08 patches that seems to complement guitars and stringed instruments well.

AM: What is it about our synths that make them "go-to" gear for you?

MP: I'll use the Prophet for blocking out chord progressions and then mess around with the automation and record different passes, changing the decay rate and the release and sustain, using automation to really make the track breathe. So I'm not just using static sounds. I used to be kind of lazy and not really pay attention to that stuff, but it adds a lot to the way a track evolves. That's what has been helpful, just to have a knob in your hand. It takes a few different takes, because you're doing it manually instead of just pencilling it in with MIDI, but I think it's worthwhile.

The analog filters make a big difference, versus just doing an EQ sweep. I still use a stock EQ plug-in and draw it in when there's something I can't perform physically, but normally I just like to just perform it live.

AM: You have a Prophet '08, Mopho, and now Tetra, which all have similar voice architectures. Do you find that the different interfaces cause you to approach them differently?

MP: I like the way that Mopho and Tetra pair up nicely with the Prophet, so that I can get to the controls quicker with the knobs. I like the Prophet for playing chord progressions, whereas with Mopho I'll hit the Push It button and do arpeggios and sequences and drum parts. The main thing I use Mopho for is drums and now Tetra has kind of taken over that role. Because Mopho is the only one with an external audio input, I'll buss things out of Pro Tools and use the input gain and filter to get things crunching. Tetra does everything Mopho does except the audio input, so Mopho still has its place in the studio.

AM: You were pretty instrumental in making Tetra happen. Do you recall what you said to Dave that caused us to start looking and thinking in that direction?

MP: I was travelling with Mopho and I loved the fact that I could fit it in a toiletry kit and take it on a plane, and that it was durable and didn't get scratched up or anything, there was nothing hanging out that could get damaged. And I was thinking that it would be really nice to play chords and would it be possible to have a polyphonic Mopho? So I was surprised and pleased that you guys listened.

AM: Well, we try to, especially when somebody has a good idea, and that was definitely a good one. I think we managed to take it beyond that. If anything, it can be a little difficult to briefly explain what Tetra is because it can do a number of things well.

MP: Yeah, I'm still kind of feeling it out. Right now my favorite thing is definitely the combo patches. They're amazing. I've already used them on some new drafts for songs. It just sounds big. The envelopes are snappy. It's just got a thickness to it that I like. I was getting really good stuff with Mopho, but this has taken it to another level.

I love what you guys are doing. You don't have to save up $3000 to buy a good analog keyboard. That's been a barrier to entry for a lot of this stuff, like the Moog Voyager. That's just not an option, unless you're loaded. To put real analog in the hands of budding producers for well under $1000 is amazing.

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