“You don’t always need to mix a song — hear me out…”: Grace Davies on DIY production, breaking studio rules, and trusting your earsSinger-songwriter turned producer, Grace Davies, has come a long way since her time on the world-famous singing competition, The X Factor. With four EPs and one on the way, she’s learnt what it takes to work both independently and under major record label Syco, and is now spreading her producer wings with her upcoming album, The Wrong Side of 25, showcasing the first time that Davies has sat in the producing chair for an entire project.
Alongside her notable sync work, which has seen her catalogue appear in popular UK TV shows such as Love Island, Britain’s Got Talent, Strictly Come Dancing and more, the producer is focusing more on bringing her releases to life, using plugins and other studio equipment that can help make the visions in her head a reality.
READ MORE: Waz-u: “If you want to do something unexpected, be controlled and intentional about it”
In this Studio Files interview, Davies sits down with MusicTech to delve into her new role as a producer, how that has changed her relationship with singer-songwriting, and how she can use equipment to help further develop her sonic creativity.

What did you learn about yourself as a producer while producing IWPBWT and The Wrong Side of 25?
IWPBWT was the first time I’d co-produced a whole project; it was really important for me in understanding the value of trusting my instinct.
I would send stems to my producer and say, ‘This probably isn’t very good, but maybe something like this… I’m sure you have a better plugin, though, and he’d be like, ‘Grace, I’m just gonna use yours because there’s nothing wrong with it and it sounds great’. It really gave me a confidence boost and assurance that just because I’m not the ‘named producer’ who is being paid for the job, doesn’t mean I’m not capable of doing it and chipping in. It was also the first time a producer recognised that I’m essentially coming up with all of the production ideas and leading the way a song would sound counted as a production credit — and that was really eye-opening for me.
I’ve always said since the beginning of my career that I have a producers head but not an engineers hands — i.e. I’ve always had a strong vision for production and been able to sit next to a producer and guide them, but it sometimes takes someone with zero ego to go “you’re actually doing most of the producing here, I’m just doing what you tell me to do” and give you that recognition.
Grace Davies in the studio. Image: Press
Lockdown in 2020 was actually a great time for me as a songwriter because, with no one else there to do it for me, it forced me into the uncomfortable zone of really honing my craft as an ‘engineer’. I’m grateful for that time and for the producers I worked with during that period who really championed me.
Transitioning from a singer-songwriter to a recording artist and now a producer, how has your perspective about making music changed?
My love for the creative process has grown so much more. I’ve been on stage since I was three years old, and I viewed songwriting as a necessary chore before — my love was performing. But, being in a studio for 18 months, working things out, problem solving, surrounding myself with incredible musicians and having the time and patience to try out the weirdest, least commercial ideas was the most fun I’ve ever had. I think the tables have very much turned for me, and the studio is now my happy place.

What’s your latest gear or plugin purchase?
My latest plugin purchase was iZotope RX 11, and let me tell you, it has been worth its weight in gold on this album. My co-producer Paul and I made the very easy mistake of, during the writing process, saying ‘Ah yeah, that’s cool, let’s just sing that in as a rough guide’ whilst making the demos.
A very crucial thing to note — I will never be able to sing something with as much emotion or conviction as when I’ve just written it and don’t really know what I’m doing… I’m just never able to capture the same magic! So when you’re ‘roughly’ singing something in with no headphones and speakers blaring and then, later down the line, you end up changing production or releasing acapella’s with that as the final vocal, that becomes a gigantic problem.
iZotope RX11 in Davies’ project
RX 11 was critical in removing so much noise from the background. You’re really able to zone in and visually pick out sounds you want removing, rather than just sticking something like Waves’ NS1 on it that’ll create quite a dull sound over the main recording. It’s great for removing clicks, pops and saliva noises too.
What’s the best free plugin you own?
One hundred thousand per cent, it’s the BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover from Spitfire
AUdio. For anyone who’s into huge orchestra sounds but doesn’t want to pay thousands of pounds, this is a great free plugin to help you play around.
There’s a string interlude on my album, which I used this plugin for before firing MIDI stems over to Paul. It’s genuinely so much fun and sounds great considering it’s £0.
Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra in Davies’ project
Your recent singles, ‘A Wonderful, Boring, Normal Life’, feel like a new era compared to previous releases. How has your creative mind changed in the time since you were on X Factor, having released a lot of music since then?
I think I just started making music for my younger self — the one I was before I even knew I wanted to do music. My recent releases and upcoming album are inspired by the songs I grew up listening to in the car: ELO, ABBA, Robbie Williams, The Beautiful South, The Carpenters, etc.

So much of that music is made ‘out of the box’ (real, live instruments) — and sure, it’s way more expensive to do that and technology has come on so much that we don’t always need to do it that way anymore, but there’s something so exciting about working with real musicians, being in the studio and hearing a 20 piece orchestra play your songs… It’s magical.
That’s a big reason why my sound is so different to how it used to be. I’m finally giving myself the time, room (and budget) to create music that matters to me and not just following charting trends. I feel like I’ll listen to this music in 20/30 years time and it won’t sound dated. Particularly as an independent artist, using live musicians and ‘out of the box’ production is very expensive — but it’s the most fun I’ve ever had. I really don’t feel like you can ever completely emulate the sound of instruments and outboard gear through plugins. They come close but nothing compares to the real thing.
What’s a music production myth you think needs debunking?
This is more about the process of actually finishing a song, but I really don’t think you always need to mix a song… Hear me out.
Of course, there are occasions where you get as far as you can, either by yourself or (as an artist) with a producer, where you’re thinking, ‘all the elements are there, we just need someone else with a fresh pair of ears to take it to the next level’. In my case, this is often unnecessary and the hard-wired process of sending a song to mix before it goes to master can hinder, undo, delay and cause more stress — all because that’s just the way the processes of finishing a record have been laid out for us.
Grace Davies in the studio. Image: Press
I think there’s a charm in naivety and simply not really knowing what you’re doing. I often turn dials on gear or plugins and think ‘that sounds great… No idea what I just did, but I don’t care because it’s wicked.” And I think the same goes for a lot of producers; just because there is a step put in place to send a song to an outside body who ‘knows what they’re doing’ doesn’t mean you have to utilise it. If you’re happy with how something sounds before it goes to mix, just don’t go to mix! Go straight to master! Even the best mixing engineers can overcomplicate, overclean things, take out emotion or vibe or just simply have a different vision from you.
Particularly in my experience, I’ve ended up wasting money trying out different mixers and then eventually going back to the original producer who either delivers mixed stems or just delivers the pre-masters themselves. On this album, my co-producer Paul mixed everything because A) he’s a genius, but B) I always tend to give mix notes as we go along — and we’re both perfectionists, so even our demos sound like finished records! It’s obviously case by case,e but I do know a lot of artists who feel the same anxiousness when sending a song to mix. It can really make or break a song. If you don’t feel like it needs it, don’t let anyone tell you that it does. Don’t cause yourself more stress and cost yourself more money.
 
The post “You don’t always need to mix a song — hear me out…”: Grace Davies on DIY production, breaking studio rules, and trusting your ears appeared first on MusicTech.

From HYBE’s reported expansion plans to Martin Lorentzon’s Spotify stock cash-outs… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
Source

Get IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 for Only $29.99
IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 virtual guitar amp suite is just $29.99 at Plugin Boutique, a whopping 84% off its regular price and a no-brainer for guitarists. I’ve tried dozens upon dozens of virtual guitar amps over the years, and can confidently say that AmpliTube 5 is a must-have tool in any guitarist’s software rig at [...]
View post: Get IK Multimedia AmpliTube 5 for Only $29.99

Native Instruments & iZotope Summer Summer Sales Until 30 June 2025, Native Instruments and iZotope are offering some generous discounts across their product ranges, and to kick things off, there are some free plug-ins up for grabs!

Michael Brandvold on a life in music from behind the scenesMichael Brandvold recently spoke ablut the struggles of those that work behind the scenes in music. Organized by Support Life And Music (SLAM), the panel discussed a life in music. Continue reading
The post Michael Brandvold on a life in music from behind the scenes appeared first on Hypebot.

Indie music venues are struggling, but the UK has a solutionWith more stories daily about the growing hurdles to touring, we look at how indie music venues are struggling.
The post Indie music venues are struggling, but the UK has a solution appeared first on Hypebot.

“It’s hard to clear samples. We’d have something in the track, and then we would have to take it out, and it wouldn’t sound as good”: Zeds Dead’s battle with sample clearance on their new albumZeds Dead reignited their love of sampling on their new album, Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness, but the historic production technique brought them face to face with the uncertain process of clearing samples – again.
One pre-existing recording on the album that members Zachary Rapp-Rovan and Dylan Mamid doubted they could secure was on A Million Dreams. The chilled-out drum ‘n’ bass track opens with the late piano legend Duke Ellington comparing playing music to dreaming. They grabbed the audio from a YouTube video, and after difficulties connecting with Ellington’s estate, his grandson reached out to Mamid and Rapp-Rovan with his approval.

READ MORE: Who is the next Aphex Twin? Meet the producers warping the future of electronic music

As two producers who started out making hip-hop, Mamid and Rapp-Rovan have endured the process of clearing samples numerous times over their 15 years of making music together. Many cases didn’t turn out as well as A Million Dreams.

“It’s hard to clear samples,” Rapp-Rovan said in a recent interview with MusicTech. “We would get to these places where we’d have something in the track, and then we would have to take it out and replay it, and it wouldn’t sound as good.”
The frustration surrounding this process led to them avoiding sampling for a while. Instead, they engaged in the challenge of making music purely from scratch. But when it came time to produce a new album, they went back to their roots.
“In the last three years, we’ve been sampling like crazy, and for this album, we just said, ‘Let’s just have fun with it and try to clear it at the end,’” Rapp-Rovan added.
Other artists and media they sampled on the album include Ella Fitzgerald providing her sweet vocals on Summertime by George and Ira Gershwin, and Al Pacino’s threatening speech in Scarface. The former is the hook for the electric dubstep tune One Of These Mornings, and the latter is the basis of their dark house track, Bad Guy.
Read more about Zeds Dead’s journey with sampling on their new album via MusicTech.
The post “It’s hard to clear samples. We’d have something in the track, and then we would have to take it out, and it wouldn’t sound as good”: Zeds Dead’s battle with sample clearance on their new album appeared first on MusicTech.

“I was posting to social media every day. It totally f**king sucks”: How Claude VonStroke uses social media as a fully independent artistClaude VonStroke has bemoaned the necessity of posting to social media as an artist, saying that “it totally fucking sucks”, and suggests that cultivating quality is more important than putting up “a bunch of garbage”.
Two decades into his career, the prominent producer and DJ, real name Barclay Crenshaw, is in what he describes as his “life of leisure” phase. In essence, he says, this is an era of complete independence. The former Dirtybird owner isn’t signed to a label; he’s only taking gigs he wants to play, and he’s releasing music at his own pace.

READ MORE: Telepathic Instruments’ Orchid, Drop 2: All the details about Tame Impala’s synth and how to order one

In previous phases of his career, such as when he shifted from the funky house beats of Claude VonStroke over to the modern bass project he was running under his birth name, Crenshaw engaged with the daily grind of social media. While he did see the benefits, he absolutely hated it.
“I was posting [to social media] almost every day,” Crenshaw said in a new interview with MusicTech. “It kind of works, and eventually way more people are looking at your stuff, but it totally fucking sucks. It’s not even making music. It has nothing to do with anything. It’s stupid.”
Crenshaw is far from the only artist to decry the ubiquity of social media in modern music. The Guardian reported that pop stars like Charli XCX and Billie Eilish have left social media platforms to preserve their mental health. Sara Quin of Canadian duo Tegan and Sara went on to her frustration with how artists are ostensibly required to be active on social media in order to maintain their careers:
“Myspace or Facebook posts used to be an add-on, but now it feels like making music is about making assets for social media.”
Continuing his criticism of the demands of the online world, Crenshaw says that striving for a “consistent output” is futile. It’s better to stockpile your best ideas, he says.
“People think that the consistent output is better than the good output. Just keep hammering until something catches. You might win over a really long period of time. But it’s just a bunch of garbage. Why would that work? It’s not gonna stick out.”
Crenshaw recently sold all of Dirtybird’s entities to the large-scale independent label and distributor, EMPIRE. He is currently in the midst of his Life of Leisure tour throughout Europe and North America, having just released his latest EP, I Was The Wolf.
Read more about this new phase of Claude VonStroke’s career on MusicTech.
The post “I was posting to social media every day. It totally f**king sucks”: How Claude VonStroke uses social media as a fully independent artist appeared first on MusicTech.

“I want to make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone else” Kesha’s SMASH is a new community platform for artistsKesha has unveiled SMASH, her new platform designed to put artists first.
Writers, musicians, producers, and other creators can join the platform to hire each other for rates they set themselves, sign deals that best suit their interests, and keep all the rights to the final project. Other features include community networking, a marketplace, contracting, and a remote collaboration studio.
READ MORE: Who is the next Aphex Twin? Meet the producers warping the future of electronic music
To celebrate SMASH, Kesha, real name Kesha Rose Sebert, has launched a remix contest for her latest single, BOY CRAZY. Participants can enter by signing up for the SMASH email list. Those who sign up will receive the stems. The winner will be selected by Kesha and given a release on her own Kesha Records this summer.
“My goal is to shift the power structure of the music-making business in favour of the creators,” says Sebert in a press release. “I signed a predatory deal when I was 18 and then spent more than a decade fighting to regain rights to my voice and image. When I finally gained my freedom, I realised the fight wasn’t over. I want to make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone else again.”
The deal to which she is referring is her infamous contract with producer Dr Luke and Kemosabe Records, a subsidiary of Sony. Sebert was obligated to record multiple albums for the label, but in 2014, before she completed her contract, she sued Dr Luke, real name Łukasz Sebastian Gottwald, for emotional distress, sex-based hate crimes, and employment discrimination. She claimed he had abused her for years prior to filing in addition to drugging and raping her.
Gottwald denied the claims and counter-sued Sebert for defamation and breach of contract. The ensuing legal battle finally ended in 2023 with a confidential settlement. The release of her album Gag Order that same year completed her contract with Kemosabe as well.
Speaking to Wired, Kesha spoke further about the app and its goals. “I really want this to feel like artists can come to artists,” she says. “People can ask about what they’re signing and who they’re signing with. Ask, ‘I love the guitar player on that song of yours, I want to hire him.’ If you want to jam, my fantasy is there’s a place you can jam. I’m trying to figure out really how it’s made for the artist by the artist. As artists, we don’t have a hub, don’t have a spot, we don’t have that LinkedIn-style place. The more people supporting artists, the better.
“Do I find it competitive? No. I kind of look at making pop songs in a similar way. If someone makes an incredible pop song, I just listen to it and it inspires me to make the best pop song I can make. But mine is going to be uniquely mine, fueled by my history and my stories. So I think the more the merrier, people supporting artists. Let’s fucking go.”
Sign up for updates to SMASH at smashmusic.io.
The post “I want to make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone else” Kesha’s SMASH is a new community platform for artists appeared first on MusicTech.

No, that’s not a high-end air purifier – It’s Elac’s $45,000 floorstanding speakerIf your home audio setup doesn’t look like it belongs in a Ridley Scott film, are you even listening in high fidelity? Elac seems to think not. Enter the Concentro M 807, a pair of floor-standing speakers that cost $45,000, look like high-end air purifiers, and may or may not open a wormhole in your living room.
Crafted to celebrate the brand’s 99th anniversary, these floorstanders are far from the polite, wood-paneled speakers of yesteryear. With sweeping aluminum contours and a shape that could double as a spaceship exhaust port, they’re engineered not just for acoustics but for awe.

READ MORE: HEDD Audio’s A-CORE range of monitors is its “most advanced analogue loudspeakers to date”

Elac says they teamed up with a Hamburg-based design studio to sculpt these monoliths in high-gloss black or white, complete with aerodynamic lines that reduce diffraction and boost sound dispersion.
Underneath the alien armor is an acoustic arsenal. Each four-way speaker houses Elac’s VXe 6 array, comprising six midrange drivers arranged in a circle around the legendary JET 6 tweeter, known for its “lightning-fast response and wide dynamic range”. There are five radiation patterns for users to choose from as well, letting you adapt your soundstage depending on whether you’re entertaining guests or brooding alone to avant-garde jazz.
Credit: Elac
The M 807 also houses dual 250mm (10”) high-performance aluminum sandwich woofers, carefully positioned for “distortion free bass reproduction” and an “authoritative yet controlled low frequency performance”. In addition, the speaker’s down-firing bass reflex system, ensures a more consistent performance across a wide range of room positions, making it easier to integrate powerful bass into any space.
Inside the cabinet lies a bespoke crossover network made from premium film capacitors, air-core coils, and MOX resistors. According to Elac, this ensures precise phase alignment and level integration for a smoother, more natural sound.
The cabinets themselves feature non-parallel surfaces and six-axis milled reinforcements that effectively eliminate unwanted resonances.
“This advanced construction prevents internal standing waves, ensuring clean, uncoloured sound reproduction with exceptional purity and clarity,” says the brand.
At $45,000 per pair, the Concentro M 807s aren’t for casual listeners. But for those who demand sonic perfection and want it housed in something that looks like it fell off a spacecraft, they might just be the future of home audio.
Learn more at Elac. 
The post No, that’s not a high-end air purifier – It’s Elac’s $45,000 floorstanding speaker appeared first on MusicTech.

The Score Essentials from Sonuscore The Score Essentials brings together a curated selection of content from The Score, offering an immediate, inspiring instrument suited to composers at all levels.

Hinge Health pops 17%, but joins growing ranks of down round IPOsHinge Health, a digital physical therapist company, closed its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday at $37.56, up about 17% over the $32 IPO price it set the previous day. That’s a good first-day result. But even with the pop, Hinge’s public valuation is significantly less than its last […]

US tourist drugged by fake Uber driver and robbed of $123K BTC — ReportAn American tourist in the United Kingdom was reportedly drugged by an individual posing as a taxi driver, who stole the tourist's $123,000 in Bitcoin stored on a cell phone. According to a report from My London, Jacob Irwin-Cline went out to a London bar and had several drinks before calling an Uber to take him home.Cline said that he did not thoroughly check the details of the Uber ride on his phone and left with a random private cab driver resembling the Uber driver at first glance, but driving a different vehicle — a detail Cline would only discover after the incident.Once inside the vehicle, the US tourist said the driver offered him a cigarette, which Cline said was likely laced with a rare and potent sedative drug called scopolamine. Cline added that the cigarette made him feel extremely docile and tired, causing him to pass out for around 30 minutes before regaining consciousness.Shortly after Cline woke up, the driver ordered him out of the vehicle. As Cline exited, the driver suddenly sped off, striking him with the car and fleeing with his cellphone, which contained his private keys and access to his crypto accounts.The unfortunate incident comes amid a recent spate of kidnappings, extortion incidents, armed robberies, and ransom attempts directed at crypto industry executives, investors, and their families. Related: Chainalysis CEO offers a clue into recent spate of Paris crypto attacksCrypto community members become the targets of violent crimeSeveral kidnapping incidents involving crypto investors, industry executives, and their families have occurred in May.On May 3, the father of an unnamed crypto exchange owner was freed by French police after law enforcement officials raided the property where the individual was being held captive by organized criminals demanding a ransom for his release.Shortly after that incident, the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, the CEO of the Paymium crypto exchange, were the targets of an attempted kidnapping in Paris.The incident occurred in broad daylight when the assailants attacked the family and attempted to force them into a parked vehicle. However, Noizat's daughter and another individual were able to fight off the masked attackers.The rise in violent attacks against crypto investors and professionals has prompted an increase in personal security, including requests for bodyguards and private security measures for those likely to be victimized.Magazine: China’s ‘point running’ crypto scams, pig butchers kidnap kids: Asia Express

zazz EarlyReflections1The EarlyReflections1 plugin is a free and open-source VST effect designed to simulate the early reflections component of reverb. Early reflections are the initial sound reflections that reach the listener's ears shortly after the direct sound, providing crucial spatial cues about the size and nature of the environment. S. Key Features: Focused Spatial Simulation: Emulates early reflections to add depth and realism without the extended tail of full reverb. Lightweight and Efficient: Ideal for enhancing dry recordings or adding subtle ambience without overwhelming the mix. Open-Source Accessibility: Available under the GPL license, allowing for customization and integration into various digital audio workstations. This plugin is particularly useful for producers and sound engineers seeking to create a sense of space and dimension in their mixes without the complexity of full reverb processing. For more information visit the EarlyReflections1 GitHub repository. Read More

Introducing RedNet TNXOn Thursday, Focusrite released an enthusiastic statement, heralding the release of their new RedNet TNX, which they described as "the latest addition to the RedNet range and our first Thunderbolt interface purpose-built for high-channel-count, low-latency Dante® audio for macOS and Windows. Designed to simplify access to high-resolution, low-latency Dante audio, it’s ideal for studios, mobile rigs, and shared workspaces." According to their statement, "RedNet TNX delivers 128x128 channels of 24-bit/192kHz audio straight out of the box, with ultra-low round-trip latency. For larger systems, a paid Dante Ready upgrade unlocks 256x256 channels at 24-bit/96kHz."How intriguing!For more info, visit here.The post Introducing RedNet TNX first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.