Drum & Lace

Mentioned in this July 16, 2020 Fifteen Questions interview.

I’d say some of the essential tools for me (software and hardware) are Ableton, PaulStretch, the OndeMagnetic and MaxMSP.

Featured in this Sequential Circuits interview.

Sofia, what made you choose the Tempest?

“I had been looking to get a drum machine for some time, but hadn’t quite come across one that stood out to me. I had also seen the Tempest used live by a handful of artists I really respect (FKA Twigs being the main culprit). It wasn’t until I got to actually play around with one at the DSI offices late last spring that I realized how much more than just a drum machine the Tempest is, and totally fell for it. Also, I’ve been a fan of Dave Smith’s synths for a long time, so that definitely influenced my decision to get a Tempest.”

How are you using it?

“I try to use it on more or less anything I do, whether it’s fashion films, or feature movies, or my own music. When I’m writing music for myself, I really like starting with a strong drum foundation, and the Tempest has definitely helped with that, especially with its great playability. I’ve also used it for a few sound design projects and it’s been really fun to be able to use its entire sonic arsenal for that!“

What’s one of your favorite things about it?

“It might sound silly, but just the way it’s physically made lends itself so nicely to being played. I love how easy it is to really dig in and be able to edit each sound and load new ones so quickly. It’s also great to be able to create my own palettes, and the Roll and Reverse buttons definitely get used a lot.”

What does it give you that other instruments might not?

“It just gives me so much depth to work with. I’ve had it for a handful of months and I still feel like I’ve got so many sounds to explore, which is a great thing to feel. Also, the fact that it doubles as such a great-sounding analog synth is amazing.”

Any interesting Tempest tricks or techniques you’d like to share?

“A great tip that I found a few months back is when I’m using claps. For example, I delay the envelope so that there is a somewhat natural “humanizing” effect to it. It’s great because it also helps make transient sounds like this sit better in my mixes.“

Mentioned in this July 16, 2020 Fifteen Questions interview.

I’d say some of the essential tools for me (software and hardware) are Ableton, PaulStretch, the OndeMagnetic and MaxMSP.

Featured in this April 2, 2018 video.

vocal chain - Earthquaker Devices Arpanoid, Meris Polymoon, Strymon Bluesky and TC Electronic Ditto

Mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

I was lucky enough to have a piano at my grandmother’s house, but my first instrument, I think, was an old-school Yamaha electric keyboard, the type they have in schools. That was the first of many keyboards and instruments. Right now, I have a mix of all sorts of things that help me with my scoring and composing. In terms of MIDI, my go-to these days is the Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S49. That has been great both in the studio and live. We have a ton of analog synths in our studio that serve different purposes, but my favorites are probably the Prophet 6 and Tempest (drum machine) both from Dave Smith Instruments. Lately, I’ve also been using the OP1 from Teenage Engineering, and the Future Sonus Parva to fill out my sessions. In terms of guitars, my (also composer) husband is the guitar player of the house, and has an array of guitars including a ’62 Gibson Barney Kessel and ’62 Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster Reissue.

Used on Midnight Roses, as mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

My recording setup has been pretty constant lately. I’ve been using and loving the Focusrite Clarett 8Pre as my main interface and it’s been great, so far. Although I’m guilty of using a lot of plug-ins, the studio also has a bunch of great preamps, like the Neve Portico 5017 (super portable too) and other outboard gear like the Kush Electra. Microphone-wise, on the lower end, I always have my portable Zoom H4N for field recordings, and an SM57/58 around for general recording. Lately we’ve been able to borrow a Flea M49 from a friend that has made vocals, strings and, more-or-less, anything else sound fantastic. All of the above was just used on an EP I released last month called Midnight Roses.

Featured in this April 17, 2018 video.

Live improvisation using - Moog Drummer From Another Mother (DFAM) & Make Noise's 0-Coast running through the Meris Mercury7 pedal

Featured in this April 17, 2018 video.

Live improvisation using - Moog Drummer From Another Mother (DFAM) & Make Noise's 0-Coast running through the Meris Mercury7 pedal

Featured in this November 23, 2020 video.

Featured in this November 23, 2020 video.

Featured in this April 2, 2018 video.

vocal chain - Earthquaker Devices Arpanoid, Meris Polymoon, Strymon Bluesky and TC Electronic Ditto

In the video titled "Late Night Improvisations," Drum & Lace uses the Sensel Morph for electronic elements, showcasing their integration of this MIDI controller.

Featured in this April 2, 2018 video.

vocal chain - Earthquaker Devices Arpanoid, Meris Polymoon, Strymon Bluesky and TC Electronic Ditto

Featured in this April 2, 2018 video.

vocal chain - Earthquaker Devices Arpanoid, Meris Polymoon, Strymon Bluesky and TC Electronic Ditto

Visible in this April 2, 2018 video.

Visible in this April 2, 2018 video.

Used in this May 1, 2018 video.

Used in this May 1, 2018 video.

Sensel Morph (playing Output SUBSTANCE Dystopian Bass Expansion custom-preset)

Mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

I was lucky enough to have a piano at my grandmother’s house, but my first instrument, I think, was an old-school Yamaha electric keyboard, the type they have in schools. That was the first of many keyboards and instruments. Right now, I have a mix of all sorts of things that help me with my scoring and composing. In terms of MIDI, my go-to these days is the Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S49. That has been great both in the studio and live. We have a ton of analog synths in our studio that serve different purposes, but my favorites are probably the Prophet 6 and Tempest (drum machine) both from Dave Smith Instruments. Lately, I’ve also been using the OP1 from Teenage Engineering, and the Future Sonus Parva to fill out my sessions. In terms of guitars, my (also composer) husband is the guitar player of the house, and has an array of guitars including a ’62 Gibson Barney Kessel and ’62 Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster Reissue.

Mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

I was lucky enough to have a piano at my grandmother’s house, but my first instrument, I think, was an old-school Yamaha electric keyboard, the type they have in schools. That was the first of many keyboards and instruments. Right now, I have a mix of all sorts of things that help me with my scoring and composing. In terms of MIDI, my go-to these days is the Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S49. That has been great both in the studio and live. We have a ton of analog synths in our studio that serve different purposes, but my favorites are probably the Prophet 6 and Tempest (drum machine) both from Dave Smith Instruments. Lately, I’ve also been using the OP1 from Teenage Engineering, and the Future Sonus Parva to fill out my sessions. In terms of guitars, my (also composer) husband is the guitar player of the house, and has an array of guitars including a ’62 Gibson Barney Kessel and ’62 Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster Reissue.

Mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

I was lucky enough to have a piano at my grandmother’s house, but my first instrument, I think, was an old-school Yamaha electric keyboard, the type they have in schools. That was the first of many keyboards and instruments. Right now, I have a mix of all sorts of things that help me with my scoring and composing. In terms of MIDI, my go-to these days is the Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S49. That has been great both in the studio and live. We have a ton of analog synths in our studio that serve different purposes, but my favorites are probably the Prophet 6 and Tempest (drum machine) both from Dave Smith Instruments. Lately, I’ve also been using the OP1 from Teenage Engineering, and the Future Sonus Parva to fill out my sessions. In terms of guitars, my (also composer) husband is the guitar player of the house, and has an array of guitars including a ’62 Gibson Barney Kessel and ’62 Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster Reissue.

Used on Midnight Roses, as mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

My recording setup has been pretty constant lately. I’ve been using and loving the Focusrite Clarett 8Pre as my main interface and it’s been great, so far. Although I’m guilty of using a lot of plug-ins, the studio also has a bunch of great preamps, like the Neve Portico 5017 (super portable too) and other outboard gear like the Kush Electra. Microphone-wise, on the lower end, I always have my portable Zoom H4N for field recordings, and an SM57/58 around for general recording. Lately we’ve been able to borrow a Flea M49 from a friend that has made vocals, strings and, more-or-less, anything else sound fantastic. All of the above was just used on an EP I released last month called Midnight Roses.

Used on Midnight Roses, as mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

My recording setup has been pretty constant lately. I’ve been using and loving the Focusrite Clarett 8Pre as my main interface and it’s been great, so far. Although I’m guilty of using a lot of plug-ins, the studio also has a bunch of great preamps, like the Neve Portico 5017 (super portable too) and other outboard gear like the Kush Electra. Microphone-wise, on the lower end, I always have my portable Zoom H4N for field recordings, and an SM57/58 around for general recording. Lately we’ve been able to borrow a Flea M49 from a friend that has made vocals, strings and, more-or-less, anything else sound fantastic. All of the above was just used on an EP I released last month called Midnight Roses.

Used on Midnight Roses, as mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

My recording setup has been pretty constant lately. I’ve been using and loving the Focusrite Clarett 8Pre as my main interface and it’s been great, so far. Although I’m guilty of using a lot of plug-ins, the studio also has a bunch of great preamps, like the Neve Portico 5017 (super portable too) and other outboard gear like the Kush Electra. Microphone-wise, on the lower end, I always have my portable Zoom H4N for field recordings, and an SM57/58 around for general recording. Lately we’ve been able to borrow a Flea M49 from a friend that has made vocals, strings and, more-or-less, anything else sound fantastic. All of the above was just used on an EP I released last month called Midnight Roses.

Used on Midnight Roses, as mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

My recording setup has been pretty constant lately. I’ve been using and loving the Focusrite Clarett 8Pre as my main interface and it’s been great, so far. Although I’m guilty of using a lot of plug-ins, the studio also has a bunch of great preamps, like the Neve Portico 5017 (super portable too) and other outboard gear like the Kush Electra. Microphone-wise, on the lower end, I always have my portable Zoom H4N for field recordings, and an SM57/58 around for general recording. Lately we’ve been able to borrow a Flea M49 from a friend that has made vocals, strings and, more-or-less, anything else sound fantastic. All of the above was just used on an EP I released last month called Midnight Roses.

Borrowed from a friend for Midnight Roses, as mentioned in this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

My recording setup has been pretty constant lately. I’ve been using and loving the Focusrite Clarett 8Pre as my main interface and it’s been great, so far. Although I’m guilty of using a lot of plug-ins, the studio also has a bunch of great preamps, like the Neve Portico 5017 (super portable too) and other outboard gear like the Kush Electra. Microphone-wise, on the lower end, I always have my portable Zoom H4N for field recordings, and an SM57/58 around for general recording. Lately we’ve been able to borrow a Flea M49 from a friend that has made vocals, strings and, more-or-less, anything else sound fantastic. All of the above was just used on an EP I released last month called Midnight Roses.

Visible in this photo from this March 16, 2017 Above the Fold interview.

Featured in this April 17, 2018 video.

Live improvisation using - Moog Drummer From Another Mother (DFAM) & Make Noise's 0-Coast running through the Meris Mercury7 pedal

Featured in this May 15, 2018 video.

Also used:

Roland SP404A

Drum & Lace playing on the Osmose prototype