Jonas Blue

"Do you remember Kellogg's Coco Pops used to give out a free program? I think it was called Ejay, and that was my first ever piece of software. I don't think I've ever told anyone that [laughs]. It was like building blocks, the sounds were already done for you so you just had to piece it together. Looking back, it was a great way to learn how to arrange, even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing."

What about drum machines? You have a handful…

"The EXS24 is my go to for drums but from time to time I'll bring out the EMU SP1200 to sample bass notes. I did actually use my Korg Minipops 7 on the breakdown of one of my tracks because it has pre-programmed patterns. I also love my Akai MPC3000, because it was my first ever drum machine."

"The EXS24 is my go to for drums but from time to time I'll bring out the EMU SP1200 to sample bass notes. I did actually use my Korg Minipops 7 on the breakdown of one of my tracks because it has pre-programmed patterns. I also love my Akai MPC3000, because it was my first ever drum machine."

You use quite a lot of outboard for processing too?

"Everything outboard goes through my BAE 1084; the preamp on that is beautiful. I don't tend to compress on the way in because I get a really clean signal using my Prism Orpheus audio interface..."

"I've got a Mutronics Mutator here as well, so if I do wanna go for some weird filtering then I'll send it back out of the box, into that, and back in again. My vocal chain is the 1084 and Tube Tech CL 1B compressor; that's a winning combo for me."

"I've got a Mutronics Mutator here as well, so if I do wanna go for some weird filtering then I'll send it back out of the box, into that, and back in again. My vocal chain is the 1084 and Tube Tech CL 1B compressor; that's a winning combo for me."

At 0:50 Jonas Blue starts to play in his Oxygen 88d

What software are you using in Logic?

"I love what Native Instruments do and you can't go wrong with Komplete. I love using Massive and Kontakt, they get used every single day. Omnisphere is massive for me as well, but the only other thing I'll use is Logic's built-in EXS24 sampler, which is a godsend for programming all my drums."

In this article Jonas Blue confirms he´s using Massive :

What software are you using in Logic?

"I love what Native Instruments do and you can't go wrong with Komplete. I love using Massive and Kontakt, they get used every single day. Omnisphere is massive for me as well, but the only other thing I'll use is Logic's built-in EXS24 sampler, which is a godsend for programming all my drums."

What software are you using in Logic?

"I love what Native Instruments do and you can't go wrong with Komplete. I love using Massive and Kontakt, they get used every single day. Omnisphere is massive for me as well, but the only other thing I'll use is Logic's built-in EXS24 sampler, which is a godsend for programming all my drums."

Music gear reviews News Tech Fast Car hitmaker Jonas Blue takes us into his tech den Fast Car hitmaker Jonas Blue takes us into his tech den By Danny Turner (Future Music) February 10, 2016 Tech

Self-confessed gearhead Jonas Blue on the technology driving his productions

Image 1 of 14 Fast Car hitmaker Jonas Blue takes us into his tech den Click the arrows for more shots of Jonas' studio. Prophet 5 Sequential Circuits Prophet 5. Outboard Mutronics Ltd. Mutator and friends. The Cat Octave The Cat. DJ setup DJ rig: Rane rotary mixer, 1210s and CDJs. ARP ARP 2600. Chorus Echo Roland Chorus Echo. Moog Moog Music Inc. Minimoog Model D. Laptop Logic, the preferred DAW of choice. CS 80 Yamaha CS-80. Compressor Tube-Tech CL1B opto compressor. Memorymoog Moog Music Inc. Memorymoog. Stompboxes Stompboxes of all flavours. Studio shot Alesis Andromeda, Arturia MiniBrute, Akai MPC3000 and much, much more. Fast-emerging London-based producer Jonas Blue has found immediate success with his debut single Fast Car, a cover of Tracy Chapman's famous hit single almost 30 years ago. Originally an acoustic track, Blue has turned Chapman's version into a smooth, uplifting tropical house number with assistance from vocal talent, Dakota.

With the single hitting the No. 1 spot on iTunes and Spotify in numerous countries, we chat to Jonas about the track's conception and his love of hardware.

Why did you decide to debut with a cover version?

"I always remember it being the song that would come on when I was getting in the car and going on long journeys with my mum. It was a few years ago that I knew I wanted to do a cover version, but I didn't know when or how I was going to do it.

"The one thing I did know is that I always wanted to stay faithful to the original and find a singer who was, not similar, but could do it justice in the original key. I didn't want to use any of the original sounds either. Time has moved on and I wanted something that would work in my DJ set."

Was translating it from an acoustic to electronic version the key to getting it sounding right?

"Definitely, and I think that's why there isn't much there in the break downs, because I wanted to keep that acoustic feel. Everything came into my head before I'd even got into the studio and made it, so when I did get in there and started laying everything down it was a quick process – I literally made the whole track in one night. "

Everything does have its purpose and I know what to go to. The way I've got my studio rigged up, a lot of the synths have MIDI retrofit, so you can stick them on a MIDI track and send them out to whatever board you want to use." What was your introduction to music technology?

"Do you remember Kellogg's Coco Pops used to give out a free program? I think it was called Ejay, and that was my first ever piece of software. I don't think I've ever told anyone that [laughs]. It was like building blocks, the sounds were already done for you so you just had to piece it together. Looking back, it was a great way to learn how to arrange, even though I didn't have a clue what I was doing.

"I never really had any gear; I was more into the DJ side, so I had that set up, a pair of Technics 1210s and a Numark CD MiX-1, which was a CD and mixer built in one. I tried all the DAWS, starting with Fruity Loops, which I love, then Cubase and Reason - and from that I went to Logic and never looked back really."

What is it about Logic that you prefer over the other DAWS?

"I think it's personal, just workflow. Especially for the music I'm making, I find it quite hard to do that on the other DAWs now. I love the idea of Pro Tools, but it doesn't seem as attractive to me in terms of the music-making side. It's great for recording, but with Logic you get the best of both worlds, the ability to do great tracking and producing something that sounds great as well."

Have you tried Ableton?

"Yeah, I use Ableton for DJ mixes and quick mash ups. I've actually been using it recently to warp a lot of the vocals that I've been getting sent and time stretching them. We're working on some live shows at the moment, so in terms of my DJ setup I'll be using Ableton, especially Ableton Push."

What software are you using in Logic?

"I love what Native Instruments do and you can't go wrong with Komplete. I love using Massive and Kontakt, they get used every single day. Omnisphere is massive for me as well, but the only other thing I'll use is Logic's built-in EXS24 sampler, which is a godsend for programming all my drums."

What software are you using in Logic?

"I love what Native Instruments do and you can't go wrong with Komplete. I love using Massive and Kontakt, they get used every single day. Omnisphere is massive for me as well, but the only other thing I'll use is Logic's built-in EXS24 sampler, which is a godsend for programming all my drums."

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