Simone Pace

In this interview, Simone Pace details the use of the Alesis MMT8 sequencer and HR-16 drum machine in a setup with a Prophet 600.

When we decided to go without a bass player, I started to add a keyboard to my setup with a really primitive contraption, which I am going to refrain from explaining. The point was to compensate for the bass that we were now without. The concept kept developing, and a bit later on I bought a Prophet 600 that I would sequence with two Alesis MMT8 [sequencers] and an HR 16 [drum machine]. Later on I upgraded to an MPC 2000 XL [production center] with a Juno 106 [analog synth] and so on. Today we use Ableton Live [software music sequencer] and a Roland SPD [sampling pad].

MD: The 4AD session video from 2011 is a nice way to see and hear you up close. The drum sounds vary so much, even though you’re playing an acoustic kit. How are you controlling that?

Simone: With the setup I mentioned earlier, so by then it was Ableton Live and the SPD. I love playing with other drum parts that I create, and I always try to make us blend as much as possible. I had the SPD trigger some sounds as well. That record, Penny Sparkle, is a dense one. The producers, which were two of the members of Fever Ray, had a lot of input in the sounds and direction. The record is a bit of a challenge to reproduce live, so it’s great to have the 4AD session to document that performance.