“Working in the box, especially with electronic music sometimes leads to a very fluorescent and sterile sound. Not everyone has access to expensive summingequipment or vintage valve preamps togive your productions character.

"Here’s oneway to give your tracks some ‘sampled’ flavour. Take your existing recorded track/stem and open a second track of ambience noise, gentle vinyl crackle, or anyorganic noise source alongside it.

"Try city sounds, wind, sea, forest ambience, background conversation from the pub, whatever! Send both tracks to a singlegrouped track and blend the vocal and ambience track levels to taste. Load up a compressor on the group track – such as PSP Vintage Warmer – which will help glue the two tracks together. Experiment with the drive and knee settings to add a little more colouration.

“For added character pull up athree-band EQ and brutally chop all the bottom and tops off. By now your vocal will be taking on that vintage sample feel. Or – if you’re in Live – right/ctrl-click and select ‘Slice to New MIDI Track’ option. Now you’ve chopped up a retro sample like itwas all done on an old MPC.”