In our video series The Breakdown, we visit artists and producers in the studio to break down how they make their music, getting a deeper insight into the gear, techniques and creative process behind their best tracks.
This month, we're in the studio with Mandidextrous, a UK producer that has become renowned for their high-voltage productions that mix up elements of DnB, techno, jungle and hardcore.
Mandidextrous on creating a hardtek kick/bass sound
Step 1: The first element of the hybrid sound would be the choice of kick: “Instead of creating a big, fat techno kick that’s all the way down at 40 or 50hz, I use a DnB kick, which is a lot higher in frequency and a lot punchier with less sub. It means that I can put more sub into the bass.”
Step 2: The bass sound itself is made using Xfer Serum. “It’s essentially just a simple pluck bass,” Mandi explains. Its creation starts by bringing the decay time right down on the amp envelope, with a near maximum sustain, to create a sharp, percussive sound.
Step 3: Mandi uses a sawtooth LFO to modulate the filter for a tempo-synced ‘chopping’ sound. “Just to give it the high end kind of click I gave it some resonance,” Mandi explains, “and a bit of drive to add some fatness.”
Step 4: Next Mandi uses a touch of frequency modulation from Osc 2 in order to add thickness. Serum’s sub is also engaged, sent directly to the main output, which adds bass weight to the sound.
Step 5: Mandi uses CableGuys and Nicky Romero’s Kickstart 2 to duck the bass sound around the kick, which gives both more space and adds movement.
Step 6: Finally, Ableton’s Amp device is used to add distortion to the sound. “It just brings a whole thing to life,” Mandi explains. “It goes from being quite a thin kick bass to a really powerful kick bass, and that’s the kind of energy that I kind of want to have in my tracks.”
Mandidextrous on why they love their Adam A77X studio monitors
When asked to choose her most essential piece of gear, Mandi settles on her studio monitors, the Adam A77Xs. "They're fairly new to me - I used to run the A7Xs, but they didn't have enough low-end. The A77Xs have so much detail, I love the low-end and the mid-range, and the ribbon tweeters on them are brilliant."
