Lauren Mia is a composer turned DJ and producer whose melodic and ethereal take on techno has caught the attention of some of the world’s best-known labels. This time, we find out where the LA native would put her studio, which unexpected synths she’d pick to make her sound, why practically is a top priority and why she’s not a fan of layering sounds.
Lauren Mia is a composer turned DJ and producer, whose melodic and ethereal take on techno has caught the attention of some of the world’s best known labels. This time we find out where the LA native would put her studio, which unexpected synths she’d pick to make her sound, why practically is top priority and why she’s not a fan of layering sounds.
LAUREN’S LINKS
https://www.instagram.com/laurenmiamusic/?hl=en
https://laurenmiamusic.com/
https://ra.co/dj/laurenmia
https://soundcloud.com/laurenmiamusic
STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS BELOW)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Kilda,_Victoria
https://www.ableton.com/en/live/
https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/14-inch-m3
https://www.neutrik.com/en/product/nys-spp-l1
https://www.focal.com/products/shape-65
https://www.focal.com/products/trio6
https://www.focal.com/products/sub6
https://www.alesis.com/products/view/a6-andromeda
https://sequential.com/product/mopho-x4/
https://sequential.com/product/prophet-10/
https://reverb.com/uk/p/sequential-prophet-10-rev3-61-key-dual-keyboard-10-voice-polyphonic-synthesizer-1980-1984
https://sequential.com/product/ob-6/
https://www.arturia.com/products/hardware-synths/polybrute/overview
https://motu.com/en-us/products/midi-products/
https://www.modalelectronics.com/argon8-firmware-v3-0-now-available/
https://pro.sony/ue_US/products/studio-microphones/c-800g
https://www.instagram.com/imlukemusic/?hl=en-gb
https://www.instagram.com/joshroyse/?hl=en
https://soundcloud.com/laurenmiamusic/converge-original-mix-lauren-mia-feat-fractures
https://soundcloud.com/sleepless-recordings/lauren-mia-ft-josh-royse-fantasy
https://reverb.com/news/from-the-archives-vintage-mics
https://www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com/
The vintage U47 for $27k: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/175939507996
Chris Barker:
I'm Chris Barker.
Will Betts:
And I'm Will Betts. And this is the MusicTech My Forever Studio podcast, brought to you in partnership with Audient.
Chris Barker:
In this podcast, we speak with musicians, DJ's engineers and producers about their fantasy Forever Studio.
Will Betts:
The imaginary studio that our guests dream up is one that they're going to have to live with for eternity. But even in the world of studio foreverdom, we do have some rules.
Chris Barker:
Okay, the rules. Our guests will first select a computer, a Daw, and an audio interface. Those are free items that we let everybody choose. Guests will just choose six other bits of studio kit, plus one non gear related luxury item.
Will Betts:
However. No bundles.
Chris Barker:
That's right, there are no bundles. If you choose something sold as a package of separate software or hardware as a single item, it will not be allowed.
Will Betts:
This time we're joined by a composer turned DJ and producer whose melodic and ethereal take on techno has caught the attention of some of the world's best known labels.
Chris Barker:
Yes, and with a studio full of hardware synths, she's the ideal candidate for us to impose our ridiculous rules on.
Will Betts:
There could be some difficult decisions ahead.
Chris Barker:
Yes, this is my forever studio with Lauren Meir. Welcome, welcome.
Lauren Mia:
Hey, guys, thank you so much for having me.
Chris Barker:
Thank you for joining us. And hopefully that made sense.
Lauren Mia:
The rules, totally. I catch your drift.
Chris Barker:
Okay, well, before we start building the forever studio, we like to find a bit more about our guests. So tell us about your journey from piano. I think it was into, well, a room full of kit that we can see behind you on the zoom here and making kind of melodic and progressive techno in house.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah. So it's a loaded question, but I started playing piano when I was about four or five years old. I had about twelve years of classical training, recitals and the whole shebang. I was very involved with the music programs in school as well, growing up. And then, you know, midway through my teenage years, I kind of abandoned the idea of pursuing it professionally. I grew up in Los Angeles. I was born and raised in, you know, the entertainment industry and Hollywood, and it can be a little intimidating. You know, there's a lot of.
Lauren Mia:
There's a lot of competition and you grow up in that. You see what it comes with. And I think it intimidated me away from my passions. So I did do university. I graduated. I started interning within the music industry quite quickly after college, starting to work for some big labels as well, like Dim Mac Records, which is Steve Aoki's label. I worked for music video production companies as well. And I think really quickly that triggered my passion all over again and made me realize I didn't want to be behind the scenes anymore and that I wanted to go back into creating music myself.
Lauren Mia:
So I went back to school for music. I did about three years of different programs, two different programs, one primarily to learn the fundamentals of Ableton, which was my choice of my daw, and then also really trying to excel in my mixing and mastering skills. Not that I really wanted to pursue mastering becoming a master engineer, but rather I just wanted the ability to be able to really have the control of the levels and creative direction and the overall quality of my sounds with my production. So I invested three years there, and in that time, I was very committed to my craft. So I really didn't have a social life. And within five years of time, I was already releasing on big labels as a result. So, you know, hundreds and hundreds of hours that went into it, and everyone.
Chris Barker:
Was, how did you know your sound? Sorry to interrupt.
Lauren Mia:
How did you know your sound? You might have to a couple of times. My sound. Well, I've always been very involved in the electronic music space. I was deeply influenced by trance around, like, you know, 2006 already. And I was young at the time. I was exposed to it by visiting, you know, Europe, in the Middle East. I have family from eastern Europe and the Middle east as well. It wasn't too big in states yet, or at least not in my, you know, I was young, so I think when I was exposed to it, I discovered the underground culture.
Lauren Mia:
I started going to raves, you know, at the time, you know, Paul Oakenfold, Benny Benasi, you know, all these really big names above and beyond was huge at the time as well. They still are. Of course, these are all legends, but, you know, they were at the top of the game and they had a huge influence on my sound. And I think as I started to make my own music, I found a really heavy trance influence on my productions, even though one would say I am a techno producer, you know. So I think that's kind of how it all developed.
Chris Barker:
So were you, you were a fan of the music first before you decided you want to make that type of music? Or was it all sort of at the same. Oh, okay.
Lauren Mia:
No, no. Yes, yes. I was, you know, attending all kinds of raves and festivals pretty much throughout my teenage years and my twenties, I mean, all the time. And so I fell in love with electronic music, and it changed my life. I mean, the culture and kind of how just the uplifting qualities of this.
Chris Barker:
Music and you sort of landed on it at exactly the same time when LA and that at the US really started taking note of, like, EDM and what were then, I guess, quite a lot of european style sounds and.
Lauren Mia:
Correct. Yeah, I feel EDM was rather like, you know, at the time, like Calvin Harris and Ts Doe, EDM was the forefront of the electronic music industry. And I found that techno and the underground, you know, underground, melodic house, progressive house came in a bit later, but it worked in my favor because now I find, you know, eight years almost into my project, it's becoming also almost like the upper ground mainstream as well.
Chris Barker:
So it's a different scene in LA for techno and underground, because it's not as late night, is it, as, say, it would be in Europe?
Lauren Mia:
Definitely not, unfortunately. I mean, we do have some underground, amazing promoters and events series that take place in downtown LA, different warehouses, but it's not the same as Europe. I mean, it's part of the electronic music culture in Europe. And there's clubs that are open like 72 hours, 73 hours of the weekend. But I think here, you know, more often than not, these clubs are closing at 02:00 a.m. And we don't have, you know, official event series that are really honoring and nurturing this sound as much.
Chris Barker:
So I guess that. I think that's why sort of the EDM sound took off before the techno sound, would you say? Because maybe the techno sounds a lot more slow, not slow tempo, but in terms of your dj sets, it's more of a journey, whereas a lot of the EDM sort of festival sound, you can get that done in a four hour club night.
Lauren Mia:
Well, let's be honest, like, I think America as a whole is always a bit behind when it comes to music and sound and trends. So I think, you know, it could be because of that as well.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, I think for some stuff, I mean, yeah. Tend to invent it. And then we stole it, didn't we? The whole house music.
Lauren Mia:
True. That's true, yeah. I mean, Detroit. Yeah, no, we had. We had an amazing underground, you know, of course, I just. I think, like, when we were talking about the greater majority of people in the mainstream, I think they're very attracted to. I mean, now it's catching up. I see all the festivals booking, you know, these techno acts on the main stages, whereas, you know, five years ago was completely different lineup we were looking at.
Lauren Mia:
So it's developing. It's beautiful to see.
Chris Barker:
Yeah. And of course, with, you know, women in the industry as well, that's been a huge improvement on these lineups. As well. But it's true, though, because it was, you know, 2006, there wasn't, wasn't those kind of names on the lineups. Well, let's move a bit to building the studio. And the first thing we have to talk about, I mean, we were all talking about LA there, but is LA where you would put your studio in the world? I mean, where would you put your dream studio if you could put it anywhere in the world?
Will Betts:
World?
Lauren Mia:
I think that I would choose St. Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Chris Barker:
Bit of a journey.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah. Opposite side of the globe, although we can travel, you know, over the ocean and get there within 12 hours versus 24 hours going through Europe. But I choose St. Kilda, Melbourne because it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. And overall, the energy is just. I don't know, it's incomparable, in my opinion.
Chris Barker:
Tell us about you first going there and why. That's because you sort of knew straight away that's where you were picking.
Lauren Mia:
And it's a dream. I would love to have a house there one day. It's so beautiful. It's just a completely different ecosystem and it's just, it's a dream to look at the ocean. You know, there's an ocean in St. Kilda, of course, and they just have beautiful beaches, beautiful people. The overall energy of the communities and the people are just so high and beautiful and positive and empowering and inspiring, which I feel would have a really positive impact on my creations as well.
Chris Barker:
So how did you discover the place? Were you booked there or was it a holiday or.
Lauren Mia:
Nah. Yeah, no, I actually, I think back when I was 23 years old, I wanted to leave LA and I chose the furthest place away from Los Angeles, which is Australia. So I lived there for a little bit less than a year and I would still be there if it weren't for the difficulty in touring and traveling from there. That's the truth. So I just kind of chose to make a sacrifice because I want to pursue my dream. And, yeah, it was a tough decision, but I can always go back and visit.
Chris Barker:
Well, the dream studio makes those dreams come true. Here on the. On the podcast, we can. We can build that place. And what would it look like then? What's your kind of creative environment? What's the dream style, shall we say, inside the studio?
Lauren Mia:
So I would have to say, you know what you're looking at. I know the listeners won't be able to hear or see, actually, this is similar to what my dream studio would look like. I like small and cozy. I think for me, I feel safer. It's just me in here most of the time. I am, you know, producing independently. I rarely bring vocalists in. I don't have a vocal booth.
Lauren Mia:
So usually when I work with vocalists, you know, they just, you know, I send them a song, they send me the stems, and I work that way. So I'm pretty much alone in here, which as a result, I'd like something small and I'd like something that looks very feminine as well. Just kind of honoring my, my feminine energy.
Chris Barker:
Okay. And what about things like windows or, or natural light? Or are you kind of like, do you like the basement vibes?
Lauren Mia:
Fortify, no. Light, fortified.
Chris Barker:
Like it. I like that. Yeah. That's a techno aesthetic there.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah. I like also, I'm a night owl, so I prefer the darkness anyways. And I mean, anytime I start, you know, working in my creative space here, I close all the lights. I do have one window in here. This is just one of the bedrooms of my place with my partner that I turned into a little studio. So if I could have no windows at all, that would be the choice.
Chris Barker:
Okay.
Will Betts:
And so is it like concrete floor? Are we going full techno or are you gonna have at least a carpet or something? What are we thinking?
Lauren Mia:
I definitely need, I need comfy, fluffy carpet. You know, foam panels on the walls. Everything needs to be smushy and comfortable, like, you know, the furry walls. If I could have furry walls, that would be great, too.
Will Betts:
In the forever studio, you can have furry wolves. That is permitted. Yeah.
Chris Barker:
The techno afterparty vibe. That's more.
Lauren Mia:
Totally, totally.
Chris Barker:
I like these ideas of cues to give interior designers. I want full techno here. Techno after party over here, feminine energy over there. It's good.
Lauren Mia:
It's right. And I feel you can really control the energy of the room with lighting. So you can just have an overall foundation with your design, and then the mood will change depending on lighting design. That's why I love light so much.
Chris Barker:
Okay.
Will Betts:
Because right now for the listeners, we can see like a pink strip light at the back there. Is that part of your sort of. Do you go full rgb changing it.
Lauren Mia:
Up or was all the time.
Will Betts:
Oh, really?
Lauren Mia:
All the time? Yes. Depends on my mood. I'll change it all the time.
Chris Barker:
Change the color up and you've got. Yeah, lights have the cdjs there as well. Very cool.
Lauren Mia:
Thank you.
Chris Barker:
Well, that brings us on to the first three items, which are the freebies that we give every guest. So you get to choose a DAw, an audio interface, and a computer for free. Before we go into your personal six.
Lauren Mia:
Items, all for free. Fantastic.
Chris Barker:
So you said that you were using Ableton to start with. You chose that. I mean, why did you choose Ableton? I mean, I guess at Dimmark was everybody using it? I mean, other people you saw using it or your own research, how did you get into Ableton?
Lauren Mia:
Actually, I feel like most people I saw producing at the time were either using logic or pro tools or even fruity loops, which I thought, you know, the other place, I've only lived in two countries in the world, and it was Australia and Germany. So for me, I find, you know, the products that come out of Germany, the software, hardware, even cars are really high quality. So just from my own knowledge, my 30 years of existence, I feel I kind of gravitate towards, you know, certain products or items that come from certain countries, depending on their history and patterns of success with those things. So I think I chose, I did a lot of research, of course, as well. And the program that I was most attracted to learning about this daw was teaching about Ableton. So that was another factor that played into the role of learning and understanding about this software. And it's an incredible. I mean, I'm so grateful that I am so well versed in using and navigating around this incredible software.
Lauren Mia:
Opportunities are endless. And I find a lot of colleagues of mine who are also quite older than I am have also moved over to Ableton if they weren't already there.
Chris Barker:
You find a lot of people using two. Two now as well. You've got people with logic and Ableton, or logic and fl. Studio.
Lauren Mia:
Correct.
Chris Barker:
Double doors.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah, double doors.
Chris Barker:
But there's no double doors unless you're gonna get one on your. Your next list. So are we gonna lock in Ableton live? Would that be your choice of 100%?
Lauren Mia:
No doubt about it.
Will Betts:
Latest version, twelve. Is it sweet.
Lauren Mia:
I'm still. I'm still on eleven, actually. But I think by then I would definitely move up to the latest software. It always takes me time to transition.
Chris Barker:
And what about an audio interface? Dream studio audio interface?
Lauren Mia:
I think I would go with Universal audio for my audio interface. They're the best.
Chris Barker:
Stone cold classic on the podcast.
Lauren Mia:
Oh, really? Yeah.
Will Betts:
Oh, yeah.
Lauren Mia:
Well, they're the best. What can I say?
Chris Barker:
Which universal audio interface are you choosing?
Lauren Mia:
Well, assuming I don't think I'm going to be adding any more synthesizers and hardware for a long while to my collection, it's actually been a few years since I've purchased a new piece of hardware. I'm gonna stick with this. So considering what I have now, I think I would go probably for the eight channels. So the X eight, I know they have an x 16 channel as well. I maybe would go for that, but I think I would stick with the x eight because of my patch bay.
Chris Barker:
Yeah. And don't forget you don't have anything in this forever studio. So far you only have ableton and.
Lauren Mia:
So x eight universal audio.
Will Betts:
Very nice.
Chris Barker:
We're building as you go. Love it. It's hard computer wise, I guess. A Mac.
Lauren Mia:
Definitely a MacBook. Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Oh, you're gonna get MacBook rather than the big powerful tower machine.
Lauren Mia:
Correct. I actually prefer it to be small and concise because sometimes I like to move out of my studio and move into different spaces and I prefer to keep every, you know, all my production, you know, my plugins, my samples, my projects in the computer I can move around with as well.
Chris Barker:
Do you use a separate laptop for djing or do you use USB?
Lauren Mia:
Yeah, no, I have my record box on this laptop and then I just use USB's. Yeah, exactly.
Chris Barker:
Ok, so you don't, you don't have the laptop running in the booth?
Lauren Mia:
Never.
Chris Barker:
No, no. Same. I don't know, it feels weird. Always feels weird having a laptop in the DJ booth. I don't know, I don't hate on anybody that does, but it just reminds me of like work.
Lauren Mia:
Can I be honest? I think above all I'm afraid to bring my laptop to the clubs. You know, I work out of this and all my projects are on here. It's my baby. So I'm very protective of it and I'm almost afraid to bring it to the clubs, you know, then I hear horror stories of things that can go wrong and. Yeah, yeah.
Chris Barker:
Usb for the win.
Lauren Mia:
Exactly. I'm with you there.
Chris Barker:
Okay, so we've locked in the three free items.
Will Betts:
Done.
Chris Barker:
Correct, done. This is where it gets interesting because now you only get six other choices. So. Yeah, item number one.
Lauren Mia:
Well, something that I think is absolutely crucial for me is having a patch bay in my studio space.
Will Betts:
Whoa, hang on a second. Hold the phones. No one's ever started here starting with.
Chris Barker:
A patch bay before. You've got anything to patch?
Will Betts:
Love it.
Chris Barker:
This is bold. Okay, talk us through it, talk us through it.
Lauren Mia:
The reason why is because I know I'm going to have a lot of hardware in my studio, so.
Chris Barker:
Well no, you. Well you're going to have only five.
Lauren Mia:
Maximum money regardless.
Will Betts:
It's about workflow, fair play, commitment. Love it.
Lauren Mia:
It's workflow. So no, for me, optimizing my workflow due to my limited time in the studio is so important to me. It's a number one priority. So knowing that I have to make sure that I have, you know, just, you know, my studio working as one engine, you know, one function. And so that starts with the foundational elements like a patch bay. So let's start there.
Chris Barker:
Okay.
Will Betts:
So what specifically do you find helps you about having that patch bay in the workflow? I guess it's just not something other people have thought about. I mean, I have one right here and it's great. But, like, what?
Lauren Mia:
It's the best.
Will Betts:
What, what and why? Tell us all, please.
Lauren Mia:
Sure. So it's changed my life having one now the last few years in terms of, you know, not having to constantly get behind your hardware. Especially having a studio where you are going to have a lot of hardware constantly, you know, unplugging and re plugging and, you know, just all your. The equipment that you want to record or use in that moment with your audio interface. What it allows for you to do is to never have to crawl behind these desks and unplug your equipment. And everything is just functioning through the patch bay and going into your audio interface. So, for example, if I want to use another piece of hardware quite quickly, it's so quick for me to do so I don't have to take over any channels. And a lot of cases, most synthesizers have one input, one output.
Lauren Mia:
You're taking over two audio channels already. And so if I want to use, you know, a piece of hardware that's not already, you know, connected to my audio interface directly, I can use one of the live channels from one of the synths that is already connected to the audio interface and take over that live channel. Just by patching over the channel, are your synths hardwired?
Chris Barker:
But then you can change it up via the patch bay?
Lauren Mia:
Correct. Four synths are already ready to go that I can just use. And then, because they have two channels each and then, well, two inputs, one input, one output, I mean, and then I patch the other synthesizers I have. Or like my, I have one drum machine, the tr eight s. And then I have the blue sky reverb as well. Or if I want to use the mic, I take over the channel eight, which is also used for my tr eight s. And then I can patch as well with the synths. And it just keeps the function of using all my different pieces of hardware very quickly without having to unplug and replug.
Lauren Mia:
It's an amazing, amazing piece of hardware.
Chris Barker:
Will, is that you have to update my patch pain knowledge world. But that's called half normal or normal or something. Is it?
Will Betts:
Half normal is where you can split the signal out without breaking the connection between the incoming signal. But then full normed is when you break that link. But which patch bay would you want? And can we upsell you to something maybe greater, fancier, probably?
Lauren Mia:
I mean, I would have to be. I would have to do more research on what's out there. You know, there's constant advancements with technology and hardware, so it's sometimes even hard to keep up with what's the greatest out there. In that moment, I got something more simple that was quite affordable when I started out with Apache Bay. I think for me, it's more about having, you know, something efficient that's reliable, that will last, but also that's affordable. And, I mean, that has a lot of, you know, ports as well. So.
Chris Barker:
So does yours. Is yours like guitar Jack, like that kind of size? Like TRS?
Lauren Mia:
Yes.
Chris Barker:
Quarter inch jack, yeah.
Lauren Mia:
Correct.
Chris Barker:
Because what's the other one? Bantam Jack. Will.
Will Betts:
Yeah, those are little tricky.
Chris Barker:
It's a strange connection. The old bantam, I don't know where that came from.
Will Betts:
It's a miniature telephone connection that used to be used for switchboards.
Chris Barker:
Of course it is.
Will Betts:
That's where that comes from.
Lauren Mia:
I think I'm familiar. Yeah, no, this is. I actually really enjoy, like, patching and plugging and unplugging. It's like. It's kind of. It's just satisfying for me.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, no, I used to like it, too. It feels. It feels like you're doing studio stuff. It's fun, which is kind of cool. You know what I mean?
Lauren Mia:
It's very hands on.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Lauren Mia:
Touching buttons, knobs and unplugging.
Will Betts:
So is there a particular one that you'd have? Just the one that you've got currently. And what is that?
Lauren Mia:
It's a weird model. NYS Sppl one. So it's a very interesting model name, but it's fantastic.
Chris Barker:
I'm silent because I have no knowledge of patch. The one. The one I had was totally unbranded. It was just like an OEM thing.
Lauren Mia:
Yes. It's an interesting model name. I honestly just went on Sweetwater. I don't know if you're familiar.
Will Betts:
Oh, yeah.
Lauren Mia:
And I typed in, that's my life. I love Sweetwater. It's changed my life. Especially with the payment plans, you know, and being able to pay off your equipment without interest, you know, over the course of, you know, a year's time. It's been. That's why I've been able to afford a lot of the equipment in here over the years. And. But anyways, I just typed in Patch bay on Sweetwater and was just looking at, honestly, the first one I saw is what I picked.
Chris Barker:
Well, let's lock that in as item number one. But be mindful of the fact that so far, you have a patch bay but no speakers.
Lauren Mia:
I click on those. I already know what I would get for monitors.
Chris Barker:
Okay. Okay, well, let's lock in item number two, then. Let's talk about item number two.
Lauren Mia:
So, monitors are obviously very, very important to me. And I think what took my production quality to the next level, and I think I would choose for calls, I think they're the most fantastic in terms of quality. And I don't know, I think I would go smaller. I can't remember what the smaller model is.
Will Betts:
There's a focal shape, 65, which is like a small one that's kind of quite aesthetically pleasing. Or there's one that's a bit more sort of studio looking.
Lauren Mia:
It's probably the studio looking ones. I'm not sure about the model, but I think I would go smaller with monitors. I have a bit bigger monitors. Bifocal, actually. Now, I think they're a little bit difficult to manage in here as well. And also because I would have a small space. That's just what I prefer, to have, a more cozy, small space. You really don't need that big of monitors, you know, it's more about quality.
Lauren Mia:
Oversize.
Chris Barker:
We have a dream studio situation here, though, so, you know, you can go for any top of the range. Crazy. Come on. We can upsell some dreams here, I think.
Will Betts:
Can we? Okay, well, look, I mean, for the size of room, you don't want to overpower the room. It's the only thing. So you've got the focal trio. Six. St. Six.
Lauren Mia:
I love it. It's the trio.
Will Betts:
Yeah, the trio. Six.
Chris Barker:
All right.
Will Betts:
Are you not worried about losing the base end, though? I think that's the thing I always fear. Cause I've got tiny little monitors here, and I always feel like I can't really know what's going on in the low end. That's my.
Lauren Mia:
I would probably get a sub for to put below my desk.
Will Betts:
Oh, okay.
Chris Barker:
As another item.
Will Betts:
I think we can count that in the. That monitors. I don't think we've ever discounted a sub before, have we? Have we?
Lauren Mia:
It's a separate purchase. They don't come together. So. You said as long as it doesn't come as a bundle.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, but if it's a separate purchase, then it should be a separate item. It should be your item number three.
Will Betts:
Technically, I think we can allow it because it's part of the monitoring.
Chris Barker:
We're allowing it because we've had the big surround systems included before, and that's the same thing. So let's do it.
Will Betts:
Yeah.
Lauren Mia:
Sweet. And I think my sub is very important because I've never actually. I've never invested in having a sub. And I think my dream studio, I would want to have a space where I could run those low. You know, those low frequencies without being afraid of my neighbors. You know, that's what I live in a building. So I think my dream studio, I would want to have my own space and just be as loud as I want to be and never have to worry about the hour of the night. So, sub.
Lauren Mia:
Absolutely. Love bass. Need to feel it.
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Chris Barker:
Item number three.
Lauren Mia:
I don't have the synth, but I would like to have the Alyssa's Andromeda.
Chris Barker:
Oh, there we go.
Lauren Mia:
That's. That's a dream synth of mine. They don't manufacture it anymore, which is the a six. Yeah, they think it came out about 20 years ago. Around 20 years ago. Fully analog signal, just an incredible synthesizer. I know they're still set. They're selling used ones online.
Lauren Mia:
I've had my eye on a couple, but I haven't.
Chris Barker:
It's probably older than 20 years, isn't it? Is it nineties, will? I think it's nineties. Not 2000.
Lauren Mia:
I think it's two thousands.
Chris Barker:
Oh, is it two thousands?
Lauren Mia:
Yeah.
Will Betts:
Zero one. Yeah.
Chris Barker:
2001. Okay.
Will Betts:
Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Wow.
Will Betts:
Schooled.
Chris Barker:
It looks so nineties.
Will Betts:
It does, yeah. So but why the Andromeda then?
Lauren Mia:
I think that from my research and my knowledge, the Andromeda has a lot of. I mean, it's a very dynamic, powerful synth. The analog signal and the warmth of it, you know. Also a piece of hardware that's aged as well. Has warmth and color that you can achieve with a digital synth no matter what. And even just, you know, the more modern synthesizers that are coming out today. This is a vintage synth in a sense, to me at least. And I feel like for pads and atmospheric elements and melodic elements which, you know, is pretty much the most important elements in my productions.
Lauren Mia:
It's a very powerful synth for those particular sounds and building those sounds, those those strings, those pads. It's a polyphonic synth as well.
Chris Barker:
So it was a it was big as well in that, in that trance scene, wasn't it? In the the early two thousands? It was it had a real impact on certain artists in that scene. I think with trance and progressive house and all of the kind of. It was very epic. It was one of the epic synths, wasn't it?
Lauren Mia:
I love that. I didn't know that, to be honest.
Chris Barker:
That and the J. Is it the JV 8000? The massive Roland one with all the sliders on it?
Lauren Mia:
Oh, that's right.
Chris Barker:
Big, big trancy kind of thing. They kind of look trancy as well, don't they?
Lauren Mia:
The Ulysses Andromeda? Absolutely. It totally looks I think it's white. Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Silver. I think so. Well, they probably did different tones. Maybe maybe they did a white one.
Lauren Mia:
You know, most of my hardware is black now. I mean, all the synths I have I see coming out as well are just black. But that one just stands out as well. It's so aesthetically pleasing. And as you can see, I like white too. It's feminine. So that's my dream synth.
Chris Barker:
Well, that is a great that's a great choice. I don't think we come up that often on the.
Will Betts:
We've never had it before.
Chris Barker:
And it is. And it's, um. It's one of those weird synths that doesn't come up that often. But it is a dream synth in its rarity. It's it's it's. You don't see them coming up for sale very often.
Lauren Mia:
People don't want to get rid of them. And I don't blame them. I mean, I've seen a few, but I don't know. I feel like I'm not ready to purchase another synth. But I know for a fact, in my dream studio, that's what I would have. And it would probably become my favorite synth to work on.
Chris Barker:
We'll definitely keep. I can't wait for the day on your instagram when you. You debut the Andromeda.
Lauren Mia:
Oh, fingers crossed, because there will be.
Chris Barker:
A day when it's like, yes, I've been waiting years for this. I've got it.
Lauren Mia:
You know? And those are the best moments I live for. Those moments really work towards something and wait for the right moment, and then you finally have it. It's just so good.
Chris Barker:
So we'll lock in the Elysi's Andromeda a six. And move on to item number four.
Lauren Mia:
Well, since I picked a synth that would be powerful for my, you know, my pads and my more melodic elements, atmospheric elements. I think now I would pick synth that would really help me with my baselines. And even, like, just synth base elements, which I add a lot. Just, you know, random, sporadic elements in my productions that have a lot of low end frequencies. Mid low frequencies, but are still, you know, not considered bass. And I think for that, I'm not gonna pick the moog. Because it's just. I'm not gonna pick the moog.
Lauren Mia:
Even though I love the moog so much. I love my moog. I think I'm gonna pick a Dave Smith instrument.
Chris Barker:
So, what moog do you have right now?
Lauren Mia:
I have the subsequent 37.
Chris Barker:
Oh, nice.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah. So Bodesan was a huge influence on my productions as well. Over the last, you know, seven years. So, obviously, seeing him perform live with it, I'm pretty sure, actually, he has the sub 37, not the subsequent. Which are actually different models. But just seeing him perform live on that, I was in love. I think it was my third piece of hardware I ever purchased. I love it, but I think I got tired of it, to be honest.
Chris Barker:
Okay, well, that's no good in the forever studio.
Lauren Mia:
So I think I would get a Dave Smith. I think I would get. I'll probably get the Mofo X four. Or the profit. I can't decide. They're basically. They're very similar. The profit's just slightly bigger.
Lauren Mia:
More keys and a little bit more expensive. Maybe I'd go for the profit.
Chris Barker:
Profit ten. The biggest, baddest one, probably. Yeah.
Lauren Mia:
Biggest and baddest.
Will Betts:
We've been trying to upsell upsell dream.
Lauren Mia:
It's working.
Will Betts:
We've tried to upsell to the profit ten twice this season, and nobody's been having it, so. Yeah. Thank you for indulging us. Finally, we did it.
Lauren Mia:
I think it was time.
Will Betts:
It was time.
Chris Barker:
What's the profit? Ten. Retailing at will? That is multiple thousands, isn't it?
Will Betts:
Do you want, like, the old school one with two keyboards on it, or do you want the new one that's just got more voices and a single keyboard?
Lauren Mia:
Wait, hang on. Why not two keyboards, right? He's already. Why not? I'm just curious. Well, what's your perspective?
Chris Barker:
Oh, I. My friend had one, and it was just really unreliable. Oh, no, that's a really vintage one. That's from, like, the seventies, I think. Is it?
Lauren Mia:
No way.
Chris Barker:
The original prophet ten with two keyboards, 80, which is basically two. It's two prophet five stuck together, two profiles.
Lauren Mia:
Ideally, it sounds great. It sounds fun, but I suppose in.
Chris Barker:
The forever studio, it would always be reliable because it's magic.
Lauren Mia:
So vintage synths are a hit or miss. Right? Like, I actually. There's a vintage synth that I own. I'm not gonna talk bad about it on this podcast, but it's too. It's so vintage that I have trouble actually manually programming, you know, any modulation. Like, the interface is so not user friendly.
Chris Barker:
Is it a DX seven?
Lauren Mia:
No, I don't want to. I don't want to talk bad about it.
Chris Barker:
We can talk about something being difficult to program. That's part of the interface.
Lauren Mia:
It's the ob six.
Chris Barker:
Oh, yeah.
Lauren Mia:
It's just not the easiest thing to work around. I like to, you know, really work with my modulation and, you know, the parameters and LFO, especially something that I really big on modulating. You know, just. I feel like it's just not been easy for me to use. I like to have. It's not always the case. I think there are a lot of, you know, vintage interfaces that I could work with that make my workflow smooth, but this is not one of them for sure.
Chris Barker:
For me, it's not even a vintage problem all the time. A lot of modern ones are quite, you know, sometimes they do too much, and you kind of just, like, just stop with the menus and the layers.
Lauren Mia:
It's so many layers. Sometimes I can't get around. I'm, like, always pulling out the user manual. I'm just like, God, this is taking so much time just to do one thing that I'm trying to do well.
Chris Barker:
I think the vintage profit ten will definitely be simpler to program because it won't have. It doesn't have any menus or memory I don't think it has any capacity to save programs, does it? Well, or memory. I don't think it does.
Will Betts:
I thought that was one of the things with the profit. There's one of the first synths to have memory.
Chris Barker:
Oh, maybe it did then the ten. But the modern version is a delight as well.
Will Betts:
The modern version is a delight. It doesn't have the two keyboards, but it will be more reliable. Just bear in mind that you do have the forever studio tech who can come in and fix anything at any time. That's all.
Lauren Mia:
That's fantastic. I think I would go with the one with more voices as the sound will be more wide and more powerful. And as much as I love hardware just to play around with and have fun, I think the reality is I am in here also to produce music that I'm gonna share with the world. So I need powerful sounds.
Will Betts:
Okay.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, I think getting the latest one is. Is a wise choice because.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah, I think so too, now that I think about it.
Chris Barker:
So what does that retail out then? Because the modern. That was their flagship model, right?
Will Betts:
Yes, it goes for about 4000 USD, that sort of thing.
Chris Barker:
There we go. That's dream synth material though, isn't it? Yeah.
Will Betts:
Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Okay, profit ten. Dave Smith locked in the new one.
Will Betts:
That's.
Lauren Mia:
It's coming together.
Chris Barker:
It's coming together now, so.
Will Betts:
But you've. You've thought very carefully here. It seems about you need this one synth for your pads, atmospheres, melodic elements. You need the other one to do your bass. It feels like you're thinking very much in terms of the way that the. The sound splits up across the frequency spectrum. So can you tell us about the way that you conceive of it? Because coming from a classical background, is that maybe a slightly different way of thinking of things than, you know, people who are coming at this from. You know, from an engineering perspective.
Will Betts:
How do you view the different instrumental needs that you have in the studio?
Lauren Mia:
That's a great question, actually. I feel that I learned to think this way through trial and error, of having extremely muddy mix constantly earlier on in my journey. And I couldn't understand, you know, I mean, I did understand, but I just. I. You know, when you start. When you have a blank canvas, you know, our sessions, you're just. I got so excited and I was just over layering my, you know, my synth elements. My, you know, the mid, mid low, mid high and high frequency range was just.
Lauren Mia:
Everything was overpowering each other. The elements were overpowering each other. And this is what really came down with also learning how to mix down your tracks. And that comes not just with, you know, someone could teach you a formula of how to do this. But really, it comes with also experience and really, you know, trial and error as well. Using your ear, training your ear. And while I played piano. I don't think anything really trained my ear yet.
Lauren Mia:
When it came to producing music fully. You know, because I could write acoustic pieces on the piano. And I was very much doing that. But I don't think that I was composing, you know, full orchestra pieces at the time. So I think with coming into producing an entire song. And working through these, you know, these whole range of frequencies. I had to really learn that every element has to have its place in terms of frequency and not to layer. I mean, there are special cases where you can layer and, you know, side.
Lauren Mia:
Side chain compression. Or, you know, obviously, eq. And shape your elements to fit as a puzzle. You know, everything is like a puzzle piece. You're trying to get it to all work cohesively together. So I learned that everything has to have its place. And sometimes less is more. And so now just.
Lauren Mia:
I mean, obviously there's pressure for me to put out music at this stage of my career. And with the limited time that I have in here. Because I am on the road a lot. I find that, you know, thinking within. It's all about intention, right? So every synth will have its purpose in my studio. And I kind of have already developed that workflow as well in here. And it's done wonders for me as well. I think for producers out there.
Lauren Mia:
Established or aspiring producers. It's so important to remember. To let every element have its place. And if that one element. That one sound is powerful enough and strong. And you put intention into that. It will speak for itself. You don't have to layer so many different things.
Lauren Mia:
To get it to sound full. It will sound full just in itself.
Chris Barker:
I think that word intention is really important there, actually. Like. And it's. That happens naturally if you're in a band. Like, if you're. If you have a guitarist, have a bass player, have a drummer. That's right. The intention's there before anybody ever plays a note.
Chris Barker:
But when you're doing with a studio. Where every synth can be a bass or a drum or a. Then you need to find that intention. Because otherwise. Otherwise you've got 400 band members. And unless you're earth, wind and fire, that's difficult.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah, totally. No, it's so true. Huh. And I think, like, you know, producers these days. We are our own we're a band, you know.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Lauren Mia:
So it's. Yeah, it's a great point.
Chris Barker:
So let's. Let's crack on to item number five. So, two more left.
Lauren Mia:
Only two more. Okay, well, look at it. Let me think. Okay. I know. I would have the poly brute by Arturia, which is a new, newer synth that's come out in the last few years. This would be for my leads and for my effects.
Chris Barker:
Is this something you own already?
Lauren Mia:
This is something that I recently purchased. It's my last purchase of the studio, and it is my lead synthesis synth. My number one right now, even for just effects and everything. I'm crazy about this synthetic. I am crazy about it. So it needs to be in my dream studio.
Chris Barker:
It's great to give that since a shout out because I've had a few goes on it at shows and stuff. You probably have as well, will. I think it's wicked, but it doesn't. You don't see it that often, and you don't hear people talking about it that often. It's kind of one of those hidden, modern, hidden gems.
Lauren Mia:
Really?
Chris Barker:
Yeah. In Europe, anyway. I mean, I haven't been traveling around people's studios for many years, but you don't see it that often, and you should. It's great.
Lauren Mia:
Wow. I feel like. Yeah, I actually people. Some artists within my genre, my subgenre, I find, are using the polybroot. Quite a few, actually. And I've seen it on their instagrams and their social media as well. And it's powerful. I mean, you could play two different patches or presets at the same time, simultaneously split it up on the keyboard.
Lauren Mia:
You can have such dynamic, you know, versatile sounds, and it's also. It just sounds amazing. Like, the oscillators, the engines are so powerful. And also there's.
Chris Barker:
It's pretty easy to get to grips with compared to, say, your.
Lauren Mia:
Yes, the ob six. A hundred percent. Yeah. Because, you know, these mod, you know, more modern synths that are coming out these days, I think they're like, even, you know, with having iPhones and all these, you know, advancements in technologies, they're making these, you know, these user interfaces very user friendly. And also it's. I mean, there's a digital, you know, little screen as well, and it's bigger. So you could see some of my. Even the little screens that are on some of my other sins.
Lauren Mia:
It's so dark, I can barely read. Like, you know, the three letter, like abbreviation of what I'm trying to figure out. I'm like, what does this say?
Chris Barker:
It's eight characters on the little screen, for all your information. Like an old Nokia phone.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah, exactly. So I think it's great. And it's made my experience using the synth very enjoyable. And it's my favorite synth in the studio right now. It's my last edition. I got it, I think, two or three years ago, and I'm in love with it.
Chris Barker:
And is it on any records that we can hear?
Lauren Mia:
Yes, of course. So many. Especially shadow ashes in paradise. So these are a few. Actually, both of those are lead singles from my debut album.
Will Betts:
So nice.
Lauren Mia:
I think those are the ones that are doing the best in terms of streaming.
Chris Barker:
And it takes care of lead duties on those.
Lauren Mia:
Yes. Even shadow, the intro, I recorded such an incredible effects. I built the sound from scratch, which is why I'm really proud of it. But it's almost like it's a siren that kind of gradually bends in pitch. And it's almost like a very strong introduction, an introduction element. And I open my single with it, shadow, which, you know, when I played it for my team members at first, they were kind of like, this is a really weird intro. And I don't know about this. I'm like, no, I made this sound.
Lauren Mia:
It is so sick. It is staying in this intro. So, yeah, it's there. You can hear it as soon as the first few seconds of the track. And. Yeah, that was made with a polybroot. Yeah. And other lead elements as well.
Lauren Mia:
Mostly leads. It's very powerful. I mean, there are pad elements as well that I've built, and also the presets as well. But I personally prefer other synths for pads and atmospheric elements. Strings. Yeah.
Will Betts:
And I wonder as well, because one of the things that always intrigued me about that synth, whenever I saw it. Was the sort of expressive performance control thing it's got on the side, the pad, the wooden pads on the left.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah. It's like a touchscreen. It's almost like a touchscreen, but it's not. It's used by. Through touch. I mean, it's a touchscreen, kind of. What is it called? I don't even know what it's called, but it's kind of fun to play around with it.
Chris Barker:
Was there proprietary technology? Wasn't it some kind of.
Lauren Mia:
There's a term for it, though. I remember when I was researching about the synth.
Will Betts:
And I forgot they call it amorphy, but it's a lot like amorphy with two e's. Then they. It's a lot like the expressive e touche. Controller. But are you. Do you find yourself using that or is that something you sort of end up leaving alone when you're making these sounds?
Lauren Mia:
When I'm making music intentionally, which is most of the time now, like I said, I'm oftentimes not in here anymore, playing around, which is sad. But when I was playing around and just spending hours just playing with sounds, I was pressing it, rubbing my fingers around, messing with my sounds and having a blast. In terms of actually recording sounds that I am using in my productions, I don't find myself using it at all interesting.
Chris Barker:
So with that in mind, actually, let's talk about how, you know, you've got the patch player. You got the sense now in the dream studio, but also in your real studio. So do you find. Do you find yourself using a MiDi keyboard to program Ableton and then firing midi to the synths? Or do you play the synths in live as audio? Or do you play the midi in, like, how do you work with the hardware?
Lauren Mia:
All the above. It depends. Sometimes I'll play on a synth I have. I have the summit as well, which I like to use a lot for. For my leads. And sometimes if I. I'm also just looking for sounds or trying to build sounds. And I'll play something and I'll play a progression that I love.
Lauren Mia:
Before I run to my Midi keyboard, I'll quickly just, you know, record two channels. So one channel will be audio and the other channel will be midi. And I'll record the midi into my Ableton session. And then what I will do is I'll have the audio of the sound. So I remember, you know, what it sounds like. Make sure. Also try to save the patch if I can. And then I make sure that the midi notes are where I want them to be.
Lauren Mia:
I can also kind of adjust it if I want to add harmonics, you know, layers, I'll do that. Then I send it back to the synth. And then I record audio out again. And that's kind of how I work most of the time. Sometimes I'll program my midi into my session, even just manually. Not even with a midi keyboard. I just. Over the years, I got good at that as well.
Lauren Mia:
And I have really strong, you know, what are the words, key shortcuts, knowledge when it comes to Ableton that I kind of just know by navigating. And I think with that I can work quickly with manually programming midi. But some days I want to play on my piano. And then I'll take my melody, I'll come back here, I'll play it on my MIDi keyboard. I have one right below my desk. It's a cheap one that I got, actually, when I was living in Berlin. And I brought it back with me on the airplane because I loved it so much because it's weighted keys. It's just as close as thing.
Lauren Mia:
I have to feeling like it's a piano. And then, yeah, sometimes I'll play and I'll record MiDI. I'll sometimes use digital synths as well. Maybe I want to replicate the digital synth, you know, with using one of my pieces of hardware. So I'll have a, you know, a guide retry to recreate the sound. You know, send MiDi out to a synth, record audio. So it depends. Yeah.
Lauren Mia:
And the cool thing is, with how I would build my studio, I would have everything functioning as one. So I can do that with multiple synths and move around and have them all recording at the same time.
Will Betts:
Love that.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, nice.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah, fun.
Will Betts:
Also, it's smart to be putting down guides with MIDi with the audio at the same time. I think that's something that I always forget to do. And I'm like, damn it, how did I play that thing? Or what was that sound? I'm always, like, chasing my tail, you know? Yeah, that's smart.
Lauren Mia:
And sometimes you record the midi and then you realize, like, the original, like, the flaws that maybe you found in the audio, like work. Or you can cut that, you know, or throw it in sampler or simpler and play around with it. So there's so much to do there. So I try to always record all my takes and, you know, both audio and Midi as much as possible. And there's so much there.
Will Betts:
Amazing.
Chris Barker:
Well, that takes us to the final item, doesn't it?
Will Betts:
Well, sure does.
Lauren Mia:
Already.
Will Betts:
Yeah, that's already.
Chris Barker:
This is the. I mean, it's called the dream studio. The forever studio. I mean, it's more. That's why we didn't call it the dream studio, actually, it's called the forever studio because, you know, the dream studio was probably have more in it, but.
Lauren Mia:
I'd have a lot more in it.
Chris Barker:
So you're down to your final item for equipment anyway. And then we go. We'll talk about a luxury item later, but let's go to item number six.
Lauren Mia:
I would like to pick a mic, but I think I would go. I mean, I'm not singing much, so I think I would go with my midi interface. Yeah. To make sure that all the clocks of my synths are linked and synced so that I can use it as a one function, okay, that is.
Chris Barker:
Look at Will's face.
Will Betts:
That's so practical.
Chris Barker:
But it's so practical. Not a patch bay in a midi interface.
Lauren Mia:
It's so practical, I gotta have it. I can't work that. I can't work without it, I find. And it's how I get, you know, how I make my music in the most efficient and in flow state way, which is what I pride myself in, you know.
Chris Barker:
Well, and talking about the way that you send Mindy to and from you can't. I mean, the UA, I guess, doesn't even have midI. Probably doesn't, does it? Not midi din.
Lauren Mia:
I'm not quite sure, to be honest. I always just turn to having a midi interface and just having everything going out directly from my synths.
Chris Barker:
Midi interface. Then what we talking is another mark of the unicorn motu one. What do you have in the studio right now?
Lauren Mia:
I do have the motu, actually. The Midi interface as well. Yeah. So that's what I use. I have everything running in there. And like I said, I didn't always have it this way. I used to actually, I used to constantly be unplugging and re plugging in all my synths and hardware in my mic and constantly just, you know, driving myself crazy in between takes. And now my whole studio acts as one function, as one engine.
Lauren Mia:
And it makes my experience creatively so much better. My productions are higher quality and I have more fun. So as much as I would have liked to get another, you know, maybe a mic or, you know, a drum machine, I feel like that is just essential for me to be able to enjoy another, you know, I wouldn't really need. I wouldn't be able to use midi functions of all my synths and kind of record and do my process the way I like without it.
Chris Barker:
Okay. Well, with that in mind, Will, why don't you run us through the studio? So have a listen to this. We'll describe what we've just built. And then you've got a moment if you want any changes. And then we'll talk about the final item, which is a luxury item, which isn't a piece of kit. It's not a piece of studio kit. Something else for your studio forever. Studio.
Chris Barker:
Okay, Will, talk us through the studio.
Will Betts:
So far we're in St. Kilda, Melbourne, Australia. In a cozy, small carpeted room with furry walls. It's feminine, but fortified. We've decided no windows needed. And we have RgB lights. To be able to change the mood at a moment's notice. Your computer is a MacBook Pro with an m three chip.
Will Betts:
We're maxing it out. Your interface is a universal audio Apollo X eight. Your daw is Ableton live twelve suite. And for your six items, you have chosen Apache Bay. You have chosen, for speakers, the focal trio, six st six with the sub six bass for synths. The first of three is the Alesis Andromeda, a six for pads, atmospheres and melodic elements. The Dave Smith instruments profit for bass. Your penultimate item is the Arturia poly brute for leads and effects.
Will Betts:
And your final item in the forever studio is a moto midi interface. How does that work as your forever studio?
Lauren Mia:
Well, I feel my forever studio, I mean, my dream forever studio would have a lot more synthesizers, so.
Will Betts:
Fair.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah. I mean, I love keys and I love being hands on. So I don't think it would be enough for me having just those synths. But it's a good start.
Chris Barker:
You could swap out a patch bay in a midi interface. But then, you know.
Lauren Mia:
Well, with what I have now, I guess it makes more sense to. Right. If I have this, you know, audio interface and only that amount of synths. I assumed, starting out that I would have more. But I would probably swap out those two options now and get two other synthesizers. I'm not big on drum machines, you know, I have a tr eight s. I never. I like to program my drums manually in Ableton and use, you know, impulse or just a drum rock.
Lauren Mia:
Or use samples and cut samples. So I find, like, it would probably just be a synthesizer. Same with effects pedals as well. Like, I. I rarely use those. I have one reverb puddle, but, yeah, I'd probably just be. Replace those two with two synths and then have them go directly into the audio interface instead.
Will Betts:
Okay, let's do that. What would you change to?
Chris Barker:
What would you have? Two more dream synths you've got here.
Lauren Mia:
Okay, let me think. I think I would get a synth by modal, probably. I think an argon eight.
Will Betts:
Oh, nice.
Lauren Mia:
It's a smaller synth.
Chris Barker:
I don't know much about this one.
Will Betts:
Well, it's a british manufacturer of modal.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, I've played one, I think. Aren't they wave table? They bristol based?
Will Betts:
Don't know. Eight voice wavetable synth. Tell us about the argon eight. Why the argon eight?
Lauren Mia:
Well, first I was gonna say it's. I know it's a wave table synth. It's smaller. Yeah. It's also polyphonic as well. I typically choose polyphonic synthesizers. I do have and would have a few monophonic, depending on the brand, it really depends. It has to be an amazing synth.
Lauren Mia:
Personally, I like to play chords, and because I come from a piano background, I like to use my hands on my synths. Generally, I end up only using one hand. Just most synths are, they're not 88 keys. Um, yeah, I think the modal would be a nice addition, I think. I really do like the sounds that come from it. I would say, you know, I wouldn't say it's the most powerful and, you know, with its sound engines, with its oscillators, but building a sound from scratch and actually seeing, I like that you can see the actual waveform on the synthesizer. If I'm not. Yeah, you can see the, like the waveform a little bit and kind of play around with it.
Lauren Mia:
Like, if you're adjusting the filter modulation, you can kind of see it bend the waveform and it's kind of cool and it's small and you can move around with it and. Yeah, like, yeah, I think I would go with that one. I like it.
Chris Barker:
I think that's a first for the podcast, which is cool.
Will Betts:
There's a lot of firsts. This is a really interesting set of selections here. Love it. Love to see it. And you're.
Lauren Mia:
Thank you.
Will Betts:
What about your, if you're going to switch out the midi interface now, what. What would you have instead of that?
Lauren Mia:
Yeah, it makes sense, you guys. I went into it thinking, you know, I was gonna have a time I didn't know. I forgot that the rule was only a few. I think. Let me think about what I want. I would want to get lost.
Will Betts:
Or is it a mic?
Lauren Mia:
I could do a mic, to be honest. Now that I think about it. I mean, if I were to have a vocal booth, but I don't know. Am I allowed to have a vocal booth now?
Chris Barker:
Yeah, you've got the vocal booth.
Will Betts:
That's all part of the trimmings. Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Yes.
Lauren Mia:
So if I got a vocal booth and I got proper acoustic treatment, then I would very much get a very sick and very expensive mic. Which brand? I don't know. I would have to do my research and really decide on something good. I would want to invest in something really, really powerful and bring in artists and vocalists that I work with.
Chris Barker:
Do you sing at all on your productions?
Lauren Mia:
Rarely. No. I have a bit of a Disney princess voice. It's not very. It's not very pleasing to listen to in music. I find it's not bad. I just, I have a taste for the frequencies that come from the human voice. You know, the vocal cords.
Lauren Mia:
Some people have this gift of having this depth and like, you know, those. Adele's out there. Even the men that I work with, you know, a couple of featured vocalists on my album as well. Or previous releases like fractures from Australia, Luke Colson, Josh Royce. These are all just brilliant vocalists who have this raspy, very wide and deep voice. So I like working with other vocalists for my music, whether Joshua Royce. I did bring in the studio at the time, it was a bedroom studio, so I didn't have even this. But I would want a vocal booth and I'd want a very incredible mic to be able to capture their voice and their frequencies in the best possible way.
Lauren Mia:
So I do a lot of research to pick that. I don't know, maybe you guys can help guide me.
Chris Barker:
Well, we can upsell here.
Will Betts:
We can.
Chris Barker:
Well, there's the big monster. So.
Will Betts:
The most expensive microphone I can currently find Googling is there is currently on eBay for sale, a $28,000 Neumann U 47.
Lauren Mia:
$28,000, huh?
Will Betts:
That's just a cursory search. More expensive microphones are available, but that is pretty pricey. Or like.
Chris Barker:
That's a good one, though, isn't it? That's U 47.
Will Betts:
Or like a Telefunken 251 M 251 would also be a really solid choice. That's about twelve to $15,000.
Chris Barker:
That seems cheap compared to 28.
Will Betts:
Well, I mean, the Sony C 800, that's a very cheap microphone by comparison. Only about ten to 12,000.
Lauren Mia:
That is wild.
Will Betts:
It's madness.
Lauren Mia:
That's gonna end up being the most expensive part of my studio.
Will Betts:
I think it's about as much as everything else combined.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah, literally.
Chris Barker:
That's cool.
Lauren Mia:
And it's so small, too.
Chris Barker:
That's a dream studio, though. Are you 47?
Will Betts:
Any of those sort of speak to you? What do you think?
Lauren Mia:
Well, it would really depend on what sets each one apart from each other. I would really have to look in.
Chris Barker:
On Neumann's German, though. Right.
Lauren Mia:
Okay, well, that's. You know, that would definitely give it a plus in my book.
Chris Barker:
That's what I was thinking. Telefunken's German as well, right?
Will Betts:
Telefunken was originally german, and then Telefunken rebadged a bunch of german mics, Neumann's akGs, for the US market. They did a few of their own sort of slightly different ones, including the really famous one, which is the Elam 251 E. But new Telefunken mics are actually made in the US by an american company called Telefunken Electroacoustic and they reverse engineered a lot of those vintage mics.
Chris Barker:
Okay, so we go for the Neumann gastar.
Will Betts:
There we go.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Will Betts:
Sold.
Chris Barker:
Okay.
Lauren Mia:
That would be cool.
Chris Barker:
Well, that is the studio locked in. Now, before we close the podcast, we have one more item for your studio, which is a bit of fun, is a luxury item. So anything else you would have in the studio that really talks about who you are.
Lauren Mia:
I don't know. Maybe my dream studio is just more of a. Similar to what makes me comfortable, I guess. But if I really were to dream big in that way, I think I would probably want to have an incredible candle collection with some of the most high end, expensive candles, because candles a. I collect some of them already, and I do have some in the studio, but not. Not the ones that I would like to have. And I would want to have a space and kind of build spaces for them to kind of sit in a safe manner, of course, maybe have glass around them so they couldn't touch anything. But candles really set the mood for me.
Lauren Mia:
The element of fire. I work with elements, you know, and it really inspires me. Water, fire. And I think that having that element in here would really inspire me. It's passion.
Chris Barker:
That's a good choice.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah. So just a lot of really, you know, high luxury candles. Scents make it smell really sexy in here and everywhere.
Chris Barker:
An endless supply of sexy smelling candles.
Will Betts:
That's such a great, great choice.
Chris Barker:
It's good, though. That's a vibe. That's a good personal choice. And. Yeah. And would set the vibe in the studio. Thank you. Well, that's it.
Chris Barker:
We've built your dream studio. So all I want to say is thank you so much for joining us on the podcast and going through all of the equipment, and I'm glad we managed to convince you to ditch the patch bay in the medim's face.
Lauren Mia:
Yeah, I get. I know you are not fond of that so quickly. Just by your laugh, you were like, nope.
Chris Barker:
I was just surprised. Like, when you've only got six items to choose, one that doesn't make any sound at all is.
Lauren Mia:
To be honest, I didn't think about it going because my. When I think about my dream studio, I really think about having, you know, an endless amount of synthesizers. So I really just was thinking on how to manage that. And then obviously, well, that's why it's.
Chris Barker:
The forever studio, not the dream studio. Yeah, it's a challenge. Yeah, it's a challenge on purpose.
Lauren Mia:
Thanks for giving me a chance to swap. Once I realized, you know, I'm not gonna have an endless amount of synthesizers.
Chris Barker:
Well, we did say in the intro that we were gonna impose those difficulties choices on you, and we sure did.
Lauren Mia:
It is a thank you so much, early morning. I totally missed that. But, no, I'm grateful for the swap, and I'm very happy with my choices. Also, I think the candles was really the cherry on top of it all.
Chris Barker:
And we'll keep an eye on your instagram for that. Andromeda, a six finger.
Lauren Mia:
Fingers crossed.
Chris Barker:
A six before 2026. That's the challenge.
Lauren Mia:
Manifesting it.
Chris Barker:
Yeah. Okay. Thank you so much, Laura Merrill.
Lauren Mia:
I really appreciate you. Thank you so much.