Jennifer Lee, aka TOKiMONSTA is an incredibly talented LA-based producer, performer and DJ who has collaborated with Anderson.Paak, remixed Sia, Disclosure, and Beck, and founded the LA Beat Scene. In this episode, Jennifer tells us about a cheap synth she adores for bass, explains how she peppers her tracks with field recordings, ponders which historic synthesizer she’d steal off an electronic music pioneer, and all while skillfully bending our important Forever Studio rules.
Jennifer Lee, aka TOKiMONSTA is an incredibly talented LA-based producer, performer and DJ who has collaborated with Anderson.Paak, remixed Sia, Disclosure, and Beck, and founded the LA Beat Scene. In this episode, Jennifer tells us about a cheap synth she adores for bass, explains how she peppers her tracks with field recordings, ponders which historic synthesizer she’d steal off an electronic music pioneer, and all while skillfully bending our important Forever Studio rules.
Season 7 of the My Forever Studio Podcast is supported by Audient, and the incredible new iD48 audio interface.
https://audient.com/
https://audient.com/products/audio-interfaces/id48/
STUFF WE TALK ABOUT (SPOILERS AHEAD)
https://musictech.com/features/interviews/cover-interview-2022-tokimonsta/
https://www.akaipro.com/apc40-mkii
https://www.thailandretreats.com/Location/Natai-Beach
https://www.uaudio.com/products/apollo-x8p
https://www.audio-technica.com/en-gb/ath-m50x
https://hedd.audio/products/type-30-mk2
https://hedd.audio/pages/discover-headphones
https://teenage.engineering/products/op-1/original
https://www.fenderrhodes.com/pianos/mark1a.html
https://rhodesmusic.com/product/rhodes-mk8/
https://www.korg.co.uk/products/microkorgxl-plus
https://www.dorianconcept.com/
https://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-q-4-equalizer-plug-in
https://www.korg.com/uk/products/synthesizers/arpodyssey/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delia_Derbyshire
https://www.nagraaudio.com/pro-audio/
https://teenage.engineering/products/tp-7
https://www.sounddevices.com/
https://www.roland.com/global/products/r-26/
Chris Barker:
Hi, I'm Chris Barker.
Will Betts:
And I'm Will Betts and this is the music tech My Forever Studio podcast brought to you in partnership with Audient.
Chris Barker:
In this podcast we speak with musicians, DJs, engineers and producers about their fantasy Forever Studio.
Will Betts:
The Fantasyland studio that our guests dream up is one that they must live with for the rest of time. But even in the world of studio foreverdom, we have a few rules.
Chris Barker:
Indeed, our guests will select a computer, a DAW and an audio interface. Those are the three items we let everybody choose. Then our guests will choose just six other bits of studio gear plus one non studio related luxury item.
Will Betts:
But Chris.
Chris Barker:
Oh yes, that's right, 100% ish. No bundles.
Will Betts:
Correct. Choosing something sold as a package of separate software or hardware as a single item is verboten.
Chris Barker:
Our guest this time is an LA based producer, performer and DJ who's collaborated with Anderson.Paak and remixed Sia, Disclosure and Beck.
Will Betts:
Yes, she was one of the founders of the LA beat scene in the 2010s but faced a potentially life changing illness that could have ended her career. Instead she started her own label and received a Grammy nomination along the way.
Chris Barker:
Now she's back with her first full length album in five years entitled Eternal Reverie.
Will Betts:
That's right. This is my Forever Studio with Jennifer Lee, AKA TOKiMONSTA. Welcome, Jennifer.
Chris Barker:
Welcome.
Jennifer Lee:
Hey guys.
Chris Barker:
Hello, hello. Welcome to the Forever Studio. Let's build it.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay, let's see.
Chris Barker:
But before we get to that, obviously let's find out a little bit more about you and your journey into sort of music production and music technology and music generally, like, you know, the route to studio foreverdom and Nerdom, basically. How did it all get started for you? I think you were classical piano player, if I read that right.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, so, you know, I was classically trained but, you know, not willingly. It was an imposition, you know, like mom's like, you got to do this. I'm like, oh man, I really don't like this. But it turned out I did. I, I loved creating music. I didn't like playing other people's music. No offense to Chopin, but yeah, you know, I make music because I love music and I felt that I had something to say. I think when I was in high school, I downloaded Reason and I quickly uninstalled it because I was like, this takes up too much space and I do not understand it.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So I tried and we fast forward. I am in, I guess, uni, as you would say. So my first year in college and a friend shows me Fruity Loops. At the time, it wasn't as sexy as it is now. And I just figured it out and I loved it. Just lighting up all the little boxes. It's kind of like a little drumstep sequencer. And a lot of my early work is all made on FL Studio, as it's called now.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
And I think maybe around 2011, I started transitioning into Ableton. That was because I wanted to be able to perform my beats live. But I'm actually not a. I'm not a DJ by trade. I'm just a producer and a beat maker. So using a tool like Ableton was a lot more befitting to how I wanted to perform. And I had all the tools, so.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, I mean, that's why I did that. In the intro, actually, I put performer as well as dj, because I think you get called a DJ a lot. But, you know, for us nerds, you're not playing records, really. It's live electronic performance.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, I mean, it's a little bit of both at this point. You know, now I. I think I've really enjoyed the art of DJing, but it's so different and it deserves so much respect in its own way as well.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
You know.
Chris Barker:
Yeah. It's not to disrespect either form, but it's like, I think exactly. Anything electronic, people just go, you're. You're a dj.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I know. And I'm like, well, like, do you want to spend the five minutes explaining to someone that it's not different?
Chris Barker:
And that's what this podcast is for. It's for us to get this off our chest.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay, great.
Chris Barker:
I mean, has the DJ integration come because of the technology changes in DJ as well? Because obviously, like, when you first started DJing, definitely was just DJing, but even with Pioneer gear now, you can kind of perform.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. You know, it is a lot more flexible now and you can do so much. There's so many, like, you know, ancillary, like, equipment that you can plug in. They'll use the same clock. BPM clubs always have CDJs and mixers. And also those Pioneer devices are. They're made for someone's apparel spritz to fall on them or, you know, some drunk girl will touch the decks, you know, but unfortunately, when you have like MIDI controllers that, you know, they are kind of made to travel, they're not that robust, to be honest. And, you know, I've gone through many.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
You know, I used to use it, actually, I still use it if I perform live, like the APC40 and I've gone through at least like six of them, I think.
Chris Barker:
Wow, so you're still on the APC40?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, I mean, the MK2 or whatever, that's. But that was the last when I was performing live. I have been using CDJS more. But these are DJ sets, you know, essentially. And I'm one of the artists that hasn't gone and made the distinction of in parentheses DJ set yet. I haven't done that.
Will Betts:
Is that on the horizon? Are you thinking you might go that direction?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, I mean, I think instead of saying DJ set, you can kind of figure out which one. Do you want to say this is a live performance or this is a DJ set? You only have to put parentheses around one of them. The one thing that's nice about DJ sets is you're providing sound over a longer course of time and it's an art form. But yeah, there's something so special about doing a live performance. And with my upcoming tour, there's a lot of that. But there'll also be after parties. And that's where, like, I get to flex another muscle. And it is exciting to get a little bit more into DJing because it's also more tech to play with.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
You know, there's so many things that you can plug in. I'm just sitting here Googling and being like, who do I know at Pioneer? How do I get these other things? You know? But yeah, sorry, I don't even know if I answered your question correctly.
Chris Barker:
But that's.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
That's my journey.
Chris Barker:
Till now, I was kind of. It wasn't really a question. I was Just clarify. I was quite surprised that. Because obviously Ableton Push and all of those kind of things now is kind of. You don't see the APC 40 or AS. AS much as you. As you.
Chris Barker:
As you usually do.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, I should probably explore a tiny bit more. I think it's one of those. I just got used to a certain ecosystem.
Chris Barker:
But yeah, I mean. And they did work, didn't they? Where they were everywhere. They were the first sort of robust, travelable thing like that.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah.
Chris Barker:
So let's talk us through, like the sort of the. The next stages of the equipment. Because I've seen interviews with you. I think it might be your studio. Not sure if it is your studio, but you have a lot of sense, you have a lot of kit.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. So I think I know which one you're talking about. That was not my studio. It's a studio sometimes I work in. I do like synths. I don't Think I have the space to collect as many. I'm not sure if it was like, there was like, racks. There's like, old.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm a little bit more simple, but I do have a variety of different gears, so not that many synths, but I still have a decent amount on my own.
Chris Barker:
Okay, well, we'll. We'll get to. When we start building your Fantasy Forever studio, you can get some of those dream synths maybe that you don't have space for right now. So we will get to that. You've spoken about it a lot, so apologies in advance, but I think for any of our listeners that maybe doesn't know your backstory so well about the Moya Moya diagnosis, but specifically from a music making point of view. I've heard your interviews where you touch on it like you couldn't understand music anymore and then it was that journey back. But was that the same with, like, when you first opened Ableton? Was that understanding broken as well, or.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, yeah, yeah. There is no way. There are these basic human functions that we need to kind of just get through life. There's things that are automated, like blinking. We're not talking about stuff like that. But essentially when I had these brain surgeries, the first thing to go was my ability to talk. So if I stutter now, we can blame it on that. But I lost my ability to speak and I lost some motor functions.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
And these were a result of the surgery that was meant to fix the actual problems. So it did. I had this. I don't want to get too into it, but I had like this vascular issue where essentially I was going to die. So the surgery helped with that. But quality of life is you have to think about what the risks and rewards are. So I was recovering and then I obviously realized I couldn't talk or understand anyone anymore. And then like, maybe after like a week or two, I realized I couldn't understand music because I wasn't, you know, quote unquote, like a potato.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I was cognizant, but I wasn't like, full capacity, you know.
Chris Barker:
So you had your own sort of inner voice, but you couldn't understand it externally or project it. Wow.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, it's, it's, it's more profound to think about now, this idea of consciousness. Right. If I can't understand.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Like English is my first language and it is the language I mostly speak. And suddenly I couldn't understand it, but I still had thoughts. So what were those thoughts? What language are those thoughts in? They're just Thoughts. But it was strange looking at people, and it. Essentially, I just felt like everyone was speaking a language I did not understand. So I was confused. I knew they were communicating something.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
But, you know, it was frustrating. It was a difficult time.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, of course. I mean, like I said, I only wanted to touch on it for the. For the. The actual making point of view. So when you were looking back at music software or even sat in front of a keyboard, was it a case of things coming back, like memories, or was it, like, learning it again as you recovered?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, more like memories. I like to use analogy of like a bridge. So maybe this. That. The surgery kind of broke that bridge between this part of my brain and that part. But as I started to heal, they just reconnected again. Yeah. Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I wish I was, like, superhuman or something, but it was just eventually all of those faculties came back and I was like, oh, I understand. Compression again. This is great. But there was definitely a point where I opened Ableton and I was like, oh, I don't understand this anymore.
Chris Barker:
Scary, isn't it? It's. Yeah, yeah, right. Sorry. It's a neurological thing. I stood in front of some decks once, and I didn't know what anything did. And my neurologist said it was kind of like if you put your hands. And it seems like it's the only way I can understand. It was nowhere near as serious as what you had.
Chris Barker:
But he was like, imagine a pool of water where everything settled to the bottom, and it's like somebody's put their hands in and made it all cloudy until it settles again. That was kind of like everything. So, like, that bridge you talked about, where everything sort of returns.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Exactly.
Chris Barker:
Sorry, that probably won't be in the edit, but I just. Yeah, I just was like, that sounds very much like that. Kind of on a much more intense level. Right back to the. Sorry.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Those things are scary. And they're. They. You never know when you don't know if it's gonna be forever. Sometimes you don't know if it's gonna settle. So it can be very alarming, especially when you lose the thing that you love the most. And if you love music and you love making music and music tech, and suddenly it's foreign.
Chris Barker:
Yes. Yeah. And I mean, I was saying before you got on, it was. It's the thing that. Why I wanted to ask about it was because you build up so much skill and so much technique. When you learn Ableton FL Studio, obviously playing the piano, it's like, this is. And you kind of take it for granted. This monster stack of manuals that you've read and techniques that you've learned and experiences and then feeling like, like I said, it's all got mushed in that.
Chris Barker:
In that kind of the water's gone cloudy is kind of wow. But let's move on to the positive. New muse, new music came out of it. And like, like we said in the intro, you know, Grammy nominations. And do you think it changed the way you approached making music or was it just kind of you going back to finally where you want it to be anyway?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I think not from a technological approach. I think for me it became more of like a philosophical life approach to music where basically I realized that tomorrow is not guaranteed. So would I be happy with what I did today? Would I be happy with the music I put out today? And what would be worse than not being alive and your soul looking back and be like, oh, man, you made that shitty song. You didn't even want to make that. You know, but the reality is, yeah, you know, everything is finite and being able to create music and share it is such a gift. Wouldn't you want to make the music that makes you happy? I know there are fan services to people that make music for other people to be happy, but for me as an artist, it's really important for me to make the music that feels like I'm expressing myself and sharing something and hoping that people listening can join me on that ride.
Chris Barker:
So on that journey of making music, then, was it just a case of like, I'm just doing whatever I want, or were you hearing things you were thinking, that feels like I'm chasing a sound or chasing something again to make other people happy or to please a label. Or was that the kind of change in attitude when you were making it?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, I think, you know, when you hear someone saying, and it could just be your peers going like, oh, man, you know, everyone's using this new plugin or this synth or that sound is very popular, or like, oh, this style of drum programming or treating things this way and then that's more obviously more technical. And then the broader, like, like industry people being like, well, maybe you should have, like, use this top line vocal who did this, like, you know, big pop song. And I'm like, I hate it. I would never use that.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
You know, they're like, yeah, but you'll get lots of streams. I'm like, I'm gonna regret this for the rest of my life.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
You know, and I already have one particular song which I will not Say that. I feel like, ugh, I kind of wish I didn't put that one out. But I use that as a lesson.
Chris Barker:
So, you know, is that since or is that a very old one?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
The song that I regret putting out, it's like, not. It's not super old.
Chris Barker:
Okay.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
But it's not really recent. I have to be a little vague.
Chris Barker:
You don't give us any more clues. I just wondered if it was something very. You know, a lot of people regret stuff right at the beginning, don't they, of their career?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, no.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, actually, probably right. I think the first stuff, you're doing it what you want. You never expect it to get signed or you're doing it for fun. Second and third are the kind of challenging ones because that's when you've got people pushing you in directions or.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Exactly. They're like, you have this momentum. You should try to do things that make you bigger. When in fact, it was that stuff you did when you didn't know exactly where you were going to end up. That's the stuff that hits and that comes from culture. That comes from just freedom, being able to dream, potential. And then once life starts to encroach and pressures that creativity tends to, like, shrink a little bit. And then you're like, is it, did I want to make this sound or did someone tell me I should make that sound? Or is it like, am I also being a fan of music? Is it like, am I introducing the sound in a respectful way because I'm a fan of this genre or this artist? Or am I copying them? Yeah, because they're popular, you know.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, it's. It's interesting as well with, like, equipment on that stuff. I think a lot of time when people are making their early stuff, they're kind of limited, and that kind of sparks creativity as well. And like, often success of any form, your early success in music, you start thinking, oh, yeah, this is working. I'll buy some equipment. And you can get a bit of option paralysis, can't you? Of too many tools and not enough creativity.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
That's incredibly true. Actually. That makes me feel a little better just knowing that that's something that many people go through. Yeah. Sometimes knowledge is power and sometimes knowledge can stifle a little bit of creativity 100%. Our bit. Yeah.
Will Betts:
I mean, you've done a lot of work with a lot of different music tech companies and like, you must get sent all sorts of free, interesting equipment and plugins and whatnot.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. It's funny that you mentioned this because it's smaller per the format but like modular synths. So I went through a phase where I was really into modules. You know, you just, you make cool sounds and maybe you can record them and organize them and use them in music later.
Chris Barker:
But that's what you tell yourself, but you're just collecting modules. It's like crack.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
There's something, there's something about the collecting aspect. It's like people collect shoes, Pokemon cards, whatever. And then there are just the people that like tech and then people who collect, not even physical tech, but they like collecting plugins to check out or you know, whatever it is. But yeah, so I, I think with my studio I have been more thoughtful and so if it's something that I don't really see myself using, especially if it has a layer of dust on it, I try not to. I figure out a way to re gift it or see if there's someone else who might actually need that equipment. Especially with MIDI controllers because I have so many, it's like I don't need that many, you know, MIDI keyboards to be honest. So I just try to figure a way to pass it forward.
Chris Barker:
The music tech My Forever Studio podcast is supported by Audient, makers of the iD range of audio interfaces.
Will Betts:
Yes. Building on Audient's decades of design heritage, the iD range spans from the portable iD4 to the feature packed iD14, 24 and 44 interfaces, plus an awesome brand new flagship.
Chris Barker:
Let's get into it. The new interface is called the iD48 and it completes the range with a whopping 24ins and 32 outs. It also features switchable balanced inserts allowing users to record with outboard kit and easily process stems via hardware when mixing.
Will Betts:
Yes. Aimed at both producers and engineers, the iD48 packs in eight Audient console mic preamps, advanced 32 bit ESS converter technology and that all new switchable analog insert technology too. Add to that professional, must-have features like ADAT expandability, JFET DI inputs and customizable monitor control and it makes for a really serious audio interface for your studio.
Chris Barker:
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Will Betts:
Visit audient.com for more information and to explore the full breadth and features of the iD interface range.
Chris Barker:
Let's move on to building the studio and start with Start with Where in the world this is no budget fantasy Forever Studio. Where in the world would you put your studio and what would it look like in terms of vibe decor? Are you Living in the woods? Are you in a penthouse in downtown la, you know, where. Talk about the dream location for making music forever.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
See, like, I think about this stuff a little bit too deeply, and I'm sure it's not supposed to be that.
Chris Barker:
Serious, but I'm like, no, it go deep. We like it.
Will Betts:
It is. It can be as serious as you like.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Like, if I want to get a good coffee, you know, let's say I wanted to build my studio somewhere in Thailand on the beach, and I have to be assured that there's a good coffee nearby or that I can make myself a nice coffee or that there's lunch. And I quite like community. So let's put it this way. If I had all my friends with me and all the things that I like, I'd probably choose a tropical beach somewhere in Southeast Asia.
Chris Barker:
Okay.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
However, if it's only me and the studio by myself.
Chris Barker:
No, you can have your friends. So let's go tropical. I like this.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay. If they're all with me, then that's fine.
Chris Barker:
Any particular beach? Any particular area? Let's look at. And what's it like? Is it a cabin on the beach or are we talking.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, this is where it gets even more. Okay. My dream studio is going to have two parts, so one's going to be more creative. So if I want to be laid out on a beach or in the front just staring at the ocean, there's that. But then I also need my dungeon that is treated so I can mix down my records and record things that don't have ocean in the background. So I probably have a compound like that. Oh, and I think the location specifically, I discovered this place called Natai Beach. It's north of Phuket, so there's less, like, drunk tourists and like, lots of.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Lots of that and a lot more like relax and it's not too difficult to get to.
Chris Barker:
And how do you discover that? Was that a holiday or was that friends or.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, it was. It was holiday. But I do think they have like some kind of, like, venue, hotel, place that they do, like, circle local ad, I think so. It's. It's yet to be completely covered in clubs. You know, it's really nice and it's only 20 minutes away from the Phuket Airport, but highly recommend.
Chris Barker:
This is a top tip generally, isn't it, for holidays?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, maybe in like five years it might not be that way, but now's the time to go.
Chris Barker:
Not after the podcast.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Or it'll just be full of nerds like us.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, that's great.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, it could be fine. Yeah, could be fine.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
A lot of synths in the background on the beach. Not as relaxing.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Will Betts:
And so the vibe of the studio itself inside the acoustically treated dungeon, what does it look like inside the studio?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, I guess I said dungeon, but I don't want it to look like one.
Chris Barker:
So you need a window.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
No windows. Or at least if I had someone that can make the window stay there. But the sound was still nice.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, we've had that before.
Will Betts:
Can have that.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay.
Chris Barker:
I just ask because some people. You were quite particular there as well, which is good. But some people are against windows completely. Not for acoustics, but they're like. It's distracting. I can't. They like it to be full on dungeon. And other people like loads of windows and loads of natural light.
Chris Barker:
But you like to kind of go in and out of. From beach room to dungeon room, depending on the process and what you're doing.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Exactly. I mean, I say I mention all this because not this year, but the previous year. I started my album in Thailand, too. I went. I was, you know, end of the year, burnout, too much DJing, very tired. So I went not this year, but the previous year. And I started this album that I put out there. So for ideas, being relaxed is really nice, but when I get technical, it's like you can't mix in those kind of spaces.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So, I mean, the more technical dungeon studio, I don't know if I need a window or not, but I want it to feel homey. So I like plants. My studio has a lot of fake plants because there's no windows. So, you know, like a rug, a nice normal sofa, like a normal coffee table. It feels cozy. The acoustic treatments I have in there, the panels are all, like, nice. They look aesthetic.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Comfortable. Exactly. Because when I go to studios that feel too sterile, they have, like, the blue spaceship lights. And I don't knock it. It's not my thing. I just don't feel like I want to make the music that I make.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, of course. Yeah. Yeah. That's usually the two contrasting vibes, isn't it? This kind of like the spaceship and the. The kind of like sort of rug on the floor.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah.
Will Betts:
So what is it about the blue light and is there a quality of light in the studio that you like? Because I'm very particular about having the lights low when I'm creating music. Having it sort of an orangey hue. How do you feel about lighting in the studio?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Definitely prefer warm light. I'm Not a fan of like very clinical, hospital, sterile, you know, fluorescent lighting. I mean, I think at home most people don't put fluorescent lighting in their houses. But I do prefer the warm light. I think that's more of like an adult thing that I actually notice. When you're young, you don't know if you have two light bulbs that are not the same warmth or whatever. You know, you're just like, oh, it's light now. I'm like, okay.
Chris Barker:
I complained in a wine bar recently about it, actually. I actually did. Like they had these kind of, you know, like the kind of tungsten, really warm where you can see the coil of the bull.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, yeah.
Chris Barker:
On the wall. And they were really nice. But then they had another two that were just kind of like obviously recently replaced with just like bright LED lights. And you know when you can just get them in the corner of your eye and you're just like, this is weirdly irritating me. I know the manager. That's why I complained. I was like, what's this? This is lazy. Look how beautiful these ones.
Chris Barker:
What have you done with this? But yeah, it is a grown up problem, isn't it? Lighting.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I know. I mean, it's funny that you say that because I just went on a trip for my friend's birthday and the first thing all of us noticed as a group was that certain light bulbs were cooler than the others. And we're like, why would they do that? And then it's just like six women complaining about it. Just like, why would they put these like cool lights in here when all the rest. Yeah, it was.
Chris Barker:
That was exactly the same story as me. Yeah. Interesting. Yeah, you just spot it straight away. Once I noticed it, I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I had to say something. Okay, well let's, let's lock in that location. Right, Will Indeed. We're on the beach.
Chris Barker:
We've got a vibe right now. Let's get through. These are your free items. So we don't get to the six items yet. These are your get an audio interface, you get a computer of choice and you get a dawn. So tell us about those three things, what you're going to choose.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I will bring my, like my MacBook Pro, I guess, if it's a dream one, whichever is the newest one, all fully decked out. Biggest hard drive. I'm not a big fan of external hard drives, which has been great because all the hard drives have been getting bigger with the computers as I need them. Okay, so whatever. The most like fanciest schmancy is like M500, whatever they get to at that point.
Will Betts:
M4 right now. Yeah, let's do it.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
And then my DAW is Ableton and audio interface. Yeah. Universal audio, probably like Apollo. I have the. Right now I'm using the. Oh, shoot, I forgot which one. I have many inputs, many outputs.
Chris Barker:
The X8P.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yes, that sounds about right with the pre.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, nice. Very popular choice, I might add on the podcast.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I mean it works because it works.
Chris Barker:
Yeah. Okay. So we get those locked in and this is where we don't know where we're going to end up. So you've got six other items for this studio now forever. So let's start with item number one. Tell us what you're going to add to this. Those three bits.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So not to be that guy or I am. Okay, so like monitors and headphones are not included. Okay. They're not included. That has to be one of the.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Will Betts:
Mm. Sorry.
Chris Barker:
This is where it become. It's irritating on purpose. That's the whole point of the show. Yeah. So you need. You're gonna need. I mean you don't have to have them. We have had.
Chris Barker:
People have just used the Mac speakers, haven't we?
Will Betts:
I mean they've gone rogue.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Brave. I think that this depends if you're making your dream studio is just for you to make music and for no one else to hear it.
Will Betts:
That's it.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Because you know, if it's your dream studio, I also want to be able to listen to music pleasantly. Okay. So I actually really like headphones. There's something really special about mixing on headphones because details like panning, etc. But since I have one, I'll choose monitors and I feel like I should choose like whatever the fanciest ones are. I don't know if they're like barefoots. I'm on head type 20s and I think they're. They're great.
Will Betts:
Yeah, those are great speakers.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. Yeah. If you think about efficiency, I don't know Genelex, blah blah, blah, like whatever three way thing, I guess I know these, so probably bringing the ones that I'm really familiar with. So the head type 20s.
Chris Barker:
Is there a potential to upsell on the heads?
Will Betts:
Well, I mean there's a mk2 and.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
They have the type 30s. So they're like the big. The big boys.
Will Betts:
Do you want to go up to the type 30 then?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, let's do type 30. Nice sub in there.
Chris Barker:
Upsell some dreams, will.
Will Betts:
Okay. Upsell your dreams.
Chris Barker:
Yes.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I really feel like I should be picking like, some really, really, like, super expensive monitors. But I. I guess that's not the part of tech that I get super into. Once I have my monitors, I just adjust my hearing to it, and I'm like, these are great.
Chris Barker:
You saying about mixing on headphones. And I was. I had a theory that mixing on headphones has also become a lot more prevalent. And the final mixes, because consumers, younger generation, they. They don't have big hi fi systems. But that means that translation of how ASMR and. And like, how close and the detail you can put in on mixes is on a lot of records now. Like, I would hear records and not get the hype and then listen to them on headphones and be like, oh, I get it.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Like, it's the recording and the whole processing is different because it's. It almost sounds like maybe it was mixed on headphones, but also knowing that the whole generation have only really ever experienced music on headphones or at festivals. But that's different. But as in, like, consuming albums on.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Streaming, it's either really big or really small. Like little earbuds.
Chris Barker:
Yeah. Or like really, like, close. Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So I am originally a bedroom producer. And when you're young, an apartment or a dorm, there's upstairs, downstairs, neighbors. Headphones were a big way to listen to music and to make music. So I've always had headphones as a very important part of my process. And I get very granular and microscopic with not even just like, sound design, but with things like placement, panning, reverb, like, where does the sound sit? Because I want my music to be. I hate the word immersive. It's very corny. But, you know, like, I want you to feel like you're in a space when you listen to my music.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
And it's the easiest to pick that up in headphones because it's obviously in your ears. But I am also. I mean, I go out, when I go out airplane, I'm wearing AirPods in my ears. I'm using headphones in various different circumstances, and I'm not around speakers often, and I consume the most music when I'm not around speakers. You know, in the car, maybe, stuff like that.
Will Betts:
Just in terms of the headphone question, then you said that you love working on headphones. What headphones do you use now for mixing? And do you mix on headphones specifically?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I do both. Because the one thing I notice is most headphones don't have, especially monitors, studio headphones. Bass response is very, very bad. So I'll mix on headphones. I Go in my car and be like, oh my God, I'm going to blow out the windows because the sub is too loud or too quiet. It goes either way, right?
Will Betts:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So what I tend to use is like I'll have like some kind of way of monitoring like a graph to see like where the subs will hit. But it's not through feeling, so I have to really listen to it. I've been using these guys for ages. I can't get a sponsorship out of.
Will Betts:
Them, but like Audio Technica.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. So yeah, the white pair gets a little flaky, but it's just what I have right now. In my opinion. I think it's just what you're used to. I've used Beats by Dre studio headphones before. I found they're too sharp, but then they picked up low end. Pretty good for headphones. Head has these crazy headphones that I have that I love.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
They're so big, but they're amazing. I can't travel with them.
Chris Barker:
They're the open back ones?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I think so. Yeah. They're cushiony. They're huge. They're open back, very well reviewed and popular. So I have them in the studio, like where they can sit, but they won't even fit in my backpack. So I just usually bring these guys with me when I'm traveling.
Will Betts:
Nice.
Chris Barker:
Have you tried on the sub response? A technique I've seen was the using the sub packs, you know, for gamers with headphones, when you're mixing, it's kind and it kind of works. It's kind of cool. Quite good for DJing as well. You can like wear them when DJing so you don't have to have the monitors mega, mega loud to be able to feel the bass. So save your ears a little bit.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
That's really. That's true. I wonder how it will. How it would look. I do, I do like putting on a nice outfit when I perform. Have like a vest on.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, that there is that problem. Like I think, I mean I got that from the Dada Life guys and obviously they just wear it under a baggy T shirt. But like if you, if you're trying to look.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I can also wear a baggy T shirt. When I think of that, I always think of that classic like Timberland video where he has a sub pack on. Like there's a video. I think it's Timberland and he's like, he has a sub pack on and he mixes with the sub pack.
Chris Barker:
Okay.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I'm not sure if he does anymore. It's an old video? Yeah, I had one. I had a sub pack and then my manager had it first. I forgot why and he swears to me that he gave it back to me, but he never has.
Chris Barker:
Oh, dear.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
And so it's lost in the sauce. So I actually would love to see if that works.
Chris Barker:
You know, I've tried it in Dalla Live studio and it was like, oh, this is cool. And I've never. I don't really have a need for one. But like. Yeah, it makes a huge difference. Just like the perception of bass. It's that kind of feeling of it. It's great.
Will Betts:
Remember getting a demo of it years ago and they described it as your body becomes the crossover between the sub and the high frequency. Which I always thought was quite a nice idea, that you become the crossover. But also unfortunately, I think they are no longer making sub packs. I think they are defunct. But if you can find one somewhere secondhand, I reckon.
Chris Barker:
Is there nothing? No equivalent. There's no nothing.
Will Betts:
There's some. There's some other bits and pieces that are similar idea.
Chris Barker:
IKEA should build them into like studio chairs or something like that. They could just plug in.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. You know, just gaming chairs. Actually there probably are gaming chairs that do that. They might vibrate with sub. I don't know if they're sending the frequency versus just like they hear the sub and it triggers a vibration.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Also it's like, you know, there's the bass that you feel, which I feel like the sub pack would be good at. But I wonder about the bass that you hear, if that would pick it up as much. So I find with headphones too, like, it's not so good at both of those. But sometimes I use different headphones. I'll use like more consumer headphones because they always have a crazy bass response. And that. That could also work too.
Chris Barker:
But yeah, monitors, we're locking in the big, big head monitors. They're done, right?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Type 30 locked in, item number two.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay. I think I would bring an OP1 and I feel like, you know what I keep thinking forgetting that this is like dream studio. So I keep thinking of small things like Desert island studio. So I guess I don't really need to bring that. But I think that it's also very handy. So if I want to do that thing where I make beats on the beach, I can bring it with. So it's a SIP sequencer. It's good for ideas.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
It's very mobile. It's like so portable and it's a.
Chris Barker:
Fun device to get Away from your laptop. Isn't it like.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah.
Chris Barker:
To like remove yourself from the computer for a bit.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
It's actually interesting because I don't use it that much, but I feel like in this context I would want to bring it. I really don't use it very, very much because I have so many other things I could use. But because I'm so limited, it packs a big punch in a little device.
Chris Barker:
Okay. It's a hack. Okay. Okay.
Will Betts:
So would you go for the field? Would you go for the newer one with the brown knobs on rather than the original one with the brightly colored knobs?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I haven't. Like, I saw they're rolling out all these new devices lately. Like there's the like the tiny mixer and like the field something. I think it looks like a field recorder. I haven't looked into it enough, so I don't know what the differences are. I'm sort of used to the original, like bright colored ones. But yeah, in this context, because it's not a bundle. It is a device that does many things.
Will Betts:
Yeah, yeah, that's the perfect hack. Yeah, that's it.
Chris Barker:
It's a hack. And you can use it as a controller, I guess as well.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, it's handy, dandy little synth.
Chris Barker:
Right.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Little sound design. Y.
Chris Barker:
It's. It's locked in. Let's move on to item number three.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
The opposite then would be Offender Rhodes, because that's a part of my process and it's an instrument that I love.
Chris Barker:
Mark 1, Mark II, Mark 3, Mark IV, Mark 5, Mark 6, Mark 7, Mark 8.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I have the. I have the Mark 1, the original that says Fender Rhodes on it. And I would want to bring mine just because it has like a sentimental kind of component. It was like the first cool instrument, piece of gear that I ever bought when I was younger that was outside of like a MIDI controller or like a handy tracks or a record player or something. There are all these plugins that emulate it quite well. But I don't know. It's mine is.
Chris Barker:
Have you seen the new roads, the Mark 8?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
No.
Chris Barker:
Oh, yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Something. Yeah, they look it up.
Chris Barker:
Later it relaunched so it's full analog roads, but it's also got. It's just a normal rose, but it's got midi. It's got built in analog effects and analog delay and distortions. Yeah, it's quite the beast.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay, let's bring that one then. I'll just.
Chris Barker:
I like the sentimental value. I wasn't actually trying to upsell. I just wondered.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I do like new things. I'M somewhat sentimental. I'm not like that sentimental. I also like New Shiny Bright, which is also why I like a lot of Gears.
Chris Barker:
The new one is a good hack because you've got effects. You can use it as a MIDI controller.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
This program is going to get interesting as more devices start merging different things that they can do.
Chris Barker:
People will just get a Tascam again. It'll just go back to a singularity. That's all I need. Four tracks, tape. Done.
Will Betts:
What's nice about the Mark 8 is. Well, it comes in all the different colors. There's a transparent one. You can get gold metallic. You can get a baby blue. It's ridiculous, the customization. But also, just in terms of your journey with the Rhodes, then you said it was the first really nice thing you got. How did you find that? It changed your approach.
Will Betts:
Did it change your approach at all to making music?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, because at that point, I didn't really tap into my deeper piano skills because I didn't have a piano with me anymore. And so having an actual instrument to play on my music kind of triggered something else, you know, prior to then, it's like lighting up little boxes on Fruity Loops or like drawing things in on a piano roll or playing it on, like a tiny MIDI controller. Whatever M Audio one I had in the early days. So.
Will Betts:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
And at that point, it gave so much warmth. It sounded a little shitty in the beginning. It was a little too warm. And, you know, I think the contacts had to be cleaned out. But you can't emulate that level of randomness, you know, that sound, that warmth, the history. Yeah. So that really added. And then, you know, I remember, like, back in the day, maybe in 2011, I recorded a bunch of roads and I put them in a pack for people to take and remix and do whatever, because people love roads.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
It's like there's nothing more like soulful and special. So, yeah, I had done that at that time.
Chris Barker:
So with the whole lo fi thing, it just got another huge lease of life again.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Exactly. Who knew I should figure out where that pack is and put it back out for people to have.
Will Betts:
Yes. Do it.
Chris Barker:
Yeah. What's interesting is Rhodes as well, has become the term for that sound. But actually that's sort of an electric piano. But it's kind of like the vacuum cleaner and Hoover, isn't it?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, interesting.
Chris Barker:
As in, like, everybody just calls it the Rhodes sound and it is the road sounds. But there's obviously other. People made those types of electric sort of pianos, didn't they?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, like a Wurlitzer or something, Whatever. Also very cool.
Chris Barker:
And Korg did some kind of versions as well, didn't they? Maybe they were more digital.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, that's right.
Will Betts:
So are we settling on your one, or are we settling on the Mark eight? What do you think?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
How long am I going to be at the studio? Is this the rest of my life studio? Because I like the features and I like when things look nice, you know, Aesthetics to some degree, you know, sparks inspiration. Well, we'll come back to that later. I haven't decided yet.
Will Betts:
Okay, we'll come back, we'll park it. Great.
Chris Barker:
A roads of some sort. Okay. Item number four.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
This is one with sentimental value. So maybe I could ditch one of them. It's a MicroCorg XL. So that was another instrument that I got, you know, like, I'm friends. I haven't talked to him for a while, but, like, you know, during concept, obviously, like microcore genius. I mean, any synth at this point. But he had the first one. The little guy.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
And I think I was just inspired. I was like, oh, you know, I'll go check out the microcord. So got the Excel that looks kind of more like vintage, I think the. The casing. And I just really liked it. It's so easy to use.
Chris Barker:
That's like the synth of a generation, I think the microcorg, that's.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I think that's my generation.
Chris Barker:
It was like that new rave indie scene as well, that kind of. Or like claxons, everybody. It was the keyboard player in an indie band would have a microcorg, like, in a certain era. And it was huge for Korg. They must have sold so many, actually.
Will Betts:
They were so many.
Chris Barker:
Everybody had one.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, and they're light.
Chris Barker:
Yeah. And they sounded wicked. And they had the mic, the little gooseneck mic thing as well.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So you can do little vocoder stuff. It's. There is like a sub patch that's in there that's pretty heavy. But just in general, there's so many little sounds in it. And it does sound better than using a. Like a plugin synth by far. I mean, obviously it's a digital synth. It's this analog modeling, but it's pretty good and it's light.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So if I'm thinking about creating from a space of what's going to inspire me to make more, I can take that dude outside too, with all my other little instruments and start tracks and then go back into my living room dungeon studio and finish them there.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, you could have. You can have the Rhodes, the OP1, and the Korg all set up on the terrace on the beach.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, they're all kind of samey, now that I think about it. Too many sense. I'm coming to a realization, you know, I think I'm saying these because they're devices, instruments, whatever, that I still use a lot, but for very specific things. And if we're thinking about entering a studio where I cannot have more, I can't explore more things to introduce. I could swap out the microcorg for my op, like an OP one, which I really like. I feel like I'm just. Yeah. I'm not thinking about dream studio.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I'm thinking about things from my own studio that I really enjoy, that I want to bring.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, Upsell the dreams.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, yeah. Upsell me.
Chris Barker:
You can steal them from artists, from peers, from people from history.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, I know. I guess I should have, like.
Chris Barker:
Should we. Let's park the microcore. I think that's a good choice.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay.
Chris Barker:
We can park that. We'll do a rundown, and you can think on it.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay.
Will Betts:
I just wanted to ask you real quick. You said that each of these things plays a very particular role in your music. What are you using the Microcorg XL for?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, yeah. I guess I had mentioned it. There's, like, a specific sub sound that's in there. I don't even know what the setting is, but it is just one of the patches that are built in as one of their presets. And I really like using it on a lot of my music. It's very deep. It's very round. There's something about it not being too punchy.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Like, I also have, like, a little fatty. I was thinking, like, could I use that, too? Because it's good for monolines. Sometimes it's nice to have bass sounds that are not too. I don't know, like, too full. I don't know how to describe it.
Chris Barker:
I guess some patches just sit on the mix as well. Like, you record them and they're kind of. They're done. They're not. They don't need processing. They don't need too much tweaking. You get those kind of magic patches like that, don't you?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Where exactly?
Chris Barker:
Yeah, they just work, I think. Yeah. People said that a lot about some of the MOOCs synths, like, where sometimes they just are perfect straight away, but there's other. There's some synths where they sound good coming out the speakers when you're playing it, but they just can't get them to sit Right.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah.
Chris Barker:
They take a lot of work to get them on the record, though.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I'm just realizing now, for these six items, does that include like drum packs or like a drum machine or those things?
Chris Barker:
Like drum machine. It doesn't include. But you can have samples. You can have things from your hard drive and you know you can.
Will Betts:
Yeah. You're allowed to take your own hard drive.
Chris Barker:
Your hard drive and your samples, but.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay, cool.
Will Betts:
Where's your head at, though? What are you mulling over here?
Chris Barker:
Yeah. What do you use for drums? Do you do one shots in Ableton? Do you take loops? Or is it a mixture?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
A mixture. So sometimes I'll cut up breaks. Like right now I'm back into cutting up breaks. I haven't done this recently, but I already had processed a bunch of drums through my old SP404. I mean, I've done this like years ago, but I always go back because, you know, those are my sounds. So I'll go back and use them. They sound gritty. There's no velocity on the SP404, so when I record the sounds out, I can't really use them like that.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I'll cut them up and. And put them into tracks. They have effects and stuff on it too. But if I have them already in a folder and I can keep that on my hard drive, then I don't think I need that device. But plugins. There are some plugins and those are not included. Correct?
Will Betts:
They're not included. Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Finger on the air horn time. I think when we get to plugins. Right. You've got two more items. Are we going plugins?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay. Yes. So I need to have a limiter and I need to have an eq. Do one of these other things have a. If there's like a reverb and an echo and a delay on one of these other ones, I might not need to use. I might need to ditch a few things.
Will Betts:
Are you not happy with the ones in Ableton? You have to go third party.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, okay. Okay. I can use Ableton ones still. Okay.
Will Betts:
Come on. Yeah. What are you thinking then? What's the limiter? What's the. That's the eq.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I honestly, I know this is not going to be very unique, but I like the Fab Filter Limiter. So the L2,3, whichever the most recent one is, I think it does a really good job at limiting. And for EQ, it's also going to be like the Pro Q3. They're on two. I forgot which one I have, but I have the newest One just because you can do that dynamic eq. My philosophy around mixing is that, you know, your mix should sound good with just those. Like, I don't want to do too much else to it. So I try to make sure that each of the layers are sounding nice, so those are the two most important.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
But I do need, like, a reverb.
Chris Barker:
And a decay, so that would fill up your list.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I know.
Chris Barker:
And you'd be with. Just to point out, just to make it complicated, that you don't have a microphone either.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
The microcorg has one.
Chris Barker:
Oh, there you go. Okay, there's that.
Will Betts:
Bold move. Yeah.
Chris Barker:
I suppose the OP probably has one as well.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
The OP one has the OP one also. That one I think you would have. It's not super awesome. You'd have to probably plug something in there to make it sound good. But, I mean, the microcorg one is also not that good, but it is.
Chris Barker:
A mic, so it's that vibe forever.
Will Betts:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I guess if I want to make lo Fi vocals and not, like, really nice vocals, because there are a lot of nice microphones out there. Oh, I thought of other things. Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Go, go, go. I'm laughing because this is. I love this when it's like this on the show, when people just like, oh, no. Because you might think when you're going into this, six is quite a weird number, but we did some tests, and it's the perfect annoying amount. It's not quite enough.
Will Betts:
So what's this. This thought you're having here?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Well, field recordings are, like, also a big part of my music, so I do like being able to pick up sounds. So I'm like, is my. Is my, like, phone on this list? Because at least.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, you can use.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay.
Chris Barker:
You can use your phone.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. Or should I pick up, like. Like some kind of field recorder? I guess my phone can do a little more. Are apps separate?
Will Betts:
Yeah, apps are separate. Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Look at the hacking that's going on now. It's getting deep into the hack.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay. I guess if the OP one has a mic that's good enough for feel, I guess it's not convenient. I could just walk around with my laptop or my OP1. It's not gonna do very. It's not gonna have very nice recordings. I mean, if you have a really good field recorder, in some ways that's a better mic than what's on the Korg and on the OP1.
Chris Barker:
So if you go field recorder, what are you gonna get rid of?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Hmm. I should definitely replace something that has more of an effects Component, The Microcore doesn't have that. Wait, what are. What's our list right now?
Will Betts:
So right now we have your speakers. You have an OP1 Fender Rhodes Microkorg XL Fabfilter Pro Q and Pro L. Okay.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I will pass my roads on to someone who really needs it. But I think I would upgrade that to the one that you guys are saying because you said it has built in effects in midi.
Chris Barker:
Yep.
Will Betts:
Yes.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay. So because I can record into there, I can send audio, maybe pass through the roads potentially and record out.
Chris Barker:
I'll have to check that Will. But I think.
Will Betts:
I think, yeah, I'm checking that.
Chris Barker:
It's a good tense moment.
Will Betts:
I'll come back to you on that.
Chris Barker:
Yeah. Okay.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay. Because if there's an input on that baby, it might have all the things I need, though. I have to look it up online to see what it actually comes with in terms of effects, because I do like a nice delay and a nice reverb for texture. Most other things I can carve out using a limit, a really good limiter and eq. Now I kind of wish I saw what other people picked because I'm getting. I have that sense of, oh, something important is missing, I guess, because I'm not really a vocalist. Anyways, the mic component, I think I will be okay with the mic that is attached to some of these other devices.
Chris Barker:
Don't forget what we discussed. Limitations. They breed creativity, don't they?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I think so, yeah. I mean, crunchy lo Fi vocals. That sounds great. That's already six, right?
Will Betts:
That's already six. Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
But then what am I missing? And I know you guys know because people have said, but you haven't got.
Will Betts:
A sort of huge synthesizer.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I just remember now we're talking dream studio. The one thing I want that I don't have well, and I haven't been able to get a hold of a good one, is an ARP Odyssey. It's always a synth that I wanted to have. So I'd probably replace the microcorg with that guy.
Will Betts:
Nice. That's a good choice. Really good choice. What is it about the ARP Odyssey that's so attractive to you?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I think, you know, I always really looked up to Delia Derbyshire, or Derbyshire. I don't know how to say her name correctly. But you know who I'm talking about. There's that really iconic video of her making. Is it the Doctor who theme? Yes, yes.
Chris Barker:
The Radiophonic Workshop. Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. So, I mean, she didn't get the credit, but she essentially wrote it. So there's a few videos on this, but just when they're showing how that theme was created, the ARP Odyssey was there and I just really wanted it. And I haven't thought about it in a while, and maybe now is a good time to go and find it. But I think someone had mentioned that they break really easily. They're really finicky synths. But I kind of want one, so I'm bringing it.
Chris Barker:
Didn't they reissue it, Will?
Will Betts:
They did reissue it. Yeah. Korg make them now, I believe.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, yes.
Chris Barker:
And those ones were rock solid.
Will Betts:
Super solid.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, they were great. I think the old ones did need fixing quite a lot.
Will Betts:
But the thing you should know about the Forever Studios, we do have a Forever Studio tech who flies around the world fixing all the broken equipment. Because there's a lot of broken equipment in the Forever Studios that have been created.
Chris Barker:
Yes. If you want an original app, you can have the original one for sure.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah, let's go original.
Chris Barker:
Yeah.
Will Betts:
Do you even want the one from the Radiophonic Workshop? The one that Delia Derbyshire used? You could have that if you want it.
Chris Barker:
Let's take hers.
Will Betts:
What do you think?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Okay, then. That's. That's mine now. We'll take that.
Chris Barker:
Excellent.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
It'll be in pristine condition. Yeah. I guess I should have thought more about just like dream studio things.
Chris Barker:
Should we do a final rundown with that replacement and then see where you think?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yes, let's see.
Chris Barker:
Okay.
Will Betts:
Okay. You can always do switches as we go.
Chris Barker:
And then if you're happy with this, then we can lock that in. If not, we can switch some stuff out. But then we'll get to the luxury item for the end of the show. Okay. So will take us through the studio so far.
Will Betts:
We're on Natay beach, north of Phuket. There is a studio in two parts. Outdoors we have the creative area with views of the ocean. Indoors we have with warm lighting, acoustic treatment and a homely vibe. A dungeon filled with fake plants, a rug, sofa, coffee table. Your three free items are a MacBook Pro M4 audio interface is the Universal Audio Apollo X8P Gen 2. That was the latest and greatest I could find. Your DAW is Ableton Live 12 suite.
Will Betts:
So you've got all of the packs you should ever need. And then onto your six items you've chosen for speakers, the Head Audio Type 30 Mark 2. Your first synth is the Teenage Engineering OP1. You also have a Fender Rhodes Mark 8, Delia Derbyshire's ARP Odyssey. And then you have two plugins, the FabFilter Pro Q4 and the FabFilter Pro L2 limiter. How does that work? Any changes?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I feel like maybe I don't want the OP one anymore.
Will Betts:
Okay.
Chris Barker:
I mean like what's going to replace the OP one?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I think I should get a good field recorder. The one I'm using is a Roland one and it's small but it's mighty. I don't know the model number but whatever, fancy, whatever the nicest field recorder is I think I would go with that because a good field recorder can do so much.
Will Betts:
There's the teenage engineering, the TP7 7.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah that's the one I'm currently interested in getting right now.
Chris Barker:
That's quite high end as well though. Price wise anyway.
Will Betts:
Yeah, it's not cheap but let's figure out maybe what you've got already and then we can go for the upsell.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yes, it's, it's small and mighty. It's very tiny.
Chris Barker:
R07 has it got a little red button right in the middle?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I think so, yeah.
Chris Barker:
The R07 I think.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Well yeah for me like for Fields recording I just need to have it in my pocket but then again this is like dream studio so if there's a better one I wouldn't want to bring the one that I have, you know if there's a nicer one out there.
Chris Barker:
Roland do a R26 which has kind of like the X Y mics on top I think.
Will Betts:
Yeah, I mean there's a lot. There's Olympus, there's Marantz, there's Tascam, Zoom, the endless numbers of them.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, I don't know enough about this and it's, it's not that interesting is it?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I know it's not, it's not super.
Chris Barker:
Cool but it's, it's. No, it's a cool thing in terms of like making the music but I mean the devices themselves, it's just like. I don't know what makes one better than the next one.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
They just, you know you put a little SD card in one. I mean it's like a little condenser mic on it. But if that is excellent, if you get a really good one, you know there are ways to kind of, you know you can record vocals in it that sound fairly decent that you can try to.
Chris Barker:
This the R26 has two different types of stereo microphones built into it and it has combo inputs, six channels of recording.
Will Betts:
But in terms of your process then how are you using the field recorders? How are you using the recordings? Later. What are the ways you manipulate these things in your work?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So let's say, you know, stock drums. If I go out and I use my field recorder to twig snapping, you know, maybe a car door, like shutting, stepping on rocks or sand, whatever, all those sounds are nice texture, so it's using those to layer. Then you have an unlimited amount of samples, you know, in that way.
Chris Barker:
And totally unique as well, I guess.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Exactly. So I'll always know that those are my sounds. And so if I have stock kicks and I like the body of it, but maybe it's not fuzzy enough or it doesn't have the tack I want, there's always a way to manipulate real life. Something from real life that's recorded to give it that umph. And if I have a good field recorder, it's. It's unlimited. I can keep making sounds and manipulating sounds, I guess, with my stock Ableton plugins. But, you know, there's a lot that come with the 12 suite that are pretty good, so.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Like distortions, et cetera. So, yeah, it's always been a very big part of my creative process is just adding those little touches many times in ways people don't recognize or even notice.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, it's only when you take them away, people notice. I guess it's like it just feels natural that they're there.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
This is small things.
Will Betts:
And what are those places where you find yourself using those sounds?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I mean, I like using sound effects a lot. So if there's any kind of moment where there's, you know, like, slight builds or a turnaround into another part of the song, if there's an instrument, instead of doing, like a reverse crash, maybe it's a reverse billiard. You know, like when you hit the billiard, the balls hit each other. Sorry, that was a weird way to say that. But, you know, that sounds. It's that. But maybe I reversed it. Or instead of shakers, there are key keys being jangled.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I remember I made a bass line that I recorded playing something that wasn't real. Like I had tapped on this really interesting surface, and then I pitched that sound into a bass line. Required a lot of work, but those are just the little, little things. And people might not notice. It may not matter to anyone else, but for me, it's fun in the process of creating to do stuff like that.
Will Betts:
So cool.
Chris Barker:
Yeah, well, and it's. It's helping you on that journey to get somewhere where maybe you wouldn't be so interested in. If it was just clicking buttons on the screen. That's the thing, isn't it. It's kind of like it makes you want to make music because the process is exciting.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. And the more fun that the musician has, or the most like satiating it is for the musician to create, the better the music is. So that's sort of like where I've landed on my journey, which.
Chris Barker:
So it's a bit of a shame that you've only got six things, really. We've kind of ruined this.
Will Betts:
Damn it. And just for our audience, what are the specific tracks we can hear those sounds on?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, it's on. It's on almost every track. There's stuff like that in almost every. I can't even name it.
Will Betts:
Oh, okay.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
If you hear like anything sparkly or just a sound designee. Sometimes I'm not really designing sound. It's all just nature, you know, making crazy bubbly sounds or nature's sine wave or whatever it could be. It's just in there on all of it.
Chris Barker:
Amazing.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
The most commonly, just tiny layers on drums and percussion that could just be repeating in the background. But maybe you think it's a bongo or whatever, but it's not, you know. I know.
Will Betts:
You know the reality.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Easter eggs.
Will Betts:
Love it.
Chris Barker:
Right, so that takes us. Are you happy? Is that your final studio? Are we happy to lock that in and put it into Forever Studio history?
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I think so, yeah. I can make. I can make some. I can make some good tunes with all that.
Chris Barker:
I'm. I'm certain of it. And just for clarity, we're going to go for the Roland recorder, the top end one, the R26. Two or three upgrades from the one you've got, I think.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah.
Chris Barker:
Okay, let's.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Let's do it. I could always take that too, if it doesn't sound warm enough. If I can run it through the input on the Rhodes.
Chris Barker:
I don't think the Rhodes has an input, by the way.
Will Betts:
It's unclear.
Chris Barker:
It's unclear. You might have to do some. We might have to get it hacked. Somebody might have to get under the hood.
Will Betts:
We can do that. We can mod it.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Oh, yeah. Because you're Forever Studio engineer, I can just be like, hey, can you pass through some? Okay, cool.
Will Betts:
Yeah.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Then we're done. That's great. I could use everything.
Chris Barker:
So we have one final item, which isn't a bit of equipment you'll be saddened to hear. It's another luxury item that you want in the studio that isn't a piece of kit. So what would you have in your Forever Studio as a luxury Item. If you could have anything.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Ooh, okay. No, no, no. I'm trying to think. My mind is going so impractical. And things I don't even want. I said fountain. I'm like, I don't want a fountain in my studio.
Chris Barker:
I don't mind that.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I mean, that's.
Chris Barker:
I like the way that's the fountain finally.
Will Betts:
Next to the sea. Yeah. Washing your feet off after you've been in the sea.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
I know. You know, just have to turn it off every time you record anything. Oh, man. Anything. Like a all you can eat buffet. That's like a separate room. A massage room. Maybe a massage room.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Because your back hurts a lot.
Chris Barker:
Okay.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So I have a masseuse.
Will Betts:
Okay.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
On hand anytime in the studio. And if my back starts to hurt, I just go over there and get my back rubbed.
Chris Barker:
What style of masseuse? Swedish Thai. In Thailand.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So, yeah, I'm in Thailand. I like a combo of both, though. Sometimes, like, it's a little too much stretching, so a little relaxing, a little stretching. And hopefully I don't get, you know, my posture stays upright because, you know.
Chris Barker:
Especially if you've got the sub pack on as well. Oh, no, we don't have that. We don't have that. Okay.
Will Betts:
We don't have that.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
No.
Chris Barker:
Okay. The massage room in a separate area. Secret door in the dungeon to help.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
With all that back pain from being on your. On the computer for so long.
Chris Barker:
Fair, fair, fair. Okay. So love it. I think that was. That was quite the journey, wasn't it? Getting there. I loved it. I love the struggle and how serious you took it. Thank you so much for taking the time to come on the My Forever Studio podcast.
Chris Barker:
So tell us about where people can find out more about you, what you've got out, if you're touring, if they festivals, what's going on.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Yeah. So I guess the easiest place to find more information about what I'm up to is probably on my website. So it's TOKiMONSTA.com I have a brand new album out right now called Eternal Reverie, and a lot of what we were talking about kind of inspired this kind of album. It's going back to my roots where I didn't have very much and I could create without any expectations. So weirdly, even just talking about a dream studio, that's kind of where I wanted to be when I made this album. It's like, I don't have a lot, but I can dream that I could have more. So I'm really excited that that's out it was quite a journey for it to come out. And attached to that is a tour.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
So I'm starting my tour, I think, soon. I'm not good with dates, but very fairly soon. And yeah, hopefully I'll be out across the pond sometime in the fall.
Chris Barker:
And is that a mixture of the live show and DJing or the live show for the album? Okay, a mixture. Okay, excellent. Well, we will see you when you do come across the pond.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
It'll be nice. Maybe check out your studios and see what six items you guys would bring.
Will Betts:
Oh, that's a lot of pressure.
Chris Barker:
Yep, a little bit of pressure. Anyway, so that is the end of the podcast, and all that's left to say is thank you so much for taking the time to come on the My Forever Studio podcast. It's been an amazing pleasure to have you on and learn all about your forever Studio.
Jennifer Lee aka TOKiMONSTA:
Thank you for letting me Nerd Alex.
Chris Barker:
Thank you, talky monster.
Will Betts:
That's it. Thank you so much for listening and we'll catch you next time for another adventure into studio foreverdom. Bye.TOKiMONSTA