Artist Stories: mwood1696

This week we had an opportunity to catch up with Michael Wood, also known as mwood1696. We asked him to tell us about his release “Light” and to show us how Splice fits into his production workflow.

What inspired you to share this track with the Splice community?

This track was one I spent a fair amount of time on compared to other projects I’ve worked on. Although I originally put the track up as “unfinished,” I felt that the Splice community would be able to pick up the project to learn from or to be able to help me finish it by adding something extra to it. I also wanted to share it to show others my production process as Splice allows others to jump straight into my seat and how I see the project. Although I’m not very organized when working (sorry for people who spliced the project!) the intention was for people to take certain parts of the track they liked and learn how it was mixed and created.

Tell us about your approach to writing and production. Any favorite sample packs or plugins?

When it comes to writing I find that the first hour is usually critical for me as I have a particularly short attention span. Usually I have a great great idea, and end up quitting after that hour because I get bored of hearing it over and over again! Whenever I continue over that hour means I think this track has a lot of potential and usually end up releasing it. I focus on the melody, chords or a baseline to start with and use my music theory knowledge to build upon it and set the mood with different harmonies.

The track usually starts with an inspiration from another track and for the first bit will sound very similar but then evolves into something completely different by the end of the project. I have the whole series of vandalism sample packs but only use them as a backup for effects and several drums. Other samples I grab from other people’s projects on Splice or just create my own! Creating your own is much better as they’re much easier to manipulate in your own production.

You’re primarily a FL Studio user. What is it about FL Studio that makes it your DAW of choice?

The thing is with FL is a lot of people say it’s for beginners but I find it’s what you can do with the program, not what the program is. The biggest example of this is Dyro. His productions have been praised time and time again by some of the most well respected producers in the game right now. What does he use? FL studio. I previously tried to move to Logic Pro but as I’m melody orientated, the piano roll was not near large enough or user friendly enough. FL studios easy piano roll and easy drag and drop of samples is why I find it the most simple.

How has Splice had an impact on your production process or workflow?

Splice has changed the game for me in terms of organising all my little ideas that I save as projects. It’s great because it allows me to find other people that like what I make and be able to collaborate with them to have their share in what goes into the track. More importantly, it has expanded my knowledge vastly on production, which in turn has been invaluable, either through famous artists’ projects or even amateur producers.

You’ve had quite a few users in the community Splice the project file for “Light” – what do you hope that they’ll do with it?

I hope that they’ll learn from the track as although I’m only 19, I’ve been producing for about 4-5 years and have learned a few tips that all have been used in this project. I really hope it benefits both new and experienced producers!

Where do you think that you music is headed next? Anything else you’d like to share with us?

At the moment, I don’t take producing that seriously, and it’s only a hobby. After the support from this track, I’m going to take it a lot more seriously and really start opening up some old projects and working on them. I’ve got a new style which I’m hoping will get dance floors pumping so keep an eye out on Splice!