WHIPPED CREAM is a producer and DJ from Canada, renowned for her mix of bass music, trap, R&B, and hip hop. Nobody creates a rich, textured bass synth that hits quite as hard as WHIPPED CREAM’s do. She hit us with a sample pack earlier this month called “Inside My Mind.” Now get a second glimpse inside her mind as she takes us into the process of making the pack, and gives insight into her production process.
S: To start, can you tell us a little bit about creating the pack? What type of sounds you decided to go with, your process for curating your favorite samples, etc.?
W: Creating this pack was very fun, because I made what felt most natural to me. The “Inside My Mind” pack has an overall feel that combines raw, dark, and cinematic elements. My sound is something that has developed over time through life experiences, trials, successes, and my ever changing music taste. This pack represents the notion of metamorphosis, a continual reminder that things can start simple but grow into something beautiful. This was the overarching idea behind the curation of my sample pack. Sounds that were cohesive with these feelings were the sounds I chose and felt were right.
S: All of the bass sounds in your tracks and the pack are rich with texture and intricate programming. Can you tell us a bit about your process designing basses, what types of synths you prefer and whatnot?
W: Thank you, it’s funny – I was never technically trained in school, etc. YouTube has been my pal – my love for music and obsession for music, and my curiosity of learning and playing around have gotten me where I’m at. I started out as a sample-based producer, one of my favorite original tracks “Suffocate” was written completely by manipulating audio samples (chopping, adding effects such as compressing, EQing, layering, etc). Honestly, I learned how to make my own music through studying other people’s sounds – and it’s something I think a lot of producers still do. Many of the sounds in this pack were made using Massive and tweaking patches until they reached my satisfaction.
S: Hard-hitting drums and 808s are central to your sound and productions. What is your process for getting everything sitting tight in a mix? How do you get elements like snares and hats to cut through the mix so well?
W: I really appreciate that. The number one thing for me is testing my songs in a live setting whether that be the club or even during sound check. My goal is to make music that can bang out of your laptop speakers, phone speakers, monitors, car, and club – if I can achieve that, I feel I’ve got a good mix. I really like to saturate the shit out of my kicks, haha. I’ll throw the Ableton master “punchy drum” on all my kicks. I’ll layer my kicks too, most of my songs have three to six different kicks. As for 808s, I always sidechain them and depending on how much bass I want I’ll also saturate my 808s and boost them with Ableton plugins (which I mostly use). As for snares and hats – again I think the more time you spend making and playing music, you eventually start hearing what sounds right and what sounds wrong, I always like my snares to be a little louder in the mix than most people and I like my hats at a nice level where they somewhat slide in the mix – the right sounding hats can really bring your track to that yummy complete feel. It’s about putting everything in its right place so that everything has room to breathe.
S: You’ve managed to take all of these familiar elements of bass music in directions that are truly yours. For producers just starting out, what kind of advice can you give to any beginners trying to create their own sound? When did you feel like you were making the music you wanted to make?
W: Thank you so much. Man, again the more hours you put in and the more hours you don’t try to be like anyone else and just write what you feel – the more the universe will help you in finding your own sound. When I first started I made a lot of edits – one of my biggest songs is my edit of Ella Eyre’s Clothes Off. I literally sped up the original track and chopped it up with my own ideas.
I think if you really love music and you want to find your own sound – just keep making music, keep learning new things, and practice putting your own touch on other songs as well while learning. As I said, I loved chopping stuff. That’s how I started. I never knew what my sound was until like three years in, when I started writing extremely original music, and then it all just started flowing. I don’t really know how to describe it. But I knew like, wow no one has this sound and I could write all day. That was a really good feeling for me. It took me three years of non-stop writing until I felt like I had my own sound. Three years of pushing myself until I felt happy with my work.
I’d say for any new producers out there you really need to just do what you feel and learn as much as you can. Also when you’re learning, ask questions and don’t take things too close to heart. I had a lot of mixed reviews from people on “how to make music ” when I was first starting, and honestly there is no right or wrong way to make music. I could sit here and record silence for two minutes and that is music. If you listen to my music there is edge and depth, but there’s also simplicity. I am just me and I don’t claim to be the best, it’s just my sound. Love it or hate it. I have always just been unapologetically me, regardless of whether it’s mixed perfectly or not.
“For any new producers out there, you really need to just do what you feel and learn as much as you can.”
March 2, 2018
