{"id":315,"date":"2014-07-02T10:14:06","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T14:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.splice.com\/?p=315"},"modified":"2024-08-08T16:20:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T20:20:33","slug":"ww-hardwell-blasterjaxx-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/ww-hardwell-blasterjaxx-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"W&W (Armada Music) Talk Workflow with Ableton Live, Sylenth, Collaboration with Hardwell and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a headlining set on the main stage at Electric Daisy Carnival<\/a> Las Vegas, Splice had an opportunity to speak with Netherlands-based duo\u00a0Willem van Hanegem and\u00a0Wardt van der Harst of W&W<\/strong> about their workflow with Ableton Live, go-to plugins and synths, collaboration with Hardwell, Blasterjaxx and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nate Mars<\/b>: \u00a0Individually, where did you each begin to discover electronic music?<\/p>\n

Willem van Hanegem<\/span><\/strong>: \u00a0With dance music, I was 12 or a little bit younger. I heard a song on the radio called Alice DeeJay “Better Off Alone.” It had that synth sound and I was like, “What is this kind of sound? I love it.”\u00a0Since then, I started listening to more dance music. In the Netherlands, there was a lot of dance music on the radio. I decided to check it more. I was first mainly into trance.\u00a0That was big back in the day.<\/p>\n

Wardt van der Harst<\/span><\/strong>: \u00a0There was always trance on the radio, like Ferry Corsten<\/strong><\/a>, Armin van Buuren<\/strong><\/a> and Tiesto<\/strong><\/a>. Stuff like that was always on the radio in Holland. We grew up with it.<\/p>\n

NM<\/b>: Then, in terms of you guys coming together and working with each other, can you tell us when you really decided to form W&W?<\/p>\n

Wardt<\/b>: We both have had our own solo careers. We have been active for at least three years but every single track we have produced as W&W sounds better then all of the stuff we do alone. So we decided to continue with this instead.<\/p>\n

NM<\/b>: In terms of your collaboration process, are you guys always working together in the studio when you start projects? Or do you individually start ideas and then bring them together?<\/p>\n

Wardt<\/b>: \u00a0We go to the studio and it is the best way for the creative process as well, to both be in the studio and discuss whatever is coming up.<\/p>\n

NM<\/b>: \u00a0When you get started with projects, does one of you have a specialty going in? \u00a0Do you feel one of you is better on drum mixing for example, and the other one…<\/p>\n

Willem<\/strong>: \u00a0How we usually start is, I have an idea of what kind of track and Wardt always comes up with a melody. We start with the main part of the track, and go back and forth.<\/p>\n

Wardt<\/b>: \u00a0Then we try to work on a little loop, to be as good as it possibly could be, to make it as good as it could be, and then from there we spread it out and start arranging.<\/p>\n

NM<\/b>: \u00a0Which DAW are you currently working in as your main sequencer?<\/p>\n

Wardt<\/b>: \u00a0Ableton Live<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Ableton

Ableton Live – Arrange View<\/p><\/div>\n

Willem<\/b>: \u00a0Ableton Live. We used to work in Reason<\/a>, but we could not use any free VSTs, so we are like, “OK, we have to switch.” Then we switched to Cubase<\/a> for a while and now we are in Ableton Live.<\/p>\n

NM<\/b>: Do you find with your busy schedule being on the road so much, that you find any time to compose ideas on the road, or are you mainly touring and then setting aside time in the studio?<\/p>\n

Willem<\/b>: \u00a0Both. When we are at home we are always in the studio. But some songs may release were made on tour like “Liftoff<\/strong>” and “Thunder<\/strong>“, they were both made on the road.<\/p>\n

W&W – Liftoff<\/h3>\n