{"id":35265,"date":"2026-01-30T13:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T18:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=35265"},"modified":"2026-01-30T14:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T19:11:15","slug":"oliver-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Oliver talks production tips, the &#8220;Espresso&#8221; sample, &#8217;00s hip hop, and more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Few have shaped the sonic palette of modern pop and electronic music like Oliver.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether it\u2019s through his solo releases, songwriting and production work alongside the likes of Kim Petras, Katy Perry, and <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/packs\/splice\/chromeo-sample-pack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chromeo,<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/search\/packs?filepath=oliver\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">his acclaimed <em>Power Tools <\/em>sample packs,<\/a> Oliver delivers sounds that simultaneously feel timeless and forward-thinking. &#8220;My sound is deeply rooted in &#8217;70s &#8211; &#8217;80s pop, disco, funk, and soul, in addition to &#8217;90s hip hop,&#8221; he tells us. &#8220;I focus on taking the fundamental groove and feel of those great old records and pushing them forward with modern production techniques.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/playlist\/37i9dQZF1EFRT8pcIMSfjH?si=5db23a540e8f4d91\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Above, Oliver sat down with us for an exclusive <em><a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/tag\/ctrlb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ctrl+B<\/a><\/em> interview, where he shares stories and insights around his philosophy on music production, early days making Splice packs, <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/sample\/dcb80682d6e6ef65b78b17439a6c4e75bd1950e76b9c7f2142c480df571eeaae\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the &#8220;Espresso&#8221; sample,<\/a> advice for up-and-coming producers, and more. Join us to hear the in-depth discussion, and check out additional tips and sample placement stories he shared with us below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-f5a2734ea82e3ec51d9db4acbad33d87\" style=\"background-color:#62daff\"><a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/plans\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>New subscribers can try all of Splice\u2014including 200 monthly sample download credits, full access to all premium INSTRUMENT presets, and more\u2014for $4.99\/mo.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Oliver&#8217;s tips for music producers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Two key themes emerged from our discussion with Oliver around his creative process, production, and sound design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Let your ear guide you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Producers around the world adore Oliver&#8217;s sample packs for their tight, versatile drum loops\u2014while he has a clear vision for their sound, he emphasizes the importance of using his ear to achieve and elevate it each time, as opposed to going on autopilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I have to be inspired by something, usually from listening to new music or digging for old records on YouTube,&#8221; he says. &#8220;The creative side of the process changes all the time; I&#8217;m always trying to improve and make better sounds. Part of that is trying new things\u2014not just sticking to a formula. I don&#8217;t have any go-to plugin chains or anything like that. I just let my ear guide me.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, Oliver <em>does<\/em> have one plugin that he&#8217;s been enamored by lately for capturing creative sparks. &#8220;Right now, the most exciting piece of software for me is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.birdsthings.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rolling Sampler,<\/a>&#8221; he shares. &#8220;It allows you to always be recording; basically any sound that comes in or goes out of my computer is being tracked. It&#8217;s perfect for capturing ideas and happy accidents that would have otherwise been lost forever, and it&#8217;s also incredible for resampling and sound design. And for visual analysis, I also love <a href=\"https:\/\/www.excite-audio.com\/vision\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">VISION 4X<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/minimeters.app\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MiniMeters.<\/a>&#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Don&#8217;t be afraid to be different<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Oliver&#8217;s signature sound is the result of countless hours of experimentation and iteration, and he encourages other creators to also embrace the process of finding their own sonic identity. &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid to be different,&#8221; Oliver says. &#8220;Stay true to what inspires you, and you&#8217;ll develop your own sound that&#8217;s unique to you. Also, invest early in a high-quality chair and monitors!&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more tips and thought starters around developing your own sound, check out our guide below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-blog-splice wp-block-embed-blog-splice\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"NPfRQWtN73\"><a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/tips-finding-signature-sound\/\">How to find your sound as an artist<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;How to find your sound as an artist&#8221; &#8212; Blog | Splice\" src=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/tips-finding-signature-sound\/embed\/#?secret=2uKTa7phDi#?secret=NPfRQWtN73\" data-secret=\"NPfRQWtN73\" width=\"370\" height=\"209\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Oliver on BLACKPINK,  Chappell Roan, and his final <em>Decades<\/em> sample pack<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Oliver&#8217;s samples can be heard in some of the biggest hits around the world\u2014it&#8217;s well-known that Sabrina Carpenter&#8217;s 2024 smash hit &#8220;Espresso&#8221; was built around <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/sample\/30dd0c48c5dcc6b8c43aa6d75c3a3eaa5cd0cb8a6672f006f76e75f8ea133852\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one of his loops.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns youtube-short is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Oliver Reacts to His Sample in \u201cEspresso\u201d by Sabrina Carpenter\" width=\"312\" height=\"555\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xZXAJwX94eI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>These sorts of discoveries are a regular occurrence for Oliver. &#8220;Recently, I heard one that was new to me: BLACKPINK&#8217;s &#8216;Pink Venom&#8217; uses <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/sample\/0f82a4b5261f716853ee0d31f7d5801d2180ab66e952430b3ca46c5170287c34\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an 808 loop from <em>Power Tools III<\/em>,<\/a>&#8221; he shares. &#8220;I also heard <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/sample\/fe7cb33b9afb42037b9f5215ded435460dceafb5184a951ca3c7d80edf5099f8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an agog\u00f4 loop<\/a> in Chappell Roan&#8217;s &#8216;Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl.'&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/0skYUMpS0AcbpjcGsAbRGj?si=bfe58bb226684c70\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/1rNSCrsOoWyhKH4g47mehU?si=a7ea6e1bbb5d4f4f\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allow=\"encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/packs\/splice\/oliver-power-tools-decades-00s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">His <em>Power Tools Decades \u2013 \u201900s<\/em> sample pack<\/a> builds on this legacy with loops and one-shots that are specifically inspired by the &#8217;00s. &#8220;The main inspiration for this pack was definitely The Neptunes and Timbaland,&#8221; Oliver says. &#8220;For me, they defined the era sonically. For this pack, I did much more live percussion and foley recording to incorporate into the loops.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In ways, the release is bittersweet as it marks the finale in Oliver&#8217;s beloved <em>Decades<\/em> pack series\u2014however, producers can rejoice as Oliver is already working on his next series of releases, <em>Power Tools Presents<\/em>\u2014most recently <a href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/packs\/splice\/power-tools-presents-mixready\/samples\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dropping a pack in collaboration with sound designer MixReady.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m always so blown away with what producers and artists have made with my sounds and loops,&#8221; he concludes as he reflects on his journey thus far. &#8220;I&#8217;m very grateful that I&#8217;m able to help and inspire other musicians, even in a small way.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">Incorporate the versatile loops, one-shots, and Serum 2 presets of <em>Power Tools Presents &#8211; MixReady<\/em> into your own productions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-1 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/sounds\/packs\/splice\/power-tools-presents-mixready\/samples\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Explore the sounds<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oliver discusses his tips for producers, biggest sample placements, philosophy on music creation, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":39341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1694,1845,1692,1696,49],"tags":[1882,1868,1305,1307,1061,1254,918],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Oliver Interview: Production Tips, Sample Placements, &amp; More - Blog | Splice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this exclusive interview, Oliver discusses his tips for producers, biggest sample placements, philosophy on music creation, and more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Oliver Interview: Production Tips, Sample Placements, &amp; More - Blog | Splice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this exclusive interview, Oliver discusses his tips for producers, biggest sample placements, philosophy on music creation, and more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog | Splice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Splice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-30T18:14:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-30T19:11:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost-1024x640.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Harrison Shimazu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/bitly.com\/namaboku-twt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@splice\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Harrison Shimazu\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Harrison Shimazu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1ed73f890efad66c4808440680e9e50d\"},\"headline\":\"Oliver talks production tips, the &#8220;Espresso&#8221; sample, &#8217;00s hip hop, and more\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-30T18:14:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-30T19:11:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/\"},\"wordCount\":772,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost.png\",\"keywords\":[\"ctrl+b\",\"disco\",\"hip hop\",\"pop\",\"sample packs\",\"sounds\",\"youtube\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Artist Interviews\",\"Sampling\",\"Stories\",\"Tips &amp; Tutorials\",\"Videos\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/\",\"name\":\"Oliver Interview: Production Tips, Sample Placements, & More - Blog | Splice\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-30T18:14:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-30T19:11:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"In this exclusive interview, Oliver discusses his tips for producers, biggest sample placements, philosophy on music creation, and more.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost.png\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"Oliver Interview Ctrl+B\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Oliver talks production tips, the &#8220;Espresso&#8221; sample, &#8217;00s hip hop, and more\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Splice Blog\",\"description\":\"An inside look at making music\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Splice\",\"alternateName\":\"Splice Sounds\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Splice-logo-black-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Splice-logo-black-background.png\",\"width\":2928,\"height\":1540,\"caption\":\"Splice\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Splice\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/splice\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/splice\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@splice\",\"https:\/\/discord.com\/invite\/splice\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1ed73f890efad66c4808440680e9e50d\",\"name\":\"Harrison Shimazu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/208af1495724cce6967f47553c4b971a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/208af1495724cce6967f47553c4b971a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Harrison Shimazu\"},\"description\":\"Harrison Shimazu is a composer, content strategist, and writer who's passionate about democratizing music creation and education. He leads the Splice blog and produces vocaloid music as Namaboku.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@namaboku\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/bitly.com\/namaboku-twt\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/author\/harrisons\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Oliver Interview: Production Tips, Sample Placements, & More - Blog | Splice","description":"In this exclusive interview, Oliver discusses his tips for producers, biggest sample placements, philosophy on music creation, and more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Oliver Interview: Production Tips, Sample Placements, & More - Blog | Splice","og_description":"In this exclusive interview, Oliver discusses his tips for producers, biggest sample placements, philosophy on music creation, and more.","og_url":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/","og_site_name":"Blog | Splice","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Splice","article_published_time":"2026-01-30T18:14:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-30T19:11:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost-1024x640.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Harrison Shimazu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/bitly.com\/namaboku-twt","twitter_site":"@splice","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Harrison Shimazu","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/"},"author":{"name":"Harrison Shimazu","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1ed73f890efad66c4808440680e9e50d"},"headline":"Oliver talks production tips, the &#8220;Espresso&#8221; sample, &#8217;00s hip hop, and more","datePublished":"2026-01-30T18:14:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-30T19:11:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/"},"wordCount":772,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost.png","keywords":["ctrl+b","disco","hip hop","pop","sample packs","sounds","youtube"],"articleSection":["Artist Interviews","Sampling","Stories","Tips &amp; Tutorials","Videos"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/","url":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/","name":"Oliver Interview: Production Tips, Sample Placements, & More - Blog | Splice","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost.png","datePublished":"2026-01-30T18:14:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-30T19:11:15+00:00","description":"In this exclusive interview, Oliver discusses his tips for producers, biggest sample placements, philosophy on music creation, and more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/1225-Oliver-CrtlB-Blog_BlogPost.png","width":1920,"height":1200,"caption":"Oliver Interview Ctrl+B"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/oliver-interview\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Oliver talks production tips, the &#8220;Espresso&#8221; sample, &#8217;00s hip hop, and more"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/","name":"Splice Blog","description":"An inside look at making music","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Splice","alternateName":"Splice Sounds","url":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Splice-logo-black-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Splice-logo-black-background.png","width":2928,"height":1540,"caption":"Splice"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Splice","https:\/\/x.com\/splice","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/splice\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@splice","https:\/\/discord.com\/invite\/splice"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1ed73f890efad66c4808440680e9e50d","name":"Harrison Shimazu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/208af1495724cce6967f47553c4b971a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/208af1495724cce6967f47553c4b971a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Harrison Shimazu"},"description":"Harrison Shimazu is a composer, content strategist, and writer who's passionate about democratizing music creation and education. He leads the Splice blog and produces vocaloid music as Namaboku.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@namaboku","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/bitly.com\/namaboku-twt"],"url":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/author\/harrisons\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35265"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35265"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39344,"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35265\/revisions\/39344"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}