Sound Kingdom II: ATYYA Blends the Familiar with the Unfamiliar

ATYYA Sound Kingdom Volume 2 is a colossal powerhouse of low-end energy, stacked with sounds from 6 sample packs created by globally recognized producer ATYYA. We interviewed the pack's creator to gain more insight into his creative sound design process.

Our Interview with ATYYA

What was the conceptual vision or “theme” behind Sound Kingdom II, and how did that
compare to Sound Kingdom I?

Sound Kingdom 1 had a lot of influence from classic dubstep ideas mixes organic sounds, cavernous dark tones, and glimmering melodies. Sound Kingdom II feels more on the cutting edge of creative sounds in the current era of electronic music production. It bridges bass music and downtempo with more color, more feeling, more movement.

Which sound or category in the pack (bass, synths, FX, percussion, etc.) pushed you the most
in terms of experimentation?

The basses. That’s where I always go the deepest. I wanted the low end to hit hard but still have soul, so I played around with a lot of automation, saturation, unique stereo imaging, little pitch bends, and more saturation. I was chasing that feeling between clarity, and character.

Can you walk us through your workflow when creating a pack: do you start from scratch in a
synth, manipulate found sounds, or something else entirely?

For Synthesis I like to start from scratch with Serum, or my Polybrute Synthesizer. I also record instruments in my studio, and field record a lot of sounds with a Zoom H5. I record stuff around the house, and on tour as well, especially international gigs in tropical places. I like using the mid-side shotgun mic, and then adjusting the mix of the mid + side in post. I sample everything from doors closing, hitting rocks and sticks together, ambient noise, whatever catches my ear. Once I’ve got a big pile of sounds I clean them up, level them out, and tag everything so producers can just get right into the zone.

How do you balance designing for versatility (so producers can mold the sounds) versus
conveying your personal sonic signature?

I like to keep layers more spacious, so they dont take up too much space in the mix. When I was synthesising bass sounds I made sure there was a range from smooth and chill to heavy, but the majority of the sounds are not too overcooked, so producers can use them for downtempo tracks or add some saturation and use in Bass Music tracks. I also recorded and labeled a ton of cool jazz chords with lush voicings so you can combine the one shots to get creative & unique chord progressions.

Looking back, which track or project have you used elements from Sound Kingdom II in, and
how did you integrate them?

I've used the foley, FX, Risers, and some of the drums in multiple of my songs. Kick_1 is still my go to kick sample, and a handful of my producer friends in the same pocket of the industry also use it as a staple. I like to leave the melodic and bass loops unused and write different melodies for my own songs since melodies give a track such a strong identity.

Use the button below to download Sound Kingdom II by ATYYA and be sure to check out Black Octopus for more amazing sample packs.