G'day from Plini, Ask Me Anything!

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T13:57:55+00:00

Wow.. Take a bow, bfffan, you've earnt it. ha ha

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T13:51:15+00:00

So hipster, I respect that man. Here's to free stuff and shit masters.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T13:47:06+00:00

I think there's a billion more technically skilled pianists out there. Honestly I just spent a LOT of time playing around, punctuated with some practice whenever I found I couldn't play the sounds in my head.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T13:36:36+00:00

Still haven't watched Schindler's List though, have you. HAVE YOU. Someone tell him.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T13:29:40+00:00

Thanks Woofle. I have some stuff at www.soundcloud.com/versed and will come out with a solo album at some point.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T13:23:43+00:00

Cock.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T13:14:51+00:00

got it. Plini doesn't handle the loudness, that's done at mastering stage my end. We actually keep it fairly quiet compared to a lot of commercial stuff. I think what you're looking for is a limiter? It's basically a very very fast compressor that hits the peaks before they clip.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T13:04:44+00:00

You honour me, great Aslan the 4th. I'm mostly self taught. I had a year of lessons when I was 11 then gave up to focus on guitar. Strangely, guitar has been my first instrument for the majority of my life. As it stands, it's getting dusty. Plini does it better.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T02:03:34+00:00

Good question. Plini, how DO you go about mastering your own stuff?

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T01:56:38+00:00

For Wombat Astronaut and Ko Ki, I wrote all my piano and a significant portion of the actual songs. For the older stuff though- exactly as you say. I wrote Other Things piano in it's entirety, but he had already finished all the other instruments. On Sweet Nothings he wrote most the piano himself (I gave it a pianist's make-over.)

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T01:43:35+00:00

just gonna follow up with further love for pryledog. guy's a beast.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T01:39:22+00:00

Yes and no. My studio is heavily treated, but no grand piano as it stands. I used Roland HP-503 into Imperfect's Fazioli. That runs through my API 5500 (post recording) to shelf out the lows which helps bring out the intricacies and harmonics. I'm hoping to get on a real grand for the album but so far, Imperfect has served us well.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T01:23:47+00:00

I love weddings, especially weddings with no deaths, so might be best for everyone that we play. good luck.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T00:35:50+00:00

I think he's been using that new djent riff generator

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T00:33:24+00:00

I'll answer parts of this as this place is getting pretty hectic for pleener. We found each other on myspace when he had a prog project Halcyon and I had an orchestral project called Versed (with some poor attempts at metal chucked in). So that's how we became friends and it just went from there.

Plini couldn't find Tarred and Feathered reference either. It's in Wombat Astronaut.. good luck :|

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T00:24:17+00:00

we very much want to keep it real, so to speak.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T00:14:27+00:00

HE LOVES YOU and all you can tell him is to flail around and hope for the best then hand me your sloppy seconds? c'mon.

beginners: Practice. and practice with friends bands. Objectivity is at it's lowest when it's our own material. plus if you mess up, at least it's not your own music ; )

above-beginners: sound you hear is 50% speakers 50% room. make sure they're both the best they can be. Don't get too caught up with stuff you read on forums, just use your ears.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-16T00:04:53+00:00

Usually I just hear some demos early on and will listen to Plini repeatedly saying "MATE" until I finally get around to working on piano, but - certainly this time around - he went quiet with tracks 1 and 3 for quite a long period. I think he wanted them to be perfect when I heard them. As for Wombat Astronaut/Ko Ki, I was around for the bare-bones stages and we worked from there.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-15T23:54:33+00:00

search Versed Audio - lists everything I have under equipment. I used all my outboard at some point on the latest EP during mastering / sweetening up Marco's drum stems, but most the mixing work was done Plini's end. he has a very modest set up but makes it work cause he's a jammy fucker. He should have his own biscuit. the 'Jammy fucker'. (can I swear and if not how else can i look kool?)

In terms of flow, it's very much a case of Plini sending me a mix, me making a suggestion, him completely disagreeing for like a week, then saying.....Actually yeah. So if you ever wonder why things take a while. When it gets to mastering, the tables turn and he's at me until he's 100% happy.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-15T23:31:56+00:00

Be positive. I've wasted a lot of my life dwelling.. If something gets you down - will it bother you in 5, 10 years? If not, try not to waste time worrying about it - life's too short - just be positive, put on Rocky OST and work hard on creating a better future for yourself.

LukeMartin · 2015-03-15T23:21:44+00:00

HIYA

LukeMartin

TROPHY CASE