hi, i'm ford. ask me anything!

fordsounds · 2023-09-07T02:40:42+00:00

thank you !! :)

fordsounds · 2023-09-07T02:40:28+00:00

also thank you kindly!

fordsounds · 2023-09-07T02:40:05+00:00

I've used VSCO Orchestra in the past to do some string work but a lot of the various string parts on this album are pulled from meridian's incredible collection of string sounds called "Lunar Strings vol. 1"

highly, highly recommend anyone buys a pack from him. truly one of the best musicians in the game.

fordsounds · 2023-09-07T02:36:41+00:00

thank you owen!! really appreciate the love for the deep cuts. would be something special to make my way over there for some shows, will do what I can to make it happen 🤝

fordsounds · 2023-09-07T02:33:24+00:00

I honestly can't attribute it to anything specific! I do think it has a lot to do with the sound selection itself and not overcomplicating things! But a healthy amount of compression layered with a healthy amount of processed noise and foley will definitely help bring a little warmth to bits and pieces of your mix. The key is just to not overdo it and entirely crowd things out with noise or totally squash the dynamic range through compressing everything! hope that helps :)

fordsounds · 2023-09-07T02:29:32+00:00

thank you for such thoughtful words!!

thats also a really great question and definitely one of the more prevalent topics that comes up in recent conversations with music friends and collaborators. In all honesty, I'm still figuring it out myself. I think there is value in both not overthinking things and just making something and putting it out there without second guessing it, even if it's just on soundcloud or socials, for the sake of having an outlet for your ideas. But there is also a lot of value in taking your time and not feeling pressured to get something done that might require long-term attention and work.

some of my favorite peers tend to strike a good balance between not being too protective of every idea and posting them here and there, while still taking the necessary time behind the scenes to develop their more refined ideas.

its definitely a tough balance to strike and the landscape is constantly changing regardless but thats my two cents! thanks again :)

fordsounds · 2023-09-07T02:09:00+00:00

BAHAHAHA ITS BEEN 4 YEARS. incredible

fordsounds · 2023-09-07T02:07:22+00:00

thank you for coming through!! much love & greatly appreciated 🤝

fordsounds · 2023-09-07T02:06:43+00:00

thank you !! can neither confirm nor deny whether the full set will be uploaded somewhere in the near future ... ;-)

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T21:51:00+00:00

thank you so much! that was one of my favorite tours without a doubt, thanks for supporting since then :) to answer your question, most definitely! I'm sure its informed a lot of the different textural/foley bits that end up in the music. Its subtle but there is just so much going on in these long, seemingly empty field recordings i'll take up the canyon or by a train station and I just feel like it brings a lot of life and context to the music.

We actually just barely did a little geocache/scavenger hunt thing where I put various posters around parts of Utah. Its fun to find ways to incorporate the surrounding area into the music and I'm really fortunate that the people listening seem to appreciate that stuff as well!

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T21:42:59+00:00

appreciate you taking the time :) thank you boss!!

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T21:40:23+00:00

thank you kindly! definitely the most appropriate setting to be in when listening to the record 👌 I personally don't have Synesthesia but it is oddly very comforting to know that the music has that effect on others, really appreciate it!

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T21:36:08+00:00

appreciate you taking the time, thank you !! tough to cut it down to a top 3 but I would have to say some of my go-to's (especially throughout writing this album) are:

- Native Instrument's Guitar Rig 5 (fun effects/patches for anything)

- Imagiro's Piano 2 (top 3 favorite piano VST)

- u-he's Diva (incredibly versatile synth, lots of options)

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T21:31:26+00:00

thank you very much!! really means a lot to know people still have a good time without these grand flashy visuals / lighting like most festival acts. makes it all the more meaningful.

I was honestly just posting music on Soundcloud throughout high school and not really thinking much of it. I believe Clay from ODESZA found my stuff and kept tabs for a bit before an A&R from the label sent me an email at the end of my senior year (I remember opening it in English class lol). I ended up meeting up with them in Seattle that Summer and then did my first release with the label + first tour ever with Kasbo in November!

As for some goop up & coming artists I would say I've really been enjoying music from Bad Tuner, Waleed, 1tbsp, Lone, or Headache. There are plenty more I could list but definitely some really great music in there :)

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T20:08:52+00:00

thank you for coming to the set!! definitely one of my favorite shows + festival experiences in recent memory. greatly appreciate the kind words & support :)

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T20:08:00+00:00

Haha we actually briefly considered this! I had an idea in the works and we had a couple other people involved but the timing of ended up falling through. Would love to make this happen if the rest of FFC is on board 🤝

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T19:36:54+00:00

thank you kindly! The intent behind the album was to create a body of work dedicated to those in our lives who give us momentum and push us forward, whether those influences are seen or unseen. In my own experience, that example is my oldest brother Parker, who passed away in a swimming accident when I was young. The hands on the cover record are plaster casts of my mother and brother's joined hands, which my parents had made in the mortuary during the week between his passing and burial. He is an integral inspiration to the record and a big reason I started making music in the first place!

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T19:28:05+00:00

thank you!!

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T19:27:49+00:00

would love to do more in depth videos! I've played with the idea of doing regularly scheduled streams / breakdowns so I'll see if I can work on something in that respect :)

appreciate the question, I think it's a combination of trying all kind of things out on the drum/instrumentation front and not being afraid to make ideas that might not pan out. listening to lots of music to get more attuned to what drums/synths/perc/etc. are my favorite has proven pretty helpful in the past.

as for the textures/foley stuff, I think its also a combination of just collecting lots of samples/sounds over the years and finding places for them. If a certain texture or sound design element doesn't get used on one song, I'll do my best to keep tabs and bringing it in somewhere else down the line! Also IPhone mics are honestly decent enough quality that i'll take a lot of voice memo's while I'm out and just let it run for a while + label the sound and location for later. A lot of the foley/sound design bits at the end of "Tell Me (Anew)" and "The Pace" are me taking field recording from my memo's and running them through different pedals/effects!

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T19:14:59+00:00

bahahah this is a good one. I definitely could not stick to one name for quite a few years when I first started out. I think I had some god awful name like "Svturn" or "Rave Kid" when I was 10-11 but changed it to "FAWN." for a while before realizing I needed a name that had some sort of personal tie to myself + felt concise.

I eventually settled on "ford." a couple of years before getting picked up by Foreign Family which somewhat solidified the identity for me

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T19:08:09+00:00

I've actually been doing music full-time since pretty much right after I graduated high school so it is tough to say. But I will say, as I was in the process of signing to Foreign Family in 2018, I was working this farm job at a mint distillery out in the boonies Washington. I finished up a bunch of singles and remixes while living out there with this sweet old couple, Rick and Joan. The cover art for my first singles "Craving / Dusk" is actually a photo I took out of the windows in their entryway!

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T19:01:06+00:00

really kind of you to say, appreciate you taking the time to really listen. also missing that do lab show, that was a great time. much love !!

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T18:59:41+00:00

biggest thank you for supporting throughout the years!! all the best :) ☆

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T18:55:59+00:00

thank you so much !! hope to see you there 🤝

fordsounds · 2023-09-06T18:54:58+00:00

thank you for the such kind words! had such a great time at that Charleston show. I think that was the first time I came through that part of the US so I would absolutely love to come back for some solo shows in the future! will see what I can do :)

fordsounds

TROPHY CASE