Robert Babicz has been redefining the boundaries of electronic music since the early 1990s. His unique artistry encompasses sound, vision, emotion, and spirituality. From releasing and performing acid techno as Rob Acid, to his role as a highly-sought after producer and studio wizard infusing technical perfection with deep emotion, to his striking photos, everything Robert does expresses his desire to celebrate beauty and humanity, and to live each moment with utmost consciousness. Robert’s art and philosophy are so distinctive there’s a word for it: Babiczstyle.
Now, fresh off from the drop of his remix for Nightsteppaz & Roland Clark’s ‘God Was In The Speakers’, Robert Babicz invites EG into the studio for 5 advanced tips.
1. Make a Scene
Try to imagine a mixdown as a scene in a movie or theatre. There are decorations, and there are actors. A track is best if it is really describing one stage, so you focus on one main idea. This is how I make my music, and because I imagine a scene, the result is that I close my eyes very often while I work on the track, because I don’t want to get distracted by how music looks on a DAW. It’s about the feeling, how do the main elements work? Are the ingredients in balance? Can I feel the story? Usually, the track is telling you what it needs. So try to listen to the needs.
2. Please Stop Using Excessive EQ
If your EQ curve looks like the swiss alps, then you are probably destroying the elements’ clarity and punch. This is because every EQ point constantly changes the signal’s phase relations. So less is always more. If a sound needs a lot of eq, then maybe you made a wrong sound choice, and it will be much better if you exchange the sound.
3. Watch Your Slope
Please, when you work with low cuts, 90% of the time it’s better to use just a 6db slope or a maximum 12db slope. Try this on your next track, and you will be surprised how big everything will be!
4. The Magic Toilet Test
If your track is almost ready and you feel happy, let the track play loud over your speaker and go to the bathroom somewhere in your flat or studio. Sit down and listen from there. You are changing the perspective to the music, and all your fancy little details are gone from far away. But if the track feels interesting even from far away, then you are on something.
5. The Delete Button Is Your Friend
I mostly finish 1 track per day. When the track is usually ready around 6 pm, I will listen to it a few times from different perspectives. If I think it is just “ok”, I will delete the whole project and start a new track the next day. I don’t save things that I am not happy with, this way I don’t have any unfinished tracks on my hard drive.
Robert Babicz’s remix for Nightsteppaz & Roland Clark’s ‘God Was In The Speakers’ is out now via Vibe Me To The Moon. Purchase your copy here.
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