![]() ![]() Similar to how getting new sounds can inspire a beat, studying theory inspires the structure and melodic elements. Studying piano early on, and even more so music theory, really opened up my mind to songwriting and helps keep my ideas fresh. How has your musical pursuits from your early years influenced your sound and production today? You’re a classically trained pianist as well as a DJ since you were in grade school. I also probably couldn’t live without FabFilter’s Pro-Q, since I use that on every record I do. ![]() I make a lot of custom drum kits, and those are set up in Kontakt files so I can map them on the keyboard. Of course Pro Tools is a big one for me, but I would say Kontakt 6 because all the samples I make go through it. It’s hard to say what I couldn’t live without because I’m always looking to start songs in new ways, using different gear and approaches to produce a track. I know it like the back of my hand, and I don’t just use it to make beats – I engineer, mix, record vocals, and do pretty much everything else that it takes to get a song from start to finish, so Pro Tools for me is great for that. It’s about who is using it and how it’s being used. A lot of people are surprised when they see I produce in Pro Tools, but it’s not really about the DAW you’re using. What DAW do you use? Is there any particular production hardware or software in your producer toolkit that you can’t live without? After that we didn’t change anything in the studio we just kept making records and doing what felt good to us, which is why I think the success continued. The first song we officially released was called “Birthday Sex,” which hit #1 on Billboard. I think we balance each other out well, in the sense that even though our approaches to music were a bit different, that’s what ultimately helped push the creativity forward. Jeremih came through one day, and the chemistry just flowed so naturally, and we both loved the music and shared the same passion for it that we began working together as often as we could. I met Jeremih in Chicago – we were both attending Columbia at the time, and I was working with a few other students making music at my “studio” (which was really just the living room of my apartment). How did you first meet, and why do you think you work so well together? You’ve worked closely with Jeremih on his first three albums that received great success. By the time I turned 18 and moved to Chicago to attend Columbia University, music had consumed every ounce of my life in the best possible way, and that’s when things really started to change in a way I had only dreamed about. I would spend every day that I could all throughout high school trying to perfect my craft – recording anyone that I could, making mixes to play at parties, etc., constantly trying to make each beat or song better than the one before. I eventually got a copy of Pro Tools so that I could record vocals and put a full song together. I would sequence and make all my beats inside the Triton keyboard. I got my first drum machine when I was around 12 years old, and after that a Korg Triton, which at that time was pretty much the best gift ever. Doing that made me realize that I didn’t want to just play music – I wanted to create it. I was obsessed with the mix show on the radio so much so that I ended up getting turntables and buying vinyl so that I could mix records together on my own. I really fell in love with music, specifically production, when I was around 11 years old. ![]() To start, tell us a bit about your story as a producer – how did you start making beats? Watch him discuss the pack below, and then read on to learn about his creative process. His recently-released sample pack reflects his diverse palette, featuring hard-hitting drums, dirty FX, and versatile vocals that are perfect for both polished pop and gritty experimental production. Some of the tracks he produced include “Birthday Sex,” “Down On Me,” and “Don’t Tell ‘Em” by Jeremih, “Desperado” by Rihanna, and crossover records including “Replay” by Zendaya and “Heat” by Kelly Clarkson. Mick Schultz is a multi-platinum producer and songwriter with credits on a diverse catalog of hits. ![]()
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