Exclusive Interview! Nine Volt Audio's Kyle Z...
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Want to know more about the people behind our brands? What they get up to when they´re not working on new products or who their favourite bands are? Every other month we bring you an exclusive interview with one of the many talented people behind our products...
In the latest of our exclusive features, Nine Volt Audio´s founder Kyle Z tells us about his unique BPM Flex Series and his association with the recently award winning movie Revolutionary Road...
For those of our web visitors who are not so familiar with Nine Volt Audio, please introduce yourself and your company background.
My name is Kyle Z and I started Nine Volt Audio in 2003 as a means to release a couple of guitar loop libraries I created. At the time I was also working for Gibson Guitar Corp in Nashville, TN – so it’s safe to assume that guitar is my main instrument!
The Nine Volt Audio BPM Flex Series is unique to your titles – please could you explain what this is for those who are unfamiliar with your products?
Sure. In short, the BPM Flex Series focuses on the REX, ReFill and Stylus RMX loops of all of our releases. It enables a composer to use the loops at just about any tempo with no artificial stretching. For  instance, we have loops in our Big Bad Guitars library with suggested tempos of up to 150 BPM – this is the tempo where we feel the loop grooves best - but a composer could use this loop at half of that tempo (75 BPM) or slower and still hear pure, un-stretched, natural audio with no glitches or gaps between slices. There are few, if any loop libraries that offer this level of tempo flexibility; particularly when it comes to melodic and tonal loops!
What was the thinking behind your decision to include a Stylus RMX format within your products?
Stylus RMX has a great layout, is easy to use, and offers a lot of creative possibilities for producers and composers that enjoy using loops. It just made sense to offer each of our libraries pre-organized for easy import into RMX.
Which are your favourite Nine Volt Audio products and why?
At the moment my favorite is Melodic Rex because it’s so easy and inspiring to use as-is, but also super easy to tweak and take the parts into new directions. Oh yeah: it sounds great, too!
Your libraries have been used within scores for various movies, adverts and TV productions – could you tell us more about these?
Yes, more-and-more frequently I’m hearing our sounds on the TV. The other day I heard a Nine Volt Audio guitar loop during a commercial break. I looked up and it was part of the music playing behind Brooke Shields selling Colgate toothpaste. I never thought there would be so few degrees of separation from Brooke Shields and me! But seriously, our loops have been in commercials for all sorts of products, from sport cars to cell phones to, well – toothpaste.
I was contacted by Mark Isham’s studio that our loops were used in his score for the new Leonardo DiCaprio/Kate Winslet movie “Revolutionary Road”. That’s the most current “high-profile” use of our sounds - which I’ve been made aware of.
What type of music do you most enjoy and do you have any favourite composers/artists/bands?
I love artists and bands that create a vibe or mood with their music. I can always get into U2, Massive Attack and Nine Inch Nails.
If you hadn´t become involved in the MI industry what would you have done for a living?
Hmmm… I really have no idea. I seriously can’t imagine what I‘d be doing if it wasn’t this!
What are your other interests and hobbies outside your musical activities?
I’m actually in search of a non-music related hobby at the moment! Between a wife, two kids and Nine Volt Audio, I don’t even know if I’d have to time for a hobby if I found one. But that’s a good thing.
Finally, what should we expect from Nine Volt Audio during 2009?
The working title for or next release is Textured Guitars, which will be out by March. It will also be part of our BPM Flex Series and I believe it’ll be a great library for composers looking for not-quite-straight-ahead guitar sounds.
Thanks Kyle!
SPECIAL OFFER!!
Until 28th February 2009, we´re offering 20% off all Nine Volt Audio titles. Click here to view the full range
|
