Summary of "Virtual Riot working w Skrillex, Origin of Color Bass, Sound Design Knugs, and Industry Pressure #10"

The video is a long-form podcast-style conversation featuring Virtual Riot (Christian Valentin Brunn) alongside hosts Danny Ferrari, Parker, and Frank Zagarino, discussing a wide range of topics related to music production, sound design, industry experiences, and personal anecdotes.

Key Themes and Topics Covered:

  1. Introduction and Guest Background Virtual Riot is introduced as a highly influential sound designer and producer known for working with major artists like Skrillex and Justin Bieber. The hosts express admiration for his work and influence on their own music and YouTube content.
  2. Virtual Riot’s YouTube and Sound Design Journey
    • Virtual Riot started making videos and music at a young age, experimenting with early YouTube content unrelated to music before focusing on production tutorials and sound design.
    • He learned sound design primarily by trial and error, turning knobs on synths like Massive and Nord Rack, gradually building an intuitive understanding without formal tutorials.
    • He discusses how his sound design evolved from remaking existing sounds to breaking synths and experimenting to create new, fresh sounds.
    • The conversation touches on technical aspects like formants in growls, FM synthesis, frequency shifting, and the challenges of replicating human vocal qualities in synth sounds.
  3. Collaborations and Industry Experiences
    • Stories about working with Skrillex, including the first meeting and creative sessions at unique locations (like a mansion also used for filming adult content).
    • Insights into working on a Justin Bieber song, focusing on simple chord progressions and emotional feel rather than complex sound design.
    • Encounters with other artists like Aaron Gessy and the dynamics of pop writing sessions versus electronic music production.
    • The importance of psychology and managing the room during sessions.
  4. Sound Design Tools and Innovations
    • Discussion of new plugins like Pitchmap and Sunplant 2, which incorporate AI to recreate or modify sounds in innovative ways.
    • Concerns and excitement about AI’s role in music production, emphasizing that creativity and originality remain essential despite technological advances.
    • Technical talk about synth features, such as Serum’s modulation capabilities, frequency shifters, and routing options, and comparisons to older synths like Massive and Nord Rack.
  5. Virtual Riot’s Role in the Color Bass Movement He reflects on his contribution to the development of color bass, a subgenre characterized by melodic elements combined with heavy bass sounds, and acknowledges other artists pushing the genre forward.
  6. Sound Quality and Sample Packs Virtual Riot explains his approach to making sample packs and one-shots, including clipping and EQ techniques to make samples loud and aggressive yet clean and usable in mixes. Discussion about the importance of quality control and balancing loudness with clarity.
  7. Personal Stories and Industry Anecdotes
    • Funny and memorable moments like meeting artists unexpectedly at festivals or airports.
    • Stories about gear purchases, including a humorous tale about buying Genelec speakers from Guitar Center with a pricing mix-up, revealing one of the hosts was involved.
    • DJ fails and etiquette at festivals, including issues with previous DJs leaving settings wrong, use of sync, and crossfaders.
    • The psychology of vocal coaching and producer tricks like the “producer button” (a button that lights up but does nothing, used to gauge client reactions).
  8. Music Theory and Songwriting
    • Discussion on the emotional and intuitive approach to chord progressions and songwriting versus strict music theory.
    • Examples of complex chord progressions in classic songs and how good songwriting can make technical complexity feel natural.
    • The idea that if you have to explain why a sound or song is cool, it might not be truly effective.
  9. Fun Segment: “To Be Frank” Would You Rather Light-hearted questions about preferences, humor, and personality, including topics like preferred FM routing, favorite superheroes, and quirky hypothetical scenarios.
  10. Community and Sharing Knowledge The hosts and Virtual Riot emphasize the joy and importance of sharing knowledge, tutorials, and sample packs with the community to help others grow. They mention discovering new, emerging producers on platforms like SoundCloud and YouTube.

Overall Impression:

The episode is an in-depth, candid, and technical discussion about the art and science of sound design, music production, and the realities of working in the electronic music industry. It combines technical insights, personal stories, and humor, making it both informative and entertaining for producers and fans alike.

Speakers in the Video:

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