Interview With Steve Heath From Wave Alchemy
In this months Label Focus we managed to catch up with Steve Heath from Wave Alchemy, sit him down and get the low-down on analogue gear, and see what tricks the Alchemists have got up their sleeves for 2009!
Wave alchemy is the brainchild of Steve Heath and Daniel Byers and was formed in spring 2008 to specialize in innovative sound design and production aiming squarely at producers and musicians throughout the industry.
The eclectic nature of their sonic palette together with unique production techniques, make Wave Alchemy sample packs/CD’s ideal tools for use in dance music production, film scores, TV and broadcasting, AV projects, DJ’s production suite and multi-media projects. With the global release of their latest offering ‘SFX Collection 01’ we thought it time to catch up with Steve Heath from Wave Alchemy to ask him what’s next for the label.
Can you tell us a bit more about what Wave Alchemy is and who it’s aiming at?
Wave Alchemy is a brand new audio production company – we’re based in Nottingham in the UK. Our core business is the development of original 100% royalty free loops, samples and sound FX, with our products being aimed at both the novice and experienced music producer.
So when did you and Dan meet and how did you come around to setting up a label?
Well Dan and I met at university around 2 years ago – when we got chatting we realized we had similar interests. As both long time users of sample CD’s, we could see a gap in the market for a high quality product line… lots of other sample libraries at the time seemed to be regurgitating old material and even sampling other peoples records. Also we wanted to develop libraries that were bang up to date using gear that the average end user does not have access to.
On your blog you say some of your collective influences include Kenny Dope, Copyright, Defected, Sharooz, Groove Armada, Photek, Metalheadz and Goldie… there’s quite a spectrum there?
Having different musical backgrounds definitely makes our products more diverse. Because there are two of us we can effectively take on different roles and spread our efforts over different projects.
So who likes what between the two of you?
I guess you could say that Dan comes from more of a House music background whilst my roots lie more in Drum n Bass… nowadays we listen to a lot of different musical styles and draw heavy influence from both the underground dance music scene as well as more experimental music.
So what do think sets Wave Alchemy apart from other labels – it’s a very competitive arena?
Well we think the proof is in the pudding… Wave alchemy strives to make very high quality products which are guaranteed 100% original, and every sound you hear in a Wave Alchemy product is designed from the ground up. We bring both new and vintage analogue gear into the equation to give our customers access to the real deal rather than provide our customers with samples from software emulations. And lastly anyone who buys a Wave Alchemy product should notice a distinct attention to detail which we carry throughout our product range.
Ok so day to day could you talk us through the creative process in creating your sample packs?
When starting work on a project – we would already have a vague idea of what we want to achieve. I guess the creative process all depends on what has influenced us recently. Wave Alchemy’s approach is definitely more hands on – we find that creativity flows more for us when tweaking outboard gear.
So you guys have got off to a flying start over the last year with 2 huge releases – Electro House Progressions and Electro House Underground. What next for Wave Alchemy this year?
Well we’ve just released the first in a series of sound FX libraries – with this one aimed at dance music production. The library is over 1.5 GB in size and you can expect a huge palette of sounds drawn from both vintage synths and new digital equipment. The sounds in the library have been further mangled with high end FX processors such as the classic Eventide H3000 harmoniser and distortion boxes such as the Sherman Filter bank. This library is now available at loopmasters.com
A problem shared is a rumour started here at LoopTV! So have you got news that you want to tell us about?
Well we have a brand new website coming soon – where our customers can buy our latest products and check out some pretty nifty content, which will include live podcasts, free producer tutorials and free sample packs amongst other goodies!
What do you see as the benefits of sample packs generally to producers?
Well first off we think sample packs are a great source of inspiration for all… secondly they provide a platform for people to gain access to sounds that they wouldn’t normally be able to get hold of – unless you were prepared to invest in a lot of gear. Another massive benefit we see in this day and age is that you can go on the internet, buy a sample pack and be putting together a track within 5 minutes after that.
So what do you think has been the single most useful piece of advice in your own personal music making in the last 10 years?
Basically just keep at it – it can be very frustrating when you first start out. We experienced this first hand. For the people out there wanting to get into sound design – the best bit of advice that I could give you is don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and talk to people in the industry – there’s a lot of really helpful people out there who will offer you advice and give you good feedback on your material…
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