Today i share a chat with Dino Sabatini. The Italian Dj/liveact, producer and label founder of Outis Music will be part of a project coming up on Affin in 2018, so i thought that’s a good option to find out more about his work.
Joachim Spieth: I’d like to know something about your studio environment: is there any software or hardware you use since years, or is it changing from track to track?
Dino Sabatini: Speaking in terms of DAW the basic software I use almost always is Ableton live which I consider very practical and fast to make electronic music or Techno and so on, instead when I need to record acoustic or mike I prefer to use ProTools which it is much more precise in latency, meters and so on. Regarding synths & EFX Plugins I have always changed the setting because I do not like to repeat what I’ve done in the past, which is why I prefer software like Reaktor because it gives me the ability to create new tools varying over time according to the needs of the moment. One of the best hardware synthesizers that I have used for a long time was a Clavia Nord Modular G2 which had the same characteristics of Reaktor though obviously in a reduced way considering that the RAM was relatively powerful compared to a computer but with this was possible to program different sounds every time and then sharing them with other users. Obviously I was also a big fan of the modular systems and historical synthesizers like MiniMoog, Korg MS20, the TR Roland series and so on but after some time these inevitably bored me because they had limited synthesis.
Joachim Spieth: Is there a main component that summarizes the audio stream?
Dino Sabatini: If you mean about the audio chain that I use in my productions there is a component that I use almost always. It’s a Neve Stereo Preamplifer that I use in various forms but almost always using this as summing audio, in addition to my historical sound card RME Fireface 400 I also using an RME ADI-8 AD / DA converter which the 8 outputs are then connected to a Patchbay and then connected to the Preamp via two special cables in which I welded some 10K resistors to attenuate the incoming signal (in two words “DI”). Another component that I always use is an Aphex Dominator II Multiband compressor which I love considering its quality / price ratio, easy to use and with a powerful and
good sound, in short I would recommend it to everyone. Another component are the passive PMC TB2 monitors driven by a Bryston amplifier, I love the sound of these speakers and since I use them I’m able to work without the subwoofer because on the low frequencies these are perfect.
Joachim Spieth: Moreover, which is the main difference between your studio setup and the presentation of your music live (regarding the setup)?
Dino Sabatini: The difference depends on the place where I have to play and by the budget. The space available in the clubs is ridiculous considering that most of that is occupied by turntables, DJs & CDJs and this is why I decide before the gig what to bring, the only thing that I always carry with me is my controller that I could not do without, consider that I spent about a year to design and program it according to my needs because I never found a controller on the market that responded to my needs. I love to mix in deep and I do not need many buttons but I need to see the controls through a monitor and through LED lights and about the mechanical parts I do not like to use plastic and I need a feedback type analog from potentiometers and faders and this is the reason why I decided to spend a year of my life behind this project and I would like to thank Thorsten Klose (MIDIbox-ucapps.de) for giving us the chance to work with this.
Joachim Spieth: You developed a sampler module (“Sample”) for Native Instruments that is available for free in the user library of Reaktor. Can you explain how it is working?
Dino Sabatini: But there is not much to explain on “Sample”. This was designed to have an easy approach in the grooves creation and it’s equipped with two sequencers (pitch & trig) and a Sampler followed by a Wrapper which personally I use to dirty the sound, then a Follower Filter Moog style and a Dub Delay and finally I added a compressor on the master. This idea came to me using a sequencer created by Robert Henke on M4L (PX18) with which I drove a Jomox Mbase01. The most interesting thing was the modulation of the pitch that created a rubber effect and this gave me the start to create this ensemble so as not to always carry parts of hardware with me.
Joachim Spieth: Do you develop several Ensembles for Reaktor or is it the only one?
Dino Sabatini: Usually I make or I modify Ensembles every time I start to produce new tracks or albums just to try to not repeat myself even if this then make me in conflicts with the time … anyway yes I did few Ensemble and I hope to have some time to update them and maybe upload then into the Reaktor UL.
Joachim Spieth: What was the main reason for you to found your label Outis Music? To me it’s looking that you had a clear vision about it from the start.
Dino Sabatini: The main reason was the need to create a point of reference for my musical style and express everything that could not be expressed in other ways.
Joachim Spieth: Where do you find inspiration for your music ?
Dino Sabatini: From life, I can honestly say that my music reflects the periods of my life.
Joachim Spieth 