#MeetTheYonderists: C?t?lin Pascal, the software developer who creates music

When he was eight years old, C?t?lin discovered The Prodigy’s album "Fat of the land" and that was the moment not only when all that he knew about music changed, but when he began dreaming of producing his own tracks and becoming the next The Prodigy. All that he needed was a PC, so when he got one, he started to learn how to create music and experiment a lot so that he could release an album. And he dit it.

Read the interview below and find out more about his passion and the steps that someone who wants to produce music should take.

Thank you, C?t?lin, for sharing your story with us! It really made us feel the beats of your passion.

How did it all started? Was it pure curiosity or the result of the perfect mix of passions: music and computers?

It all started discovering an audiotape by The Prodigy when I was about 8-9 years old, an album called "Fat of the land"(released in 1997). That very moment when I heard it, I knew it will be a big game changer in my tastes in music, that's for sure. It sounded like magic for a kid whom previously listened only to vinyls collected by my parents, mostly traditional Romanian music and some rock classics of the era (which also sparked my interest). From there, I started researching how can I be the next The Prodigy when I got my hands on my first PC. The options were very limited in producing computer music, and the only software that I could get my hands on was Dance eJay 2. So this was pure curiosity on "how a song it's made", couldn't be a perfect mix of music and computers yet, because Dance eJay2 war very limited, like combining pre-made loops in a finished song. In simple math, you could obtain a limited combination of the same loops, creating nothing original. But I was very curious how a computer could generate and alter sounds in an unique manner, so I moved on to a software that can produce a sound from scratch.

Do you remember how much time you worked for your first composition? What music genre was it?

My first true composition from scratch was made in Propellerheads Reason (version 3 I think), but I don't really remember any part of it, as it was many years ago. Definitely was in the electronic music pool, minimal-techno (somewhere in the 2000's this genre was played anywhere and everywhere) I used simulated hardware components available in the software that could alter a simple "BEEEP!" into ... kinda any sound you could imagine. As I was experimenting, it was never a finished product. After experimenting Reason, I moved to Ableton Live as a music producing software, and the difference was huge in the finished tracks.

Did you share it with your friends or kept it in a locked folder?

Sharing my music with friends is a funny story overall, because I used to vibe to a part of a song I made containing an intro and a drop with full force, bass, drums and everything (mostly under 1 minute length), send it to someone and they go like "Ok, it's good" every time. It wasn't a reliable feedback, they were really bored of my tracks in the first place :))

Are you a self-taught musician? Do you think that DJs and electronic music producers should also have basic knowledge of music theory so that they take their music-making to the next level?

YouTube was launched in 2005, and I started exploring music producing earlier, so I guess I am a self-taught musician. The information regarding music production was almost inexistent back then. But nowadays with all the information available, the learning curve is steeper. Music theory helps alot if you want to go pro, especially the chords combinations part. Sometimes this is all you need, the rest is mix and match the other sounds around the chords.

Did you release your creations worldwide? How was the experience?

Yes, I did. I had a contract with a small recordings house, releasing a 5 tracks album (minimal genre), which made me like 5 euros after a few months on sales. I think is still available online, on Beatport.com. This experience made me understand that is a long way ahead in terms of quality/quantity that I could not provide with my non-existing home gear. And I decided to keep it just as a hobby.

How to Make Music on Your Computer: A Beginner's Guide. If you were to write it, which would the main steps be that someone should take into consideration when he/she decides to make music music on computer?

1. Understand that you make music for masses, so it's 10% "I love it" and 90% "People love it".

2. Learn the basics. Start with the BPM of different music genres, research the multitude of elements involved (kick, snare, hi-hat, bass, pads, leads) and learn piano basics (chords progression mostly).

3. Install a music production software. Ableton Live Studio and Fruity Loops are the go-to software that most of the big names in the industry use.

4. Experiment a lot. A lot!

When you feel you got a finished product and want to go further, a records house should step into the picture.

They will master (expensive hardware and experience used in the process) your tracks, release them and take care of the costly marketing to bring them from a bedroom to any bedroom/famous DJ/club.