Our MPG Member Spotlight takes a look behind the scenes of those making moves in the music production community. This week we're hearing from Clarissa Chai.
What are your main roles in making music at the moment?
Producer, mix engineer, film music composer.
Can you share a few projects that you’re particularly proud of and why they stand out to you?
Ms. Mia’s debut EP “Living in the Shadows” and Something They Call Myth are projects that I’ve found really rewarding making music collaboratively. Another one that comes to mind is my first music score for a TV feature “AMAH” (part of TVNZ’s Motherhood anthology) which came out in May.
Is there a current project you’re diving into that’s lighting you up? What makes it special for you?
I’m working on the music for an interactive web-series, a really cool concept where the audience chooses between two options at the end of each episode to determine the course of action taken by the main character. It’s also special to me because it was among my first film projects as a sound recordist.
For someone eager to step into the world of music production, what’s the most crucial tip you’d offer?
Don’t be afraid to just give it a go and try to make some music. Even if the first few attempts aren’t great, you only learn and improve the more you do it.
Which artists or bands are on your playlist these days, and who do you credit as shaping your sound the most?
Off the top of my head, I think The Japanese House, KST, Novo Amor, Fazerdaze, Nell are among the artists I’ve been listening to a lot recently. Bon Iver, Sunwoojunga and The Japanese House are probably some of my biggest influences.
What do you find most inspiring about the music production scene in Aotearoa?
I’ve found that people here generally tend to be open to collaboration and generous with sharing knowledge - makes for a really wholesome and positive environment.
What are your favourite new hacks or tricks in the DAW space?
Logic - shift-click to move playhead to wherever your mouse is pointed in the arrangement window.
What are your favourite plugins at the moment?
Wavesfactory’s Trackspacer, Fabfilter’s Pro-Q, Waves’s BB Tubes and Sonarworks Reference are some all-time favourites. Shoutout to Serato’s Sample plugin too - super fun to play with.
What are your favourite useful audio sites? - e.g. Acestudio, Splice etc.
Splice definitely, and Spitfire Labs has a bunch of cool free instruments you can download as well.
Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
My Instagram handle is @clarissa.chai