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 Peyton Morete.
What are your main roles in making music at the moment?
I was lost for a while in the music industry. After my music degree I’ve been spending time just learning sound engineering and taking a step back to breathe. But I know that slowly now, and starting for real next year, I want to be on a path of inspiring other wāhine and Māori to step into tāne-dominated spaces like production, sound engineering etc.
It can be really intimidating to share spaces and try and work with potential co-workers or clients who doubt you based on ethnicity and gender. However, the only way to break those cliches is to actually go out and do it. So I’m slowly hoping to inspire at least one person that they are enough and to follow their passions in the industry, even if those spaces aren’t typically ‘for them’. Also just making new music that people can enjoy as well!
Can you share a few projects that you’re particularly proud of and why they stand out to you?
I recently did my first client work as a sound engineer and I’m especially proud of the outcome. It was a learning experience and I think helped me hone the skills I’ve just recently learned, plus it was a different experience to mix someone else's song rather than my own.
I think my other project I’m proud of would be my latest single I released - Seraphina. It was my first song I mixed after learning the fundamentals of mixing and it was amazing to be able to know exactly what I was doing to create the song rather than just winging it as I had with my other songs.
Is there a current project you’re diving into that’s lighting you up? What makes it special for you?
I’ve had a bit of a break after working on some hefty projects but I’m about to dive into my EP, which I’ve been slowly working on this year. I have all the demos and now it’s a matter of properly recording and then getting into the nitty-gritty of post-production and mixing. I’ve got some new gear that I can’t wait to use to really boost the sound and it’s a whole new sound for me (releasing-wise). It will include production techniques I really like in the waiata I listen to and haven’t really used in most of my other works. It’ll be my first EP out there after stepping into the technical side of the industry and I’m excited to branch out even more.
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 go wild and really test the limits of sounds and your skills. I don’t really try to fit myself into a genre box when it comes to creating music and how it sounds. I like to experiment and I think playing around and trying something that may not be conventional is a great way to test your skills and enhance them. Then you can pull it back to where you find the direction is going. Just be confident in yourself - failure is the key to success!
Which artists or bands are on your playlist these days, and who do you credit as shaping your sound the most?
I’m a person who listens to new music all the time. I’m a lover of Discover Weekly so I don’t have specific people I’m listening to right now but I do have a big old production playlist where I just have a bunch of people’s waiata there for inspiration. A lot of funky, experimental, or bass-heavy tunes with a few nice indie ballad tracks. I do go back every month and listen to a few faves like Michael Jackson, PJ Morton, WILLOW, SWSH and I’ve been really digging the sound of a new artist Ley Soul.
What do you find most inspiring about the music production scene in Aotearoa?
The community. Finding welcoming spaces as someone who is new (working-wise) to this part of the industry. All the people I’ve met so far in these groups or programmes have been super lovely. It can be quite intimidating changing up the path you’ve been following for years and going in blindly to something new but the people I have met and interacted with so far have been that light at the end of the tunnel. Super encouraging, supportive and happy to hear what I have to say.
What are your favourite new hacks or tricks in the DAW space?
These are probably really basic and old tricks but I’m very new in this area so my favourite things at the moment are things like reversing crash symbols or claps as a transition into the chorus or the verse. Playing around with pulling everything back in a pre-chorus with a clap and then as the clap with reverb on it ends, I instantly put that reversed version in as a riser for the chorus drop. I’ve just been loving learning all the small little things like that that don’t seem like much but add in that cohesion and those fun details.
What are your favourite plugins at the moment?
I’m actually at the start of my journey with plugins, I’ve just been using the logic ones the whole entire time I’ve been making music. I’ve been so lucky to actually now have access to some new plugins to play around with, so I’m about to trial and see how they go!
Where can people go to find out more about you and your work?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peytonmorete/
For all my links: https://beacons.ai/peytonmorete
Or just search up my name Peyton Morete and you should find me!