Music Production 101: Marcus Knight

Marcus Knight has nearly two decades of work behind him in the Dance music industry. A seasoned professional, he has toured the world playing countless gigs at incredible venues and worked with fellow industry titans such as Armand Van Helden and Carl Cox. Above all this, he has also been making ludicrously good productions too, and we caught up with Marcus to learn a bit more about his music production techniques and explore the methods he uses!

Hi Marcus, thanks for taking time to talk to us about your studio techniques!

You’re welcome, great to be here.

Firstly, how long have you been producing and what got you started?

I started making Hip Hop in the mid 90’s heavily influenced by NWA, De La Soul, Run DMC and many more. I was running an early version of Cubase on a PC from memory, connected to a 4 track Tascam and lots of Roland modules.

Are you a self-taught producer?

Yes all self taught. Our high school music classes were focused on classical music that I found terribly boring at the time. Once I brought my first keyboard I slowly began to work out the relationship between various chords and it slowly came together. Really should have listened in class and made life much easier! LOL

Where do you get your inspiration from when producing new music?

Most of the time I’m inspired by an everyday experience and suddenly I’m on a mission to locate the nearest studio. Doesn’t make me a great travelling partner.

What’s the typical process you go through when working on a new tune?

It varies from track to track. If I have a melody in my head, I then work out a chord progression and build a groove before recording vocals. Other times I start from a simple beat and keep throwing musical ideas out there until I hit something that really excites me.

Do you have a favourite method to start songs off?

Usually start from chords and then create a beat. I generally like to be in a creative mind set when I’m jamming out ideas and not so concerned with sound design or mixing.

When you are producing, what are your go-to plugins and equipment?

I love using UAD, in particular SSL, Neve, Pulteq, Fairchild, Cambridge EQ and LA2A. Big fan of the Fabfilter Pro Q2 and still use some Waves plugins including the H-Delay which is cool. On the hardware I own a neve 33609, neve 5012 and ams neve 8816 summing mixer.

Do you have a favourite synth?

It’s hard to go past the good old moog and juno 106.

Any recommended sample packs you find useful?

These days it’s like searching for a good record amongst the thousands of promos and releases. Loopmasters and Future Loops occasionally release some interesting packs.

Do you have any routine plugins for mixing and mastering?

Generally use the Fabfilter Pro Q2 or Cambridge to shape the sound. I like using the Pulteq for my bass sounds. Neve 1073 for vocal tones, Ocean Way or Lexican for reverbs, LA2A, Fairchild or SSL for compression depending on the sound I’m treating. The Oxford inflator is fantastic for saturation.

What plugins/equipment is on your master channel?

I use the shadow hills compressor, manly eq, brainworx, and limiter. More recently, I’ve been using external mastering engineers to give the record a fresh perspective, especially if I’ve spent weeks producing the record.

How long does it usually take you to complete a new track?

It varies from track to track. Sometimes in comes together within a few days, which is great. On other occasions I generally workshop a whole lot of separate ideas until I land on something exciting, which I pursue to the next stage.

Which traits do you think make a great producer?

I’ve always believed a good producer has a clear vision of the final product and maintains objectivity during the process that requires loads of patience.

Finally, what can we expect in terms of new music from Marcus Knight?

It’s all about grooves and moments in my records that I hope people enjoy. That moment could be a simple musical hook or an amazing unique vocal. I’m musically more inspired than ever before and look forward to sharing new music in the coming months.

Marcus Knight Online:
https://twitter.com/DJMarcusKnight
https://soundcloud.com/djmarcusknight
https://www.beatport.com/artist/marcus-knight/66825