What production tools or
technologies does Arca use?
What production techniques
define Arca’s sound?
- Anchor points though songwriting
- Granular synthesis
- sound design sessions
What production tools or
technologies does Arca use?
What production techniques
define Arca’s sound?
Area | Self-rating (1–5) | Comments / Examples |
Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) Ableton, Logic, etc. | 4 | Confident in most DAWs apart from protools as not had a lot of experience working with in within a studio with outboard gear |
Recording Techniques microphones, gain staging, audio setup | 4 | very confident with recording techniques and even doing weird and experimental techniques when recording physical instruments |
MIDI Sequencing & Programming | 3 | Used a lot of virtual instruments and comfortable using MIDI programming but feel like there is more I could learn and get confident with |
Sampling & Synthesis | 3 | Know the basics of hardware and virtual synths as well as basic sampling but there is a lot more I can dive into to understand but have not yet |
Mixing & Effects Processing | 4 | Mixed many songs myself for professional release and confident in mixing a song effectively but still have much to learn and get more confident with |
Sound Design & Creative Processing | 2 | Have not done a lot of sound design both within music and for other media forms |
Critical Listening & Analysis | 4 | reduction Confident I can pick out individual techniques within a lot of music but can always train my ears to be better |
Collaboration & Communication | 2 | Mostly work on my own during a production session so I am not used to working with others but would really love to improve my skills with this |
Organisation & Workflow | 2 | Very messy workflow at times but mess works for me the most but then this also disrupts being able to work with others |
As a producer I am very diverse. I mainly focus on indie/acoustic music as that is the style I create as an artist too. with a focus of recording acoustic instruments or using samples from recordings I have made, I try to focus on using cheap and cheerful equipment or even using equipment I have made myself as I love that sound. I have taught myself to hand make many parts of equipment I use such as my own guitar amp as well as weird noise makers and instruments. I love sloppy recordings that feel so human and have so much character. Though being a bedroom producer I have gained many skills in doing very ‘in the box’ techniques but have ventured out to try to rely less on a computer. I am a very hybrid producer as I use the convenience of a computer and a DAW but run almost all my signal out of a computer to analogue gear I have made then re-recording it back in to my DAW. I take a lot of inspiration from artists such as Mac Demarco and Alex G who both also produce most of their work themselves in their own home studios with cheap and vintage gear. I also have a deep love for the producer Sylvia massy as he has a focus on strange recording techniques and making her own gear to use in a studio setting. She documents many of her techniques on her YouTube channel and that has become very inspiring for me as a young producer