“Behind the scenes of sound: a conversation with Roman Bestseller. An interview about music, technology and inspiration.”
How much time did you spend making your last production album?
Working on the album took less than a year, about nine or eight months. However, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact amount of time spent on the process, as the main focus was not so much on creating the material, but more on interacting with the artists. Also, not all of the artists had enough time to write the songs in full, so I also had to act as a songwriter and lyricist on many of the tracks.
How has it influenced your creative path? Do you have any future plans in this direction?
The task of this album was not just to anticipate trends or catch up with existing ones, but to create something unique.
For me, this album became a kind of musical experiment, in which I tried to preserve the true essence of each of my guests, their character, but at the same time to connect all the artists of different genres into a single musical concept.
This album was a laboratory for experimentation!”
Like my solo work, it generated a huge amount of ideas that I intend to use further in my production – sounds, grooves and more. In the future, I plan to continue working in this direction, aiming for even more innovative and exciting projects.”
What were some of the moments or inspirations that prompted you to spend more time creating a production album? What expectations do you have for this album and what do you hope to get out of it?
This album, in fact, should have seen the light of day much earlier.
Many people expected me to do this kind of project, where I would invite a lot of my artist friends.
What did I want to convey to the audience?
First of all, I want to emphasize the full meaning of the word “ARTIST”.
“Art” is art, and the word “Artist” is essentially a person of art, not a person with a microphone!
In the public consciousness is often considered artists only those who take the microphone and go on stage.
But in fact an artist can be any creative individual:
artist, dancer, producer and musician.
And such people in our industry it’s time to stop perceiving them as service personnel!
This album I want to break the perception of “customer-executor”, because what we create sculpts in the party and OUR face, but the client is not always “right” … .
Which artist were you most excited to collaborate with and why that artist? In what aspect of collaborating with this artist did you find the most insight and inspiration?
All the artists who participated in this album turned out to be great at creative collaboration. They all readily accepted that they were entering into some kind of musical experiment – my sound production album – and turned out to be very well-mannered guests!”
Well, I tried to keep their creative essence and character respectful – just as they were respectful of my creativity.
But I’ve noticed that the higher an artist is in the popularity rankings and the stronger their vocal and creative abilities, the easier it is to work with them. They are more flexible, versatile and open to exploring new ideas.
Honestly speaking, two artists I had no previous experience working with in the studio – JONY and LYRIQ – were an eye-opener for me. Both of them turned out to be mega flexible, nice to talk to and easy to work with. With JONY we recorded a dozen songs after my album, including “Air Sarafan” and “Epicfit” which was recently released.
As for LYRIQ – it’s a savvy passing game between two sound producers and I’m sure we have a lot of work ahead of us!”
I think we’ll do a lot more interesting things together.
What songs or projects with this artist have been particularly inspiring to you? Could you share some specific moments or details of the collaboration?
Working on JONY’s Epicfit project was really a huge inspiration for me. I was very impressed with the idea,
where JONY gave a chance to absolutely unknown guys to prove themselves if they have talent and musical skills. For this project we created three songs together – three of them were written by me, and three more he wrote together with sound producer Misha Malakhin.
This was an inspiring process for me, as I remember myself at the beginning of my creative journey, and when similar opportunities appeared in my life, it was great and motivating.
While working on this project, I realized that I was doing something really valuable, and I am glad to be a part of this kind and bright energy.
What do you think is the key element of a successful collaboration between producer and artist? What factors make working with certain artists particularly enjoyable and productive?
The key element of successful cooperation between producer and artist, in my opinion, is mutual respect. When the artist treats the sound producer not as just a customer, but as a man of art, with his experience and musical taste.
And the sound producer perceives the artist not as just a client, but as a person in whose work he can bring something fresh!
And of course mutual respect – this creates the basis for effective work.
In addition, it is important that the musical tastes coincide. But not one hundred percent!”
Small differences can make collaboration more interesting, as everyone can make their own unique contribution.
Lack of fussiness and perfectionism also play an important role. I personally try to treat creativity as simple as possible and without unnecessary stuffiness!
Music should be free and keep the whole emotion.
Sometimes working on a track for several months can blur the original emotion and unified idea of the song..
To summarize, the key elements of a successful collaboration are mutual respect, combination of musical views and lack of snobbery (pursuit of perfection) in creative work.
How do you see the differences between our production and the American style? Why do you think there is so much discussion and attention given to the American sound?
That’s a really interesting question. I have already answered it in other interviews, but it will be very relevant on your platform.
The point is that the American approach to production resembles more of a conveyor belt, with many human links in the process.
One person is responsible for the initial sketch, another for the vocal hooks, a third for the lyrics, and a fourth for the arrangement.
Then the vocal specialist at the studio session (vocal producer) records the artist, then the guy who tunes the vocals sits down, the next link is the mixing engineer, and then it’s on to mastering in a separate studio.
Sounds a bit stuffy and torturous, doesn’t it?
But most importantly, they end up lacking some kind of integrity. People just try to assemble some “mass” product according to templates in conveyor belt mode.
In Russian production, the concept of “one man” is often found, where one person is responsible for all stages, which makes the product more integral, distinctive and unique. Yes, it’s not so glossy, but it’s also unique, trushy, you know?
It’s the sound producer who sees the whole picture and is responsible for each stage of production.
This gives our music a deeper meaning. Also, we have more experimental and original tracks that become hits!”
While in the US we often just keep exploiting the same style until millions of dollars of investment is recouped. We have a freer atmosphere where trends and genres change much faster than in the states. There, hip-hop can dominate for a long time, while we have new sounds emerging all the time. Our charts inspire me more than American charts, because it’s our charts that show diversity and experimentation in sound, which is very inspiring.
Are there any characteristics in the sound or approach to production that you think make American producers more successful or popular? What do you think contributes to the fact that the sound of American projects is often perceived as more energetic or dynamic?
It’s understandable that a lot of attention is paid to discussions of why American sound is so cool and so on and so forth. Well of course they were innovators in the twentieth century maybe even at the beginning of the twenty-first century, but now frankly speaking they have a crisis.
And here also plays a role the peculiarity of the Slavic mentality like: “Firm”, “imported, microphone”, “imported jeans” is cool! And the fact that all ours – it sucks.
But guys! You have no idea how many of OUR heroes we have, who have hit the European charts, BBC Radio 1, Energy and so on. These are electronic musicians and DJs, about whom you thought all your life that it is someone from there!
But in fact these are our guys from Yaroslavl, from Nizhny Novgorod, we have a huge number of dudes about whom you just don’t know shit.
Rompasso, Going Deeper, Filatov & Karas, Slider & Magnit , DVRST, etc.
What are we talking about? In our country they don’t even know that DRIFT PHONK is a purely Russian style!
Appreciate YOURSELF!
Do you think there are any particular aspects of our sound that could be improved? What steps would you suggest we take to develop our music community and improve our sound?
In my opinion, there is a huge amount of tracks from home producers who work from home entering the market today. This originality seems to be their strength, but also their weakness. Talking to many of them, I have found that many work simply in rooms not designed for sound work. However, arranging starts with choosing the first sounds and timbres of the drums, banally, the first drum! And if you have a crooked room, you start your beat with a distorted sound. So guys should seriously consider this point. First, and at a minimum, you need quality headphones to avoid room reflections. For example, the Audeze MM-500 models or at least the Sennheiser HD 600. This will greatly improve the quality of their projects. In addition, it’s worth spending more time practicing mixing. Instead of delegating this task to others, it’s worth trying to get the best sound possible on your own, rather than relying solely on a sound engineer who may have a completely different taste in music. For example, Rick Rubin, even though he is a well-known rock producer, might approach mixing drills in a completely different way. So I think our home producers need to have the right room and pay more attention to the sound already at the creation stage, rather than relying on later “miraculous” mixing.
An initially great beat can’t be ruined by any sound engineer!
How do you usually schedule your day in the context of working on music projects? How much time do you usually spend per day on music?
Guys, first I’d like to share honey information about how much time it’s safe to work with sound. Studies show that we can work up to 6 hours a day on speakers, but only 4 on headphones. Anything more than that can take a toll on your psyche and hearing. My daily routine depends on whether I am working with an artist or if I have a day scheduled to work alone, for example. When I work with an artist, I try to act promptly to make the process comfortable for them. Not many people like to spend 15 hours in the studio. It’s exhausting. That’s why I always try to work efficiently and take breaks every one and a half to two hours. When I’m working on mixing myself, I take breaks every forty-five minutes to an hour to keep my listening objective. My breaks when I’m working alone are usually longer and can be twenty to thirty minutes, while with an artist I usually take fifteen minute breaks. My workday is more of a morning-afternoon workday than an evening-night workday. I’m not productive at night and usually start working around 1pm, aiming to finish by 8pm, taking into account breaks and stuff.
I don’t have to work a lot, but efficiently.
But of course there are crashes of 10-12 hours, when I have to videotape 2 tracks a day!
What is the role of traveling to Bali in your creative process? What exactly do you look for and find there? Is it just rest and relaxation or do you also find inspiration for your musical ideas?
Bali is like a second home for me and my wife. To be honest, last time I went, I didn’t even pull out my AirPods once during the whole vacation. When traveling to Bali, I try to isolate myself from the sounds and music as much as possible. But this time I had more music related things to do. I worked with two artists and shot a VERY large amount of photo and video content (lava/snippets) with my wife Marie to support my album. Plus I also edited it all myself! I knew that a full vacation wasn’t going to happen, so I planned a whole two months for vacation, knowing that I would have to deal with a lot of tasks besides the creative ones (paperwork, communication with management) in addition to resting.
Before that (2019 and 2020) in Bali, I paid more attention to my solo work as a vocalist and wrote two albums: “Summer Fly” and “Let There Be Morning”.
What’s more, “Let There Be Morning” was recorded on my knees using only a Rode NT USB microphone, Senheiser HD 600 headphones, and a guitar I bought for seventy dollars here in Bali. I also used an MPC controller as a midi. Under these conditions, I created one of the most interesting albums in pandemic.
The track “Torch” took 2nd place on musicality! And probably would have taken 1st place if Gunwest hadn’t voted for his track himself as the host.
What specific moments or aspects of being in Bali help you in your creative process? Is it the local landscape, the atmosphere or the opportunity for solitude that stimulates your imagination and inspires you?
To be honest, I don’t know how this island works and affects my energy, but what I could spend two hours in my studio with all the musical instruments and studio monitors, I do in Bali in an hour with headphones. For some reason things happen faster here, ideas seem to fly through the air. I know that everyone feels this island differently, but for me it’s exactly like that. Everything here is quick, easy and simple.
What plug-ins do you mainly use in your work nowadays? Can you single out any specific companies or manufacturers whose plug-ins are represented in your arsenal?
Nowadays almost all the sound is “mixed” on plug-ins, and less and less analog equipment.
In general, the set of all plus-minus is the same: Waves, UAD and FabFilter – that’s what almost everyone uses.
I myself use Arturia, Waves and UAD the most, but I also find use for FabFilter (especially their limiter, Saturn and Pro-DS).
As for MeldaProduction, they are very old friends of mine. They are really great instruments that are based on math and offer a very precise sound without any additional coloration. Perhaps it is their simplicity and precision that will attract you to them. Every producer has their own preferences, and it’s important to find the tools that are right for you.
But absolutely any plugins take some getting used to
What is your approach to buying plugins? Do you prefer to buy them officially or download them from the internet? How do you deal with licenses to use plugins?
As you can imagine, I can’t install the hacked versions of the UAD Universal Audio plug-ins because it requires DSP. I have many purchased plugins including the AVOX suite and Autotune. If this is your business, I understand, but after sanctions were imposed, many plugin publishers started restricting user access to purchased products, which perplexed me. It took me three years to get used to having to buy their products, and now I’m forced to find alternative ways. Of course, I have some “broken” software, I can’t do without it.
Now I feel a certain satisfaction when I manage to find a working “cracked” version of a program.
Because you can’t use music and sports for political purposes.
What specific tasks or activities are part of your daily music practice? For example, do you compose melodies, write lyrics, create arrangements, do mixing and mastering?
Every time a person comes to me, I learn something new in the process. Sometimes I help in a creative aspect that we didn’t originally talk about. For example, if someone comes to me to write music and is having trouble with the lyrics, I go to the smoking room with a cup of coffee and come back twenty minutes later with the verse and chorus ready. At some point I became so experienced that writing lyrics became a simple process for me. I used to be able to spend a whole day or two on one text!
Now it takes me an hour at most for a verse and a chorus. As for mastering, I recently took a course with Kostya Matafonov, and I plan to take another course on mixing.
We live while we learn. As soon as we think we know everything – we are dead.
Do you divide your days into different tasks or activities when working on music? For example, do you have days when you are more involved in the creative process and days when you pay more attention to the technical aspects?
Of course, I had overloaded days when I could just do an arrangement in one day, then record someone, and then sit down to mix a track in the evening. But it was “fire engine” mode, when deadlines were burning due to disorganized artist management, and I had to scramble to save the situation. In general, though, I usually set myself one task per day. Either I do a demo with the artiste, create a sketch, come up with a vocal melody and record the demo. Or I just do a full arrangement for a movie where everything is already predetermined. Or I’m bringing the track together in its entirety. For each of these tasks I usually allocate a whole day. In general, it turns out that I spend about four to six hours, as I said, working with sound. And, in principle, I can easily cope with any of these tasks within the specified time frame.
What’s your preferred approach to mixing and mastering your tracks? Do you usually do it yourself or do you prefer to outsource the task to professionals?
First of all, I always vault all my material myself. This is very important to me and even a bit of a jealous moment. Honestly, I get nervous when artists take their tracks to someone else for mixing, because no one can mix my track with as much love and attention as I do.
I know what I put into each part, where it should be in the mix, and the ideas and inspiration behind each note.
I started learning mixing at probably twenty-one years old. Now I’m thirty-six, so I’ve been mixing my own tracks for sixteen years now. Of course I’ve had the experience of working with other engineers, but the result was always unpredictable. So I prefer to work on my own.
My approach to mixing music involves short sessions of 45 minutes, followed by a 20 minute break to relieve fatigue and not blur the perception. I work on the instrumental parts first, removing unnecessary parts, then move on to the vocals to focus on them without the distraction of the beat. Once all the technical and artistic aspects are settled, I start working on balance and sound. This process also includes breaks to keep the perception clear.
Mastering is also something I do on my own. I tried working with different masters, but often they changed the sound in a way that didn’t always match my expectations. That’s why I decided to do mastering in the same project in which I do mixing, so that I could make adjustments to the balance and the musical parts at any time.
What’s the deciding factor for you when a track is ready for mixing and mastering? Do you make this decision on your own or in consultation with someone?
First of all, when I create a track, I immediately strive to make it sound the way I want it to sound, without the need for further tweaking by another sound engineer. I myself am that sound engineer who perfects the track. That’s why I try to pick the timbres and synthesizer parts already at the creation stage so that they sound good. Many of my colleagues, when they get a demo version of my track, say that it’s almost a finished master. However, I always know that I can do even better. Considering that I am both arranger, sound engineer and producer of the vocal session, I can continue to work on the arrangement and vocals even during the final mastering process.
Often I realize that some elements of the arrangement don’t lay down properly, and in such cases I can easily make changes. For example, if there is dissonance in the vocal line, I can change a chord or tweak the notes. This, by the way, is what makes us better than our foreign colleagues who share responsibilities among themselves. We can step in at any time and tweak any element of the process, whereas for them it would be much more difficult.
What factors influence your choice of specific plugins to use in your music production? How much attention do you pay to sound quality, usability, or other aspects when choosing plugins?
Fellas, it’s not just the number of plugins you have that matters, it’s how many cool tracks you’ve created with them.
As Bruce Lee said – don’t be afraid of the man who knows 1000 blows, be afraid of the one who knocked out 1000 people with one blow
I have the same principle. The main thing in a plugin is not so much its coloring and other characteristics, but how long you have been working with it and how well you know it. That’s the approach.
What instruments do you prefer to play live in your musical performances? Do you have any favorite instruments that you consider essential to your sound?
In fact, one of my main musical instruments, which is present in almost every arrangement, is guitars of various kinds. I have acoustic guitars with nylon and iron strings, electric guitars with different timbres and sound characters, and bass guitars. Guitar is my main instrument and I play it even better than keyboards.
Do you have any unusual or exotic instruments that you sometimes use in your musical practice? Which instruments are of particular interest or inspiration to you?
Yeah, sure. I’m actually a basic guitar player. I’ve been playing guitar since I was six years old. I also have no trouble creating keyboard parts, and I’ve been into drum parts on MPC for quite a while. Before MPC, my brother and I used to play drums a lot: he would play guitar and I would take the sound of the drums on a synthesizer and beat out rhythms on the keys. Then we’d switch back and forth. For me, working with MPC is a fairly simple thing. I use wind instruments a lot. Given that I’m a multi-instrumentalist, I have a hobby of learning new musical instruments.
Bansuri, duduk, saxophone, psaltery, glucophone, hangdrum, cello – that’s what I learned by poking around!
Some of them I’ve already mastered to the level of a subway musician, and some are still only at the studio recording level where I can experiment, sample and tweak the sound. It’s all in the process.
Which parts do you most often play on your own in live performances, and which parts do you usually record using virtual instruments or software synthesizers?
It all depends on what role this part plays in the composition. For example, if you want to create a background atmosphere with a violin that sounds far away in the mix, you can use libraries such as Spitfire Kontakt. However, if the violin carries a significant melodic part, I prefer to either use violin samples from the Splice platform or record this part myself on the cello to make it sound expressive and natural, emphasizing the live character of the music.
In the Sevile “breathe” track, for example, the cello sounds, which I sped up with pitch to make a dral violin
I also have an interesting trumpet from Kontakt, which allows me to create unique sounds thanks to the modulation pedal. In addition, I have a live psaltery (Dulcimer) that I occasionally record. They don’t always fit every track, but in my song “Summer Fly” they sound very lively and organic.
You can also hear them in my track with MIA BOYKA “Gaining Acceleration”
I also have a lot of wind instruments, such as Chinese bansuri, Armenian duduk and saxophone. I learned to play them on my own after I started music lessons in music school. I was sent to flute lessons, and after I mastered playing one wind instrument, it became easier for me to master the other dudes as well..
What’s your preferred approach to mixing and mastering your tracks? Do you usually do it yourself or do you prefer to outsource the task to professionals?
In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve worked with every possible genre of music. That includes jazz arrangements, funky, and a lot of rock music, including collaborations with Rita Dakota. When I lived in Ukraine, I also dabbled in various styles from rock to hip-hop, including old-school rap, trap, dreel and others. I’ve released and produced a lot of pop music such as “Louie-Louie” and “Little Half”.Also worked with big form in movies – I have about 2- soundtracks to our movies and trailers.
Now I try not to do too many obviously pop compositions, at least not to lose my identity.
In general – I just try not to cycle on one genre! The more you work in a particular style, the more you like it, and you start to become its bright representative in your production niche. On the one hand it’s good, on the other hand – narrow!
For example, there are people who create great DJ tracks, but if you ask them to do something in R&B style with vocals, they can “break down”, not understanding what groups are needed and how to combine all this on timbres, balance and general atmosphere.
Now I prefer atmospheric compositions using pads, as well as rock music. You could say I’m a “polyglot” in musical terms, able to work in different genres.
Plus I decided to “name” my sound on the album “SciFi Blues” – it’s a combination of bass futures, guitar riffs and analog “warm” synths..
Who, in your opinion, is a worthy arranger or producer in the post-Soviet space? Which of the musicians from your region, in your opinion, also deserve recognition for their arrangements and production?
It’s hard to say what my region is, as I’ve been living in Moscow for the last ten years, and I’m not quite aware of what’s happening on the Ukrainian music scene. They have their own musical culture there, closer to indie, according to my observations. I completely switched to the Russian music market, where there is a very big multicultural mix, including influences from the Caucasus, Asia, Georgia and other regions.
Of the arrangers and sound producers who inspire me, I would like to single out Anton Belyaev. His work with Therr Maitz and The LAB is really impressive. He is a very educated musician with an interesting approach. I also like the style of work of Mr. Moroz and Egor Cesarev – they create experimental sound, which is always interesting to listen to.
By the way for Instasamka some secret guy does cool.
The Russian market also has other talented musicians, such as Mikhail Malakhin, Trofim (Elkin sound producer), Moroz, each of them has his own unique style and sound. I don’t think that we don’t know how to make music in Russia – on the contrary, we have a lot of talented people and I respect their works.
Are there any artists or producers you’d like to collaborate with or feel your rapport and working style could match?
Working with MACAN would be great. Even though he represents the new school with his style and lyrics, which are influenced by the old school, including bands like old Kasta, he really stands out. He is influenced by G-Unit and 50 Cent, which is evident in his rhythmic hooks and flow. I really like what he’s reading about and would love to work with him.
By India is a very classy vocalist and musician,
3 Days of Rain – I think we can groovy catch on a common rock wave,
Rompasso – I would like to work with him first of all just as a vocalist.
What aspects of arranging or production do you feel need further improvement or development? In what areas do you feel you have shortcomings or weaknesses?
I have promised myself many times over the past five years that I would take some lessons on the saxophone, as I use it occasionally in my arrangements. However, the fact that I learned to play it was most likely the result of trial and error, as well as the basic knowledge I gained in music school on the transverse flute. Although the fingering on both instruments is similar, the saxophone has many techniques and methods that can only be mastered with the help of an experienced teacher. Even YouTube lessons are no substitute for professional instruction.
In addition, I would like to develop my left hand more when playing the keys. Usually musicians just use their right hand to play by poking the left hand bass with one finger.
But professional pianists can masterfully play both hands in sync. So I’m also considering taking some lessons on keyboard instruments.
Now is the era of artificial intelligence, and it’s important to keep an eye on what’s happening in this field. Many processes are now being automated and simplified thanks to artificial intelligence, and I think it’s important to stay on top of these changes.
