In this exclusive interview with the talented Craig Oram, we sit down in conversation with him to learn more about his creative background, the processes behind his productions, and his approach towards music production. With a sound that appears both powerful and distinct, offering a unique blend of elements from genres like Indie Dance and Minimal, Craig Oram is emerging on the Electronic Music scene with a determined and enthusiastic attitude that is sure to see him making his mark as he continues building a reputation within the genre.
Hi Craig, pleasure to meet you! How are you?
I am doing fantastic thank you, I hope you are too. I am very grateful to get the opportunity to say a few words here on EDM Sauce.
To start, tell us about your journey into Electronic Music production; what first inspired you to start experimenting with production?
I think I had always been somewhat musically inclined – from learning guitar when I was younger and finding myself singing all the time… which was probably annoying for the people around me.
When I was at university, my good friends around me were learning to DJ and were hosting their own nights in the nightclubs in Aberdeen, this sparked my interest and is when I was told about Ableton.
I wanted to have my own sound and produce my own tracks. I felt when I was at festivals, I was always searching for the exact kind of tunes I really liked, but maybe only liked certain aspects of the music I was hearing. So around 9 years ago, I decided to download the software and learn how to incorporate all my favourite characteristics into my own sound.
How did you learn to produce music?
I’ve never studied anything more than music in my life, if I tried this hard at my engineering degree at uni, I might have managed to finish it!
I learned all the basics through YouTube and then attended courses at Subsine Studios in Glasgow with Simon Stokes. Then, from there, I’d just experiment and often refer back to other courses from the likes of Production Music Live and YouTube again as there is just so much knowledge on there.
Which DAW is your favourite?
I have only used Ableton, and I feel I always will, I love the layout and it’s all I know, Ableton Live’s new update 12 is amazing and I love how it is constantly evolving.
What does your usual production process look like? How do you approach creating a new track?
My tracks usually start in my head, usually with a bassline rhythm. I feel I constantly have a synth sounding in my head and have to get it down into the MIDI keyboard. If not, depending on what my current favourite track is, I may take some aspects of that artist’s production and try to learn what they did to achieve the sound, then put my own twist on it.
Once I have dialled in a solid kick and bass and clap rhythm, I feel the rest of the track just falls into place. I do need long studio sessions to really get into that focused mentality. Then before I know it, it’s like 6 in the morning and I have been producing for 12 hours straight.
How do you find the inspiration to create and produce music? Where do you draw ideas that spark your creativity?
I am constantly searching and enveloping myself in new music, mostly underground artists who don’t get the recognition that they deserve, in my opinion.
My good friends also often inspire me to create a certain track or to remix a track that they think would sound cool– for example, the 450 track I remixed was an idea frommy close friend.
Also, once I am in the studio and have been producing for hours and feel like I am focused and in the creative zone, instinctively I feel like the right sounds or samples just come to me and quite quickly the majority of a track can be completed in one or two lengthy sessions.
What are your favourite plugins and effects?
Most of my sound design will come from Serum, Diva,Sylenth, and often Ableton’s Wavetable.
For mixdown, I will for sure rely on Fabfilter’s bundle, Waves and more recently I’ve been using some emulations of analogue channel strips like SSL 9000, Amek, and Focusrite.
For adding width, I do like to use MAudio’sMStereoSpread, it is fantastic.
Which pieces of equipment would you say are essential to your production process?
To be honest I don’t use a lot of hardware, I just have my Sennheiser headphones and Adams monitors.
As I work abroad on a monthly rotation, a lot of my tracks will start on my laptop.
What would be one piece of advice you would give to another Producer who is trying to break ground in the world of Electronic Music?
Try to enjoy your own music, don’t be too influenced by mainstream music and trust that yours is good enough.
It’s difficult to exceed without a social media presence, so if you aren’t so comfortable about that, seek help from professionals in that area, this can allow you more time to focus on your own craft.
Don’t be afraid to switch things up every so often, the musical possibilities are endless, and you could just be one macro adjustment away from the sound you are trying to achieve.
And most importantly, don’t give up, keep learning and constantly feel the benefits of creating something.
As our interview with Craig Oram comes to an end, we thank him for his time and for allowing us a glimpse into his typical workflow and the techniques he uses to ensure he continues to create impactful music for listeners to enjoy. With the knowledge, skill set, and passion that is sure to see him breaking into new sonic territories, raising the bar even higher with more captivating releases, Craig Oram is no doubt a talent to take note of. So, be sure to remain up-to-date with him by following him across social media.
Craig Oram Online
