Where most producers of modern trance rely on the bright and digital sounds of softsynths like Spire and Serum, some are breaking the mold and utilizing the warm timbres of analog gear in their uptempo, melodic releases. And no producer or group does with a more masterful hand than atDusk, whose recent performance at Insomniac’s Dreamstate festival turned heads and stole the show.
atDusk’s weapon of choice in their studio to achieve the gritty and punchy sonic palette in their music is the Minimoog hardware synthesizer, and to celebrate the many career moves that the duo has made in the past few months alone, we decided to invite them on to do a deep dive into how they use the Minimoog in their own productions.
Who Are atDusk?
atDusk is a trance duo whose career has catapulted into the spotlight, playing massive festivals like EDC and Dreamstate and getting support from some of the biggest names in the industry.
Their spotlight release, SMURF, was recently supported on Armin Van Burenn’s A State Of Trance and has earned even more attention from the masses for its classic vibe and its modern impact.
atDusk philosophy is simple; Absolutely nothing influential or inspirational happens during the day. That’s why both members of atDusk only live after the sun goes down. Forever pushing the boundaries of sound design, this group transcends both time and musical flavor while maintaining an unmistakable retro flavor.
Keep Up With atDusk Here
Learn More About This Synth While Helping Support The Small Team Of Magnetic Writers Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Here
Why is the Minimoog your go-to synth for bass lines?
For sounds, especially low-end sounds about our signature atDusk basslines, we love the Minimoog because it has a classic tone of colorization that stacks well with mid-chain and low-end bass, allowing us to keep our kick tails short and lean in on the warmth that some people refer to as “vaporwave” sounds.
It’s deep, fuzzy, and makes you feel the bass instead of just listening to it.
Which parameters are your favorite to automate for interesting patches?
We use the Model D.
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With this, we are always using all 3 Oscillators at once, and each key can sound up to all three of them, giving individual Pitch, Octave, and manipulation of the waveform, which allows us to create that deep texture of Basslines found in our track “RABBIT HOLE” & “SMURF”.
When you play with different settings, you get different results, and we didn’t make atDusk to sound like every other artist in EDM using Serum and Nexus.
In your opinion, what makes the MiniMoog worth the money?
It’s simple, the textures, the oscillator features, and the warmth it brings when you add the right sound to your “in the box” production, giving your tracks that extra 3D sound that pops and rumbles the dancefloor.
We love using it for breakdowns and stacking on top of other outboard gear!
What plugins do you often use when mixing and processing the MiniMoog?
We are mainly using UAD digital and outboard gear.
Shadow Hills Compressors, Abbey EQ, and other classic tone processing when creating atDusk sound. We try to stick to the philosophy that “do not overproduce” the sound and let the patches speak loud and clear!
What is something about the MiniMoog you wish you had learned earlier?
How to properly use all three oscillators correctly at the same time, manipulating the pitch, and waveform at the same time.
The more time you spend with your loved ones (aka this synth, but don’t tell my wife I said that … lol), the more you open your mind to the endless possibilities of what can be manipulated and how deep this piece of hardware lets you dive in.
Who else uses the MiniMoog in ways you find to be inspiring?
We are big Bruce Swedien fans, and of course, being a Bruce fan comes along with all the classic vibes of Michael Jackson music. He had such excellent bassline mixing and an undeniable rhythm to all MJ tracks focusing on the core dynamics of “let it breathe and let the groove speak for itself.”
Every time someone turns on an MJ tune, like ‘Thriller’ whose bass line was made with the Minimoog, you can’t help but be in a good mood and tap your foot/bob your head. We strive to accomplish that very feeling in every record we produce; that is the authentic atDusk vibe.
Learn More About This Synth While Helping Support The Small Team Of Magnetic Writers Through Our Partnership With Sweetwater Here
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