Self-titled album streaming everywhere now.

My name is Mike McKew and I’m a musician and producer from the Washington D.C. area. I produce indie rock and electronic music. I just released a new album called ‘Motion’ which you can stream here and on all other major streaming platforms. Please drop me a follow on Spotify if you enjoy it—new music is coming soon! You can also follow me on Instagram and on Twitter to see what I’m up to.

What are your inspiration sources?

My inspiration comes from all around me. Sometimes I’ll have a thought pop into my head, be it a lyric or a melody or a beat, and it could be totally random or inspired by whatever my current environment is. I’ve also done the classic musician thing of waking up with something in my head, and rushing to the nearest instrument or notebook to try to extract it! I actually find a lot of value in working without inspiration—it won’t always be around, so sometimes you have to “force it” for lack of a better term (that doesn’t mean you get to sacrifice quality). Try reading a book, looking at a picture or other piece of art, listening to other music, etc… There’s beauty all around us!

Tell us something about your workflow.

It’s varied! But one of my core principles is to work quickly and decisively. We are so lucky to live in an era with things like nondestructive editing, huge amounts of storage space, virtually unlimited sounds and effects at our fingertips, and everything else we get to utilize. So take advantage of it! That means learn your tools and don’t be afraid to experiment.

How would creative rituals benefit your workflow?

I wouldn’t say I really have any rituals, actually. One could almost say that the process of music-making is a ritual in itself!

How do you get in the zone?

Just start. Sometimes it can feel like a huge mountain is in front of you when looking at an empty DAW session (or even clicking the little icon to open it up), but I personally find that just getting in there and doing ANYTHING can get me into the zone pretty quickly.

How do you start a track?

Like I said above, sometimes I have an idea to start—a melody, lyric, or vague chord progression. I’ll get whatever I have into my session and build from there. Oftentimes, though, I go in with nothing. When I do that, I’ll often start with one element, such as a cool sound. I’ve made songs where I load up a string patch and hit record, and play a random chord progression with no preconceived idea. I’m not a keyboard player, but I can do basic triads and inversions easily enough. I figure out the key of the song afterwards, and go from there! Finally, as a guitar player, I often have full songs written on guitar before they even make it into the digital realm. Those are actually the hardest to record, for whatever reason.

Do you have a special template?

I didn’t until recently, and I’m not sure I like it actually! I use Pro Tools and Reason mainly (also learning Studio One), and of course every DAW will allow you to load a template in place of a blank session. Maybe it’s a mindset thing, but opening up a session with things pre-loaded just feels cluttered to me. Maybe somewhat related, but I do try to separate the production stage from the mixing stage as much as possible. I used to be a fan of “mixing as you go” but I find that delineating between the stages improves the final result.

What do you put on the master channel?

I mix into a bus compressor of some sort. In Reason, I use the built-in SSL bus compressor. In Pro Tools, I’ve recently been using PuigChild 670, a Fairchild emulation from Waves. Beyond that, the other mainstays are some sort of tape emulation, then Tonal Balance Control from iZotope is last in the chain. Other things come and go as needed, such as Neutron 2 from iZotope. I’ll note here that I use Ozone 8 Advanced in standalone mode to master tracks. I don’t master in the main session file anymore (I used to do that quite a lot). I’ve found this change to help my sound overall—again, separating the steps!

How do you arrange and finish a track?

It’s all about the ebb and flow—dynamic changes are key! That said, when I structure out a song, it’s a whole lot of copy/paste and duplication. There is no shame in that; music is repetitive by nature so in my opinion it’s necessary. What you do after that is the difference: start adding new elements in certain parts, and taking out elements in others. I also don’t mind veering off course and going to something completely new within a song. One helpful thing I like to do is start the song from the beginning and focus on thinking about “where it should go.” If I’m working linearly (e.g. if I start with an intro, have a verse, and now need a chorus) this is especially helpful. I usually find that there is a natural place to go from wherever I left off.

How do you deal with unfinished projects?

I keep them. Storage is cheap, so I don’t see a reason not to! I often will start a new session with just an idea, and I just get the idea in there and move on with the intention of returning eventually. I’m basically using the DAW as a scratchpad in that sense. The key here is actually returning to those files eventually. Making music doesn’t have to be a marathon, it can also be a relay race (my analogies are failing me here). As in, it’s okay to work on things piecemeal as well, instead of all at once. Both methods have pros and cons.

How do you store and organize your projects?

I run everything off of a 2 TB external hard drive. I have a folder called “Audio production” which has a folder in it called “Session files” then each DAW has a folder. I use two DAWs mainly: Pro Tools and Reason. In Pro Tools, the next layer is a folder for each artist I have sessions for, then albums, then songs. In Reason, I have a main session folder and a finished session folder. The main session folder is divided into genres or moods (this is a recent change, a lot of things still need to be organized). The “Finished” folder has things separated by album or other delineation. It’s a bit convoluted, but it works for me. I’m always looking for easier methods of organization, so this all might change in the near future.

How do you take care of studio ergonomics?

I only keep out what I need. My desk is perfect for what I do, although it wasn’t built specifically for music production. It’s three-tiered, with the bottom level sliding out for keyboard and mouse. “Main level” is for MIDI controller and various other doodads, and top level is for my laptop, external monitor, and USB hub. My small rack is to my right, and guitar is to my left. Everything is easily within reach. I try to keep things clean and free of clutter, because not doing so just slowly drives me crazy.

Tell us something about your daily routine, how is your day structured, how do you make room for creativity?

That’s the biggest challenge, isn’t it? I don’t wake up super early, usually around 8 am on average. Structure totally varies depending on the day—I am a student, so my class schedule is different throughout the week. I give myself plenty of time in the morning, enough time to drink tea, make breakfast, and take a shower. I go for a run if the weather is favorable. Sometimes I’ll open up my DAW during these morning hours and bust out an idea, just to get something in. As for making room for creativity, I make it a priority. Our lives are busy, but I think we all have more time than we realize. I try to cut out the riffraff and do what I love instead!

Share a quick producing tip.

The most broad producing tip I can give, and it’s something I try to live by when producing: if it sounds good, it is good. It sounds obvious, but it’s so easy to get caught up in the specific settings of this EQ or that compressor. The truth is, no listener cares about that stuff—they only care if it sounds good or not (of course, they have to like the music as well). So forget all these people saying, “never boost, only cut” or, “never have more than X amount of gain reduction on your compressor.” Each situation is different, and it needs to be approached as such. It’s fine and even preferable to have general ideas about what works and what doesn’t, but never do anything by default.

Share a link to an interesting website (doesn’t have to be music related).

Perhaps many people have been here before, but Wait But Why has some very detailed and insightful articles. They’re also funny!

List ten sounds you are hearing right this moment : )

Ah, I live in a very quiet part of a forest so this is difficult! My acoustic Spotify playlist, the fan on my laptop (ugh), my keyboard typing these words, ambient white noise from my room, wind/trees outside… and that’s it really! I don’t like a lot of noise, so I’m actually glad I can’t get to ten. : )

Mike McKew

I recently released an album called Motion, and I wanted to share the space where it was produced. You can find the album here and I would be honored if you checked it out!

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