We are electronic music producers & pancake dealers - Project 46 AMA

Monstercat represent!!

yeee! [tman]

What's your favorite plugin for mastering? Any general tips thereof?

Also, you guys should think about doing an AMA on /r/edmproduction soon!

Izotope, Izotope, Izotope. I absolutly love izotope haha. The most important part of mastering however is your mixdown IMO. That is what will determine how muddy your mix is. [tman]

I was there for your (Ryan) first ever DJ set two summers ago during the daytime at Beta. Me and a few buddies showed up to see if you could spin, and stayed because you sure could. Don't have a question but just wanna say keep up the good work, especially those bomb ass mashups.

Thanks [Ryan]

Would you rather play a concert for 100 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck

Def 1 horse sized duck [tman]

But those Cute ponies D:

the large duck ate all the ponies :( [tman]

damn ducks....[tman]

Do u even compress m8?

how did the compressor get 2 school?

It took the master bus m8

hahahah [tman]

i dont know lol [tman]

yep.. at least 30 db a track haha [tman]

[deleted]

FL studio! Massive, sylenth, Izotope

Is there a story behind "pancakes"?

ryan wanted to do a "freebie friday" I said if your going to call it something stupid might aswell call it "pancake friday" [tman]

tits or ass?

a$$ o.0

Ryan whats your plan for Beta? You going to keep it or sell it?

I always hope to be involved with BETA, its a creation I am very proud of. Sometimes it kinda sucks that I can not spend as much time there but we have an awesome team there [Ryan]

Not hating but I would like to suggest bringing more quality acts in. You guys have gone from a well deserved Top 100 club to a typical University city club with the occasional Top 100 DJ who plays the same shit as everyone else. I know you do bring in some decent acts but nothing like you used to at all. Also, I know prices for decent acts have gone up substantially but I think I speak on behalf of everyone in Waterloo by saying we would happily pay $30 a ticket for a worthwhile show rather than $5 for a meh show. Many tours have been bypassing Waterloo in exchange for London whereas Waterloo used to be the place to be. Just my 2 cents.

$30 x 700 = $21,000 minus HST leaves us with about $18,000. Throw me some suggestions of who we can bring in for $18,000 that people will pay $30 for! The problem with EDM is the acts are very very expensive now, esp when the artists we want to see are signing multi million dollar deals in Vegas!

We are having trouble selling $10 tickets to see Max Vangelli and that show is a $20+ show!

Even London has slowed down ALOT, and things like the Alesso party is a high capacity tent party!

I know Halifax wasn't exactly the best show but any plans to come back? Because I was literally pumped when you guys came If you remember the black guy at the front haha

Halifax was not bad! It was a really cold night and we really have never played there before. We are in a really weird spot right now. We are getting popular but sometimes that does not reach the smaller cities for a while! I hope to come back one day and sell out that room :)

And yes I do remember you, you killed it! :D [Ryan]

What is the best way for self-promotion?

What is your biggest advice to aspiring house artists?

Blogs are amazing. Send out your music to blogs! [tman]

I thought the way that Nicky Romero handled that whole track release incident was completely uncalled for and he came across as a huge douche. Was there any behind the scenes stuff that went on with that that would change my mind about him being a total asshole?

Keep up the great work guys!

everything was pretty transparent! In the end he did not like our use of his song in a mashup and we wont use one of his tracks again! There was better ways for both of us to handle it but its over now! [Ryan]

What do you start with in a new song? The main melody/lead? Percussion?

melody normally [Ryan]

Hey I ran into your personal youtube channel the other day. You showed some pretty neat tips on songs. I lost the channel. Mind telling me the name of the channel? I'm totally interested. Keep up the sweet tunes.

djtmanmusic :) [tman]

If you could collab with any other monstercat artist who would it be

pegboard nerds! [tman]

What's the largest amount of pancakes you've ever had in one sitting, and, if you remember, what did you think while eating said pancakes?

at least 7... cant remember.. fell asleep after haha

Who is your biggest inspiration? And what got you into music?

Big fan since your first Monstercat release!

avicii was a really good inspiration, SHM, kaskade. Ive been doing music since I was really young. always have loved it :) [tman]

What are your opinions on the drug scene in EDM? Love everything you guys produce and I hope to see you guys in NYC soon. Keep up the good work!

I have never done drugs and never plan to. It exists in the scene and some people are into it. Doesnt matter to me either way, as long as people are safe and having fun!

Huge fan and I love pancake fridays!!!!!! Two questions:

1. Who is/are your biggest musical inspirations?

2. Will you be at EDC? (please say yes!)

p.s. I signed up for the extra 100 signed CD's but never got the email, not even in spam. Will you guys be doing another one of these. REALLY wanted that album and was on watch the whole day :(

1. SHM, Avicii, Alesso to name a few
2. I dont know and I hope we are!

Sorry to hear about the email :( .... Its really hard making sure we reach everyone with giveaways... we do our best! [Ryan]

SHM, avicii, kaskade. I have no idea if we will be at edc :S. thanks for the support!! :) [tman]

How are the DubVision guys?

Did you feel you had accomplished something big with the release of You & I?

DubVision is awesome and super talented! We were very happy with how you and I turned out!

What are your favorite kind of pancakes? (plain, banana, chocolate chip, etc...) :3

chocolate chip [Ryan & Thomas]

toilet paper set up over or under?

over lol [tman]

Any plans to come to California? Northern Cali specifically? :D

We are in Sana Ana soon and San Fran.... Not sure if thats close? [Ryan]

April 12 - Santa Ana - Yost April 13 - San Fran - Ruby Syke

how do you guys feel about making it to the big show next week at ultra?! i'm going week 2 and i'm super bummed i won't get to see you perform!

It was deff a feel good moment, Obviously it felt like we accomplished something, excited about playing our smaller shows in Miami just as much. Esp Story w/ Kaskade [Ryan]

Do you guys have any regrets from forming the duo or joining Monstercat?

We owe a lot to where we are from the people we have worked with! No regrets at all and would do it all over again [Ryan]

First song I heard from you guys was Dreaming and I've been hooked ever since, keep it up! Any plans on coming down to Australia?

Really really want to go to aussie, I hope we get booked there soon [ryan]

If you had to choose; would you rather give up music, or pancakes?

Pancakes of course [Ryan]

Where do you usually make music? Cafe, outside, studio, etc...

home studio or on the road! In a basement haha. [tman]

Is Monstercat ever going to have a concert? will you guys ever come to the US?

we play in the Us a decent amount accually. check our Fbook! Im not sure if mcat will do a concert. [tman]

Huge fan here! You guys rock! What kind of music/artists do you guys like to listen to when you are not making your own?

I personally like throwing on a slow jam station when I am in the car, normally I am always listening to other EDM music that its nice to slow things down. Plus as you can tell from our productions we love great vocals as well [Ryan]

Favourite pancake topping?

syrup and chocolate chips :D [Ryan]

What do you guys think about the other genres of EDM, like Dubstep and Moombahton? Do you guys ever plan on creating a track with these type of genres?

I have made a couple elctro tracks for fun haha... Im not really a dubstep of moombahton fan though. :S [tman]

How did you guys first get on monstercat, and go about getting booking agents and all that?

Monstercat was simply a demo to an AR I knew there and the rest of the people like agents, managers, lawyers found us! Its really about building a fan base first and having good music and a demand for it... Then the suits will find you LOL [Ryan]

When are we going to get Project 46 shirts?

On a side note, life's been really shitty the past few weeks. My grandmother had a stroke, and my dad lost his job. Listening to Monstercat really helps get me through the day. Keep up the great work guys and stay awesome!

really sorry to hear about your family issues! Really sucks! I am happy our music is able to help you through it!

We hope to have some merchandise online soon [Ryan]

Any plans for remixing your own stuff? And what keeps you trapped inside? + I'm really loving Reasons with Andrew A. EDIT: Cinema or a Streaming service such as Netflix?

We might rework some older stuff for our live sets and thanks for the kind words about reasons! Cinema fosho [Ryan]

mm never really thought about it.. maybe a chill version of you and i? [tman]

Do you have facial hair?

negative. [tman]

Do you lose much money releasing most of your stuff for free? You guys are awesome, thanks.

I dont know if we lose money, I think the exposure might outweigh the money coming in . . . Plus we are both still eating so we are happy! :D [Ryan]

What is your opinion of your "rival" (more like a bro friendship lol" of Hellberg. You two are the most long term house producers in Monstercat and what do you think of him? Favorite song by him?

hellberg is a great producer! I accually talk to him and we go back and forth on skype from time to time! [tman]

What has been your favorite venue to play at? Side note, I loved your performance at New City Gas! Keep up the great work on those phat pancakes!

New city gas was a really fun show! Avalon hollywood and beta waterloo were also really good... and that one show in taiwan haha [tman]

[deleted]

takes along time to get good! put the time in!

How long do you plan to stay with Monstercat? Why did guys choose to start out with Monstercat?

forever. Mcat is amazing and I love them. They are a phenomenal label that has been growing in size and legitamacay since day 1. They are amazing to their artists aswell! [tman]

Hey guys! Great music, keep it up! My question is: It seems that house music can be rather formulaic at times, how do you mix it up? How do you make sure that each song of yours stands out? How do you go about trying to achieve a unique sound in a genre where a lot of people sound the same? Thanks a million and, since I'm here, shameless plug: https://soundcloud.com/zerxes

But really, you guys are great producers and you always manage to deliver great music. Keep up the amazing work :D

Im a huge fan of vocals, slight modifications in arrangement, and sound design. Make the track a "song" that has meaning, [tman]

100%. Make a track a song... Something timeless! I think thats what separates a lot of music that lasts forever [Ryan]

are you guys going to ever come to new york and dj??

We have played in NYC more than any other city thus far! In New Jersey in April and hoping to be back in NYC soon as well [Ryan]

Favorite hangout spot in Vancouver?

I was at celebrities yesterady! looks great in there. and cafe crepe haha [tman]

Have you guys ever thought about going outside of your normal productions as a duo and release something completely different?

We do make a lot of stuff that never gets heard that is a lot different. I think you might see an album soon that has a lot of these sounds [Ryan]

How was working with avicii?

never worked with Tim. It was a bootleg. We used the stems of Avicii x U and created a track with them! We added a lot of our own elements including a vocal! Thought it would be a cool thing to do since it was an open collaboration [Ryan]

Just want to thank Ryan for his contribution to Beta and Waterloo's EDM scene. Thanks for so many good parties, man! <3

Glad to be able to help introduce EDM to Waterloo :D Such an amazing city [Ryan]

Hey there Project 46 ! Been a huge fan ever since you first released slide on monstercat about a year ago ! Was just wondering what tips you had for a 15 year producer ? When do you guys start ?

I started with guitar piano etc when i was in highschool, production around 4 years ago. Just keep working at it, following tutorials online etc. youtube is your best friend for that kind of thing. [tman]

Your 15 man, you have all the time in the world! If you love making music, keep doing it and have fun doing it. The more time you spend in the studio the better you will get! Watch lots of tutorials online and just have fun while working hard and in a few years you will be a force to reckon with [Ryan]

You guys are way too nice for giving away so many freebies :)

Who are some artists you would want to do a collab with?

kaskade was a huge one. I really like emma hewitt aswell! [tman]

What would you guys do as a profession if you were not music producers? Btw, thanks for shipping out the 100 albums! I got lucky!

I used to work at costco! that is where i saved up money for my home studio. I also dj'd at a pub. [tman]

Would you ever consider doing a collab with deadmau5?

of course! he makes great music. [tman]

My answer is No [Ryan] but I probably would hahaha

Now that you guys have started to take off in the EDM community, are you gonna go on a North American tour or anything of that sort?

We are playing alot of shows across NA. We might do a full on constant tour in the future, [tman]

What is it like being with Monstercat? (IMO great guys, I got a free lanyard and a CD from you because of their giveaways)

Truth be told they are our giveaways :) , however monstercat is an amazing label and does a great job supporting and developing artists!

Huge fan of your work!!! Saw you guys at Vessel couple weeks ago, you guys killed it!

Hey thanks so much!

How did you get your name and what inspires you to think of new songs? Are they just put together or do you spark up song ideas?

I get alot of inspiration int he shower and just randomly riffs will pop in my head haha. Sometimes we build songs off of vocals too. [tman]

music guilty pleasure? love you guys!

I like Taylor Swift [Ryan]

Communism or liberalism?

Pancakeism. [tman]

How has being a music artist changed your life and did you always have an interest in creating music?

always! Ive found my life now is focusd around inspiration and staying on track! Also alot of flying haha. [tman]

What is it like producing as a duo? I never imagined anything like it (maybe one does a part of the track and the other doing another part)?

Its all about bouncing ideas off each other and just listening to eachother [Ryan]

How did you two meet?

a mutual friend introduced us and skype did the rest [ryan]

Does playing at Beta feel like playing at home for you guys?

For me yes [Ryan]

However I am sure Thomas has a slight home feeling being there even though playing Vancouver is prob his fav

Do you guys ever hangout with anyone else in the edm industry. not to make amazing songs but just to eat some pancakes or somthing?

yeah of course. its always cool hanging out with ppl we are working on tracks with or have run into at shows etc. [tman]

Just came to say hi... love monstercat :)

hi :) [Ryan]

What would you say was your "climax" for popularity so far? And how did you feel when it happened?

I think its kinda all been a snowball effect, nothing just happens fast and we put out a lot of material and work really hard! [Ryan]

I do think when the Kaskade collab comes out it might help some of our stuff go a bit more viral

How does it feel to have your club burned down by crackheads?

It was a blessing in the end! Got out of a crappy business partnership and would not have had BETA or met Thomas if that did not happen! Some things happen for a reason! [Ryan]

What appears to be Chaos now may be the change you need in your life!

As a person who is interested in producing music on his spare time, how would I get my start? How did you guys get your start (programs, equipment etc..)?

Thanks for doing this! :)

Id say pick your program and get to know it as well as you can. we started on FL and still use it. Its great. a fast computer really helps too [tman]

What program do you guys use when performing live?

cdj 2000's + USB

Are you guys open to collabs with vocalists/producers not on a label or with management? See you guys tomorrow night in Calgs!!

of course. We judge vocals purely by talent and not by politics. [tman]

What gave you the enthusiasm to begin a hobby/career in music?

Just the straight up love for music. Something that has always been a part of me and I have always enjoyed and loved doing :) [tman]

Are you writing any non-house tracks?

we are always experimenting with different genres. I personally love trance! [tman]

Not much to ask, just sayin' you guys are chill as hell. Keep up the gorgeous work.

Thanks so much [Ryan]

where can we send you demos?

info@project46 dot com

What advice would you give a fellow house-producer starting out? I have the basics (nexus 2 + dance volume 1, FLS10 producer, a couple sample packs from vengeance) where do I go from there?

Its all about composition once you get the basics.. then combining that with interesting sound design. [tman]

Huge fan here, there isn't a single song you guys have made that I don't love :) i thoroughly enjoy studio tours, if you guys could do one, that would be awesome!

nice! glad to hear! hopefully we will do one soon [tman]

Are you continually thinking of new songs to create or do you normally sit down in the studio and try to hammer something out and turn it into something of substance and worth?

yeah all the tiem for sure. Sometimes Ill be out somewhere and sing a riff into my phone to record later.... the usually suck.. but sometimes they are gold! [tman]

both to be honest! We literally have an album or 2 of music just sitting around. Deciding what to do with it all! Maybe an album release or just keep picking singles! [Ryan]

What has been the best thing to happen to you guys since you started producing and what's your personal favorite P46 track? I'm partial to "Reasons" myself. Anyway, thanks for doing this AMA! I love you guys. You are my personal kings of House on Monstercat.

My personal fav tracks are No One and One Last Chance with Kaskade! Also have an amazing piece in the works with Swanky Tunes [Ryan]

Next time you come to Boston, mind doing it at a club that allows entry to 21 and under? Pretty please? Your music is awesome and it sucks to not be able to come see you guys spin.

its all up to the promoters :S Canada is 19+ though! road trip? [tman]

YO TELL AVERY HE'S A BITCH FOR ME!!

Avery is a bitch for everyone! [Ryan] :D

done. [tman]

I haven't listened to much of your music, but i will definitely listen to it more often now! :3 My question.... hm.. How did you guys meet up with eachother and/or Monstercat? Out of all the other musicians in Monstercat, who's your favorite? Do you plan on performing in Buffalo, NY any time soon?

-Shiro :D

(PS: You're gonna need a LOT more pancakes... the fans eat dem all very quickly :c)

we met through a mutual friend! fav monstercat artist.. pegboard nerds? they are all so good haha. [tman]

Who are you?

Why are we. [tman]

what was it like to work with Kaskade and do you have plans to work with anyone in the future? Also, <3 you guys!

Kaskade was amazing to work with, such a nice guy and super talented! Working with some people now that you will find out about soon =D [Ryan]

Thanks for your 1 in 100 signed album!! :D :D

Excited to play in Calgary on Friday?

What kind of hardware do you guys bring to your sets?

Yes I am excited about Friday. Literally just got my Air Canada email to check in! Going to be a lot of fun! Headphones and a USB stick :D

We rely on the club having CDJ2000s and a DJM900 Nexus

a question in regards to writing music and arrangements.. would you say its much easier to work on something that already has a hook or main melody? Is it ever a good idea to make music when you have no idea what the main melody is?

depends. once you have a hook you can easily form a song around it. Sometimes its nice to just build from nowhere and see where it goes. [tman]

If you could tour a country, which would you choose?

canada or US [tman]

Have you ever got inspiration for a song from something in nature, like a sloth?

The athabascan water pheasant. [tman]

Hi! Im from Portugal and im a fan of your music and i saw that you guys are going to Ultra fest in Miami, im going too! Can I meet you guys!? :D

We will spend some time after the set saying hi to people! So fore sure! Excited to meet you! [Ryan]

If you see us around say hi! should be a great time [tman]

How are you feeling about your new track release? Did it come out exactly as you planned? Anything you wished that you would have tweaked up to your desire?

def my fav track weve ever made. Im super happy with the release and hope to see it do well in the charts! [tman]

What is your most used and favorite VST?

Paramateric EQ2 FL studio haha [tman]

when are you guys going to play Beta Waterloo again ? :)

I dont know, maybe September or Jan 2014. [Ryan]

Would you ever come to Hawaii?

Sounds like a dream, sign me up! [ryan]

I've been a huge fan or a while ! Been a sub of Monstercat since launch week. Enough of the fanboying; If you could live on one food for the rest of your life, what would it be ? And cats.... Or dogs ?

Chinese Food and Cats.... LOL joking! I am a dog fan and would have to say chicken! [Ryan]

Hey Project 46! Love you guys, gotta ask, how were you feeling when you came up with Reasons? Love that song, always gets me so happy.

Reasons kinda happened by accident. A skype session that was very short. I thin Reasons (prevox) took 3-4 hours and than the first vox we received for it from Andrew was perfect! [Ryan]

We were super excited because we just got andrew allens vocal and it was amazing! [tman]

Why are you so cute? :3 But really love your stuff since the beginning keep er up eh!

Thanks :D [Ryan]

haha, thanks :) [tman]

How did you guys start making EDM? There seems to be this big intimidating wall preventing people from starting

I transferred from acoustic style music (piano guitar singing) into EDM. I was introduced through a friend at school and one i worked with [tman]

Who would you say are your inspirations, musically and otherwise?

Personally I like personal fitness I find it clears my head and when i sit down in the studio i am full of inspiration. Musically just listening to different genres (country, acoustic, jazz) really broadens the musical arsenal [tman]

Big Fan of your music! Thanks for the AMA!

1) Who is your favorite electronic music producer right now, and who is your favorite non-electronic music producer?

2) How did you like working with DubVision? How did you guys get together with them in the first place?

3) If you could pick any producer to collab with, who would it be?

4) Did Reasons ever hit #1 on Beatport? I can't remember.

Thanks again!

Fav electronic is really tough.. pegboard nerds are sick though haha. Non electronic i really like rise against and shinedown and james blunt. 2. dubvision is amazing. spinnin hooked us up with the guys and the track went great 3. kaskade was an amazing collab... i think i always wanted to work with him. 4. yep! thanks! :) [tman]

Do you think if you guys ever make it to Maine we could chill together? :) Would be a dream come true.

If we come to Maine, be sick to meet at a show! We normally like to hang out before or after our set and meet people [Ryan]

What is your goal for music?

For example: ours is to synchronize the emotions we emit though our records using sounds and pattern organization with the emotions felt by the audience when they hear each track.

Depends on the song. usually we approach our goals lyrically and try and relate the lyrics to how we feel at a given point in time. [tman]

Been following you guys for over a year, and have been sharing your music ever since! Keep up the good work!

My question is...are you guys ever going to finish and release that Can't Sleep remix? (The 'so far' edit sounded good!)

there is a very small chance we will.. we have so much new stuff in the works [tman]

Why aren't EDM, Electro and other similar genres played on the radio much? It's probably the fastest growing genre out there!

hmm... my guess is more ppl are still on to top 40 music? it prob sells better still too.. one day edm might take over! [tman]

Ryan - I met you at Guv once and you were like, go see this guy named Avicii at Skybar he's gonna be huge, and I was like, pfft whatever man.

i lol'd [tman]

Ha ha... Well I was right I guess [Ryan]

KFM- Going Quantum, ephixa, stephen walking. GO

haha... i cannnnt [tman]

To you personally, when you take a shit, what constitutes a great shit?

not being in an airport lol [tman]

or airplane [tman]

Do you guys ever think you will do a concert in Phoenix, Arizona?

I think so! refer to fbook events! [tman]

Will you guys ever release an album which people could buy, instead of just give aways?

Yeah we are talking about a really cool album idea .... Its gonna be cool [Ryan]

How many blunts do you guys smoke a day?

We dont do drugs of any kind. [tman]

its not really my thing! nothing agaist it esp in Colorado but not something I choose to partake in! [Ryan]