Long-time musician and producer Terry Vibes stopped by for a chat about his musical journey so far, his thoughts on the progression of music tech, and his hopes for the future. Here’s how it went.
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Hi Terry, thanks for the interview! How have you been keeping yourself busy during a largely locked down 2020?
Thanks for having me! I’ve been quite busy working on new Hip Hop instrumentals and Reggae riddims for my website TerryVibes.com, as well as on collaborations with some amazing artists, and of course I’m always trying to find more ways to grow my music production business and reach even more artists.
You’ve been producing music for 20 years now – what have been the main changes you’ve seen within music production that have allowed you to advance the way you create?
The advances in technology within music production these past 20 years have made music-making much more accessible to a lot more people which has both its advantages and disadvantages, but in general it’s much easier now for someone to get started with music production. Still, it’s important to learn how to use the tools you have at your disposal as best as you can, and I always try to improve my craft and learn new techniques that can improve my productions.
What are your current must-haves in terms of DAW, plugins, software?
I used to be a Cubase user but recently I switched to Studio One and I really enjoy using it. And of course I’ve got several plugins and sound libraries etc that I use, depending on what type of Reggae riddim or Hip Hop beat I’m working on at the time.
What’s been one of your most impactful or memorable achievements in music so far?
I’d rather not mention a specific moment, but collaborating with great artists and putting out great music is always an incredible experience.
You’re also something of a music entrepreneur – what other projects are you involved with right now, and how do you stay so motivated and focused with so much going on?
I wanted to expand to other areas of the music business and use my skills and knowledge to help other artists, so I’ve also built some other websites where I offer various services to music artists such as lyric video production on my website LyricsVideo4u.com, music website design on MusicWebsite4u.com, and so on. I really enjoy being able to help artists while at the same time earn an income doing what I love, so that keeps me motivated to keep improving and finding more ways to grow my business.
You’ve played in some bands in the past, is live performance still a part of your plans?
It’s not in my immediate plans but could be something I might consider later on.
What are your thoughts on mainstream music lately, and what would you change about the music industry if you could?
I think that if people spend the time and put in some effort they can discover great music no matter the genre they’re interested in. Mainstream music can be both good and bad, but I think it’s definitely worth it putting in the time to discover new music from lesser known artists, especially since nowadays with platforms such as Spotify, Youtube etc, that’s easier than ever to do.
What’s next for you?
I’m always working on new music and collaborations with artists so stay tuned for more music coming out soon. If you’d like to check out my beats or reach out to me, you can visit my website TerryVibes.com and you can also follow me on Soundcloud, Instagram and Youtube to stay updated on my latest work and productions.
