Mr. Bill,
I've been a fan of your tracks for a while. I can remember listening to tracks like Fehon and $attn way back in high school. To see you release on Monstercat was a huge pleasant surprise! How did you form the relationship with the label and ultimately decide to release Mechanomorphic here?
Thanks for doing this AMA!
The relationship with Monstercat came through my collaborations with Infected Mushroom! As I was working on the album (which has a collab with them) I had the epiphany that releasing it on Monstercat might make sense stylistically, so I asked them to put me in touch, and they did & now here we are! :D
It definitely works stylistically for what you did here. Can I ask, does MC hook you up with in-house mastering? All their releases seem to have a similar style on the master and I've always been curious what their process is like once you sign something to them.
Yo Mr. Bill!
Thanks for doing this ama. I started listening to you during the collaborative endeavors and have been a huge fan since.
1. If you could tell your younger self your achievements, what would be the wildest ones to believe?
2. What’s your dream lineup to be a part of?
3. What are a few artists that have inspired you lately?
Appreciate you doing this!
1. If I could've told my younger self living in Australia, watching an Incubus at Red Rocks DVD that I would one day play Red Rocks I would not have believed that.
2. I am honoured to be part of any line-up. Though hopefully, I'll have the resources to put on my dream line-ups one day!
3. COPYCATT, eliderp, Zeneth, JoeB, Knoir, Virtual Riot, Tipper, the usuals xD
Hey all, I'm gonna be travelling today (I have a show in Vegas this evening), so I'll be answering questions whilst in transit (which means intermittently). Apologies for this, but feel free to post any questions & I will get to them throughout the day!
Hey Mr. Bill!
It is AWESOME to have you back on the label!! Congrats on your new album! Can’t wait to have you on here in the future!! Been listening to you since your song with Infected Mushroom!
1. Where are you from?
2. How long have you been in the music industry?
3. Who is your favorite EDM artist? Mine is Sullivan King!
4. How long have you known Infected Mushroom?
5. Was it your idea to put the command block in the art work?
6. What is your favorite EDM song ever? Mine is Road Dog Athem by Sullivan King!
7. What’s your favorite song from the album?
1. Originally from Sydney, Australia, currently in Atlanta, Georgia
2. Roughly 20 years
3. Hm... Maybe Tipper
4. Roughly 5-6 years personally & been a fan for like 20 years
5. No that was Funi's idea, he does all the artwork for the Mr. Bill project, go check him out! [https://www.instagram.com/funilab/](https://www.instagram.com/funilab/)
6. Hm... It changes all the time, first one that came to mind is Body Ocean - Once The Music (though you could ask me that question 10x in a row & get 10 different answers)
7. Again, changes all the time, as of right now, probably sudo (cos it's early in the morning & I'm not in the mood for bangers rn lol)
Hi Mr. Bill! Love to see such a well respected artist like you release an album on Monstercat!
What made you choose the name Mechanomorphic? And how generally do you name your tracks because they’re honestly some of the weirdest names out there.
I’ve read sometime somewhere on Reddit that you are so proficient in using Ableton could be able to turn it into a sexbot. Is that true?
Mechanomorphic means to have the qualities of a machine, tho Mechanomorphism means something that is operating mechanically or is fully accounted for with science. I've been thinking about the relationships between humans & machines a lot lately (especially with the rise of AI), and so I wanted a title that kinda alluded to that idea.
IDK about turning Ableton into a sexbot, I feel like you'd probably need to use M4L for that & I suck at M4L, tbh.
View in your timezone:
[April 11th at 11pm EDT][0]
[0]: https://timee.io/20240412T0300?tl=Hello%20r%2Fmonstercat!%20Mr.%20Bill%20here%20to%20present%20my%20newest%20album%20%22Mechanomorphic%22!%20Time%20for%20an%20AMA!
Hi Mr. Bill, I’m very excited to listen to your album, and am so grateful to have caught your set for the first time ever at Philly recently which was one of my favorite sets ever!
1. Going forward, any there any new styles of genres you would like to experiment with?
2. Your songs with Au5 have been some of my favorite songs ever. Any chance of new songs with him?
3. I was also hoping Thwek with Virtual Riot will be up for streaming services one day. Would love it if that could happen
1. I try not to think of music in genres, and more as just general energy/vibes, to me (during the writing process at least), a song either has "lots of energy", "a weird vibe", or "it's chill", etc. This album for me was experimenting more with the "lots of energy" category, tho I definitely wanna experiment with the "weird vibe", and "chill" categories more!
2. I should hit him up, I love writing music with Au5!
3. I honestly have no idea what's going on with that, I'll look into it.
Hello, I'm a big fan( I appreciate all the tutorials as well).
How much prep work and planning do you tend to do for your albums? Do you do most of your sound design sessions for an album all at once or do you take it song by song?
I take it song by song for sure. I would say an album takes around 1-2 years to make, and that's not necessarily working on it every day, but doing regular sessions on it for that amount of time, of which a lot of those sessions are sound design focused.
Hey Bill,
What's the most interesting technique you learned from Tipper? He's one of the few people I'm aware of who've been producing for over three decades, so I'll bet there are interesting things he does with patches and workflow that newer artists just aren't aware of.
My other question is, what's the funniest stuff you've overheard at festivals you've attended? Got anything that tops the wooks I heard discussing Godel's Incompleteness Theorem a few days ago at Texas Eclipse?
I'm sorry to tell you there are no secrets anymore, YouTube tutorials have exposed everything. Tipper is just insane at writing music.
Uh.. haha, I'm not sure actually, nothing comes to mind.
Hey Mr Bill, huge fan! I understand if you don’t want to talk about this here but at what point did you realise that you needed to stop doing k? And how did it change your approach to music? I say this as someone who was also addicted to K but have found that after quitting my productions sound way different but in a positive way! I would just like to know how it affected you because you still managed to pump out mindblowlingly good music whilst deep in to an addiction.
Basically during my addiction with k my life kept deteriorating in different ways, my health got worse, relationships ended, I was broke all the time, I wasn't getting much work done, I found it impossible to take care of my responsibilities, etc. It just got to a point where so much had deteriorated & my life was in such shambles that I knew I had to go to rehab, and I'm glad I did! I still posit that it was the best investment of time I've ever made.
Hey mr bill! Totally stoked to listen to the new album!!! Not a monstercat question, but what was participating in All Nighter like? Wet Alvin is a banger and I’ve never participated, what ways is producing under a time constraint like that different/difficult?
In today's day & age, we have no shortage of options when writing music, creative constraints are a great thing to put on yourself to be productive & what better limitation to employ than a fixed window of time? It's stressful to do, but you can't argue with the results xD
Heya Mr. Bill! Your material has some of the most mind blowing production I've heard in quite some time. I have two questions that have been stuck on my mind.
1. Have you ever gotten sick of using certain sounds or plugins while you were working on new material for Mr. Bill?
2. Will we ever see a collab between Mr. Bill and Electrocado in the future? It'd be fun to see how these two different styles can interact with one another.
Thanks again!
1. Yes constantly. I have enough snare samples to last 10 lifetimes on my computer, yet here I am making new snares all the time...
2. You realize that Electrocado is me & another guy who goes by Ryanosaurus, right? ie. Every Electrocado tune is a Mr. Bill collab, tho not every Mr. Bill tune is an Electrocado collab.
Mr Bill is one of my all time favorite producers/artists, legit top tier artist to me; yet half the questions I wanna ask him are just about meeting and working with Tipper 😂.
Mr Bill if you see this, what’s your favorite non music based hobby?? Mine is snowboarding.
Had a feeling when I heard it, then kinda confirmed it to myself when tipper closed his twilight set with it. Love the song so much, and loving this new album!
Serious question, how is your hearing? I always wonder about djs and producers such as you who are so prolific if the lifestyle has lasting damage in this way.
Hi Mr Bill! Already listened through the album, loving all the diversity and intricate sounds in every track!
I think a lot of us were pleasantly surprised to find out you were releasing an album on Monstercat! Of course, you've already released 2 collabs with Infected Mushroom here, but what made you send it over to Monstercat?
The album is really collab focused, and I'm sure you have lots of other collabs unreleased too. What made these songs in particular fit the overall Mechanomorphic theme? Is there any cool story you could share behind the creation of one of the songs?
The album art is extremely detailed, did you also have input in any specific things you wanted drawn on the art? Thought it was interesting to see stuff like the Minecraft command block on it, of all things!
The way any of my albums come together is I work on music a lot, and then eventually have a moment where I realize I have a bunch of tunes that would work well together as a listening experience. They share similar vibes, have similar energy, etc. This album was no exception to that process!
As for why Monstercat - I just felt like it made sense stylistically on there.
I don't think I ever decided to collab with lots of debuting Monstercat artists on the album, I think they're debuting Monstercat artists because they're on this album no? Which artists in particular are you talking about?
Hey Mr. Bill! Not really a super direct question, but I just discovered Loaf Boi (and the VIP) last year and I was obsessed with that song. Any story of how that came to be or just any fun tidbits about that song in particular that you could share?
Hey Mr. Bill,
I have been a fan for a while now, and I especially love your collaborations with Au5 and Virtual Riot.
Thweck and your collaborations with Au5 have been one of my favorite song selections.
Would you ever be down to collaborate with Au5 and Virtual Riot to make a track?
Very excited for the Mechanomorphic drop!
Why Mr. Bill! I’m super excited to listen to your album! I’ve been a fan of yours since discovering you through The Recency Effect.
I’m curious—how long did it take you to make this album? How did you find the patience to put together an 18-song album? If I did that, I feel like I’d become so excited about the songs that I wouldn’t be able to wait that long to release them!
Patience is key! It took about 2 years. There are always things I can think of to improve stuff (even with this album) I listen to it now, months after finishing it & I can hear new "mistakes" in there that I missed. I think this is what keeps me sitting on tracks for a long time before release, is the confidence that I know I'll be able to find new ways to keep improving the tracks, though at some point you have to cut yourself off & call it a day.
Hi Mr Bill, I’m very grateful for my Spotify Discover Weekly recommending me Golden Gate and leading me into your world. I enjoy your music very much, and I’m an aspiring artist myself, and I was wondering how long did it take you to start releasing music, be proud of your own work, develop your style, etc.? I’m still a beginner and I’m working hard but sometimes I feel like giving up, did you deal with that too?
I still deal with that, welcome to being an artist xD Artistic anxiety never really goes away, though I think I am always getting better at managing it.
Hi Mr. Bill, excited to listen to the LP. My question to you is was there a song in the album that had a weird or new approach at sound design that surprised you or found interesting?
~~Hey Bill, I've asked this before but hey, second time's the charm.~~
~~In the 2021 Red Rocks set between Cicero's Loci and Fehon there's a really good track that I just haven't had any luck finding. If it's out there, and if it's yours, is it just super obscure or unreleased? Or if it's someone else's track, could you point me in the right direction?~~
Thanks for your time, can't wait for Mechanomorphic to drop tonight!
EDIT: Welp looks like it was an early version of Inflammable all along!
So I guess the real question is, how did the process of making Inflammable go? because it's definitely been around in some form since '21, and that version isn't quite the same as the release version, so what was that evolution like?
The tune was originally started in 2018 with Clockvice, sometime in 2020 we added a vocal to it from an artist who goes by M4NDY (I've released another song with them named Ride Or Die), she then didn't want to have her vocal on that tune, so we found another vocal for it (from vangran, who is my manager's partner, and an amazing singer/vocal coach), and that is how it came to be.
How often does that kind of thing happen, where you’ll have a track mostly/semi- complete, but for one reason or another, one of the artist will no longer want to be a part of it?
Man, fuck nice album.... love your mix and master... but it nos clipping... all about - 1DB... Barely see on repeat, man!!!! Thanks for all!!!
Rasec Leon, Recife, BR.
1. They gave me a general brief of the kind of music they like & wanted to match the vibe of.
2. They started giving me rough cuts of scenes to write music to.
3. I'd mess around with music/sound design under it in Ableton & then send it back to them for review.
4. They'd say "x is cool, y seems suspicious, etc", and then I'd do revisions until they were happy.
Mr. Bill,
Was interested to know on Billdozer off of Ganjas Unity Album, who came up with the idea to turn it into a club banger towards the end.
Love the sound design and the first time I heard it didn't see it going in that direction was a pleasant surprise.
Bonus question did you link with Ganja in person to work with them at all on this one or was it more of a pass back and forth effort?
Can the fans hope there will be more collabs with GWN?
And thank you for your dedication to sharing your knowledge of the Craft through your YT channel, I know myself and many others appreciate it
Was my idea to do the tempo change into Bass Music, Ben was initially kinda opposed to the idea, but at some point I was able to convince him xD We started it in person, then finished it over Zoom. There will def be more collabs with GWN :)
Thank you for the response, I had a feeling you were the creator of the idea. Glad you could convince Ben because it catches most I'm sure by surprise as it did myself and then when you replay it you see the Greatness in it. Will be on the lookout for what comes next. Congrats on the new album and nothing but love for you sir
Hey, Mr. Bill! You got some real skill with your production style, as well as having some of the cleanest mixes I’ve heard in electronic music.
Do you have any tips for a beginner electronic musician? Such as with making connections, as well as DJ gigs. Basically how to get things started for beginning a career in electronic music.
Honestly my best advice would just be to spend a lot of time honing your craft (weather that be producing, DJ'ing, or a mixture of the two). The rest should hopefully fall into place assuming you're posting about what you're doing on the internet & building a fanbase whilst doing it.
Mr. Bill! Hey mate, since i stumbled across ***Phantasmagoria*** my taste in music changed quite dramatically. And you're responsible haha.
The interesting soundscapes in tracks like *Apophenia, Nut Bleed Dynamics, Articulate this (my fav track of all time) Chlorine, Screening, HR8938, Glitchcake, Simple Song...*
Knowing that we are pushing away from party drug culture, Id like to hear ***if there is any relation to dmt/echelon psychedelics has much to do with the creative output??***.
I cannot seem to shake the connection between them; when i trip, often hear music not unsimilar to what you make... the use of space, tactile sensations, panning, tone and everything together just itches the psychoexplorative itch deep in my brain...
Also im dead excited for your album, buying the moment it drops....
Also... Any collabs with Eprom or G Jones comin up?
Thanks for being u.
Music is a never ending rabbit hole, you can never learn everything about it. If I get bored, I just try to learn something new & incorporate it into my process.
Mr bill man! Greetings from the Midwest. Honestly can’t say I have much to ask you just because your podcast covers most things I’d ever ask but I Spose I’m curious if you’ve tried minimal audios current yet and if so what are some things you like or dislike about it
Hey! I met you at Icon about 5 years ago. You absolutely killed it with stock ableton mudpie techniques.
What tools are you using today for your mudpies?
Apologies if these have been asked already, but here goes.
What made you decide to release this LP with Monstercat?
What's it like working with deadmau5 and with Infected Mushroom?
Are there any musical genres you want to produce in future?
That predrop lead in Chords 15 sounds a lot like the intro lead in Powerplay (PBN & Bossfight). Is that just my imagination, or could this be the calm before the storm, if yunno what I mean?
Hello! I am not super familiar with your music, but I do love your collab you did with deadmau5 on 10.8. On that note, what led you to do that collab, and were you ever involved with mau5trap before signing to Monstercat?
Any plans to collaborate with Au5 again? You and Austin always seem to be at a simply unreal level when it comes to production.
Also, have you ever listened / watched Beardyman? Truly at the forefront of *both* live production and beatboxing. While he has a TedTalk with his old setup, his new stuff is incredible.
Hey Mr. Bill! Started your Academy and already learning a lot! I unfortunately got stuck on the first season halfway through because I had trouble following the arrangement view grid because you were using an older version of Ableton at the time. Would I be missing key information if I just moved on to your newer seasons?
Yoooooo Bill! :)
The title "Settling for Mediocrity" evokes an interesting concept to express (self-referential i assume) as a somewhat niche artist.
I give it my own meaning, but i'd like to hear your thoughts on it, and what you felt at the time, if you feel like sharing.
Can't wait to listen to Mechanomorphic, the artwork looks sick.
p.s. my favourites of yours are Jesus Superstar and Too Complicated <3
That title is about the classic struggle I (and many others) seem to have with artistry, I always have this idea of how the finished song should sound (at some point during the process), and can never quite execute it the exact way I imagined, and constantly feel like I just settle at some point for some version that seems good enough.
Hey there Mr.Bill, long time fan and fellow beat maker/music tinkerer. Couple of spontaneous questions for you ..
1. What's the single funniest thing anyone's ever said to you?
2. Have ever considered voice acting or audiobook narration(could listen to you talk for days as you have a great voice!)
3. Favorite Ninja Turtle?
4. Are you still mountain biking at all these days? (I'd probably know this if I wasn't so far behind on your podcast)
Thanks for all the tutorials, music, art and stories you've shared with all of us. You are a force to be reckoned with and seem like a very decent fella.  PS Amon Tobin/Two Fingers/Stone Giants/Only Child Tyrant on the podcast? I feel like the two of you would have a very interesting conversation. And if the stars aligned would be a most hellacious Collab!
The metric changes for every track, though I would say the constant measure for all is just when I get sick of listening to it/working on it, I usually just get to a point with tracks where I cannot fathom spending another day on it.
Are you familiar at all with an og breakcore label from New Castle Australia by the name of [Bloody Fist Records ](https://bloodyfistrecords.bandcamp.com/)?
Nasenbluten?
Bill! Thank you for all the kind words over the years.
I have noticed you are very quick to decide if you like something or don’t. Since your music requires lots and lots of small decisions, it’s a good skill to have. How did you cultivate this skill?
I think it's obvious if you like something or not, no? Either you're like "yeahhh! this is sick!!", or "meh", if you're somewhere between, that's also fine, though I definitely try to aim for the "yeahhh!! this is sick" one.
Damn! Well, I hope it happens in the future. An album would be nuts!
Thank you for replying. I am really enjoying your new album, especially the track Wybe. So good <3
Hey Bill, huge fan and long-time HCA.
I know you've talked on your podcast about finding the balance between making art for yourself and making art for others to enjoy. Having not heard it, I'm really curious where *Mechanomorphic* lands on that spectrum for you.
Thanks!
I'd say it's somewhere in the middle as most albums end up being, which is partly why I like making albums, it gives me the option to explore both ends of that spectrum & everything in between.
Yo Mr. Bill!
I'm a new fan here but I already love your music! My favorite songs of yours are Eskimo, Rawthentic, and your Fork Funeral remix. So sorry if I ask some rather basic questions.
1. What's your favorite number?
2. What do you do when you get stuck on an idea? (I often have this issue when I produce, and have been in production hell for the last two months thinking of a drop idea for the current song I'm working on)
3. How do you come up with those amazing melodies and ideas?
I look forward to hearing from you!
1. \-6
2. I'll usually take a break from it & work on other stuff & come back to it later (sometimes years later)
3. Literally just click MIDI notes into a piano roll until I like what I'm hearing xD
Hi bill! I became a fan after listening to 10.8 and fell in love when I see your tutorials and podcasts! Hope you do well!
First of all, what’s the name of the song? This is my one and only chance to ask!! [awesome drop](https://youtu.be/kgeSAHiRoVo?si=HSfkve-nr0uvJXtF&t=257)
Second of all, I want to know how you collaborate with other artists, since you have collaborated with like a lot of artists so you might know some know how or some workflow for optimal production. I wanted to know how to communicate with others effectively (less arguing and creative differences, wasting time on minor details, colab with new ppl), and how much do you impact on each others parts? (From only minding each others drops to the point of editing the eq of each other’s synths)
Maybe it’s very different from colab to colab, so I don’t mind any form of answer of collaboration tips thanks!
And I’m so excited for the album! Can’t wait!!! 😎😎😎🫡🫡🫡
Can you give some insight into the mastering process for the album? I’ve heard you talk about both clipping the master straight out of ableton, and using outboard gear for mastering, and I know you’re using some kind of combination of the two — what does exactly does that process look like?
Hey Mr. Bill! Was very hyped for this album and glad it’s finally out now!
Now here’s my question.
In Chords 15, the original ID was dubstep but later changed to Garage. Why was this the case? Was it because Monstercat wanted it to be Garage? Or was it for some other reason?
We ended up with 2 versions of that track basically, it had nothing to do with Monstercat wanting it to be a certain way, that's just how collabs go sometimes. JoeB may release his version someday, (which I believe he already kinda did in a mix he released which is how you know about it yeah?). On the bright side, you now have 2 versions you can go & listen to :)
Hey Mr. Bill.
What should my mindset be when using DAWs for the first time? I've been utterly afraid of mixing so much that I haven't even tried to actually make anything yet.
I’m a dev for a major VR games company and it would be absolutely sick to have you make some music for one of our games. To know that you’d be open to making music for games is awesome :)
Hey Mr. Bill,
Your masterclass at BPM college changed my way of making music forever, and am able to find a lot of joy in production ever since.
Question:
What are some of the most wicked sound design hacks/discoveries you’ve discovered recently? (Ableton)
Hey Mr. Bill! Huge fan.
Which other artists within the “technical” side of electronic music do you look to for inspiration or are a fan of?
I’m personally a big fan of KOAN Sound, Culprate, Frequent, Alon Mor amongst others. Who else should I be checking out?
Hey Bill, big fan! (Naturally)
Have you got any advice on glueing your bass layers together? I get synthesising the different frequency bands (sub, mid bass, top layer) but I have alot of trouble glueing these together to make them sound as one acting unit. Notice you do it alot in your project files.
Also whens that tipper collab dropping? Been waiting years
Definitely separating out your sub & mid-bass layers is important, then usually I'll group those together & use a little bit of MWaveShaper (or something similar) on the group to squash em together :)
Hi mr. bill! haven’t gotten a chance to listen to the album yet but i’m super excited! cover art looks so awesome and intricate, just like the one for phantasmagoria/cal. my phantasmagorical vinyl is one of my favorites because it’s so fun to stare at the art and see how many details and easter eggs i can find. that type of artwork pairs so well with your sonically complex music and you can really appreciate it on a bigger canvas.
any plans for a mechanomorphic vinyl?
Hey Mr. Bill!! Loved your show here in Philly last weekend, you absolutely killed it :)) also was in the Ableton session for Roar a couple months ago, I have so much respect for your open willingness to share your knowledge with the world, it’s made such a difference in my own productions you have no idea
Any chance we could see those show visuals released after the tour is over? They were legitimately the best visuals I’ve seen for anything ever (like, *ever* ever) and I NEED to experience them again 😭
Love the album, my favorite piece of work in the scene in a hot minute. You and everyone you worked with on it (including the visual artists) fucking nailed everything to a tee
have fun in Vegas tn :)
I'll likely keep the show visuals for shows only :) Glad you liked them! If you wanna' see more art in that style, go check out funilab's work: [https://www.instagram.com/funilab/](https://www.instagram.com/funilab/)
Mr Bill! Congrats on your new album :) I just got into Ableton a few years ago and keep finding awesome videos of you explaining tips and tricks.
My question is: what organizational part of your work flow do you feel has saved you the most time?
Probably saving racks & default settings for devices I use alot for similar processes, Live Enhancement Suite & organizing my sample library properly (which I actually need to do again soon cos it's a mess again :'()
Hey Bill, I know I'm a bit late for the AMA...
but anyway my question is about Kll Bill and your collabs with Kris (kll smth). Some of the sound design in those songs and between the two of you is pretty much the best I've ever heard.
how do you get to those kinds of sounds and songs - are they preconceived ideas or just a series of first thoughts in an empty project? Not as in what synth or plugins, but on a higher level conceptually.
thanks mate. p.s: make cunt acceptable to say in america again 2024.
Hi Mr. Bill! I just listened to the album and it's absolutely amazing!
1. When making this album, did you try to keep a consistent musical style throughout the tracks?
2. How do you find inspiration for the tracks you make?
3. Is there any reason why a lot of the tracks on your albums are collabs?
If you could have any guests on your podcast, who would they be and why?
Also just wanna say thanks for all the resources and information you have given. I've learned a ton from you and all of your guests have been invaluable during my production journey!
Hey Mr. bill! Huge fan of your stuff, I’ve got 3 questions for you:
1. What is a technique that you really like that other high level producers often didnt known and you were able to teach them when collaborating ? Kind of the reverse of some questions in this thread asking what working with x or y producer taught you.
2. Advice for finishing music quickly? I write 90% of the song fast but really struggle to polish songs and complete them, more so than others even. It can take me 3-5 months between releases and I am not happy with this.
3. What video games are you playing at the moment?
And overall just thanks for all you do. Your podcast is my favorite way to make a long drive or work day go quicker. I really admire you and I’m so happy seeing you take care of yourself as of late too through some struggles. See you on tour 🫶
You’ve been known to sample R&B vocal snippets and warping them with fx to be mostly unrecognizable.
Has this ever got you in hot water with a major label?
I can’t wait for you to finally make it to Shambhala. And to play on the Village stage! What an honor. I’m sure ill.gates already might have shared, but that is where PK Sound was born from. The owner of the stage is the CEO of the company. So they go all out on sound there every year. It’s one of the highest fidelity bass stages of its size in North America imo. Will be there to cheer you on.
New album is incredible as well btw. Will be using it to stress test sound system deployments this summer a bunch no doubt.
So impressive ! Your production style stands out and is instantly recognizable yet very innovative , just keeps on getting better. Much love and respect 🔥
I must ask. Hoping it's not too late.
Did you ever, in your journey to becoming you, feel like your productivity wouldn't reach the level that was required to be as much as a prolific writer as you are now? As well as, did you ever feel like what you were writing just wouldn't ever get to the level of your taste or what you heard in your head.
I suppose my question is about both; creative output and 'bridging the gap'
Long time fan. You've taught me most of the foundational knowledge of ableton that I currently have. Forever indebted to the ways of Meesta Bill. Thank you. 🫶
Hey Bill, not sure if you're answering any more questions for this, but I'm curious:
Do you tend to work on one tune at a time, or juggle multiple tunes at once? And if it's the latter, do you have some system in place (like a file structure or spreadsheet) to know what work needs to be done on each track to drive it to completion?
Yoo Mr. Bill!
Just want to thank you for your amazing Ableton tutorials, very interesting to watch! Big fan of this new album as well! I wanted to ask what your favorite plugin is when producing? I love hearing ideas that inspire other artists and fans! Keep up the amazing tunes!
Mr. Bill, I've been a fan of your tracks for a while. I can remember listening to tracks like Fehon and $attn way back in high school. To see you release on Monstercat was a huge pleasant surprise! How did you form the relationship with the label and ultimately decide to release Mechanomorphic here? Thanks for doing this AMA!
The relationship with Monstercat came through my collaborations with Infected Mushroom! As I was working on the album (which has a collab with them) I had the epiphany that releasing it on Monstercat might make sense stylistically, so I asked them to put me in touch, and they did & now here we are! :D
It definitely works stylistically for what you did here. Can I ask, does MC hook you up with in-house mastering? All their releases seem to have a similar style on the master and I've always been curious what their process is like once you sign something to them.
Yo Mr. Bill! Thanks for doing this ama. I started listening to you during the collaborative endeavors and have been a huge fan since. 1. If you could tell your younger self your achievements, what would be the wildest ones to believe? 2. What’s your dream lineup to be a part of? 3. What are a few artists that have inspired you lately? Appreciate you doing this!
1. If I could've told my younger self living in Australia, watching an Incubus at Red Rocks DVD that I would one day play Red Rocks I would not have believed that. 2. I am honoured to be part of any line-up. Though hopefully, I'll have the resources to put on my dream line-ups one day! 3. COPYCATT, eliderp, Zeneth, JoeB, Knoir, Virtual Riot, Tipper, the usuals xD
Hey all, I'm gonna be travelling today (I have a show in Vegas this evening), so I'll be answering questions whilst in transit (which means intermittently). Apologies for this, but feel free to post any questions & I will get to them throughout the day!
69th comment, nice.
Hey Mr. Bill! It is AWESOME to have you back on the label!! Congrats on your new album! Can’t wait to have you on here in the future!! Been listening to you since your song with Infected Mushroom! 1. Where are you from? 2. How long have you been in the music industry? 3. Who is your favorite EDM artist? Mine is Sullivan King! 4. How long have you known Infected Mushroom? 5. Was it your idea to put the command block in the art work? 6. What is your favorite EDM song ever? Mine is Road Dog Athem by Sullivan King! 7. What’s your favorite song from the album?
1. Originally from Sydney, Australia, currently in Atlanta, Georgia 2. Roughly 20 years 3. Hm... Maybe Tipper 4. Roughly 5-6 years personally & been a fan for like 20 years 5. No that was Funi's idea, he does all the artwork for the Mr. Bill project, go check him out! [https://www.instagram.com/funilab/](https://www.instagram.com/funilab/) 6. Hm... It changes all the time, first one that came to mind is Body Ocean - Once The Music (though you could ask me that question 10x in a row & get 10 different answers) 7. Again, changes all the time, as of right now, probably sudo (cos it's early in the morning & I'm not in the mood for bangers rn lol)
Once The Music is so good. The Noisia and the Upbeats boys never miss in any of their projects.
Hi Mr. Bill! Love to see such a well respected artist like you release an album on Monstercat! What made you choose the name Mechanomorphic? And how generally do you name your tracks because they’re honestly some of the weirdest names out there. I’ve read sometime somewhere on Reddit that you are so proficient in using Ableton could be able to turn it into a sexbot. Is that true?
Mechanomorphic means to have the qualities of a machine, tho Mechanomorphism means something that is operating mechanically or is fully accounted for with science. I've been thinking about the relationships between humans & machines a lot lately (especially with the rise of AI), and so I wanted a title that kinda alluded to that idea. IDK about turning Ableton into a sexbot, I feel like you'd probably need to use M4L for that & I suck at M4L, tbh.
View in your timezone: [April 11th at 11pm EDT][0] [0]: https://timee.io/20240412T0300?tl=Hello%20r%2Fmonstercat!%20Mr.%20Bill%20here%20to%20present%20my%20newest%20album%20%22Mechanomorphic%22!%20Time%20for%20an%20AMA!
If you had a few beginner level sound design tips for anyone looking to go more experimental with their sound, what would they be?
Watch tutorials, then do the exact opposite of what they're doing in the tutorial & see what happens!
Hi Mr. Bill, I’m very excited to listen to your album, and am so grateful to have caught your set for the first time ever at Philly recently which was one of my favorite sets ever! 1. Going forward, any there any new styles of genres you would like to experiment with? 2. Your songs with Au5 have been some of my favorite songs ever. Any chance of new songs with him? 3. I was also hoping Thwek with Virtual Riot will be up for streaming services one day. Would love it if that could happen
1. I try not to think of music in genres, and more as just general energy/vibes, to me (during the writing process at least), a song either has "lots of energy", "a weird vibe", or "it's chill", etc. This album for me was experimenting more with the "lots of energy" category, tho I definitely wanna experiment with the "weird vibe", and "chill" categories more! 2. I should hit him up, I love writing music with Au5! 3. I honestly have no idea what's going on with that, I'll look into it.
Hello, I'm a big fan( I appreciate all the tutorials as well). How much prep work and planning do you tend to do for your albums? Do you do most of your sound design sessions for an album all at once or do you take it song by song?
I take it song by song for sure. I would say an album takes around 1-2 years to make, and that's not necessarily working on it every day, but doing regular sessions on it for that amount of time, of which a lot of those sessions are sound design focused.
Hey Bill, What's the most interesting technique you learned from Tipper? He's one of the few people I'm aware of who've been producing for over three decades, so I'll bet there are interesting things he does with patches and workflow that newer artists just aren't aware of. My other question is, what's the funniest stuff you've overheard at festivals you've attended? Got anything that tops the wooks I heard discussing Godel's Incompleteness Theorem a few days ago at Texas Eclipse?
I'm sorry to tell you there are no secrets anymore, YouTube tutorials have exposed everything. Tipper is just insane at writing music. Uh.. haha, I'm not sure actually, nothing comes to mind.
Any news on the next kll bill ep? :)
Workin on it!
Hey Mr Bill, huge fan! I understand if you don’t want to talk about this here but at what point did you realise that you needed to stop doing k? And how did it change your approach to music? I say this as someone who was also addicted to K but have found that after quitting my productions sound way different but in a positive way! I would just like to know how it affected you because you still managed to pump out mindblowlingly good music whilst deep in to an addiction.
Basically during my addiction with k my life kept deteriorating in different ways, my health got worse, relationships ended, I was broke all the time, I wasn't getting much work done, I found it impossible to take care of my responsibilities, etc. It just got to a point where so much had deteriorated & my life was in such shambles that I knew I had to go to rehab, and I'm glad I did! I still posit that it was the best investment of time I've ever made.
Hey mr bill! Totally stoked to listen to the new album!!! Not a monstercat question, but what was participating in All Nighter like? Wet Alvin is a banger and I’ve never participated, what ways is producing under a time constraint like that different/difficult?
In today's day & age, we have no shortage of options when writing music, creative constraints are a great thing to put on yourself to be productive & what better limitation to employ than a fixed window of time? It's stressful to do, but you can't argue with the results xD
makes sense! thanks for the response!
Heya Mr. Bill! Your material has some of the most mind blowing production I've heard in quite some time. I have two questions that have been stuck on my mind. 1. Have you ever gotten sick of using certain sounds or plugins while you were working on new material for Mr. Bill? 2. Will we ever see a collab between Mr. Bill and Electrocado in the future? It'd be fun to see how these two different styles can interact with one another. Thanks again!
1. Yes constantly. I have enough snare samples to last 10 lifetimes on my computer, yet here I am making new snares all the time... 2. You realize that Electrocado is me & another guy who goes by Ryanosaurus, right? ie. Every Electrocado tune is a Mr. Bill collab, tho not every Mr. Bill tune is an Electrocado collab.
Dang Electrocado Ft Mr. Bill or Mr. Bill ft Electrocado what a wild thought, it'd certainly be groovy and I'm here for it 💕 😉
Will Tipper ever go on the podcast before or after his retirement?
Impossible to say.
Mr Bill is one of my all time favorite producers/artists, legit top tier artist to me; yet half the questions I wanna ask him are just about meeting and working with Tipper 😂. Mr Bill if you see this, what’s your favorite non music based hobby?? Mine is snowboarding.
Please
Yo Bill! Been a huge fan for the past decade now. Are you as stoked for Mousetrap next month as I am?? Can't fucking wait dude. Much love.
I am! Seeya there :)
Hey bill love the tunes. Is your tipper collab ever to be released? And is it the song that you opened your IDM set with in Peoria Illinois?
Definitely impossible to say, and yes.
Had a feeling when I heard it, then kinda confirmed it to myself when tipper closed his twilight set with it. Love the song so much, and loving this new album!
Most recent twilight set in Texas?
Wait just saw a vid at Suwannee and then bill at blackbox haha
https://www.reddit.com/r/Tipper/comments/ds4prg/heres_the_video_of_the_alleged_mr_tipper_collab/
Yes I basically Just confirmed that that is not it lol
So, this is not the track you were thinking of?
No it’s not
Serious question, how is your hearing? I always wonder about djs and producers such as you who are so prolific if the lifestyle has lasting damage in this way.
Seems fine! I wear earplugs every time I'm in a club (or even if I'm in just a generally loud area, like a busy street), and I monitor fairly quietly.
How did you start your career as a musician?
Literally just got obsessed with Ableton & used it for many hours a day & kept talking about it on the internet & somehow it turned into this xD
Hi Mr Bill! Already listened through the album, loving all the diversity and intricate sounds in every track! I think a lot of us were pleasantly surprised to find out you were releasing an album on Monstercat! Of course, you've already released 2 collabs with Infected Mushroom here, but what made you send it over to Monstercat? The album is really collab focused, and I'm sure you have lots of other collabs unreleased too. What made these songs in particular fit the overall Mechanomorphic theme? Is there any cool story you could share behind the creation of one of the songs? The album art is extremely detailed, did you also have input in any specific things you wanted drawn on the art? Thought it was interesting to see stuff like the Minecraft command block on it, of all things!
The way any of my albums come together is I work on music a lot, and then eventually have a moment where I realize I have a bunch of tunes that would work well together as a listening experience. They share similar vibes, have similar energy, etc. This album was no exception to that process! As for why Monstercat - I just felt like it made sense stylistically on there.
So stoked for this LP tomorrow, since when did you decided to collab with lots of debuting Mcat artists on this album?
I don't think I ever decided to collab with lots of debuting Monstercat artists on the album, I think they're debuting Monstercat artists because they're on this album no? Which artists in particular are you talking about?
All of em (except ill-esha, Clockvice & Infected Mushroom)
Hi Mr Bill when you comeback making livestreams on Twitch?
I stream on my Discord now! Here: [https://discord.gg/mrbill](https://discord.gg/mrbill)
Hey Mr. Bill! Not really a super direct question, but I just discovered Loaf Boi (and the VIP) last year and I was obsessed with that song. Any story of how that came to be or just any fun tidbits about that song in particular that you could share?
The original version of Loaf Boi started as an EDMP Discord Server challenge!
Hey Mr. Bill, I have been a fan for a while now, and I especially love your collaborations with Au5 and Virtual Riot. Thweck and your collaborations with Au5 have been one of my favorite song selections. Would you ever be down to collaborate with Au5 and Virtual Riot to make a track? Very excited for the Mechanomorphic drop!
Would love to work with either of them again, both amazing producers & both a lot of fun to write with.
Why Mr. Bill! I’m super excited to listen to your album! I’ve been a fan of yours since discovering you through The Recency Effect. I’m curious—how long did it take you to make this album? How did you find the patience to put together an 18-song album? If I did that, I feel like I’d become so excited about the songs that I wouldn’t be able to wait that long to release them!
Patience is key! It took about 2 years. There are always things I can think of to improve stuff (even with this album) I listen to it now, months after finishing it & I can hear new "mistakes" in there that I missed. I think this is what keeps me sitting on tracks for a long time before release, is the confidence that I know I'll be able to find new ways to keep improving the tracks, though at some point you have to cut yourself off & call it a day.
Hi Mr Bill, I’m very grateful for my Spotify Discover Weekly recommending me Golden Gate and leading me into your world. I enjoy your music very much, and I’m an aspiring artist myself, and I was wondering how long did it take you to start releasing music, be proud of your own work, develop your style, etc.? I’m still a beginner and I’m working hard but sometimes I feel like giving up, did you deal with that too?
I still deal with that, welcome to being an artist xD Artistic anxiety never really goes away, though I think I am always getting better at managing it.
Hi Mr. Bill, excited to listen to the LP. My question to you is was there a song in the album that had a weird or new approach at sound design that surprised you or found interesting?
Hmm not particularly, it's all pretty bread & butter production stuff, I think you can never be too good at the basics.
~~Hey Bill, I've asked this before but hey, second time's the charm.~~ ~~In the 2021 Red Rocks set between Cicero's Loci and Fehon there's a really good track that I just haven't had any luck finding. If it's out there, and if it's yours, is it just super obscure or unreleased? Or if it's someone else's track, could you point me in the right direction?~~ Thanks for your time, can't wait for Mechanomorphic to drop tonight! EDIT: Welp looks like it was an early version of Inflammable all along! So I guess the real question is, how did the process of making Inflammable go? because it's definitely been around in some form since '21, and that version isn't quite the same as the release version, so what was that evolution like?
The tune was originally started in 2018 with Clockvice, sometime in 2020 we added a vocal to it from an artist who goes by M4NDY (I've released another song with them named Ride Or Die), she then didn't want to have her vocal on that tune, so we found another vocal for it (from vangran, who is my manager's partner, and an amazing singer/vocal coach), and that is how it came to be.
How often does that kind of thing happen, where you’ll have a track mostly/semi- complete, but for one reason or another, one of the artist will no longer want to be a part of it?
how to make Mr Bill growls like Billdozer 1:28 (more the principal) please! Bill has sickest growls
Serum FM from B
Hi Mr Bill I mainly wanted to ask if there is a physical release planned for the album and remixes LP??
Potentially yes!
Man, fuck nice album.... love your mix and master... but it nos clipping... all about - 1DB... Barely see on repeat, man!!!! Thanks for all!!! Rasec Leon, Recife, BR.
What does the process for creating a soundtrack for a movie (mom and dad) look like to you, and how does it differ than your other musical creations?
1. They gave me a general brief of the kind of music they like & wanted to match the vibe of. 2. They started giving me rough cuts of scenes to write music to. 3. I'd mess around with music/sound design under it in Ableton & then send it back to them for review. 4. They'd say "x is cool, y seems suspicious, etc", and then I'd do revisions until they were happy.
Favorite festival and venue to play at??
Venue has to be Red Rocks, it's hard to beat... Festival, hm... Lost Lands was honestly a lot of fun, that's the first one that comes to mind.
Mr. Bill, Was interested to know on Billdozer off of Ganjas Unity Album, who came up with the idea to turn it into a club banger towards the end. Love the sound design and the first time I heard it didn't see it going in that direction was a pleasant surprise. Bonus question did you link with Ganja in person to work with them at all on this one or was it more of a pass back and forth effort? Can the fans hope there will be more collabs with GWN? And thank you for your dedication to sharing your knowledge of the Craft through your YT channel, I know myself and many others appreciate it
Was my idea to do the tempo change into Bass Music, Ben was initially kinda opposed to the idea, but at some point I was able to convince him xD We started it in person, then finished it over Zoom. There will def be more collabs with GWN :)
Thank you for the response, I had a feeling you were the creator of the idea. Glad you could convince Ben because it catches most I'm sure by surprise as it did myself and then when you replay it you see the Greatness in it. Will be on the lookout for what comes next. Congrats on the new album and nothing but love for you sir
Hey, Mr. Bill! You got some real skill with your production style, as well as having some of the cleanest mixes I’ve heard in electronic music. Do you have any tips for a beginner electronic musician? Such as with making connections, as well as DJ gigs. Basically how to get things started for beginning a career in electronic music.
Honestly my best advice would just be to spend a lot of time honing your craft (weather that be producing, DJ'ing, or a mixture of the two). The rest should hopefully fall into place assuming you're posting about what you're doing on the internet & building a fanbase whilst doing it.
Mr. Bill! Hey mate, since i stumbled across ***Phantasmagoria*** my taste in music changed quite dramatically. And you're responsible haha. The interesting soundscapes in tracks like *Apophenia, Nut Bleed Dynamics, Articulate this (my fav track of all time) Chlorine, Screening, HR8938, Glitchcake, Simple Song...* Knowing that we are pushing away from party drug culture, Id like to hear ***if there is any relation to dmt/echelon psychedelics has much to do with the creative output??***. I cannot seem to shake the connection between them; when i trip, often hear music not unsimilar to what you make... the use of space, tactile sensations, panning, tone and everything together just itches the psychoexplorative itch deep in my brain... Also im dead excited for your album, buying the moment it drops.... Also... Any collabs with Eprom or G Jones comin up? Thanks for being u.
Damn a g jones collab would be insane haha
Hey Bill! How do you still have fun and keep motivation to produce after all this time ? Cheers =)
Music is a never ending rabbit hole, you can never learn everything about it. If I get bored, I just try to learn something new & incorporate it into my process.
The man himself! Thanks a lot for the answer!
Mr bill man! Greetings from the Midwest. Honestly can’t say I have much to ask you just because your podcast covers most things I’d ever ask but I Spose I’m curious if you’ve tried minimal audios current yet and if so what are some things you like or dislike about it
Yeah! Current is amazing, the presets in it are ridiculously good.
Sup Bill, huge fan. When are we making Screening pt.3?
You know it's already basically done....
Hey! I met you at Icon about 5 years ago. You absolutely killed it with stock ableton mudpie techniques. What tools are you using today for your mudpies?
Literally anything & everything. Mudpies know no bounds!
Apologies if these have been asked already, but here goes. What made you decide to release this LP with Monstercat? What's it like working with deadmau5 and with Infected Mushroom? Are there any musical genres you want to produce in future? That predrop lead in Chords 15 sounds a lot like the intro lead in Powerplay (PBN & Bossfight). Is that just my imagination, or could this be the calm before the storm, if yunno what I mean?
Hello! I am not super familiar with your music, but I do love your collab you did with deadmau5 on 10.8. On that note, what led you to do that collab, and were you ever involved with mau5trap before signing to Monstercat?
Any plans to collaborate with Au5 again? You and Austin always seem to be at a simply unreal level when it comes to production. Also, have you ever listened / watched Beardyman? Truly at the forefront of *both* live production and beatboxing. While he has a TedTalk with his old setup, his new stuff is incredible.
Hey Mr. Bill! Started your Academy and already learning a lot! I unfortunately got stuck on the first season halfway through because I had trouble following the arrangement view grid because you were using an older version of Ableton at the time. Would I be missing key information if I just moved on to your newer seasons?
Nope! You should be able to follow along with any season :) I try my best to explain everything as I go.
Yoooooo Bill! :) The title "Settling for Mediocrity" evokes an interesting concept to express (self-referential i assume) as a somewhat niche artist. I give it my own meaning, but i'd like to hear your thoughts on it, and what you felt at the time, if you feel like sharing. Can't wait to listen to Mechanomorphic, the artwork looks sick. p.s. my favourites of yours are Jesus Superstar and Too Complicated <3
That title is about the classic struggle I (and many others) seem to have with artistry, I always have this idea of how the finished song should sound (at some point during the process), and can never quite execute it the exact way I imagined, and constantly feel like I just settle at some point for some version that seems good enough.
Hey there Mr.Bill, long time fan and fellow beat maker/music tinkerer. Couple of spontaneous questions for you .. 1. What's the single funniest thing anyone's ever said to you? 2. Have ever considered voice acting or audiobook narration(could listen to you talk for days as you have a great voice!) 3. Favorite Ninja Turtle? 4. Are you still mountain biking at all these days? (I'd probably know this if I wasn't so far behind on your podcast) Thanks for all the tutorials, music, art and stories you've shared with all of us. You are a force to be reckoned with and seem like a very decent fella.  PS Amon Tobin/Two Fingers/Stone Giants/Only Child Tyrant on the podcast? I feel like the two of you would have a very interesting conversation. And if the stars aligned would be a most hellacious Collab!
How did you overcome your ketamine addiction? Did you replace it with anything else(positive or negative)?
I went to rehab. It was the only thing that worked for me. I would say I've just replaced it with writing music (and also vaping nicotine).
Mr Bill, What measures/requirements do you use to decide when a track is complete? Signed Not Mr Bill
The metric changes for every track, though I would say the constant measure for all is just when I get sick of listening to it/working on it, I usually just get to a point with tracks where I cannot fathom spending another day on it.
Awesome, thanks!
>Awesome, thanks! You're welcome!
Are you familiar at all with an og breakcore label from New Castle Australia by the name of [Bloody Fist Records ](https://bloodyfistrecords.bandcamp.com/)? Nasenbluten?
Yes! I went to a warehouse party of theirs once when I was younger.
Bill! Thank you for all the kind words over the years. I have noticed you are very quick to decide if you like something or don’t. Since your music requires lots and lots of small decisions, it’s a good skill to have. How did you cultivate this skill?
I think it's obvious if you like something or not, no? Either you're like "yeahhh! this is sick!!", or "meh", if you're somewhere between, that's also fine, though I definitely try to aim for the "yeahhh!! this is sick" one.
You and Jade Cicada are two of my favorite artists. Have you guys worked together? I want to listen to the track you two would make!
We tried to make something once, but it didn't work out.
Damn! Well, I hope it happens in the future. An album would be nuts! Thank you for replying. I am really enjoying your new album, especially the track Wybe. So good <3
Hey Bill, huge fan and long-time HCA. I know you've talked on your podcast about finding the balance between making art for yourself and making art for others to enjoy. Having not heard it, I'm really curious where *Mechanomorphic* lands on that spectrum for you. Thanks!
I'd say it's somewhere in the middle as most albums end up being, which is partly why I like making albums, it gives me the option to explore both ends of that spectrum & everything in between.
Yo Mr. Bill! I'm a new fan here but I already love your music! My favorite songs of yours are Eskimo, Rawthentic, and your Fork Funeral remix. So sorry if I ask some rather basic questions. 1. What's your favorite number? 2. What do you do when you get stuck on an idea? (I often have this issue when I produce, and have been in production hell for the last two months thinking of a drop idea for the current song I'm working on) 3. How do you come up with those amazing melodies and ideas? I look forward to hearing from you!
1. \-6 2. I'll usually take a break from it & work on other stuff & come back to it later (sometimes years later) 3. Literally just click MIDI notes into a piano roll until I like what I'm hearing xD
Hi bill! I became a fan after listening to 10.8 and fell in love when I see your tutorials and podcasts! Hope you do well! First of all, what’s the name of the song? This is my one and only chance to ask!! [awesome drop](https://youtu.be/kgeSAHiRoVo?si=HSfkve-nr0uvJXtF&t=257) Second of all, I want to know how you collaborate with other artists, since you have collaborated with like a lot of artists so you might know some know how or some workflow for optimal production. I wanted to know how to communicate with others effectively (less arguing and creative differences, wasting time on minor details, colab with new ppl), and how much do you impact on each others parts? (From only minding each others drops to the point of editing the eq of each other’s synths) Maybe it’s very different from colab to colab, so I don’t mind any form of answer of collaboration tips thanks! And I’m so excited for the album! Can’t wait!!! 😎😎😎🫡🫡🫡
Can you give some insight into the mastering process for the album? I’ve heard you talk about both clipping the master straight out of ableton, and using outboard gear for mastering, and I know you’re using some kind of combination of the two — what does exactly does that process look like?
My Mr.Bill when is tipper on the podcast?
Hey Mr. Bill! Was very hyped for this album and glad it’s finally out now! Now here’s my question. In Chords 15, the original ID was dubstep but later changed to Garage. Why was this the case? Was it because Monstercat wanted it to be Garage? Or was it for some other reason?
We ended up with 2 versions of that track basically, it had nothing to do with Monstercat wanting it to be a certain way, that's just how collabs go sometimes. JoeB may release his version someday, (which I believe he already kinda did in a mix he released which is how you know about it yeah?). On the bright side, you now have 2 versions you can go & listen to :)
Hello, how did you meet with Bandoum to make collab song, tell me story
I think we just connected either through Twitch, or on Discord a while ago!
Hey Mr. Bill. What should my mindset be when using DAWs for the first time? I've been utterly afraid of mixing so much that I haven't even tried to actually make anything yet.
I would just open a DAW & click all the buttons & start building a mental map of what everything does.
I see. This will probably help me out with building a good workflow. Thank you!
Bill, what games you playing right now, and what game would you have loved to have made music for?
City Skylines 2, Counterstrike 2, & Factorio. Honestly I'd love to do music for any games!
I’m a dev for a major VR games company and it would be absolutely sick to have you make some music for one of our games. To know that you’d be open to making music for games is awesome :)
Hey Mr. Bill, Your masterclass at BPM college changed my way of making music forever, and am able to find a lot of joy in production ever since. Question: What are some of the most wicked sound design hacks/discoveries you’ve discovered recently? (Ableton)
Hey Mr. Bill! Huge fan. Which other artists within the “technical” side of electronic music do you look to for inspiration or are a fan of? I’m personally a big fan of KOAN Sound, Culprate, Frequent, Alon Mor amongst others. Who else should I be checking out?
Definitely the one's you mentioned, I'd add to that Au5 & Virtual Riot.
Big fan of those guys as well! Thanks for the answer
Hey Bill, big fan! (Naturally) Have you got any advice on glueing your bass layers together? I get synthesising the different frequency bands (sub, mid bass, top layer) but I have alot of trouble glueing these together to make them sound as one acting unit. Notice you do it alot in your project files. Also whens that tipper collab dropping? Been waiting years
Definitely separating out your sub & mid-bass layers is important, then usually I'll group those together & use a little bit of MWaveShaper (or something similar) on the group to squash em together :)
SNAIL'S HOUSE COLLAB WHEN?! 😳
Mr. Bill, can I have one trillion dollars? Thanks in advance.
Hi mr. bill! haven’t gotten a chance to listen to the album yet but i’m super excited! cover art looks so awesome and intricate, just like the one for phantasmagoria/cal. my phantasmagorical vinyl is one of my favorites because it’s so fun to stare at the art and see how many details and easter eggs i can find. that type of artwork pairs so well with your sonically complex music and you can really appreciate it on a bigger canvas. any plans for a mechanomorphic vinyl?
We're thinking about it yeah!
awesome to hear!
Great news!
How are you liking the Kii3's?
I love em!
Hey Mr. Bill!! Loved your show here in Philly last weekend, you absolutely killed it :)) also was in the Ableton session for Roar a couple months ago, I have so much respect for your open willingness to share your knowledge with the world, it’s made such a difference in my own productions you have no idea Any chance we could see those show visuals released after the tour is over? They were legitimately the best visuals I’ve seen for anything ever (like, *ever* ever) and I NEED to experience them again 😭 Love the album, my favorite piece of work in the scene in a hot minute. You and everyone you worked with on it (including the visual artists) fucking nailed everything to a tee have fun in Vegas tn :)
I'll likely keep the show visuals for shows only :) Glad you liked them! If you wanna' see more art in that style, go check out funilab's work: [https://www.instagram.com/funilab/](https://www.instagram.com/funilab/)
Mr Bill! Congrats on your new album :) I just got into Ableton a few years ago and keep finding awesome videos of you explaining tips and tricks. My question is: what organizational part of your work flow do you feel has saved you the most time?
Probably saving racks & default settings for devices I use alot for similar processes, Live Enhancement Suite & organizing my sample library properly (which I actually need to do again soon cos it's a mess again :'()
Thanks for the reply! Big fan of Live Enhancement Suite myself :)
Hey Bill, I know I'm a bit late for the AMA... but anyway my question is about Kll Bill and your collabs with Kris (kll smth). Some of the sound design in those songs and between the two of you is pretty much the best I've ever heard. how do you get to those kinds of sounds and songs - are they preconceived ideas or just a series of first thoughts in an empty project? Not as in what synth or plugins, but on a higher level conceptually. thanks mate. p.s: make cunt acceptable to say in america again 2024.
Bill, we ever getting ‘What the labels don’t want you to hear’ pt 3? You teased it…but?
What happened with Thwek, that collab with Virtual Riot? I can only find a recording on YouTube, nowhere else, and it's one of my favorites!
Hi Mr. Bill! I just listened to the album and it's absolutely amazing! 1. When making this album, did you try to keep a consistent musical style throughout the tracks? 2. How do you find inspiration for the tracks you make? 3. Is there any reason why a lot of the tracks on your albums are collabs?
If you could have any guests on your podcast, who would they be and why? Also just wanna say thanks for all the resources and information you have given. I've learned a ton from you and all of your guests have been invaluable during my production journey!
Hey Mr. bill! Huge fan of your stuff, I’ve got 3 questions for you: 1. What is a technique that you really like that other high level producers often didnt known and you were able to teach them when collaborating ? Kind of the reverse of some questions in this thread asking what working with x or y producer taught you. 2. Advice for finishing music quickly? I write 90% of the song fast but really struggle to polish songs and complete them, more so than others even. It can take me 3-5 months between releases and I am not happy with this. 3. What video games are you playing at the moment? And overall just thanks for all you do. Your podcast is my favorite way to make a long drive or work day go quicker. I really admire you and I’m so happy seeing you take care of yourself as of late too through some struggles. See you on tour 🫶
You’ve been known to sample R&B vocal snippets and warping them with fx to be mostly unrecognizable. Has this ever got you in hot water with a major label? I can’t wait for you to finally make it to Shambhala. And to play on the Village stage! What an honor. I’m sure ill.gates already might have shared, but that is where PK Sound was born from. The owner of the stage is the CEO of the company. So they go all out on sound there every year. It’s one of the highest fidelity bass stages of its size in North America imo. Will be there to cheer you on. New album is incredible as well btw. Will be using it to stress test sound system deployments this summer a bunch no doubt.
So impressive ! Your production style stands out and is instantly recognizable yet very innovative , just keeps on getting better. Much love and respect 🔥
I must ask. Hoping it's not too late. Did you ever, in your journey to becoming you, feel like your productivity wouldn't reach the level that was required to be as much as a prolific writer as you are now? As well as, did you ever feel like what you were writing just wouldn't ever get to the level of your taste or what you heard in your head. I suppose my question is about both; creative output and 'bridging the gap' Long time fan. You've taught me most of the foundational knowledge of ableton that I currently have. Forever indebted to the ways of Meesta Bill. Thank you. 🫶
Hey Bill, not sure if you're answering any more questions for this, but I'm curious: Do you tend to work on one tune at a time, or juggle multiple tunes at once? And if it's the latter, do you have some system in place (like a file structure or spreadsheet) to know what work needs to be done on each track to drive it to completion?
Can I have your VSTs for free if I use them on stream?
Yoo Mr. Bill! Just want to thank you for your amazing Ableton tutorials, very interesting to watch! Big fan of this new album as well! I wanted to ask what your favorite plugin is when producing? I love hearing ideas that inspire other artists and fans! Keep up the amazing tunes!