Nitti Gritti Interview

SoundShock: Who is the artist behind Nitti Gritti and how did you choose your name?

My real name is Ricky Mears, but my grandma gave me the name Knitti because I would always want to knit sweaters and blankets with her! Then when I needed a Bass Dj name, I thought of adding Gritti on the end to "Trap" it out!

What made you want to start making music and get into production. How did you choose what style/styles of music you wanted to produce?

I started playing drums in 4th grade and played in several bands. Then in 2013 I started producing seriously. So by the time I had learned production, I had already been listening to alternative rock, metal, pop, Hip-hop, Jazz, and electronic music.... I guess I chose electronic music because of how new and unexplored it was. Hell it still is unexplored even today!

Producers struggle to get a full and clean sounding mix. The song might be great, but there seems to be a lack of power, energy, and clarity. What are a couple of ways you get the elements of your track to really feel stand out?

TIME. That is the short answer. Most producers need to develop their ears and techniques through tutorials and practice. Successful engineers and producers put in the long and necessary hours of practice and continuously look for ways to improve their mix. I think simple mixing is the best. You can solve almost every mix issue with Gain (Volume), Delay, Compression, and EQing. There are also many simple widening techniques with delay that can also help your mix. Lastly, controlling your low end/Sub/808 gives your track power and energy.

Is there a technique or two that you consistently use when producing tracks? If so, what are they?

1. Good sample choice
2. Haas effect (widens any sound)
3. Sidechain
4. Re-sampling. Which is freezing midi and turning it into audio, so you can re-work and mess around with the sound in new ways.

When arranging you song it can be difficult to keep listeners interested from start to finish. What are some ways you can keep the listener engaged in the arrangement and have it flow smoothly throughout the entire track?

Honestly all I do is make sure I have new elements for every section I repeat. So if you have two drops make the second different enough to keep your listener excited for the the next part of the record.

If you could give an aspiring artist one production tip, what would it be?

Take your time. DO NOT RUSH! Don't rush your releases. You want to come out with the biggest bang possible. Remember, you only have one first impression.

The bass and high pitched sounds that you use in your drops blend together seamlessly and take the listener on crazy bass heavy ride. How do you go about choosing complementary sounds for your drops and how do you sequence your drops?

I usually try to stick to 3-4 main drop sounds and then just make variations of them. Instead of using 10-15 different elements, making 3-4 sounds match and work in unison together works much better.

The mastering in your tracks is very clean, upfront, and powerful. Are there any tips for getting this type of modern dance music mastered sound, assuming that your mix down is already well balanced.

My master chain is pretty simple. Brainworx XL , Ableton Multiband compressor, Ableton EQ, Ozone 7. Just find a way to keep the dynamics while being loud and in your face. Keep in mind that this has a lot to do with the mix though.