AIAIAI+SPLICE

CREATOR CLASS

With no cables in the way and no noticeable latency, the Wireless+ headphones uniquely enabled the entire class of students to simultaneously collaborate on jamming, tracking and sampling as a unified group, while interacting with viewers on the livestream.

Having multiple Wireless+ headphone sets connected to the same source opened up novel flows of creativity within the group, allowing for the students to quickly tune in and out of the collaborative session at the click of a button on the headband, and move around at large in the studio, untethered and free to pick up any instrument to join the creative session in an instant.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself - where are you from, and how and why did you get into creating music?

I'm from LA, and have been based here for a majority of my artist life. I studied classical voice, while taking engineering and composition courses in college, however I found it difficult to create the songs that were in my head. I felt limited in my self-expression until I started using DAWS such as Logic and Ableton Live. The level of accessibility and the wide amount of creative tools unlocked my ability to shape these sonic worlds I had been unable to create while sitting at a piano. Becoming an educator, specifically for non-profit FEMME HOUSE, has provided me with a deeper why for creating. Creating gives me the opportunity to transform and heal deeply complex emotional experiences, while sharing knowledge with women and gender expansive producers has helped me to impact community in a positive way, while having the potential to create meaningful change.

What is your biggest source of creative inspiration these days?

Community! FEMME HOUSE just launched a month-long creative challenge online course, where the goal is to build consistency by creating a new song every day. Our community has been sharing the tracks they've been making daily, and the collective commitment and support has been so inspiring and motivating. It can feel so isolating creating on your own day to day, so having that accountability where everyone is committed to learning and evolving sparks so much inspiration for me.

Do you look up to any music creators? If yes, who and why?

There are countless inspiring peers who are incredible artists and wear so many hats, such as bad snacks, Dresage, Fei Fei, Starya, etc. LP Giobbi, co-founder of FEMME HOUSE, is one particular artist who I have had the immense pleasure of seeing her career and artistry grow in the past couple of years in a massive way. As her star rises, she continues to uplift, champion, and make space for women and gender-expansive artists. I really admire her dedication to personal and collective growth, and it's been an honor to see how she's grown and impacted so many people in such a positive way.

What does your creative process usually look like?

I'm pretty driven by various colors of sounds, so I often will create a palette of sounds (instruments/samples) that fit within whatever mood I'm trying to build. If I'm not feeling like I'm in some sort of particular flow, I like starting with writing prompts (such as time limits, starting off with 1 sample and seeing how much you can create with it, etc). I like to establish a general workflow because that allows me to work faster, but I find that switching things up (while going outside and experiencing life) tends to yield the most interesting results.

We equipped yourself and the rest of the Creator Class students with our TMA-2 Studio Wireless+ headphones at the beginning of the bootcamp at Splice’s L.A. studios. How did being wireless impact your creative workflow during the studio sessions, and when you returned to your home studio?

I loved not having to worry about being tethered to a spot, particularly in a large studio, and it was incredibly useful to be able to hear the same thing that everyone else was hearing. It seamlessly created an environment that made it easy to collaborate. For the studio sessions and at home, the low latency and quality of sound blew my mind as I had never experienced wireless headphones that were at this level before.

What is your local scene of music creators like?

Being a producer can feel really isolating, so I'm really grateful that along with IRL FEMME HOUSE events, there are small communities in LA that I've tapped into that have opened me up to collaboration and have made me feel more connected. Collaboration is such a gift because it facilitates learning and creating something you may not have dreamed of creating on your own.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see facing yourself and other music creators in your community?

A common deterrent is financial survival and finding meaning in an industry (and capitalistic society) that doesn't value art/artists. It can be really soul crushing and create this environment where there is only so much room "at the top", which is why it can be helpful for your "why" to be based on something larger than making $$$, such as impacting community. Although, it would be great if it was a cultural norm to pay musicians a living wage, cause artists need to eat too! Additionally, the lack of gender diversity in producer/engineering roles can feel extra daunting when there is already a general scarcity mindset.

How do you feel these obstacles could be overcome?

Making a living wage where you can survive and thrive as an artist is a fairly large systemic issue, and with many broken systems and structures in place, it feels like these days the only thing you can have direct control over is engaging with your community and finding support there. As far as gender diversity, so much of gatekeeping is done in top positions, so having more gender diversity in those types of roles could potentially have a positive waterfall effect going top/down.

What does the rest of 2023 have in store for you?

I'm currently focused on finishing tracks and I plan on releasing them later this year. On top of that, playing more shows and potentially touring!