Looking for the perfect beat

Synonymous with first-rate house music, Jay-J is a DJ whose prodigious talents quickly led him into the world of dance music production. Since the late 90’s he’s worked with the likes of Kathy Brown, Arnold Jarvis, Jon Cutler and Miguel Migs, and continues to push the boundaries of house music in a never-ending pursuit of quality sound.

Not satisfied with merely throwing a bunch of sloppy beats and crowd-pleasing loops together, Jay-Jay has endeavoured to construct polished productions that stand up against any of the finest chart-topping pop numbers today. Helping him in his quest for to find the perfect beat, he leans heavily on Sony Oxford plug-ins.

Says Jay-J: ‘Lately its been the Oxford EQ and Reverb that I use most, and I use them pretty much constantly. Firstly, I love the Reverb because it is exceptionally smooth and has such a refined detail in the decay. It’s great for sculpting vocals, and with the customisation options and presets it’s really easy to use.

‘Up until now, I was still using classic outboard reverbs most of the time. Now I’ve got a classic sound, but with the added benefit of keeping everything inside in the box.

‘I can open my reverb in any studio in the world and recall my preferred settings with the push of a button, so it’s the usability of the thing, as well as the fact that there’s no compromise in sound quality, that makes it so attractive to me.’

And when it comes to using the Oxford Reverb, Jay-J has a specific way of working that provides his productions with a ripe and undeniably tough sound. ‘I basically have two main reverb templates set up,’ he says. ‘I’ve got an ambient plate-like sound that gives dimension to my beats but isn’t too heavy. Then I’ve got a bigger reverb that I use for sustaining pads, snares, crashes, backing vocals, lead vocals and any other instruments that need it.

‘Often, when it comes to my backing vocals, I use it a little to push the high end and get that special sheen. I do like to mix the highs pretty hot so that when they hit that verb they stay there shimmering for a while – the Oxford Reverb is great for that.’

Jay-J also uses the Oxford EQ to interesting effect, tightening his sounds, paring down the mix to ensure that the final cut of any given track remains uncluttered, stark and solid.

‘I run the EQ’s high-pass filter on the majority of sounds,’ he says. ‘By using the filters on the EQ, I can focus my energy on getting the low and the kick just right, making sure that this area never gets too muddy. That way, I can create space in the bottom end, which is really important when you’re making dance music.

‘From there on in,’ he adds, ‘I use the EQ to sculpt and brighten up the mid-range and home in on any frequencies that need the extra attention. The Oxford EQ really helps me to refine my mixes so that every sound is in its own relative position, and nothing in the mix competes.’

But what Jay-J believes places the Oxford EQ at the top of the pile in his choice of comparable plug-ins, is the fact that it is possible to push the high end that little bit harder without losing any quality or definition of sound.

‘It’s the old-school analogue way of dealing with the top end that gives the EQ the edge. That’s what I’m after, and I’m choosing Sony Oxford every time because it’s the most natural sounding, most musical sounding EQ plug-in available.’

With an increase in the number of full songs in his portfolio, Jay-J also turns to the Oxford Dynamics to get the very best from his productions, particularly when using it on vocal elements.

‘In recent years I’ve used more and more live musicians,’ he says, ‘and almost every song that I do has a vocal in it somewhere. It’s important for me to get a nice smooth compression, and the Oxford Dynamics is an excellent plug-in for getting my vocals sounding tight and punchy.

‘It’s important for me to make dance music on par with the best pop songs around today, so I always keep an eye on that. I listen to the vocal productions of the people with the big budgets. They often have a depth and fullness that I aim to achieve.

‘I’m using the Oxford plug-ins a lot to sculpt my vocals and instruments and attain that high-budget quality of sound.’

Interview and editorial provided by Matthew Pigott Public Relations tel. +44(0)7903 723898

<<< Back to User Profiles