Jeff Chang has been a member of Soundfly’s community since almost as long as I have. Jeff has done four sessions with four different mentors, each focusing on different aspects of the music-making process. As a result, over the last few years we’ve had a front row seat to witness Jeff’s growth as a musician, producer, and DJ in every direction under his moniker JC++.
And we like to celebrate victories here at Soundfly, so when Jeff reached out to let us know that his new track came out — and that this was the song he worked on in his latest mentorship session — we wanted to make sure to help tell his story.
So, first, please take a listen to JC++’s “Moderated Debauchery” below:
And now, please enjoy my recent conversation with Jeff Chang about his musical project and the experience he’s had working with a Soundfly Mentor to develop his skills. Enjoy!
Q: You recently completed and released your latest track, “Moderated Debauchery.” Firstly, congrats, the track is great. It features a disco-type bass and beat formation, with a wavering vocal sample that reverbs out covering only one of several melodies in the foreground throughout, and impressive sound design. How did this track come about?
A: I’ve been incorporating more vocals into my tracks and generally making them more energetic as I craft my style. I composed this track over the course of a couple months by starting with a slightly groovy beat, adding a simple chord progression and then gradually layering more and more sounds on top of it (including a bass guitar riff I recorded myself).
As with all my music, I’m trying to make something sonically interesting that I personally enjoy listening to and can also play at a party to get people in a good mood. 🙂
What is your production process like exactly? Which elements do you start with and how do you build your tracks?
I usually start with a drum rack in Ableton, selecting and processing individual kicks, snares, claps, snaps, and hats, to lay down a solid foundation first. Next comes a pad, piano, pluck, or other synth playing a chord progression to form the “filling” of the cake. Then I experiment with various melodies, vocals, or other decorative notes on top to see what kind of sound gardens I can create.
Using a reference track is helpful for structuring the arrangement and comparing the fullness of my mix, but I find I often get carried away and end up deviating from the reference track quite a bit. I would say much of the time I spend working on a track is simply listening to it over and over again and making tweaks as I see fit.
“There’s something about that eerie middle ground between human and machine that I find fun!”
Do you have a favorite sound or palette or plugin that is your “go to” thing that you always use?
I enjoy playing with vocal samples and robotic glitchy noises and blurring (blending) them together, chopping them, reversing them, warping them, etc. There’s something about that eerie middle ground between human and machine that I find fun!
As for plugins, honestly, the thing I use the most often is good ol’ stock Ableton EQ8… sometimes the simplest things can do the most. I use Wavesfactory’s Trackspacer for easy and precise side-chaining. I also use Ozone Imager a lot because I like fine-tuning the stereo width of my sounds. Oxford Inflator is a saturator I like to use (cool name too) although you have to be careful not to overdo it.
How did you arrive at this sound?
My musical background comes from playing piano, clarinet, and bass guitar as a teenager. My love for computers, technology, and electronic music came later in my adult life, so I’ve always gravitated toward combining the analog and digital worlds in interesting ways. I guess you could say my style is based on finding satisfying juxtapositions of sounds: “strange noises in pleasurable combinations.”
I’ve noticed that I personally tend to pay attention to the subtler aural textures of a piece of music, but a lot of my friends will focus more on the beat and vocals. Striking a balance between those elements is a continual process.
“I guess you could say my style is based on finding satisfying juxtapositions of sounds: ‘strange noises in pleasurable combinations.’”
Who are your biggest inspirations in terms of songwriters or producers?
I look up to Eric Prydz, deadmau5, Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, and Max Cooper, for different reasons. I find Prydz and deadmau5’s prolific high-quality output to be impressive. I admire the sense of community and excitement that Above & Beyond and Armin have been able to cultivate with their labels, podcasts, and events. And I love the sonically detailed intricacies of Max Cooper’s music (the music videos are trippy too). I also enjoy alternative rock bands, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and Linkin Park. Huge nostalgia factor there, naturally.
You did a session recently with Soundfly Mentor Alex Hamadey. How was that for you and what was your aim to accomplish in the session?
It was fun and helpful! Alex familiarized me with some production techniques I hadn’t used before (like shaping the ADSR envelope of my bass synth for a Minimoog type sound, using the Waves SSL Channel Strip for parallel compression, and making custom risers with Ableton’s Wavetable).
My goal was to finish a track beginning to end, and “Moderated Debauchery” was the result.
And since this was not your first mentorship session (not by a long shot), how did it differ from previous mentor sessions you’ve done?
Previous mentors I’ve had (Sam Friedman, Brandon Miranda, Joseph Capalbo) focused on different aspects of the music-making process, including production workflow, synth/sample selection, sound design, song arrangement, mixing, and mastering.
Alex was very supportive, gave me room to experiment, and showed me specific plugins and presets which I can now add to my arsenal. I feel like I’ve learned something new from each mentor, given their different backgrounds, knowledge, styles, and preferences.
Have you been able to put any concepts you’re learning into action in your own music?
Definitely. I’m getting better at keeping the “big picture” arrangement in mind as I work on my tracks, as I have a tendency to focus on micro-optimizations and lose sight of the overall flow. I’ve also continued collecting my own synthesized sounds into a sample pack that I pull from as a personal sound library. Specific ideas and techniques I’ve learned will sometimes surface months or years later.
I like to view my creative output as the merging of all the musical influences and inspirations I’ve had throughout my life.
“I’ve learned something new and different from each mentor and they’ve been great at keeping me productive and helping me hone my craft.”
What brought you to Soundfly originally?
Honestly I think I saw a mention of Soundfly in a BMI newsletter. I signed up on a whim and have had several different mentors so far. I’ve learned something new and different from each mentor and they’ve been great at keeping me productive and helping me hone my craft.
What’s next for you in 2023? What are you working on now?
I’m continuing to produce more tracks and I’m aiming to release at least one new track per month. That’s what I’m going to do until I reach 10,000 hours of practice (and even after that). I’m also looking for vocalists to pair up with to take my music to the next level.
And as always, I’m looking for opportunities to DJ at events and hopefully gain some new fans in the process. Thanks for listening!
Ready for a session of your own?
Soundfly’s community of mentors can help you set the right goals, pave the right path toward success, and stick to schedules and routines that you develop together, so you improve every step of the way. Tell us what you’re working on, and we’ll find the right mentor for you!
