Angel Parilli, a DJ, Producer, and Sound Engineer from Caracas, Venezuela, has been immersed in music since childhood, fostering his passion and deep love for various genres. Now, breaking onto the Electronic Music scene, Angel Parilli puts forward his versatility, seamlessly navigating through an array of EDM genres, from commercial tracks to Progressive, Tech House, and Melodic Techno. Having taken to performing in countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Romania, France, and the USA, Angel Parilli remains dedicated to connecting with genre lovers worldwide, seeking to introduce his dynamic style and genre-fluidify through his live DJ sets and studio productions.
In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Angel Parilli to dive deeper into his studio setup and production workflow, learning more about the evolution of his music journey.
Hi Angel Parilli, how are you today?
Pretty good, thank you. I hope you guys are doing great.
Can you walk us through your studio setup?
- Interface: Behringer UMC1820
- Microphone: Neumann TLM 102
- Yamaha Monitors HS5
- MAC
- Logic Pro X
- MIDI Controllers: AKAI, M-Audio & Roland
- Roland TD-07KV V-Drums
- All of my guitars (13) which I collect
What was the first piece of gear you purchased for your studio?
The first piece ever? Hmmmm. The first thing ever was 2×4 inches of wood studs to custom-build my studio table. But for my current studio, the first piece of gear I purchased was speaker stands.
How do you maintain an organised and inspiring workspace?
As a musician who records and plays live instruments, it could get very messy haha because, at the end of the session, I end up using many cables, guitar picks, drumsticks, guitar pedals, smaller MIDI controllers, etc. I always try to put things back to where they were immediately.
Can you share some of your favourite plugins or virtual instruments?
Most of my plugins are from the Wave collection and others that came with Logic Pro X, which I believe are very good.
Synthesizers I use more often:
- Native Instruments
- KV331 Audio Collection
- Serum
- Omnisphere
What’s the latest addition to your studio and how has it impacted your production workflow?
MIDI Guitar. It has helped me a lot because the first instrument I learned and became very competent in playing was the guitar. A lot of times, just by the body, arms, and hand positions to grab and play the guitar, I somehow come up with ideas I wouldn’t have thought of if I had started playing the piano/MIDI controller. I create quicker, I would say.
How has your studio evolved from when you first started producing to now?
OMG, so when I first started, I was living in a small room where no conventional studio table station would fit, and a standard desk would’ve been too wide and made my room feel and be smaller. I had to get furniture that would go up towards the ceiling as I had no space in any other direction.
So, I went to Home Depot haha and purchased wood, 2×4 and 4×4 inches wood studs, plywood, screws, a drill, wood hand saw, and a measuring tape. Then I built my own studio vertical rack. I wish I took pictures of this haha then everyone that would come to record or visit, not music-related, I had them sign their name on the wood studs LOL.
Can you tell us about your usual workflow when producing a track?
I don’t really have a steady, standard, always-the-same workflow to produce a track. But there are a couple of things I do repeat. The first thing I do is look at the tracks I’ve done before, see what genres I’ve been more inclined to in the recent past, and what I’ve been DJing live recently. Based on that, I determine what type of track I would like to add to my upcoming library or playlist.
I also automatically mix the track as I’m creating it, including some pre-mastering plugins in the master channel. It helps me identify which sounds might not work well at the end.
I like taking 30-minute breaks, so my ears don’t get numb or blind to my own sound-mixing mistakes. And I love some coffee or wine sometimes during the process, depending on if I’m working during the day or night.
Do you have any memorable stories or moments from your time producing in your studio?
My favourite moments are when I’m copy-pasting a section to, you know, make the length of the track longer, then I misplace the newly copied and pasted tracks offbeat and within that mistake, a brand-new idea is born. Hahahaha. I love that. I don’t know why but that gets me super pumped. But it needs to happen accidentally; you can’t just mess up on purpose haha.
To end, what advice would you offer to new producers who are in the process of building their own studios?
Don’t focus on getting speakers based on how much bass they blast. It’s not good for mixing. Get high-fidelity speakers/mixing monitors before you invest in a subwoofer for fun.
Prevent horrible acoustics by having certain pieces of furniture or materials that will prevent sound frequencies from bouncing off your walls.
Name your cables with colour tapes or however you like to keep them organised.
Have your drinks and food always on a separate table away from your gear.
Angel Parilli’s journey from a small, custom-built studio to performing for a wide range of audiences is proof of his dedication and passion for music. His ability to adapt and innovate, both in his productions and live performances, is a unique trait of his approach, cementing him on an exciting path where his exploration, experimentation, and development are bound to continue. So, we thank Angel Parilli for taking the time to sit down with us and eagerly encourage you to keep following his journey by staying tuned to his various social media platforms.
Angel Parilli Online
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