Ultimo TAFE teacher, Paul, has honed his expertise for over 20 years in various aspects of Ableton Live, music production, drumming, mixing, and composing.

Learn more about Paul

• When did you first develop a passion for music & your favourite instrument?

  I've had a passion for music ever since I can remember. When I was 9, I wanted to play drums in the school band but there weren't any spots available, so I started playing the trombone. That lasted about 9 months, then the following year I was offered a spot to play drums. This was probably the start of my real drive in pursuing music.

• Is there a particular type of music or artist that you listen to on a loop without it driving you crazy?

  Since about 2010 most of my listening consists of darker styles of techno, because that's what I've mainly been writing/touring for the past decade. Before that it was technical death metal - I listened to that all through high school.

• xplain to us the most difficult or 'riveting' lesson you could personally give to one of your students.

  A difficult lesson would be learning in depth how to do a full mix down. There are so many factors at play, like trying to get 20-100 instruments working together - giving them their own space in the frequency/stereo field and making everything cohesive, big and achieving certain aesthetics of different styles of music.

• What do you think is the most complicated instrument to master and why?

  I would say that all instruments including producing and even DJing can go as far as you take them. They say it takes 10,000 hours to master an instrument and in electronic music production it would take about the same. Normally, it takes a decade to become "good," from my experience and of all the producers I know.

• What are your keys to success?

  Perseverance, a sheer number of hours and time management. It also helps to have your head around marketing, business, social media and nowadays it seems pretty essential to also be able to edit your own videos, etc.
  
  Personally, I was never great at and had a lot of resistance towards social media and things outside of making music. But I had a lot of experience booking and playing gigs. I never had any big breaks and just kept putting in the hours. After about 12 years of taking music very seriously I'm now finally earning a living solely from it through teaching, tutoring and touring. Had I pulled the pin any earlier, I wouldn't have gotten to this point.

• Name 3 musicians you dream of meeting in your favourite bar in the early hours of the morning. Explain why.

  Not a big fan of bars so it would probably be a club 😉 Although, we probably wouldn't be able to hear each other so let's stick to a bar.
  
  I'd love to meet Klur, Max Cooper and SNTS. These are some of my favourite producers who I feel almost have unachievably high production and composition skills. I'd be picking their brains about writing, sound design and mixing.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your musical journey, or your days at 'music school.'

  While I was living in Berlin a promoter once said to me, something along the lines of - keep at it, the ones who go the distance make it. That really stuck with me and was a great reminder during tough times when I'd be reconsidering my career choices as a musician.

• What are the little touches that make you a Superprof in music?

  I would say, for better or for worse, that I'm a perfectionist, meticulous with detail and very dedicated. Something that has always helped raise the bar for me was closely referencing and analysing professional songs. This helps with every aspect of songwriting and music production and, in the past, I always found my music getting closer to that professional benchmark - now I release music on some of the biggest labels in my scene.
  
  With teaching, I always try to go "above and beyond" with my students, ensuring they get extra help and support along the way. I try to be as human as possible and keep things peaceful, comfortable and compassionate.