Aeiter is somehow the singer-songwriter of Audiotool. His vocals and instrumentation transport the listener into misty landscapes full of fantasy and enchanting melancholy without falling into esoteric kitsch. His collaborations with Naut are legendary and probably make both of them the users with the most trophies from contests on our site. But he also moves unerringly in other genres, as his more than 300 songs -mainly lo-fi and experimental- prove. If you don't know his music yet, it's time to dive in.

Interview:

About Ethan aka aeiter

Hi, I’m Ethan. I like to take care of plants, bake bread and cook obscure foods that I find on YouTube. Currently, I’m working in IT, waiting for my university applications to come back so I can go to London with my girlfriend and study electronic engineering. I discovered Audiotool when I was 11 years old looking for ways to make Dubstep ‘for free’. In April I will be 21!

Describe the style of music you produce

I like to think I create lofi/ambient music but I’m always experimenting. Lately I’ve been adding in more distortion. I mess with the synths and presets until I make something that evokes some sort of mood. My vocals are usually completely improvised and nonsensical. I try to integrate my guitar playing in my music and I am desperate to join a band. Outside of Audiotool I produce Midwest Emo/Math rock style songs.

What is your musical background and when did you start making music?

I don’t come from a particularly musical family, but both my Mum and eldest brother are artists. I have fond memories of my mother singing improvised songs to me over four chords on the guitar when I was growing up. I was taught how to play the recorder in primary school - much to my parent’s dismay - but did not have any musical training in my childhood. During high school, I would pick up acoustic guitar and practice it over microphone in between rounds of CS:GO. My friends hated me! In 2010 my brother showed me “Dr P – Sweet Shop” and “Skrillex – Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” and from there I was obsessed with finding a way to make my own EDM music. I trialled numerous apps on the chrome store but something about Audiotool had me hooked. Perhaps it was that making music was so tangible and I didn’t feel babied such as in other apps. It took me a while but with some help from community members, I began to understand how the synths worked. From then it’s just been trial and error.

What is your favorite Audiotool device and why?

I can’t pick… I love the comb filter because it can add life to things and make basses that really go hard. Also, the rasselbock for its ability to create new ideas and funky grooves. The pulsar delay works as a delay and as a reverb; I also like that it can add warm rhythms to tracks and make them exciting from a stereo sound point. It makes some wacky noises when you automate the knobs :)

What is your favourite trick in AT/What technique do you always use?

If you didn’t know already, you can shift the pitch of an audio signal using the rasselbock opposed to using devices like the pitch delay. I prefer this to other methods because you don’t have to mess around in the timeline to get everything in sync. ¼ snapping grid. Fill in all 4 blocks in the scratch effect bar (you can change this). Rate 1/1, Strength 0%, Change the tone to vary the pitch of your output.

Have you ever had a writer's block? If so, how did you deal with it and what do you recommend to your colleagues?

Writer’s block SUCKS. I try to remind myself that ideas from ‘bad’ drafts can lead to good ones. I try not to be afraid of what I come up with. I think that my writer’s block stems from expectations that I have for myself and my finalised music. I try to experiment and explore new starting methods to keep things exciting.

What has helped you the most on Audiotool to improve and widen your musical horizon?

I love that the website offers the opportunity for users to give constructive criticism on my music. The community on Audiotool has made a huge positive impact on my development as an artist and a person. The forums have introduced me to new types of music, production methods and have allowed me to share my voice about the platform. I encourage you to engage with people on the website as much as you can, and good things will follow!

What do you like most about Audiotool? Is there anything you would like to suggest?

I find it quite difficult to navigate my drafts and struggle to identify them. I’d love if there was an alternate view for draft selection that took up a larger area on the screen and displayed more drafts in a grid with bigger previews. Also, some sort of folder system would be AMAZING.

Your message to the community:

Nobody cares that you’re “gone” or “on hiatus”.

Social/Musical Links:

Only on audiotool for now :)

Edition Audiotool

Track #1:

FLYING by sky bound zoo

SBZs musical ability confounds me to this day.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/flying-juedbstfv/]]

Track #2:

circles [remix] by sim

Simon has greatly influenced how I approach deep lofi texture and feel.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/p2ph66sa9rw/]]

Track #3:

small spaces by opaqity

Opaqity had a huge impact on my musical journey and sound. This was the first song I learned how to play on piano.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/small_spaces/]]

Track #4:

Rise by Kepz

Kepz’s beautiful work aided me in laying out the progression for my earlier tracks.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/rise-euokndpnd/]]

Track #5:

MUGEN II by HBVI

The synth in this song served as a base for me to create the presets that I still work with to this day.

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/mugen_ii/]]

Track #6:

habit by aeiter

This is one of my favourite tracks. I love the way that the pulsar delay effects weaves in and out of the core notes that play. Here I used comb filtered basses for the first time too! I’m just proud of this song :)

[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/dctpt4ozkobu/]]

Full Album

Edition Audiotool: aeiter

• a-records

33

about 2 years ago

1		FLYING sky bound zoo	sky bound zoo	1692
2		circles [remix] sim	sim	783
3		small spaces opaqity	opaqity	1314
4		Rise Kepz	Kepz	3897
5		MUGEN II HBVI	HBVI	2529
6		habit aeiter	aeiter	303