In his 9 years on Audiotool, Naswalt has developed from a quirky underdog to one of the most important and influential musicians in the community. His hybrid tracks, consisting of recordings from his own home studio and the Audiotool studio, are as indispensable for the charts as his entertaining videos for social media. Thank you for your lasting contribution, Tom Audiotool.
Interview
About Jacob Bartlett aka naswalt :
I grew up in bum country Tennessee with an internet connection that led me to audiotool almost 10 years ago when I was a freshman in high school. I grew up with audiotool. I can confidently say that this platform shaped a big part of who I am now; from my interests to my career. I love to camp/hike, try new foods and learn about technology.
Which artist has had the most influence on you (on and/or outside Audiotool)?
sim Homeboy over here is always finding new and creative sounds. He takes risks I would never even think of in his work. We'll meet up one day.
Which film/game would you like to produce the score for or contribute a song to?
Death Stranding has these moments where the soundtrack takes center stage and I can't describe the feeling I get overtaken by ... I'd love to give somebody that experience, but I don't know that I could pull it off if I was ever given the chance.
Have you ever had a writer's block? If so, how did you deal with it and what do you recommend to your colleagues?
I write a lot of things when I'm not at my creative high. Sometimes I'll see somebody say that what I heard as weak in my track was their favorite part. I think the key is to just keep making stuff. Everybody writes a bad song, even the greatest artists!
What has helped you the most on Audiotool to improve and widen your musical horizon?
The open assets, no doubt. I've learned the majority of what I know about sound design and synthesizers by looking at what other people have done in their tracks.
What do you like most about Audiotool? Is there anything you would like to suggest?
I love that, even with the crappiest setup, I have the tools available to make a fully professional track any time I have wifi. That's crazy! I could lose all of my studio and not lose a single bit of my ability to make the music I'm making now so long as I have a laptop. The only thing I'd change about audiotool ... I'd make it bigger. More artists would know about it and how powerful the tools are.
Your message to the community:
I love you all. Thank you for your support, inspiration and encouragement. There's so much great art that comes out of audiotool and it's an honor to be a part of this whole thing!
Social/Musical Links
ALBUM
We asked Naswalt to compile an album of some of his favourite Audiotool tracks and tell us why he chose them. You can enjoy the single tracks or listen to the whole album below.
Track #1:
[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/when_i_hold_you/]] Nominal was one of the first artists I truly felt like was pushing the envelope on what audiotool could make. One of the first I had found and he made a profound impact on the way I listen to music. This song hits so many different feelings. It feels angry, yet yearning. It feels intentional, yet chaotic. I remember playing this at a old pizza job I had and getting in trouble for it. That's when I knew I loved this song!
Track #2:
[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/missed_generation/]] I saw this track on audiotool when I had just started listening to LCD Soundsystem and other indie electronic/ dance punk groups. It was the perfect storm and pushed me to start recording vocals.
Track #3:
[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/zzzzzzzx/]] You want to know how much I've copied synth setups? I'm throwing myself under the bus here. Xavi has always been an amazing artist who I've looked up to, but this song gave me the synthwave bug that I'm still infected with.
Track #4:
[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/u9yqv9og/assets]] There's a strange phenomenon of songs that make you truly angry. They dig down into your bones and spread emotions all the way to your chest. Sim is great at distortion. Distortion sounds angry, right? No, THIS song is what anger sounds like. Not the Doom soundtrack, this track is where it's at.
Track #5:
[[EMBED:https://www.audiotool.com/track/those_chickens_are_up_to_something/]] Goon has been one of those artists that has started to gain some attention and let me tell you... He deserves it. This track was the first where I had to keep listening to it over and over again. The groove, funk, mellowness and danciness all working together blend into a pizza party of a track. This song could loop for all of eternity in the back of my mind and never get old.
Track #6:
[[embed:https://www.audiotool.com/track/7no6oaok7m/]] When I was working on the 2 concept albums I really felt like I was pumping out some of my best work. This track I feel like was the highlight of the whole experience for me.
Listen to the whole album here
| 1 |
 |
When I Hold You | 3008 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |
 |
missed generation | 12870 | |
| 3 |
 |
ZZZZZZZX | 15502 | |
| 4 |
 |
y'all already know what it is | 706 | |
| 5 |
 |
Those Chickens Are Up To Something | 2732 | |
| 6 |
 |
stuck | 3009 |
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No icebox here hmm
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Holy shit yall, this site just got better.
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I see the step dad energy in your face.
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sus
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This man really is one of my idols
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Eyy sweet I love the Death Stranding ost too. I’m looking forward to when you attempt to bring those grand feels to us.
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Are you guys planning to make this a more regular thing? I'm sure many people would be stoked to see it.
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<3
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pretty cool of Audiotool to do a featured artist thing like this.
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One of the best on AT
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high school me would have freaked out over this compliment.
modern me would tell you to get back to work on rav3gurwl music @Infyuthsion
Love ya, dude! In all seriousness thank you for grimebot. It actually got me started on messing with the effects in audiotool. If I had a top 10 tracks, it would have made the list
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Quirky
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YOOOO THATS COOL AFFFFFF!!!! corgrats naswalt! XD
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such an honour to have tom audiotool shout out my chicken track, great feature!
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It's amazing seeing you grow through the years on here man. Proud of you.
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brilliant article :)
