CeriGoing Back to Basics
ADAM Users
Having downsized her studio and moved to Ibiza, the DJ and producer explains how she makes the most of a modest setup with the ADAM Audio A7V.
UK producer and DJ, Ceri, found success touring the world as a DJ, and releasing deep and punchy, timeless house and techno. Through her label, Find Your Own Records, Ceri has established an outlet for her unique brand of music inspired by the sounds of Chicago, Detroit, Berlin and the UK. “The name of the label represents me finding my own place and myself, having faith, and listening to my intuition,” she states.
As a DJ, she recently made her Panorama Bar debut, where she made the dancers cry, but in a good way! Ceri also filled in for Kerri Chandler at Amnesia when he missed his flight, and played to a sold out Badaboum in Paris. As a producer, during the Pandemic, she made the decision to move to Ibiza. Leaving behind her London studio equipped with an abundance of hardware equipment, Ceri minimised her setup to start her new life in the Balearics.
“I now split my time between London and Ibiza,” the producer explains about her new process. “Most of my equipment is still in London, left with my studio partner, on the condition that I can use it when I come back.” Now having to find her own sound once again, the producer’s new home setup in Ibiza consists of just a laptop, soundcard, midi keyboard, and a set of ADAM Audio A7V monitors.
“For me, it’s been quite humbling to go back to basics and use minimal equipment again.”
“For me, it’s been quite humbling to go back to basics and use minimal equipment again. If it’s good enough for Four Tet, it’s good enough for me” the producer says about adapting to her new setup (and referring to the viral four tet meme of a few years ago). “It took some getting used to… but I love the fact that I now look out on to an Ibizan Forest instead of Bethnal Green High Street. I now feel like I can channel music easier because of the magical energy of the island.”
“The A7Vs are amazing. […] They give a balanced and clean, accurate representation of the sound at all frequency levels.”
Regardless of whether the studio is in London or Ibiza, what matters most to her is the audio quality, which is why Ceri relies on ADAM Audio. “The A7Vs are amazing. I have to say they are probably the best speakers on the market in their price range,” the producer explains. “They give a balanced and clean, accurate representation of the sound at all frequency levels. And not only that, they also allow for an integration with SoundID Reference, which is a great way of getting the speakers to adapt to your room and environment.”
In Ibiza Ceri also makes use of The Hub Ibiza Studios when she can too; “Here they have S3H midfield monitors and a Sub15 which sound amazing.”
In addition to her work as a producer, record label and DJ, Ceri also mentors up and coming producers, running an online music masterclass series called “Find Your Own Sound“. “When I lived in London, I would sometimes have other producers come to me for help, and I noticed that almost everyone needed help with the same things,” she explains about how the Masterclass began. “I created a five-week course, which covered all of them, including arrangement, sampling, remixing, EQing, mixing, and – also very important – mindset.”
Past students on Ceri’s Masterclass have gone from being unable to finish a track, to having their tracks signed and released, Beatport top 10’s, featured in a BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, worldwide Radio Play, DJ Mag premieres and much more…
The courses don’t only just focus on tangible aspects of music production, but also the psychological ones as well. “I realised that most people who came to me also needed help training their minds, to be able to concentrate longer,” Ceri explains about the course. “As a result of this instant gratification, and social media world we are living in, attention spans are dwindling, and this can severely impact music making. So, I also incorporate mindset and meditation into the sessions, to help people not only concentrate for longer periods of time, but also better tune into their intuition, too.” Without these mindset elements, it would be extremely difficult for musicians to find themselves and their own sound. A process that that Ceri now excels in.
WIN VIRTUAL STUDIO TIME WITH CERI
Finally, we have a very special surprise for all those interested in Ceri’s Masterclass. If you would like to win virtual studio time with Ceri, to give you feedback on your demos, you can be in with a chance of winning a session with her. To enter – just fill in the ‘contact us’ form on findyourownsound.com with the comment ‘Adam Audio Demo Feedback Competition’. The deadline is 15th Jan and the winner will be notified then.
Best of luck.