FINNEAS Favourite Plug-in & Advice for Musicians

Renowned producer Finneas shares his advice for music creators, emphasizing the importance of having your own taste. Recorded at Lightship 95 on one of the most iconic stretches of the Thames. Watch to find out what his favourite gear is and which plugin he uses on 99% of his songs!
Check out the full episode here 👉
tinyurl.com/EP...
Finneas's Plugin Boutique Selection -
www.pluginbout...
EPISODE GEAR MENTIONS
Arturia Farfisa - geni.us/NL6LHwA
Output Analogue Strings - geni.us/Fxj1nX
FabFilter Twin 2 - geni.us/XLN0
Spectrasonics Trilian - geni.us/TfAnv
Spectrasonics Omnisphere - geni.us/QcmU
Soundtoys Decapitator - geni.us/pPArH
Soundtoys Little AlterBoy - geni.us/o8nbO
Soundtoys Tremolator - geni.us/bAB3sa
Antares Autotune - geni.us/I3qOXG
Native Instruments Bundle - geni.us/4CEK2F
Native Instruments Massive - geni.us/Bu3m
Valhalla Room - geni.us/G4N9K
Neumann TLM103 - geni.us/beG8
Chandler REDD - geni.us/8I7kK
Telefunken ELA M 251 - geni.us/Tr3stp5
Audio Technica AT2020 - geni.us/UREd9gr
Shure SM7B - geni.us/iGLQDzQ
Shure SM57 - geni.us/Bpjmr7
M-Audio Venom - geni.us/dG85TPV
Sequential Prophet X - geni.us/yeJ1xN
Novation UltraNova Synth - geni.us/AO5qV
Elektron Synth - geni.us/BGoV
Fender Acoustasonic - geni.us/sRefd4
Tube-Tech CL1B Compressor - geni.us/dD2A
Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter - geni.us/M4vR
Sweetwater Best Seller List - geni.us/anJuf
Ableton - geni.us/tMpiD
Logic Pro - geni.us/X5RxJ
Logic - Compressor Plugin - geni.us/GjipA
Follow the artist
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram....
LISTEN to ‘Optimist’ here - songwhip.com/f...
OYOY Inc, Interscope Records
LISTEN to ‘Mona Lisa Mona Lisa’ here - songwhip.com/f...
OYOY Inc, Interscope Records
Follow our socials to stay up to date
INSTAGRAM: / tapenotes
TWITTER: / tapenotes
TIKTOK: / tapenotes
SPOTIFY: tinyurl.com/ta...
WEBSITE: tapenotes.co.uk/
DISCORD: / discord
INTRO MUSIC: Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - songwhip.com/l...
SSupport the show here 👉 / tapenotes
OUR GEAR
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro - geni.us/WCLnQ
Neumann Studio Headphone NDH20 - geni.us/BddWAs
Neumann TLM 103 - geni.us/beG8
Rode NT2 - geni.us/UjI7
RME Babyface Pro - geni.us/3N62F
RME Fireface UFX+ - geni.us/X6Lg
Focusrite Clarett 8Pre - geni.us/Kf3YDu
ART Headamp 6 - geni.us/mEZ4
Merging Technologies Pyramix - www.merging.co...
FabFilter Pro-Q 3 - geni.us/UCuj
FabFilter Pro-DS - geni.us/IoGJOR
iZotope RX - geni.us/cBXOt
Waves RVox - geni.us/lbtD4
Waves L2 - geni.us/6DAS5l
Waves Maxx Volume - geni.us/O0qn1J
iZotope RX - geni.us/cBXOt
PRIVACY POLICY and FULL DISCLOSURE
Tape Notes Podcast is a participant in Plugin Boutique, Sweetwater and Thomann affiliate programmes. If you purchase something using the links above we’ll receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. It makes it possible to keep the podcast up and running. We do not collect or share any data about you. Thank you!

[@TapeNotesPodcast]

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE👉 www.patreon.com/tapenotes

[@SimonMac]

I love that advice! "If I think it sounds good, then it's correct - even if I did it 'wrong'." Don't let other people's opinions keep you from making music!

[@shouldaleftit]

needed

[@michakowalski2930]

I remember watching some mixing courses and there was this know mixer that said about bx_digital that you shouldn't go more than 114% of stereo widening or you will go into trouble! And then watched mixing course with Andrew Scheps, that widened (at that time) on the mixbuss with the same plugin to 140%, saying he always does that as it sounds nicer and the things on the hard left can be heard on the right etc etc. It was the moment when I was like, "ok, I see, the rules are bullshit, two biggest grammy wining mixing enginners and one says you can't do it, and other always does it and they both do great job. That's telling all really"

[@thisismisero]

Omnisphere sounds great, but to be honest: Whenever I open that thing I'm just overwhelmed by the sheer amount of sounds. The paradox of choice I guess.

[@jamesangusmusic]

Takes a couple years to get your head around it

[@thisismisero]

@@jamesangusmusic I tend to only use it when I know exactly what I'm looking for.

[@StephenOrion]

Highly recommend opening without a project in mind, going through some presets and labeling some of your favorite sounds. If you find a few favourites, you can always start from there when you have are looking for a particular sound for a specific project. Helps me start somewhere and not be overwhelmed by the choices when I have to choose a sound in a project.

[@esthermoonmusic]

One thing i love to do with omnisphere is pick any preset that uses something sampled rather than the synth engine, and swap the sample for something else. You get brand new sounds using all the filtering, modulation, fx etc that the preset had on the original sample and of course you can tweak from there

[@soccerman127]

My advice: Put together a personal bank of great sounds you've found over the years, and just go back to those "ole reliables" anytime you're struggling to search for a sound

[@adityapadode]

This is such a killer advice. It reminded me of the advice from ira glass for creative people and how important it is to stick to your taste.

[@BrofUJu]

Where was that? Would love to hear it.

[@adityapadode]

@@BrofUJu Just Search "Ira Glass on The Creative Process" you'll able to find it

[@BrofUJu]

@@adityapadode thanks!

[@briandavidofficial]

"If it sounds good, it's good!" I heard that advice in the first studio I ever entered. The producer was working on a song that sounded killer and his kick drum was a literally a trash can he had recorded with his iphone. He had also just turned down the opportunity to borrow a $10k mic from his label to continue using his $700 Rhode mic he was familiar with. He kept saying "if it sounds good, it's good. If it sounds good, it's good!"

[@gabrielestebanrosalesredon1525]

If Finneas did a music production course, I'll totally pay for it

[@BrandonShere]

Glad he talked about Omnisphere! I remember I was scrolling through sounds in Omni awhile back and stumbled across the exact synth from his song "The 90's"!

[@bhaveshtochabbra6853]

What synth

[@Bgoods]

a lot of times when I see good artists speaking on craft, it becomes pretty clear why they became successful. Finneas always just seems super clear-headed.

[@TeddyLeppard]

He's right. In terms of art where everything is subjective, having a point of view is your biggest asset.

[@nextechproductions2916]

He is surprisingly very down to earth and humble. And these tips are so critical even though its so intuitive.

[@raymondkymsuttle]

I met Finneas on the set of Glee and he was really lovely. He's also friends with the son of one of my friends who I worked with on The Morning Show, and he affirms the fact that he's really lovely.

[@mrclaytron]

"Taste is everything" - that is honestly the best production advice I've probably ever heard!

[@GUiTERtUbE]

I’m so respect to this man especially on his solo work even more than Billlie’s production. He has the sense to arrange and communicate even beyond the native English listeners

[@onetwo3088]

You have a great podcast! Can you make full video version on KZbin? My English is not really good, but I can understand a lot more with subtitles! Appreciate your work!

[@memo-om2fm]

YESSSS please, the same

[@MsMay32]

ABSOLUTELY and AGREED!!!💗💗💗💚💚💚🧡🧡🧡

[@prodteague]

This man is a genius. Great advice too!

[@pierre-claudemeriot6562]

Damn, didn't think I would have my world changed with a 3 mom video. "what matters is not do to it the correct way, it's whether you like it or not"

[@finbeats]

I officially as of last year have used every sound from the banks in omnisphere , I rated each sound to keep check of how many left lol limiting myself to the ones i never used forced me to be more open minded through the years

[@tirebesidetheroadarchive]

I had a guy tell me "you make music with your ears, not your eyes."

[@starrio713]

There's no right or wrong, only what you like. This is one of the most important things I learned throughout the last couple years.

[@florianschartner2030]

Your Podcast ist Genius!!

[@JeffStrickland]

Brilliant advice--heeding one's own personal taste and running with it, despite any potential naysayers. This has served him well, which makes his point even more wonderful. Thank you for this.

[@joehertz8903]

couldn't agree more with that. Great advice

[@rayb3000]

I needed to hear that actually. Thanks!

[@thehottestbeatz]

We need Omnisphere version 3

[@olivermaier-landshut3047]

Taste is everything! Thanks for sharing.

[@treyhudson73]

That camera/perspective makes his left foot look HUGE!

[@lwry007]

Great to see that Lance from Pulp Fiction made his way in the world. Just getting into Omnisphere and looks like I won't be coming back

[@MarkDLion]

The best advice, he didn't say, but you can inherit, is to know people in the business. If your dad has a friend that is a master engineer and you can call him at 13 you will have a way easier path than if you come from nowhere. And I'm not talking about quality and result, but it's about prospective and perception of reality. If you are removed from where stuff happens, it will look impossible to achieve that stuff, and it will discourage you. If you are very close, only your actual inability can stop you.

[@kingofdjembe]

Yeah that's true for everything, but maybe even more in show business and art industry where the market is probably saturated. Although he said a friend's dad and not dad's friend. However you don't need to have connection before starting. But you need to make some along the way.

[@MarkDLion]

​@@kingofdjembe Knowing People in the business give you a massive advantage if you interact with them, but they are very important even if you don't talk to them at all cause they give you motivation. For most people show biz is just something that happens somewhere else. You don't acknowledge it as an option. I can tell you a story, I used to play music with a friend, I introduced him to electronic music and even did some shows as teenagers, then we became young adults and we started working, I had a 9 to 5 job, and he was in his family business. We moved into DJing, it was just a side gig but things went well enough that at some point he told me that I had to leave my job so we could start travelling around. Let's say he didn't have monetary problems but for me, it wasn't an option, it was a hobby that didn't pay rent. So he planned some trips, he asked me one time, and I couldn't go, a second time, I couldn't go, and after the fourth time, he stopped asking. 10 years later he is living in Bel Air, hanging out at a celebrities bar, and working with one of the most relevant artist in music history. If I did know that was even a remote possibility, my life would be a lot different, even if I wasn't qualified, just as an entourage. I can also tell you how, after he spent just one year in a professional studio with successful artists, his garbage amateurish skills that were worse than mine, completely evolved into becoming a world-famous producer. After him, 2 other kids from our small town became celebrities at 19 and 21 years old, against any statistical logic. Why? They had an example to follow that used to live there.

[@Viper-dz2kw]

Yes, completely agree with that advice, came to realize it myself recently when I started making music I was proud of that even if someone didn’t like it I could agree with them and say well I like it, it’s just not for you

[@marsrivers]

He should do some Baary White´s covers with that voice!

[@Jonasan7]

Such great advice at the end

[@roadopener]

Where are the full videos of interviews?

[@deanbordignon]

Came to ask this!

[@JjVa20]

Damn was that profound, surely if you have developed a good taste then you can be certain wether something sounds good or not!

[@IamDiamondEyes]

Incredible way of thinking, taste is king.

[@SeemsLikeSomething]

Does it sound good. I always keep this in mind! Good stuff!

[@Byron101_]

GREAT!!! if I buy these plugins I will also make great Hits and be successful like Mr. Finneas! Thanks for the tip - now he has competition... Themselves to blame. ^^

[@tjhayden94903]

Damn that last piece of advice was good thanl U

[@akimyoung8507]

great advice dude

[@iammusicp]

great advice! Can confirm 100%

[@nishikhen]

pure gold

[@Bati_]

This video shows that FINNEAS is a solid producer because of his mentality, skills and other technical things are just secondary compared to it…

[@shobhitsh9488]

his speaking voice starts where the lowest note i can imagine ends.

[@Monoq_band]

Great advice

[@rachidajewher8649]

haha what a piece of advice ,yes it's good to think about your taste and your own genre BUT you need the technical backround about the audio science if you're alone against everybody you'd need to do the job of a technical engineer,recording engineer ,audio engineer, composer ,arranger, archestrator,song writer,master editor , mix engineer,mastering engineer and few people in this world can do all this stuff ALONE , after spending years learning those areas yes you can think out of the box to create your own genre

[@jas_bataille]

Most bands who created their own genre have absolutely not mastered all those areas, that's crazy. Finneas isn't mixing his own music - yet alone mastering it - and you can't possibly learn all of those things and master them. That's insane. No one can ever do all of this alone, except perhaps Tom Scholz from Boston, and even tho I don't think he actually wrote the music down. Not even Jacob Collier. Your mistake here is to think you're going to *stay* alone and that contacts are given by birth or magic. It's a real long time of going out and forcing yourself to network with other awkward introverts making art. What can I say...!

[@rachidajewher8649]

good point

[@PipocasCascais]

His advice IS profound and simple the best!

[@LUCIDX.]

Pigments > Omnisphere…

[@_dannyoliver4934]

I would love some good advice for vocal engineering from him

[@mattbarnett4210]

Almost everything listed under "Our Gear", excet: what is the mic stand, mic support and windscreen you're using for the TLM-103?

[@Dramatello]

People actually get advice and rejects on their music's sound? Seriously, I'm like 20+ years making music... it's basically me with myself 99.9% of the time. And when the song's out - it's either doing okay or not. But never did I get any comment EVER about "vocals sound X" or this sound is too Y.

[@PJSvndsn]

Bro's voice deeper than the Mariana Trench

[@YooZeus]

Everybody wants to know what we all use

[@cahto1862]

Why do you guys not post the full podcasts on KZbin?

[@ethan_ryan]

Where are the full versions of all these episodes posted?

[@daybit1014]

Wow

[@wale.a]

Just like everyone else has been asking and will probably ask, have you all stopped posting the full videos on youtube? If so where can we watch the full videos not just the full audio which is on Spotify?

[@josuastangl7140]

yeah why is the full video not on Spotify?

[@DommoDommo]

Anyone know what watch Fin has on?

[@TheTerminusX]

Only If he knew how many people he just helped with that advice

[@johngammon963]

This guy is so Irish - you can't take the Ireland out of the boy.

[@AndroidGamingApps]

how tf do i watch WATCH the full podcast? is there a patreon or something like that?

[@muz1903]

Where can I watch the full episode?

[@lilynigromusic]

Omnispheres is the best

[@g.o.9513]

Let's get Zedd on here. No hesitation!

[@infinaneek]

100% taste trumps technical correctness. It’s easy to forget this when you’re the one in charge of the technicals

[@SlinkiestTortoise23]

Who is this person? Not being weird but what music does he make? Any good?

[@jonasvermeulen4686]

What micstand is used in this interview?

[@Rgdonaire_07]

The link to the full episode is broken.

[@blastofo]

I agree, if it sounds good, its right. But don’t tell that to Lars Ulrich.

[@didiercatz]

Is Finneas wearing a snort tube?

[@naviyair]

that’s the thing it’s like 80 gbs😪

[@alexanderpiano1506]

Is it just me or is the room moving?

[@hashbolt]

Finneas favorite plug-in - Billie Eilish 🏃🏼🏃🏼‍♀🏃🏼‍♂

[@Herfinnur]

1:25

[@PapaGinseng_]

Good for him lol .. we all got our goto Plug ins? .. Does it make us pros? No!

[@eyeque7]

Omnisphere has been deleted from my list of plugins lol

[@Lu14355]

Why

[@eyeque7]

@@Lu14355 I find it slow, clunky, bloated and unnecessary. I have serum, nexus, astra.. I think astra sounds like today (pop music) and would keep it above all synths.

[@Lu14355]

@@eyeque7 OK, I'll admit I'm not a pro in synth plugins

[@URBANTHOZHA]

🤯🤯🤯

[@joellee356]

It's power you seek A sociopath or narcissist must build an exterior fantasy world for themselves to validate themselves this is not reality You can create a fantasy internally and you live in reality living in a lie is a very dangerous person...God like complex Is a weak person inside .. It's the same for God or spiritual beliefs If your believe God is something you create as an external belief like a fantasy world around you that means you are creating validation for yourself for God it's a fake belief or a lie following the mindset of a psychopath..power is the mindset of what Hitler did mesmerizing a whole country To follow this belief of power and domination God can be a very personal thing But when genuine people who can have this fantasy on the inside also choose to commune together and celebrate there belief Here by you find the definition of religion Is belief Reality is something you live in Not something you can choose You have the ability to see inside of yourself Empathy Imagination Intellect Power is also an internal affect As an external affect you must find the light In yourself and not seek answer's for the dark It will reveal itself It's the community following power as the mindset of a criminal

[@user82938]

Is his necklace a coke straw?

[@greglr19751]

Step1: have a talented sibling. Step 2: ride her coat tails.

[@andivax]

awesome and unique. Slugish and lacks some features.

[@angelaminelly]

It's a good advice, but oh my god, how low he sounds😥

[@kiliankraus]

Wait Finneas is self taught?

[@WillyJunior]

Most producers are self taught. No school can really teach you the actual skills needed for music production, they just give you the foundations. Time, practice and experimentation are the only real ways to get good.

[@kiliankraus]

@@WillyJunior I mean I agree it's time and practise, but there's still a difference between being selftaught or not. An instrumentalist does the majority of their improvement alone with time/practise, but there's a clear distinction between them having lessons or not. I was just suprised at the fact finneas is selftaught since he has rich and well connected parents who could have easily provided him with lessons or mentors

[@ronnie12398]

@@kiliankraus He doesn't have rich or well-connected parents. Have you ever seen the house they grew up in? It's a dump and Highland Park was a crime-ridden neighborhood until a couple of years ago..

[@kiliankraus]

@@ronnie12398 og to be fair you're right, just looked it up, I thought his parents were actors but I guess not celebrity actors

[@christopher-miles]

LOL! who is this guy? is this guy date that youtube?

[@AndrewCCM]

Acoustisonic? I just can’t stand that abomination. Lol

[@ronnie12398]

I think he paid to endorse Fender products.

[@tinnitusthenight5545]

I agree with him mostly but over compressing your track is almost never an intentional decision and is the first mark of amateur production

[@GG-ow3ke]

Look at OK GO for example. They explained in an interview how they "overcompressed" an entire album as an artistic choice. Also, you could always just heavily compress certain elements, like drums or vocals, in very specific moments. It's a legit thing.

[@eegoal]

Wrong. If you like it compressed. you should totally compress it

[@tinnitusthenight5545]

@@eegoal lmfao, I'm an engineer buddy. WRONG, hahaha

[@tinnitusthenight5545]

@@GG-ow3ke Right, if it is intentional then its intentional but I'm just saying most of the time you hear something over compressed (which is common) it is definitely not intentional and is the result of not understanding compression (which is unintuitive and easy to misuse). Its all a matter of taste at the end of the day but taste is something developed over time and experience.

[@silencethy8287]

@@tinnitusthenight5545 You’re an engineer, he’s won Grammys.

[@Wesley-o4u]

Jesus is King

[@nastyp16]

i know this is unfair and finneas talented but if cringe had a picture next to it he would be top of the list

[@periurban]

Very good advice, whether it leads to success or not. Be deliberate in everything you do, so that at the end of the day (and it comes a lot sooner than you think!) you can say, "I meant it all." And then hope that people marvel at how clever you were to invent all these new things, rather than laughing at your obvious stupidity.

[@cwestmont]

He and Billie are wise beyond their years. Warms my heart.

[@p0llenp0ny]

Really? Billie acts like a middle schooler.

[@dethtron]

@@p0llenp0nyyeah.. Finneas, I’d agree. Billie, I just don’t see it.

[@JohnStockton7459]

I don't understand how finneas is able to make his masterpieces. His drums always sound so good. I never find sounds like that, that work together so well. Dude sold his soul i stg💀

[@trismikal]

I wish i had gotten this advice at 13 lol. i had to figure it out on my own over several years

[@jas_bataille]

Like everyone else... we all wish that we could "download" the experience but then it wouldn't actually be a journey so it wouldn't work, right? Kind of like we wish our lives had no hardships but then what would be happiness if we never had a bad day? ...you know. Light get through the cracks, etc

[@worldview3182]

Very random specific question, does anybody know the Macbook stand they are using on the table?

[@Eaonsound]

I only play Hardware Synthesizer , but Omnisphere impressed me

[@Iccapod]

If it sounds good it’s right. Been living this for years. Sound advice. The quicker you develop your taste and why you like things as a young person the easier making music will be. It helps you drop anchor points as reference and tie things back to why you made certain decisions.

[@OllertonMD]

omnishphere really is the best virtual instrument ever

[@mistermusicenterprise3148]

If it’s sounds good, it is good.

[@davidmaraisthecampfireguit2596]

The real deal. Brilliant and humble.

[@fearofaflatearth]

Saw this dude live on NYE, I was out on a date with these two supermodels and we were just walking through Times Square laughing about something when these nice folks with headsets came up and asked if we'd like to see a free concert. We got to go backstage and meet a bunch of people, the ladies loved it!