| FL Studio | Not my first digital audio workstation-- that title belongs to Little Sound DJ-- but my favorite to use nevertheless. FL has a certain reputation due to its prevalence among amateurs (it's insanely easy to pirate, so lots of young people who lack in experience put out poorly made music with it :P), but has such an intuitive design that it's wonderfully accessible if you're just starting out. ▸ The music I make is linear in form and generally sequenced by hand, so for genres that benefit from this kind of workflow like hip-hop, trap, rock, etc, this is a great DAW to stick with. If you're wanting to veer more into generative or experimental music, check out the following two. |
| Ableton Live | A must-have for anyone in live music. Ableton is hands-down the single best DAW for sound design, automation, and nonlinear music out there. I haven't the words to express its modular capabilities in full. Anyone you see on stage is using Ableton in their set at some step in the process. ▸ If you're on Windows/macOs and into experimental, generative, loop-based, or nonlinear music, Ableton or Bitwig really ought to be your first picks. Their built-in plugins and tools are among the strongest out there. |
| Bitwig Studio | This is the newest addition to my regular usecase, and I'm still learning the software, which I picked up initially to work on projects with my girlfriend. Bitwig was developed by ex-Ableton employees with modularity in mind, and heavily rewards those looking to incorporate modular/generative/experimental principles into their projects. ▸ With native Linux support, this is a fantastic DAW to use if you enjoy utilizing modulation or automation, and feels just as sleek and intuitive as Ableton. I've found I'm more willing to veer beyond comfort zone habits when using Bitwig & Ableton, so if you're looking to branch off a little as well, consider using it too! |
| Pro Tools | An industry standard in recording studios worldwide, this digital audio workstation has existed since the 1990s, and it certainly shows. Current versions of the software are still built upon the same engine it was released with about thirty years ago, and as a result it lacks intuitive design and was developed first and foremost with studio technicians in mind. ▸ This thing honestly sucks to use, and I only ever touch it for work. Nevertheless, its capability in raw audio editing remains unmatched, and it feels amazing to comp with. With how much hassle can be involved when setting it up, though, I think I'd still rather record in Ableton anyway. |
Under Construction.
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please ensure Javascript is enabled.
Sitio en construccion.
Para una mejor experiencia,
active Javascript.
NEW ALBUM
“BURNING”
OUT EVENTUALLY
PAGE TITLE
TÍTULO DE PÁGINA
WAX FIGURES
OUT NOW
¡DISPONIBLE!
NEWS
NOTICIAS
* 02.2025 \\
▸ The site is now more modular than ever before, and I'm slowly but surely implementing all of the page animations I want from minimal files. I've slimmed down the storage a lot! Still working on filling out other pages, I haven't gone and uploaded all of my projects from Berklee just yet. Need to compress & upload a ton of images for self-hosting, but I've been putting it off...
▸ The site is now more modular than ever before, and I'm slowly but surely implementing all of the page animations I want from minimal files. I've slimmed down the storage a lot! Still working on filling out other pages, I haven't gone and uploaded all of my projects from Berklee just yet. Need to compress & upload a ton of images for self-hosting, but I've been putting it off...
* 01.2025 \\
▸ Happy new year! I've put in a lot of work reorganizing everything to be more elegant, modular, and slimmed down. Doing my best to restrict page animations to CSS keyframes over JS, although I do still need to spend a bit more time on this. The album is slow-going, but coming along well. I'm searching for work now, and haven't had any luck yet... I'm holding out hope that'll change soon!
▸ Happy new year! I've put in a lot of work reorganizing everything to be more elegant, modular, and slimmed down. Doing my best to restrict page animations to CSS keyframes over JS, although I do still need to spend a bit more time on this. The album is slow-going, but coming along well. I'm searching for work now, and haven't had any luck yet... I'm holding out hope that'll change soon!
* 11.2024 \\
▸ Reorganizing, moving to a div page division over separate css/html files for most things. Tinkering with some javascript to get everything looking the way I'd like it to... there's a lot to design, still!
▸ Reorganizing, moving to a div page division over separate css/html files for most things. Tinkering with some javascript to get everything looking the way I'd like it to... there's a lot to design, still!
* 07.2024 \\
▸ Still getting everything set up on the back end. Won't be filling out any actual information until resolved. Focused on cross-platform UI functionality before anything else.
▸ Still getting everything set up on the back end. Won't be filling out any actual information until resolved. Focused on cross-platform UI functionality before anything else.
» waxfigures@proton.me «
:\\ CREATIVE REEL
:\\ PROYECTOS
▸ WAX FIGURES - Composer, Songwriter, Recording Engineer, Vocalist, Producer, Mix & Mastering Engineer
▸ BODY OF WORK from my time at Berklee School of Music
▸ WAX FIGURES - Composer, Songwriter, Recording Engineer, Vocalist, Producer, Mix & Mastering Engineer
▸ SELECCIONADAS de la Escuela de Música Berklee
:\\ GENERAL
:\\ EXPERIENCIAS
▸ Masters in Music Production, Technology, & Innovation - Berklee School of Music
▸ Pro Tools, Ableton Live Suite + Max 8/Max 4 Live, Fruity Loops Studio, VCV Rack
▸ Software & hardware plugins, including those developed by major manufacturers.
▸ Microsoft Office Suite & Adobe Creative Suite products
▸ HTML, CSS, & Javascript
▸ 10+ years experience in music production, working with DAWs
▸ 10+ years software troubleshooting, 5+ years hardware repair
▸ 10+ years concert percussion, classically trained with a focus on keyboard
▸ 4 years administrative work for my Bachelor's University (ask for details)
▸ Signal flow, audio engineering, mixing, mastering
▸ Audiovisual installation, configuration, repair
▸ Experienced in studio environments & with handling studio equipment
▸ Computer building, repair, & networking solutions/installation
▸ Detail oriented & quick to learn
▸ Máster en Producción Musical, Tecnología e Innovación - Escuela de Música Berklee
▸ Pro Tools, Ableton Live Suite + Max 8/Max 4 Live, Fruity Loops Studio, VCV Rack
▸ Plugins de software y hardware, incluidos los desarrollados por los principales fabricantes
▸ Productos de Microsoft Office Suite y Adobe Creative Suite
▸ HTML, CSS, y Javascript
▸ 10+ años de experiencia en producción musical, creando música con DAWs
▸ 10+ años en resolución de problemas de software, 5+ años en reparación de hardware
▸ 10+ años de percusión de concierto, formación clásica con especialización en teclado
▸ 4 años de trabajo administrativo para mi licenciatura universidad (pídame más detalles)
▸ Flujo de señales, ingeniería de audio, mezcla, masterización
▸ Instalación, configuración y reparación de equipos audiovisuales
▸ Experiencia en entornos de estudio y manejo de equipos de estudio
▸ Construcción, reparación e instalación de computadoras y redes informáticas
▸ Detallisto y aprendo rápido
* :// Prospective employers may notice I fail to provide my full legal name or intimate contact information beyond a general attached e-mail anywhere on this site. I was brought up during a time when parents still told their children not to give out their names online. This is a public hub for my work, not a Linkedin account, and I value my privacy.
* :// Los posibles empleadores pueden darse cuenta de que no proporciono mi nombre legal completo ni información de contacto más allá de un correo electrónico general en ningún lugar de este sitio. Crecí en una época en la que los padres todavía decían a sus hijos que no dieran su nombre completo en Internet. Este es un sitio web público para mis proyectos, no una cuenta de Linkedin, y valoro mi privacidad.
» waxfigures@proton.me «
Depiction
▸ WAX FIGURES is the personal project of ██████ █████████. You will call me Mel.
▸ Predictably, its name stems from the phenomenon of celebrity lookalikes as preserved in museums for spectacle. These figures can provoke feelings of unease within humans. Ultimately, that's really what the project is about-- making something which sounds familiar, identifiably so, yet which remains outside the realm of comfort or ease.
▸ Still, the work comes naturally to me. I'm making the kind of music I like to listen to, and would like to hear more of in the world. Nevertheless, I'm someone who has struggled a great deal to connect with others. I've been told, and treated as if, I'm not "quite right". I look, speak, and move like a human, but something about me, something subtle or subconscious, sets me apart in the minds of others. An imitator, an outsider looking in. It's been terribly lonely.
▸ Music by, and for, outsiders looking in. Gentle pop for the uncanny valley.
▸ Sonically, I draw from a bed including the work of James Kent, Trent Reznor, Pete Burns, HEALTH, Depeche Mode (who hasn't?), John Carpenter, and acts like Clan of Xymox or DAF. I mostly enjoy industrial, synth, myriad post/cold/dark/gothic sensibilities touched by the certainty of steel, and these tastes inform the music I like to make. You can learn more about my tastes here.
▸ Just as well, I find myself called to the sculptures of Nancy Grossman, the photography of Xuebing Du, the monolithic illustrations of Hugh Ferriss, and H. R. Giger's legendary body of work.
▸ WAX FIGURES es el proyecto personal de ██████ █████████. Me llamarás Mel.
▸ Como era de esperar, su nombre procede del fenómeno de los dobles de famosos que se conservan en los museos como espectáculo. Estas figuras pueden provocar sentimientos de inquietud en los humanos. En última instancia, de eso se trata este proyecto: de hacer música que suene familiar, identificable, pero que permanezca fuera del ámbito de la comodidad o la facilidad.
▸ Aun así, el esfuerzo me resulta natural. Hago el tipo de música que me gusta escuchar y que me gustaría oír más en el mundo. En cualquier caso, he tenido muchas dificultades para conectar con los demás. Me han dicho y me han tratado como si no estuviera "del todo bien". Parezco, hablo y me muevo como un ser humano, pero hay algo en mí, algo sutil o subconsciente, que me distingue en la mente de los demás. Un imitador, un extraño mirando hacia dentro. Ha sido terriblemente solitario.
▸ Música por y para los que miran desde fuera. Música pop suave para el valle inquietante.
▸ Sonoramente, me inspira la música de James Kent, Trent Reznor, Pete Burns, HEALTH, Depeche Mode (¿quién no?), John Carpenter y grupos como Clan of Xymox o DAF. Me gusta sobre todo la música industrial, de sintetizador, y una miríada de sensibilidades post/cold/dark/gothic tocadas por la certeza del acero, y estas preferencias informan la música que me gusta hacer. Puede obtener más información sobre las cosas que me gustan aquí.
▸ Igualmente, disfruto con las esculturas de Nancy Grossman, la fotografía de Xuebing Du, las ilustraciones monolíticas de Hugh Ferriss y el legendario arte de H. R. Giger.
!!! This page includes opinions, personal recommendations, and explanations !!!
¡¡¡ Esta página incluye mis opiniones, recomendaciones personales y explicaciones !!!
More about myself...
Sobre mi...
▸ Trained in concert percussion, skilled with mallets and keyboards, chiefly vibraphone. The SM58, MDR-7506 headphones, Akai MPK Mini Plus, and MOTU M2 make up the entirety of my "gear".
▸ I try to build and configure all of my own hard and software at any opportunity, including phones, computers, and home networking solutions. It's like working with clay to me!
▸ Outside of music production, much of my free time is spent tinkering with config files, fine-tuning software or experiences of interest, and micro-managing anything I find intellectually exciting.
▸ At the time of writing, my favorite video games are Dwarf Fortress, Minecraft, ULTRAKILL, and Cyberpunk 2077. I play and storytell for Vampire: The Masquerade & Cyberpunk RED. Science fiction appeals to my sensibilities.
▸ I light my living spaces with scarlet candles, enjoy sweet red wines, black coffee, floral incense, and anything related to the rose. Statuettes of angels adorn my home. My favorite color is pink.
▸ I am pro-piracy & pro-FOSS. Piracy led me down the path to tech literacy, and FOSS acted as a library to nurture that literacy. Try and donate to your librarians when you can :^)
Music I like...
Musicas favoritos...
Show suggested software
Show suggested plugins
| Arminator 2 Free! |
A fantastic x32 CS80 emulation plugin which has flown under the radar for years now. Another favorite of mine, I think it's really underrated! I never see any discussion about it anywhere online, but I think its sound is better than that of Arturia's CS80 emulation synths. |
| OB-Xd Free! |
Subtractive synthesis at its finest. This free Ob-X emulator is a staple in my regular workflow, and can be heard in nearly everything I make. This is my absolute favorite plugin to make enormous, sweeping, cinematic strings & brass sounds with. Considering how approachable its UI is, this VST is a no-brainer to invest in. Highly recommended. |
| SQ8L Free! |
This SQ80-emulating x32 VST has been a staple of mine for nearly a decade now. Used by many a synth producer-- you can hear its stock patches on early Perturbator releases, for instance-- |
| Synth1 Free! |
Another very well known free softsynth. This thing is something of an open secret: pretty much everyone knows about or has used it at some point, but you don't ever see a whole lot of discussion around it. Synth1 is extremely versatile and carries with it a proud heritage of community-made patches readily available online, covering pretty much every sound and genre you can imagine. If you were to select only a single softsynth from this entire list of great plugins, it really ought to be Synth1, and especially so if you're strapped for cash. |
| Addictive Drums 2 Paid ($) |
I generally select and sequence all of the rhythmic elements in my music by hand, and I do personally fancy the artificial character of noble drum machines. Nevertheless, sometimes I look to emulate a more organic, natural, or analogue sound with my drumset parts, and that's where Addictive Drums 2 comes in. ▸ This plugin is, effectively, a catalogue of various well-known percussive instruments as popularized by industry-standard manufacturers, and I genuinely don't think that there's enough space for me here to go over absolutely everything it's capable of. If I can't record a drumset part-- which I generally don't have access to-- then this is my first choice in sound selection. Please check it out if you have the chance, if only on YouTube. It's extensive, expensive, and very good. |
| Diva Paid ($) |
I've had Diva on my hard drive for years now, but only started actually using it very recently, and I'm in love! This softsynth is one you see thrown around often in synth producer spaces along with OB-Xd, SQ8L, and the Arturia collection, and it's very easy to see why. Excellent for lead and stab sounds, anything with more energy or rhythm to them! I think I still prefer OB-Xd for my pads and brass, though... |
| Gladiator Paid ($) |
From what I've noticed, Tone2's products are a lot lesser known considering how robust they are. Nevertheless, this is yet another phenomenal VST present in Perturbator's work up until New Model. The sheer scope of what's possible with this tool, reflected by its incredible default patches, is wholly unique to the plugin. I've made great use out of its more atmospheric sounds. |
| Omnisphere Paid ($) |
Omnisphere needs little introduction in producer spaces; this is one of the most widely used and well known VSTs I've ever come across, and for good reason. Omnisphere is absolutely nuts when it comes to what it's capable of. I can guarantee that you've heard an Omnisphere patch on more than one pop record before. I don't need to convince you, just search up some YouTube videos of people messing around with it. This plugin isn't necessarily a must-have given the price, but understand that the utility of this tool cannot be understated. |
| Saurus Paid ($) |
This is a newer addition to my arsenal, despite having used Gladiator for years beforehand. Saurus claims to be an emulation of various different famous analogue synthesizers, and as a result I've noticed that it's lacking in identity or concrete specialization. Fortunately, that doesn't matter much when the sound quality you're capable of getting out of this thing is entirely unmatched. Good god, the richness in tone Saurus is capable of is in a league of its own, and its UI is a whole lot more friendly to beginners than Gladiator's is. I don't know how its low end sounds so consistently good on everything this VST pushes out, but it has swiftly become a favorite of mine for layering bass patches. Beautiful stock patches. |
| Serum Paid ($) |
The lord's finest in wavetable solutions. This is yet another plugin which needs no introduction among producer spaces-- pretty much everyone and their mother knows about Serum if they don't already own and regularly use it. If you can imagine a sound, any sound at all, you can recreate it using Serum. This VST is responsible for teaching a great deal of people the principles of sound design, starting with the humble sine wave. ▸ Personally, I use it all the time when sculpting instruments by hand, or when I don't feel like going fishing in another plugin for some fitting patch. If Serum sounds like a dream but you don't have the scratch (or if you're not willing to acquire it through alternative means), then Vital is a phenomenal free alternative to wavetable synthesis. |
| Tal U-NO LX Paid ($) |
Just an all-around great Juno 60 emulation. If OB-Xd scratched that itch for a great Oberheim emulator, then this is your Juno equivalent. Intuitive design, decent out of the box patches, and its got a free alternative on the developer website (the non-LX edition, although it's a bit more limited in scope). |
SITE CREDITS
CRÉDITOS DEL SITIO
Fancy Box Borders |
Candlelight Flickering |
Candle Graphics |
Angel Graphics
Background Rose |
Tooltips |
Modal Images
Site Fonts //
Atacama, Druk, Late November, Mondwest
Alt. Fonts //
Times New Roman, Tahoma, Georgia, Garamond
This site was initially built atop the gorgeous foundation laid by Flavien Guilbaud, who designed Perturbator's personal site.
I then proceeded to dissect his work, gut it, and sew together something new from the bits of bone and tissue.
A few components of the reference site remain, like data values, or the dirty phone screen noise background. Hopefully he won't mind.
All components of this website were designed and implemented by hand within the native Neocities dashboard & interface.
You know, like an animal.
This page includes projects completed in fulfillment of my
Master's degree with Berklee School of Music in Valencia, Spain.
There were more, but these are the ones I've chosen to showcase.
:\\ PEGASUS PROJECT - "FREE"
▸ Each fall semester, MPTI students at Berklee Valencia team up with a student from the contemporary performance concentration in order to compose, produce, and record a finished product for said performance student. This project is dubbed PEGASUS. In my year of attendance, I was chosen to be the lead recording engineer for A.B., with O.B. acting as lead producer. This was my take on the project's final mix.
▸ A.B. was a guitarist with an interest in rock/punk/metal, and these interests aligned with those of producer O.B., who would end up songwriting and performing vocals for the project, in addition to having the final say with the project's mix and master. M.W., a drummer from the performance concentration, was brought in as the percussionist, MPTI peer A.R. recruited for rhythm guitar, and another MPTI peer, T.M., performed parts for bass guitar. I filled in all synth parts afterwards, recording them with software plugins from within the box.
▸ All components were recorded over a series of multiple sessions, in different studios provided by the School, spanning multiple weeks. I was present for each of these sessions-- in addition to practice rehearsals-- and personally responsible for engineering all captured material.
▸ A series of SM57s and two Royer 121 overheads captured all percussive material. A '57 and '121 captured each respective guitar cabinet-- an Orange and Fender-- with the addition of DI into Pro Tools. A series of Coles 4038 microphones captured room information from the isolated drum and guitar amp rooms. The guitarist A.B. and rhythm guitarist A.R. provided their own personal pedal boards, the signals from which were split between DI and amp routing. In later Overdubbing sessions for both Rhythm and Bass guitar parts, all material was captured via similar DI and dual '57/'121 amp cabinet setup, from smaller rented studios this time. In each case, signals had similarly been routed into on-site hardware plugins available in each studio, typically only through a compressor or amplifier.
▸ My philsophy regarding the selected recording equipment had intentionally been kept simple; all of the mics used were mass-produced and easily acquired, reflecting the sensibilities of the selected genre. They'd been selections one might find at any public venue, and the parts I was recording for necessitated little nuance nor sensitivity. The dual '57/'121 setup was chosen to afford our producer some flexibility in sound preference when comping.
:\\ INTRODUCTION TO ABLETON - FINAL
▸ This was my final assignment for the course I took as a comprehensive introduction to Ableton Live in my fall semester. The submitted video roughly reflects the in-class performance myself and my peers were expected to give in attendance later that week.
▸ Creatively, we were given near-total freedom in our submissions, so long as we included certain elements of the material we'd covered over the course of that semester, the comprehensive list to which I've long-since lost. Nevertheless, this project demanded the real-time probing of Ableton's live performance capabilities.
▸ Conceptually, I had the early material and live recordings of synth artist Tommy '86 in the back of my mind, building on a simple sequenced bassline with a comparatively-complex rhythm section, most of which I sequenced by hand (as I enjoy doing!). Atop this strong rhythmic foundation, I would then improvise higher-instrument parts and operate macro functions.
:\\ MYRIAD MIXING / PRODUCTION PROJECTS
▸ A curated selection of some of my best work from the different production and mixing courses I'd taken during my time with Berklee.
▸ For some, the assignment involved splicing together elements of provided material to create something new or complete. For others, the objective entailed diagnosing and addressing different problems in an existing mix, or completing a mix under the direction of a fictional patron's instruction and sensibilities.
:\\ STUDIO MUSIC VIDEO - FINAL
▸ At some point, each MPTI student must take a course in video editing. Course material includes handling of professional recording equipment, creative framing, and training in Adobe Creative Suite software. I attended mine in the spring semester, and this video reflects what I submitted for that class's final assignment.
▸ All footage is royalty free, selected from a series of stock websites. Each clip was then imported into a piece of software titled Cathodemer, at which point I made creative adjustments, before rendering and importing those rendered clips into Adobe Premiere Pro for further editing.
▸ A simply-edited music video set to Blue Sick by Ruin of Romantics. The song itself conveys a heartsickness so potent it becomes detrimental. Conceptually, I drew upon winter's death in a violent arrival of spring, including imagery of the Canadian wilderness, thawing of the still world, and bloom.
