In conversation with Tonnerre
Arthur, better known by his stage name Tonnerre, began his musical career by learning to play the piano. Trained in sound design at ISART Digital, he is now a music producer and videographer, collaborating with different music software companies while developing his personal music project, Tonnerre, launched in 2023. After releasing his first EP, Ripples, he began working on a second release for spring, and will soon open for Mezerg at the famous Zénith in Paris!
On the occasion of the release of the SonicBundle, we invited Arthur to create five tracks with distinct styles to showcase the wide ranging possibilities of our catalog. Here we'll speak to Arthur about his creative process and work environment.
How did you start building your SonicBundle tracks? And where did the inspiration come from?
In general, for projects like this, I almost always start by identifying which instruments I want to use, depending on the stylistic constraints. An easy example to understand is for the Midnight R&B track, where obvious choices include Soul Drums, Soul Bass, Key Suite Electric, Percussion Factory, etc., which work really well together and fit the style effortlessly. Once I’ve selected an initial panel of instruments, I explore the presets until I find one that inspires me and matches the aesthetic I’ve chosen, as well as my instrumentation needs.
How would you describe your personal touch in the music creation process?
I like to add a bit of surprise and introduce unexpected colors, not just staying tone-on-tone. For example, in the track Urban Gem, I found it interesting to use Glass Orchestra, which is initially out of context (an acoustic and bright sound, contrasting with the very electronic and dark track). This contrast surprises the listener and adds impact and catchiness to the drop.
Are there any favorite products of yours within the UVI catalog that you'd like to share, and how did you use them on this project?
Toy Suite, for instance, is a goldmine for alternative synth sounds that sound great "out of the box." I used it to add an 8-bit video game touch to the intro of the track Pixel Pop. I then reinforced this bedroom pop aesthetic during the track’s development by adding instruments like PX Waveframe, with its '80s guitar-like sound inspired by ML Buch, Lo-Fi Dreams for the ending arpeggio, which echoes the nostalgic chords from Beirut’s The Rip Tide, and Organic Keys, with a small melodic flourish at the end that reminded me of Vampire Weekend.
Did you discover new products within the catalog while working on these tracks?
The advantage of the UVI catalog is its vast and comprehensive range, so the constraint of using only UVI instruments was paradoxically freeing—it offered too many choices, which can be tricky! However, it allowed me to discover new tools, like Mosaiq, which is incredibly useful for finding melodic hooks and phrases, Modular Drums and Modular Noise, which offer sounds not commonly found in virtual instruments, and of course Glass Orchestra, which I mentioned earlier—it sounds fantastic and is an excellent tool when you’re looking for that particular color.
From a general perspective, as a producer and musician, what do you think makes the UVI catalog strong and original?
From a production and workflow standpoint, a significant advantage of the UVI catalog is that almost everything runs under Falcon. This provides a unified and efficient experience from a UI/UX perspective, which is always pleasant. I also found that despite the complexity and richness of some instruments, the system remains relatively resource-efficient.
From a music and composition standpoint, the catalog is vast, so you almost always find what you need, which is incredibly convenient. I was also pleasantly surprised by more unique, niche instruments, which are very inspiring and help the catalog stand out: Toy Suite, Glass Orchestra, Fluidity, IRCAM Prepared Piano, Modular Noise, and more.
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