Beginner’s Perspective II: Technology and Equipment with JWords
Sarah Mari, hoping to improve her own skills, explores music production from the perspective of a beginner by interviewing Building Beats’ workshop leaders. This second interview is with Jennifer Hernandez, aka JWords.
JWords is a producer, composer and an Afro Latina woman breaking boundaries in black electronic music. An arsenal of synthesizers and drum machines have become her signature in creating dynamic live performances in venues throughout NYC. Hailing from Northern New Jersey, JWords deepened her world of sound after purchasing a drum machine and experimenting with it in her recordings. While she has performances with companies like Teenage Engineering and Korg under her belt, one thing is for sure: always expect a magic moment from JWords.
Sarah: Tell us a little bit about yourself, and the music you make!
JWords: Well I started making music at 13 and was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I love music and I love underground music though I never saw myself as a talented musician; I didn’t play any instruments.
My thoughts: Most of the time when you’re just starting out, people like to tell you over and over and over again that if you aren’t a prodigy or exceptional, usually in regard to classical music, there’s no real reason to pursue music. People don’t seem to realize the multi-faceted nature of music and its many avenues, including the underground and experimental, where people can make a living pursuing these types of music (shocking!). Even if you haven’t been playing the cello since you were 4 years old, you too could make a living with music.
JWords: I got the SP-404 and I already had a Roland Synth. I didn’t know what I was doing. I started watching YouTube videos and got inspired by the beat culture and the beat community. I ended up getting better over time; I kept practicing every single day. I was so focused on getting better.
By the end of 2016 I ended up getting the OP-1 by Teenage Engineering. I sold the SP after because I wanted something more electronic, like a drum machine drum machine, not just a sampler. So I got the OP-1 thinking it would be this sequencer/drum machine type of thing but it wasn’t what I first expected it to be. I was kinda pissed; this is so small and it cost me like $800. But shortly after, I saw the incredibleness of it. Of course, I had to get different gear that fulfilled what I wanted. But I knew it was a great tool.
I could do whatever I wanted with the OP-1; play the synth or add drums or even add effects to my other songs. I would always have it in my hardware setups because it’s so useful for everything. I started making beats with OP-1 and then the Minilogue. I love Korg. I have the Minilogue and I also use Big City "Rave Dream" Pack for the Elektron which is a dope drum machine.
Sarah: What do you think is absolutely necessary to have when someone is first starting out? Also, where can you kinda save money and where do you have to spend a little more?
JWords: There’s two different ways…I’ve helped people start on making beats in Ableton; even though I don’t personally use Ableton to create. But I know how to use it and people can create crazy tracks on just Ableton. But the software costs $800 and then you want to buy sound packs for Ableton and that costs money too. So overall, you’re going to always spend money on this. Plug-ins, that’s money too.
JWords: And there’s equipment you’re gonna need. Everybody needs a DAW - an Ableton, a Logic - to actually record their songs. But if you’re starting out and you wanna get physical with it and want to experiment with sounds, I say just get different drum machines or different synths or samplers and just get started like that. It’s cheaper than running and getting a DAW right away and you can get a feel of the music in an analogue way.
“I like hardware gear because I have it in my hands; I can carry it around with me, sample and add my own sounds so I don’t have to spend money once I have the equipment already.”
My thoughts: The moral here is that making music is an investment, but you decide where that investment lies. Whether it’s going the hardware route and focusing on equipment that is hands on and a bit more tangible, or with software that provides the convenience of being mobile and all-in-one with virtual instruments and a place to record. Neither is better than the other, but it depends what you’d like to get out of it. I, personally, am not a skilled musician with traditional instruments but love to dabble with experimental sounds and mess around with keyboards mostly - I’ve always had a deep admiration for the piano.
What fits for me is access to a semi-affordable DAW in comparison to others (Logic Pro X) with a guitar (which I don’t spend enough time practicing with) and a keyboard (whether it’s MIDI or not). But another alternative includes free and accessible online resources such as synths and activities that assist in learning music.
JWords: I always recommend people get a pocket operator; they’re like $59. They have different ones, ones featuring drums or ones featuring samples for instance. They’re a lot of fun and you can create some cool little tracks which motivates you, like “I wanna go record this now, Imma go buy Ableton or Logic or whatever.” You can buy your instruments in Ableton digitally or you can buy an actual synth and continue elevating your own sound and manipulate the patches that come with the synth. People feel differently though so I don’t wanna say, “Oh here’s the way.” That’s just the way that I learned. But I’ve seen both ways both can make fire music, you know?
My thoughts: As someone who is very hands on with general learning, I definitely see the appeal of having equipment at my fingertips but the most intimidating thoughts to get over is that I won’t know what to do when I run into a problem with my equipment. I mean, I have an Arturia Keylab Essential 49 I still haven’t set up yet because I was frustrated when I couldn’t just plug it in and have it work. A lot of things in my life work this way, but we’re learning to be patient.
When I bought this piece, I was going into it with a certain mindset but also with uncertainty of what I wanted to be able to do. Also, pieces of equipment like the pocket operator are really great because they’re pretty cheap, as far as equipment goes, and can do so much; I’ve spent some time just messing with the buttons. And, like the name suggests, it’s small enough to easily travel with.
Sarah: What do you suggest for someone who’s really struggling with equipment? How did you troubleshoot when you were dealing with your equipment?
JWords: There’s an online YouTube community of different gearheads where they show off different instruments. They show you what it does and they compare it to different instruments. And I was very into that. I would just be on YouTube looking up the OP-1 and then how they use it with the DigiTech or the OP-Z or the Octatrack.
Youtube is especially good for modulators. Let’s say for modulator racks, I would wanna see what each modulator does with the other. So you just look that up on YouTube and there’s a whole bunch of people. There’s this guy named Cuckoo; he’s cool and his videos are funny. His intro is the best - it makes you wanna to look at the video. There’s this other guy named Andrew.
My thoughts: I could get lost for hours on YouTube watching Cuckoo and Andrew Huang; the way they set up their videos and the quality makes them entertaining to watch and the information easy to understand. The internet, and YouTube specifically, are truly endless resources for information. I will say it was a bit of a pain when I couldn’t find info on my Focusrite Scarlett 212 when my vocal recordings sounded like robot noises and I had to go deep into Reddit for an answer! But eventually, I was able to troubleshoot and solve the issue at hand.
With the vast information out there, it’s really made the process of making music that much more attainable for people who aren’t given real access to music education. There’s tons of people like Cuckoo and Andrew Huang who make learning easy to understand in an entertaining format.
Sarah: Where do you buy your equipment?
JWords: I have one company right now: Reverb. It’s cool because it shows you a little video of what the instrument does as you’re buying it and you can put it on layaway where you pay a certain amount a month. And then say you get bored of your equipment - you could sell it on their platform and they don’t even take that much money from you.
My thoughts: Another great development over the years has been the ability to compare equipment prices over the internet. Not only are online marketplaces like Reverb or Sweetwater filled to the brim with exciting equipment, but they are often pretty affordable. Plus the advantage of being able to buy equipment that can then be easily sold back when you lose interest makes it feel like less of a commitment (as someone who refuses to sign a year long lease, it’s music to my ears). And the availability to pay for it over a period of months makes it easier to budget for. I just really love the whole concept of Reverb.
Sarah: What advice would you give to yourself when you were starting out making music? What are things you wish you’d known going into it?
JWords: Well it’s hard to say because when you’re starting out you don’t know anything. That’s the one thing that I wish I didn’t really do as much before. I would get frustrated and just not work on music for the next couple days.
“It takes a while for you to find your own sound. It took me like 7 years to find my own sound. Don’t rush anything, take your time with it, don’t expect much from it either.”
JWords: Back then I used to be like “Oh, I wanna tour the world,” which was cool and I had big aspirations, but later on in life I learned, this is just for the music. This is not for me or anybody else, this is something to give.
Take time to learn; everybody’s gonna find their own groove. But music isn’t for everybody either, some people make music just because they wanna be famous or they’re doing it for the wrong reasons. If you’re making music, just do it for the right reasons.
My thoughts: Patience, if you haven’t noticed by now, is not my middle name. But it really is one of the most important values for pursuing anything of interest; especially with music. I also really liked when Jen said, “Don’t expect much from it,” because that’s pretty common for people to do. In society, we are told that we should all want to be the absolute best or #1 in what we’re pursuing. Otherwise, why bother? But if we’re reaching to be the very best then we can become dissatisfied quickly and decide there’s no point.
What works for me is using music to vent and say what I can’t properly say or use music to share what I’m feeling in the most raw and natural way. When I take the time to see myself making those little progressions, genuinely enjoying myself and taking the time, it makes it all worth it.
Remembering the real purpose behind making music helps take the pressure off when you’re simply trying to create something: “This is just for the music. This is not for me or anybody else, this is something to give.”