Vlad Radoi On Bridging Music Production & Guitar Mastery

Vlad Radoi is a talented software engineer and an accomplished music producer, known for his role as the guitarist of the rising star Yvonne. Their project is set to make waves in the music scene with the release of their highly anticipated debut album, “I’m Not Naive,” scheduled to drop on November 19th.

Fans can look forward to an electrifying launch concert on December 1st, which promises to be a memorable event, coinciding with the unveiling of an exclusive fashion collection inspired by their music.

We took the opportunity to have an engaging conversation with Vlad about his mixing techniques, the specific tools and gear he employs in his craft, and his collaborative process with Yvonne.

What sparked your interest in audio production? How did you become the producer you are today?

Growing up as a guitarist I was always passionate about my guitar tone (guitar players know the struggle). When listening to music I was always an active listener sometimes being more interested in how did they make it sound like that rather than the actual lyrics for example. Learning how to shape my tone with tools that were available back then had a big impact on my audio production career. Being also a computer enthusiast at the time (software developer later) gave me another set of tools to work with. Now I can record my guitar, I can record 5 guitars over each other, I can record myself hitting the desk and using that as a drum, I can record vocals and cut pieces of it, etc. People on the internet say that is what a producer does.

How do you approach mixing? How important is it for you to understand the artist, the vision, and the track rather than “justˮ making it sound good?

Mixing is so much more than just making something sound technically correct. As a producer who also does mixing and mastering, I already have an understanding of the artistic vision expressed in the song. As a rule of thumb, when creating that “pop sound” I focus on the vocals. Even if I need an upfront, powerful, “in your face” vocal or a mellow, “lo-fi, warm tone the vocal sound dictates the vibe of the song. Regarding instruments, they come second and the most important aspect is making them sound good without interfering with the vocals. In my opinion, good mixing is about smartly setting priorities.

How do you know when a track is ready? Does it ever become difficult to refine ideas or stop perfecting?

Short answer: A track is ready when you don’t feel the need to make big changes to it. In reality, you are always tweaking things. There is a point when you need to say to yourself “This is it. This needs to be done today”. Working with a schedule is important and sometimes limiting your time and equipment can be very beneficial in my workflow. After all, as a producer, I need to produce music not stories about eq-ing a kick drum for 3 days.

What tools, gear, or programs are you using?

I use a blend of analog and digital gear. I use Ableton as a DAW with a bunch of its stock plugins and features. My synths of choice are the

Arturia Pigments, the BA-1 from Baby Audio, and the Legend from Synapse Audio. I also use the Korg Ms20 and Behringer Neutron alongside the Mooer Ocean Machine as outboard, hands-on instruments. I have a bunch of guitars but my go-to in the studio is either a Fender American Special Telecaster or a Gibson Les Paul. When an acoustic guitar is needed, I use a Taylor American Dream. I am a big fan of recording vocals with an analog optical compressor and a Neve-style preamp.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for producing? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise, or reading poetry play?

I try to keep my mood out of my workflow. I usually adhere to a schedule and most of the time the inspiration follows. I enjoy good coffee while producing but only in the first part of the day. I have a cheap stage PAR light in my studio that sometimes gets turned on and sets the mood. Most of the time good music is a sufficient stimulant to me.

You have teamed up with Yvonne for a while now. How did the collaboration first start?

I saw Yvonne randomly on Facebook after she posted herself playing her song ‘Just Somebody’. Usually, I see posts like that of people playing cover songs and I was impressed that she not only had the initiative to compose a song but also perform it in public. It also demonstrated good songwriting skills and she had a good charisma. So, I volunteered to produce her song and it worked wonders. We now have close to 30 songs produced together.

For newcomers to Yvonneʼs music, if you had to pick one track that shows people who you both are as artists, which one would it be?

That is a tough choice but I would say ‘Donʼt Play Me’ would be my choice. A good combo of a great song, a great performance, a creative, non-standard, production, and a music video make it a good candidate. Also, there are some unreleased songs that newcomers might find worthy of their time, so stay tuned.

When you and Yvonne start designing a new sound, do you already “hear it in your headsˮ or do you experiment with the knobs and see what you can come up with?

Itʼs a mix of both. There is not a creative formula for creating music. Sometimes Yvonne writes on her piano and I get some ideas on what that song can sound but even then, there is a difference to what it will end up sounding because transposing what is in my head to what is ready for release is not a 100% accurate process. Sometimes the road to creating that sound can lead to other things that sound more fitting and overall better. There is no song I have ever worked on that sounded “as imaginedˮ when it was done so yes, experimentation is o key part of my workflow.

When you perform live with Yvonne, how do you want your audience to feel as they leave the show?

Our show right now is a dynamic and immersive performance complete with live visuals, instrument solos, a light show, and on top of everything, a very sincere artist performing music that she created. I would love for the audience to leave the show with the understanding that you don’t need to go to a big arena concert to feel entertained and sometimes local artists can do a great job delivering a top performance. They might realize that they too can do that as a lot of the people attending our shows are pretty talented as well.

You guys will soon release your debut album. Was there any song on the album that was particularly challenging to write?

Ah yes, the song ‘Pocket of Love’. We both love that song so we spent a lot of time trying to figure out what form would it end up in. ‘Pocket of Love’ had been written more than a year ago. I have 4-5 versions of it on my hard drive. We even had a reggae version. It was pretty hard to find a proper production but now that we have found the right one, we love it.

Oh, we would love to hear the reggae version too. What should we expect from your album? What is the message youʼre trying to convey?

From a producer perspective, this album is about the growth of the artist so I am taking the liberty to be more creative on it. There are some beats in there that you will not hear on your typical pop songs on the radio. After all “Iʼm Not Naiveˮ is a pretty bold statement and it should be accompanied by non-conformant production.

And lastly, what music have you been listening to recently, and what excites you for the remainder of the year?

While producing Yvonneʼs album I listen to a lot of modern pop and electronic music for inspiration. Artists like Fred Again, Flume, Halsey, Olivia Rodrigo, and Calvin Harris have been to blame for the sound of the album. On a not-so-pop note, I listened to a lot of jazz and rock-infused music for a change of scenery. Gogo Penguin, Bonobo, Boogie Belgique, Lianne La Havas, Sleep Token, and Unprocessed are some artists that I can’t recommend enough. Also, Linkin Parkʼs new releases are amazing sounding to me, and had been happy for their reunion. For the rest of the year, there is not much else than the album release and events surrounding it. Looking forward to the next year with some new and crazy projects!