In his own words, Matthew Tarach is:
- Cleveland based Engineer/Producer.
- Keyboardist for Scar the Martyr
- Proud Reason user
- Rum enthusiast
- Player of video games
- Looking for some awesome collaborations!
The metal band Scar the Martyr was founded in 2013 by former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison (with other members from bands like Strapping Young Lad and Nine Inch Nails) and they released their self-titled debut album later in the same year.
We had a chance to ask Matthew some questions about his music making and his work with Scar The Martyr. We are also glad to feature an exclusive piece dropped to Allihoopa for you to build on. Check it out below!
When you load up a brand new Reason song, what’s the very first thing you do?
I usually just mess around. I usually initialize a patch on one of the synths and just start tweaking before I even start doing anything important.
In what way is Reason helping you in your music making?
It helps with my workflow immensely. I often use reason in tandem with PT via ReWire.
How do you use Reason in Scar The Martyr? Do you use Reason in a live environment?
Reason is the heart of my live performance. I have NN-XT racks with all the samples I use during the set and individual patches and tracks that I cycle through depending on which song. Typically Combinators with keysplits. The low CPU usage makes it incredibly reliable for touring.
How does collaborating work for you in a band context? How does Scar The Martyr usually write and arrange a song?
We all live in different states, so a lot of the writing (at least my end) is done via file transfers. A few of the guys will write instrumentation and send me PT files. This is where I use ReWire predominantly.
Have you ever experienced writing blocks? If so, how did you overcome them?
Hah, often enough, and with a few drinks and tons of Grand Theft Auto. I've realized it's best to put things down and clear your mind if your current train of thought and ideas will flow more easily. I'll also switch instruments, if I'm having trouble writing piano/keys etc, I'll switch to guitar and vice versa.
What’s the hardest thing about making music, what do you struggle with the most?
Knowing when to stop on a song. Especially in a digital age, I can just keep adding more and more layers. At one point you need to know to just say "OK, I'm done".
What’s your all-time favorite album?
Oh man… that's difficult. I don't know that I really have one. I do constantly binge "Death Cult Armageddon" by Dimmu Borgir and "Sound Awake" by Karnivool.
The three most used devices in your Reason rack?
Subtractor, NN-XT, Scream 4 Distorsion.
What advice would you give to other people who are motivated to become more creative in their music making?
Listen to tons of different music and genres. Find sounds you like and try to replicate them, chances are you'll find out how to make new sounds that inspire awesome songs.
Learn more about Scar The Martyr on their official website: http://www.scarthemartyr.com/
