Working while learning
AlexCalles
I am studying music and making it at the same time, building each track from loops recorded on live instruments as my training grows. New music will be announced here as soon as it is ready.
The sigil moves when the music plays.
Listen
New music built from live instruments is in progress, and the first release will be announced here as soon as it is ready. Until then, here is a short sample of where it is heading.
The studio
A small home studio where every track is built from loops recorded on live instruments, played by Alex or sampled in the room.
Guitars
A Jackson Shredder Soloist electric and a Fender dreadnought acoustic, recorded into loops and routed through an Alesis MultiMix 4. Clairvoyant amp plugins give the electric its heavy metal tone.
MIDI
An Akai MPK Mini Plus for playing drums, bass, and synth parts by hand, and Dubler 2 for turning the voice into playable MIDI.
Looping
A Boss RC-600 Loop Station for building tracks live, layer by layer.
Recording
A Focusrite Scarlett Solo and a Sennheiser e835 handle anything that needs a microphone.
Editing and mix
Pro Tools is the DAW for arranging, editing, and mixing, with Adobe Audition handling intake and correction.
Camera
The production videos are shot on an iPhone and a Sony FS5, then edited in Adobe Premiere.
About
Alex Calles is a multidisciplinary artist based in Round Rock, Texas, working as a music producer, filmmaker, photographer, writer, and illustrator. His music is rooted in electronica, from driving EDM to ambient textures, with a touch of heavy metal running through it. He composes every track from loops recorded on live instruments, played by himself or sampled in the studio, and documents the process on camera.
He is studying music formally while he works, so that each new track is built on real training as well as instinct.
The camera came first. He holds a B.S. in Digital Cinematography from Full Sail University, and that training shapes how he films and edits every production video. He is also the author of three books, served five years as editor-in-chief of a Spanish-language magazine, and has drawn and painted in pencil, pastel, airbrush, and digital media since the 1980s.
Other work
The music is the newest chapter. These are the earlier ones, and they continue alongside it.
Visual work
Get in touch
One inbox for the music and everything around it.
info@alexcalles.comFor studio updates between releases, follow along on Facebook.
- Collaborations and features
- Remixes and production work
- Licensing and sync for film, video, and games
- Interviews, reviews, and press
- Books and Blunt Point Press
