ToneGym Hero: Michael Seves

A passionate music producer from a small village in Germany, blending his love for guitar, piano, and electronic music into his creative journey. Michael Seves is this month's ToneGym Hero!

Who are you, and Where are you from?

My name is Michael. I was born in 1999 and grew up in a beautiful little village in Germany, close to where the Rhine River flows to the Netherlands.

How did you get into music?

Music has been a constant companion in my life. I started playing the Guitar when I was about 7 years old and took classical guitar lessons, which, after beginning to listen to a lot of electronic music already in my late childhood (the early 2010 era), led me to then fall in love with the piano when I was like 14 years old.

Around the same time, I stumbled upon music production, and a new creative avenue opened up. It was like finding a missing piece of the puzzle.

I remember in early 2013, at the time, my Brother was a huge fan of house music and introduced me to Tomorrowland and Hardwell on Air. I couldn't stop listening to many releases on Monstercat, UKF Dubstep, and MA Dubstep and sharing them with my homie Fabian.

Then, seeing Jonah Wei-Haas smoothly glide across his Clavia Nord Stage made my intuition enthusiastically shout, "I want to be able to do that too!" 

I discovered the track 'Escape' by Rogue. It blew me away and ignited a curiosity within me. Soon, I fell in love with the feeling it evoked inside. The next thing I knew, I dove in and found out that Rogue is not that much older than me and produced his music with FL Studio, which opened my mind to the possibility of producing music myself.

Shortly after that, a dream came up, telling me that my higher purpose is to produce music that is filled with love and that touches the listeners deeply. I immersed myself in FL Studio tutorials, like the ones of SeamlessR, and the steep learning curve never stopped.

I love so many tracks, and I want to incorporate what I love about them into my own music while still retaining an original style!

Learning to play the guitar while I was young, as well as some basics of the piano, helped me a bit with getting into it. As I listened to more EDM and since I found out about music production, my love for music became even more intense.

I learned many things about FL Studio and practiced making music with it. In the spring of 2015, I discovered my love for personal growth, which has since become a second major passion in my life.

Just as developing myself as a person helps with producing music, I'm very interested in advice from the producers whose music I love. Since it's simply genius to learn from the best, I'm always really excited when Virtual Riot does a live stream or when new tutorials from Au5 come out!

What do you like to do for fun outside of working on music?

Apart from music, I love reading books and engaging in learning activities related to personal growth. I take courses, practice new skills, and enjoy conversations with interesting people.

What's your most useless skill or talent?

Procrastination, social isolation, and scatterbrainedness.  I'm working on them!

What inspires you to keep making music?

My sheer love for it and also the other awesome music that's out there, which just inspires me again and again, as well as any other day-to-day inspirations.

My passion for music is like a fire that never goes out. It's a source of immense joy and a way to express myself in a way that words can't. But the inspiration goes beyond just personal fulfillment.

I'm constantly inspired by the incredible music other artists, both established and up-and-coming, are creating. It pushes me to keep learning, growing, and exploring new sonic possibilities. Every day offers new sounds, experiences, and emotions that can be poured into my music.

If you could sit down to a session with any artist, who would it be?

This is a tough one! But if I had to choose, it would be a Au5 and Virtual Riot, because they've been my favorite inspiration for the past decade!

Their skills are simply groundbreaking,  I can't stop celebrating, admiring and marveling their ingenious tracks in awe.

Their work has been a constant source of inspiration and they're both musical pioneers whose innovative sound design and technical mastery always totally amaze me.I'd love to pick their brains in person, learn from their creative process, and see how they approach their life and music production!

 Of course, I'm really looking forward to the Creativity Code documentary series!

Any habits you have before starting a session?

Tidying up my space and meditating with my biofeedback devices, such as the InteraXon Muse S, the HeartMath Inner Balance Trainer, and the Oura Ring, help me to get in a clear headspace regularly. Prior to starting a session or doing music, I like to be finished with my chores and anything else I have going on.

Sometimes, inspiration strikes unexpectedly—a new song idea might pop into my head while listening to music that touches me or while jamming on my Yamaha DGX-670 WH E-Piano.

What have you been working on lately?

I'm incredibly excited to share that I've recently finished my new 20-track LP, "Unconnected. " I poured a lot of heart and soul into it, and I'm really proud of the outcome. It's a sonic journey that reflects my musical growth and explores new states of mind.  

If you could pick one, what would be the theme song of your life?

Right now I can say Paradise by Au5, Derpcat & HA!L does fit quite well for that.

What's your favorite musical instrument?

Definitely the Piano! I love the layout of the keys, the clear arrangement is just awesome! It kinda gives me a sense of structure and orientation, and this sense of order even translates into other areas of my life, as odd as that sounds.

What's your favorite ToneGym feature?

I like Lander and Departurer to get more and more familar with distinguishing the sound of the different Intervals, oh and the Melody Games (Melody Hunter, Melody Jay and Melodix) are a whole lot of fun to me, recently for example I've been practising with Melody Jay for polishing up my skills to hit the given tone. And I also like the stats, insights and all the awesome ToneGym-Tools you guys packed in there!

What does the future hold for you?

The future is a vast and exciting landscape! So as far as I can see right now: enjoying the incredible developments that are going on in science and technology, I'm also committed to sharpening my skills as to continuous learning and growth, whether it's honing my musical skills or developing myself in other areas like purpose & spirituality, wealth & health, and relationships & communication.

Ultimately, I strive to design a life that brings me the greatest fulfillment, filled with purpose, passion, connection, fun, prosperity, and plenty of music! At the end of the day, we never know what the future holds except for the parts that we shape ourselves.

Follow @officialmirth on your favorite social media platforms and enjoy the new album at Here!

---