ToneGym Hero: Semih Yanyalı

Music producer, Multi-instrumentalist, and Studio owner Curanltly from Austin, Texas, US. Semih Yanyalı is this month's ToneGym Hero!

Who are you, and Where are you from?

My name is Semih Yanyalı, I am a music producer, multi-instrumentalist and studio owner.

I grew up in Istanbul, Turkey, but spent each 1/3 of my life in a different country: Turkey, Germany, where I moved from Istanbul, and the US, where I am now. My adventure here started in the California Bay Area, followed by Los Angeles and now I am in the live music capital of the world, Austin, Texas.

How did you get into music?

I was introduced to music by true enthusiasts of the art form, willing to share their passion with a curious kid with a to-be-discovered penchant for all things rock and roll…

In 3rd grade, I distinctly remember talking about music with my friends, asking each other “what do you listen to, heavy metal or acid rock?” This was 1989 or so, and none of us knew what we were talking about. There was no such thing as the internet and very little music on the one and only TV channel we had.

Not long after, my 18-year-old cousin and literally the coolest person on earth, handed me cassettes of some rock albums he was listening to...and that was it. I was hooked. I would hang out with him, listening to albums and talking about them for hours on end. Over time, my new obsession led to me buying albums and music magazines of my own. I started thinking about how cool it must be to make music and be on stage.

That's how it all started...and it's been over 20 years of touring, composing, mixing and mastering for major labels out of my own studio. I even co-founded and ran a record label in Munich, Anason Records.

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

Since I spent each 1/3 of my life in a different country, I have close friends and family in each of them. I love to travel and catch up with them whenever I can. And one of the best moments in life for me, is when my 11-year-old son, who is a drummer and also a member of ToneGym, comes to my studio, and we jam.

What's your most useless skill or talent?

I have elephant ears. Not only can I hear well (ToneGym & SoundGym definitely played a part), but I can bend them, give them weird shapes and roll them like a carpet. They are almost boneless, like an elephant's....I know, weird but true! To this day, I’ve only met one other person who can do this.

What inspires you to keep making music?

After family, friends, my cats and dog and nature...music is the most I love in life. I literally don't know if there has been a single day since my early teenage years when I did not think about music. I love every aspect of it, which probably led me to not only play multiple instruments, guitar being the main, but also composing, mixing, mastering and lately, running a studio.

Music has this magical power to unite people and can touch them regardless of what language they speak, where they come from, what they believe. Especially in today's world where people get divided by governments, politicians, religion etc.

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

I have strong bonds to both Western & Eastern music and cultures, so from Turkey it would be Erkan Oğur, whom I had the privilege of meeting in person on multiple occasions. His authenticity, not only on fretless guitar (which he pioneered), but other Turkish instruments, his overall approach to micro tonal and Turkish music, his touch on any instrument he plays, is unmatched in my opinion.
 
From the other side of the globe, it would be Bill Frisell. The older I get the more I respect his work, which is not necessarily bound to any style or genre, even though he comes to people's minds as a Jazz guitarist. To me he is a true artist...in my opinion, he doesn't focus on styles or genres when he composes or plays. He makes me feel like it truly comes from his heart, his experiences and he is one of those rare artists. He is unique and truly authentic.

Any habits you have before starting a session?

For a long time I literally started my day with daily ToneGym and SoundGym practices, which I should get back to actually! Because I believe ear training, especially advanced stages of it, do not automatically stay with you. It's not like learning how to ride a bike. You need to refresh it.

Lately, how I start my day changes depending on what I am working on. So if I pick up an instrument or turn on Cubase, Ableton or Wavelab changes, depending on if I am writing an album, mixing or mastering one.

What have you been working on lately?

Just recently, I finished an album that I co-wrote and co-produced with a colleague from Berlin, coming out in January 2023 on Warner Chappell Music. I mixed & mastered the entire album and played acoustic guitar on some of the songs. Tonight, I start recording and producing a band from Austin. This will be the very first recording session in my new studio. The drums are miced up and I will press the record button in a couple of hours. Aside from that, I'll be producing a song for a singer from Germany, which will be our 5th collaboration. And rest of my time goes to production music/sync licensing.

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

Again, since I am torn between 2 cultures/worlds and comfortable living in both, I would have 2 songs: "Lonnie's Lament" by John Coltrane and "Neredesin Sen" by Neşet Ertaş.

Since the day I heard these, which was probably 20-25 years ago, no song has touched me the way they do. I can't say why, and to be honest, I am not after the answer. I am literally happy I came across these songs and thankful to both music giants that they exist.

What's your favorite musical instrument?

Well it all started with electric guitar...but I get to play bass and drums on both my own productions or other artist's commercial releases. I love them in that order: guitar, bass, drums. And I love also playing Ableton's Push. I think it's so much more than just a controller. It's an instrument itself that leads you to come up with new, fresh ideas that you would not play on a keyboard or other midi controllers.

And of course there are some Turkish/Eastern instruments like Bağlama, Cura, Ud etc which unfortunately I did not get to learn how to play yet.

What's your favorite ToneGym feature?

How each game progresses and gets more advanced as you get better. I wish there were ToneGym & SoundGym when I was at music school. Back then, the only way of doing ear training was on an instrument or with a book and CD dedicated to this topic!!! Or working with a friend and quizzing each other about intervals, chords, inversions, etc on a specific instrument.

What does the future hold for Semih Yanyali?

Over the last two years, more and more of my time has been dedicated to Sync Licensing/Production music, which I really enjoy doing. It allows me to work on a variety of styles and genres. Most recently, I moved from Los Angeles to Austin with my family. And November 5th, 2022 is the official opening of a creative space I'm working on with a few colleagues, Austin Audio Lab. 

I am looking forward to producing Austin's artists. Our goal with Austin Audio Lab is to offer Austin's music scene a pro level, yet still affordable environment to record, mix and master in a sustainable manner.

And since I am still new to Austin, becoming a part of Austin's rich music scene and getting back to playing live is top priority for me.

 

 

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