DJ SwishMeets
KORG MS-20 V
Los Angeles, California: multi-platinum producer DJ Swish has perfected his own combination of keyboard proficiency with a quick-fire DAW workflow, and the results have earned him a solid reputation on the scene, with a Grammy nomination to boot.
We caught up with him in the studio to talk about his favorite Arturia presets, his beat-making setup, and the role that KORG MS-20 V plays in his sound.
West coast workflow
As an LA native, DJ Swish couldn’t have been in a better place to break into the modern hip hop production scene. Kickstarting his career with a beat-making credit on YG’s ‘FDT’, he’s since worked with the likes of Post Malone, G-Eazy, Roddy Ricch, and Jay Rock to name a few. With these credits racking up hundreds of millions of hits on Spotify every year, he sits comfortably amongst some of the hottest producers on the circuit.
Swish in the studio
DJ Swish credits at least some of his success as a producer to his chops on the piano. As his go-to instrument, he’s developed enough skills over the years to enable him to get the job done, whatever the session.
The thing I’m most proud of as a producer is being able to play the piano well and being able to adapt in different sessions.
Like many of his peers, he also embraces the flexibility of virtual instruments; he’s already a seasoned fan of V Collection.
The V Collection has synths from the ARP2600 V to CS-80 V to the DX7 V and even the new one, the KORG MS-20 V - I think they’re doing a good job.
For Swish, these enhanced instruments bring a number of benefits to his creative momentum. Their modernized features allow them to do things that hardware synths - especially classic ones - might not have been able to do. But primarily, it’s a question of practicality: even something as simple as modulating a filter cutoff isn’t easily done in real-time when you’re playing. DAW automation, however, means that almost anything is possible.
With hardware synths you would have to manually automate, which is cool - but with the use of a plugin, it’s easier for me to just automate the cutoff.
While starting from scratch and forging your own sound is part of the creative experience, there’s something to be said for having pre-made sounds to accelerate your workflow. Swish is a big fan of the categorized presets in V Collection’s instruments - a few clicks and the perfect sound is good to go, mix ready, and yours to customize as you see fit.
One thing I like about Arturia is having presets already ready to go, categorised. Bass, keys, pads, effects - it makes it that much easier to create my own presets and recall them whenever I need to.
On KORG MS-20 V
We spent some time with DJ Swish as he pieced together a jam revolving around KORG MS-20 V, highlighting some of his favorite presets to work with.
Throat Bass
A growling monophonic bass patch, typical of the original MS-20, tamed with a touch of low-pass filter to make it sit better in the mix; this was the first element that Swish added to his drum loop to form the foundations of the beat.
Keys Faux Delay
Dotted-note stabs with a quacking resonant low pass filter, highlighting KORG MS-20 V’s added polyphony, perfect for pads. To alleviate any ‘dryness’, Swish added a hint of straight delay, simultaneously enhancing the stereo depth.
Seq Hat63
An 8-step sequence using Oscillator 1’s noise waveform and automated filter settings for a moving pattern that emulates a hi-hat ostinato, great for adding consistent but ever-evolving percussive content to the track’s rhythm section.
One really cool feature that the Arturia KORG MS-20 V has is the advanced panel, where I can access the sequencer to make my own sequence, whether it’s with drums or a bassline.
Analog reimagined
KORG MS-20 V is modeled on an analog instrument known for its instantly-recognizable aggressive character and wild semi-modular architecture. The fact that DJ Swish used it almost exclusively in his session to craft a smooth funk-laden beat demonstrates how this virtual reimagining builds on this already impressive instrument to provide a little more on all fronts - a semi-modular monster turned flexible production toolkit. What’s not to like?
Even the FX, I’m able to rearrange them whether it’s series or parallel, and just make my own sound.
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