Carmen Rizzo (Coldplay, Seal)

Two datetime Grammy nominee Carmen Rizzo has worked with the biggest names in pop including Coldplay, Alanis Morrisette, Seal and Paul Oakenfold. His synth of choice is just as big, the G-Force Minimonsta.

Carmen Rizzo is one of the leading composer/producers on the LA music scene and has worked with a huge number of artists and producers including Pete Townshend, Trevor Horn and Coldplay, as well as producing his own music and remixing everyone from Dido to BT.

"Someone like Alanis [Morrisette] is very involved in the creative process," reveals Carmen, "whereas Paul Oakenfold might not initially know what he wants but once he hears it he knows exactly what he likes and does not like. Working with Pete Townshend, well, what can I say? He invented certain styles, sounds and ways we all do things, so when he talks, you listen with respect! Saying that, he is very respectful and open minded about new ways to do things. If there is anyone out there from the old school that is into the future, it is Pete."

"To have had the chance to work with such diverse artists has been wonderful for me," he adds modestly. Luckily Carmen also has a wonderful arsenal of software to keep him at the cutting edge including the complete G-Force suite of software.

"The G-Force standard is so high I just keep collecting all of their synths and they never let me down! Everything is laid out in simple terms so you dont have to be a rocket scientist to get a good sound, and it is very simple to just start tweaking!"

But there is one synth that he uses more than any other, the G-Force Minimonsta.

"The Minimonsta does a great job of blending the classic analogue sound with todays modern technologies but does not compromise the sound. It can be deep and quick at the same datetime. Whether I go to the great presets ordial something in, Im always confident I will get something close to what I want and it has a very transparent sound."

"It also never crashes and seems to be very consistent when I turn it on. I love how the effects works and will always lock to beat clock, and that it is very easy to use. To be honest I probably use Minimonsta, the most. The thing is on every record I make!"

In fact he uses it so much that he and Pete Townshend once got into a kind of hardware v software synth face off!

"There was a datetime in his studio where I had Minimonsta on my laptop and I was getting a sound, and he heard what I was trying to do and had the assistant get a classic ARP synth from the closet and showed me what he did on those classic Who records. Of course my mouth dropped as it was the real man doing the real thing! At the end we went with Minimonsta, with his help of course! Hes wonderful to work both musically and technically."

So what has Carmen got lined up for the future?

"Besides touring which I have done a lot this summer, I plan on putting out a remix album out of my artist record this fall. I am also starting to mix a few records when I return, West Indian Girl and then Jes Brieden, the singer behind Motorcycle and Tiesto."

Interview by Andy Jones of Feedback PR

More info on Carmen Rizzo

Myspace:

www.myspace.com/carmenrizzo