Trevor Okoren’s venture into the music industry began more than twenty years ago as the youngest member in the family band. Since then, he’s logged 8,000+ hours on Logic Pro, composed his first film score at just 15-years-old — which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival — and has professionally produced and mixed for David Archuleta, Jarret DeCarl, and other well-known artists. As a successful composer, musician and a finalist in deadmau5’s New Artist Competition in 2017, Trevor is no amateur when it comes to consumer electronics.
Congrats on all your successes. How did you get to where you are?
I was born into a bluegrass family band. I started playing the drums at 3-years-old, then the mandolin. I soon realized I could play any instrument I tried. Everyone complicates it, but there’s just eleven tones and it’s all about math. Since I didn’t have many friends, I’d come home from school and play music all night. My dad is a musician — he played with the band Blood, Sweat & Tears and was recruited by David Bowie to write a violin solo for one of his albums — so he had 15-20 instruments laying around the house and he taught me how to play all of them.
Then I spent a few years in Europe serving a mission for my church. Dance music was really popular over there and I became obsessed. I returned to the U.S. and went back to school. As I sat in my classes, I’d have one earbud in and one out, listening to my professors while simultaneously mixing and producing music. It didn’t take long for me to realize I should commit to music full-time. Since that realization, I’ve just worked really hard to get where I am.
Do you have a favorite brand or piece of gear you like to work with?
Analog – Rupert Neve Designs 511 preamp. Makes everything sound round and full, and it’s practically impossible to screw up.
Digital – Xfer Record’s Serum. It’s the best software synthesizer ever made. It’s more than intuitive…the interface is seamless and the quality of sound files it produces are better than any in the market.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
Learning something that scares me. I used to fear dubstep, but now it’s the most rewarding genre to re-produce/create.
What does being an expert mean to you?
Being an expert means always learning. The counterfeit innovator is always full of self-confidence. The real one is scared to death. The real pros are always humble because they know if they let up, younger, smarter producers are like wolves biting at their heels to get a shot.
It also means giving people advice. I get asked all the time by electronic producers which DAW to use. The question they should be asking is, “How do you create saturation in your channel strips/how are you building your effects channels to create unique sounds?” Other artists want to know how to make really loud, big sounding drums. And honestly, I love to share what I know!
Anything else you’d like to share?
Best advice: Stop thinking about yourself. Stop needing validation. Stop caring what works or what doesn’t. Stop worrying about your sound. Stop trying to get famous. Stop trying to be appreciated. Focus all your attention on getting into the right headspace, and then work as hard and as long as you can every day. Find what you love and chase it.
With a smaller market and a limited number of electronic music producers, Trevor feels honored to be part of the community. Staying busy and seeing so much success does not mean he plans to slow down. In fact, he’s releasing two albums in 2019 and has some big projects in the works. Check out the song that made him a finalist for the deadmau5 New Artist Competition here and stay tuned, this isn’t the last you’ll hear of Trevor Okoren.
