stayc main image

Find the Right Manager for Your Music Career—Even If You're Just Starting Out

September 3, 2024

The idea of hiring a traditional manager might seem premature, but finding someone who can handle your online presence and help you network could be exactly what you need to take your career...

Read more
stayc main image

How to Be a Successful Songwriter When You Can’t Play an Instrument

August 26, 2024

If you’re a songwriter who can sing but can’t play an instrument, you may feel like you’ve hit a roadblock in your creative journey. You have the ideas in your head, but you’re unsure how to turn...

Read more
stayc main image

What Is the Point of Mastering If the Mix Is Good? A Guide to Understanding Mastering's Role

August 26, 2024

For many newer producers, it can be confusing to understand the importance of mastering, especially when your mix feels polished and balanced. However, mastering is an essential step in the...

Read more
stayc main image

Write a Vocal Melody That Stands Out: Tips for Phrasing and Dynamics

August 25, 2024

If you’ve been writing music for a decade but are just starting to dive into vocal melodies, you’re not alone in facing challenges with phrasing and creating vocal dynamics that don’t feel repetitive.

Read more
stayc main image

Add FX and Ear Candy to Your Tracks: Tips for Taking Your Sketch to the Next Level

August 23, 2024

Adding FX and ear candy can feel like a daunting task, especially when you start to overthink the process. However, these little details are often what bring a track to life, adding depth, excitement.

Read more
stayc main image

Recreate a Vocal Stutter Effect Like Skrillex: A Step-by-Step Guide

August 21, 2024

If you’ve just stepped into the world of music production, vocal stutters can be a fun and impactful technique to add excitement and energy to your tracks. You’ve heard that fast vocal stutter at...

Read more
stayc main image

Get a Great Sounding Synth: The Deadmau5 Approach

August 21, 2024

If you’ve been experimenting with synthesizers, you know the quest for a perfect synth sound can be a challenging but rewarding process. Whether you’re looking for something clean yet huge, or...

Read more
stayc main image

Make Music Again: Overcoming Creative Burnout Like Pharrell Williams

August 21, 2024

Hey there, fellow music creators! Whether you’re balancing a day job, DJ gigs, and music production, or just feeling creatively stuck, you’re not alone. Many of us hit a wall at some point, where...

Read more
stayc main image

Master Your Craft as a Beatmaker: The J Dilla Way

August 21, 2024

In this article, we’ll explore the most efficient ways to master your creative process as a beatmaker, and how you can learn from one of the most respected producers in the game: J Dilla.

Read more
stayc main image

Bumbershoot Festival 2024: A Creative Celebration in Seattle

August 8, 2024

This Labor Day weekend, Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival returns to Seattle Center from August 31 to September 1, 2024. With a rich history spanning over 50 years, Bumbershoot continues to be a...

Read more
stayc main image

Ohana Festival 2024: A Must-Attend Event for Music Creators

August 8, 2024

As the summer winds down and the crisp autumn air begins to roll in, music enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating one of California’s premier music festivals. The Ohana Festival, set to take place...

Read more
stayc main image

Desert Daze 2024: A Creative Oasis for Music Enthusiasts

August 8, 2024

As the vibrant hues of summer give way to the golden tones of fall, the anticipation for one of California’s most eclectic music festivals begins to build. This October, the 2024 Desert Daze music...

Read more

Achieving the JPEGMAFIA Unique Sound: A Breakdown of His Mixing Techniques

stayc main image

JPEGMAFIA, known for his experimental production and raw, aggressive sound, has carved out a distinctive space in the music world with a style that’s hard to ignore. Whether you're a fan of his chaotic beats, distorted vocals, or gritty textures, it's clear that his mixing approach is a key element in creating the signature JPEGMAFIA sound. But how does he do it? Is it all about saturation, or is there something more to his production magic?

In this blog post, we’ll explore the techniques that JPEGMAFIA likely uses to achieve his unique sound, from his approach to mixing to the ways he creates that lo-fi, textured feel in his music.

1. Saturation and Distortion: Adding Grit and Character

One of the defining features of JPEGMAFIA’s sound is the heavy use of saturation and distortion. These elements give his tracks a raw, unpolished edge that sets them apart from the cleaner, more polished sounds of mainstream hip-hop.

  • Saturation Everywhere: JPEGMAFIA is known for pushing the boundaries of traditional mixing, and it often sounds like he saturates nearly everything in his mix—from drums to vocals to synths. Saturation can add warmth and presence to a track, but JPEGMAFIA uses it more as a creative tool to add grit and intensity. This technique gives his tracks a lo-fi, almost industrial feel, which enhances the chaotic energy of his music.
  • Distortion on Vocals: His vocal processing often features heavy distortion, giving his voice a harsh, almost clipped quality. This distortion serves two purposes: it makes his voice stand out in the mix, and it adds to the aggressive, confrontational tone of his lyrics. By distorting his vocals, JPEGMAFIA creates a sense of urgency and rawness that’s hard to ignore.

Key Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to use saturation and distortion on unconventional elements of your mix. Instead of just saturating your drums or bass, experiment with adding distortion to vocals, synths, or even entire sections of your track.

2. Creative Use of Reverb and Space

While JPEGMAFIA’s music often feels tight and in-your-face, he also uses reverb in creative ways to add depth and contrast to his tracks.

  • Selective Reverb: Instead of applying reverb uniformly across his tracks, JPEGMAFIA tends to use it selectively. He might apply a heavy reverb to certain background elements to push them farther back in the mix, creating a sense of space and atmosphere, while keeping his lead elements dry and up front for a more immediate impact.
  • Abrupt Transitions: Another hallmark of his style is the use of abrupt transitions between sections with lots of reverb and sections that are completely dry. This creates a jarring, almost disorienting effect that keeps the listener engaged and on their toes.

Key Takeaway: Don’t think of reverb as just a way to make things sound “bigger.” Use it to create contrast, space, and atmosphere, but be deliberate about where and when you apply it. Sometimes, pulling all the reverb away can be just as impactful as adding more.

3. Dynamic Range and Compression

JPEGMAFIA’s music is full of contrast—not just in the arrangement but also in the dynamic range. He often combines elements that are loud and distorted with others that are quiet and intimate, creating a sense of tension and release throughout his tracks.

  • Compression as a Creative Tool: While many producers use compression to tame dynamics and make a mix more cohesive, JPEGMAFIA uses compression as a way to enhance the aggressive feel of his tracks. By heavily compressing certain elements, he can make them sound more in-your-face and powerful. For example, his drums often feel tight and punchy, cutting through the mix with precision.
  • Letting Some Elements Breathe: While compression is used to control certain parts of the mix, JPEGMAFIA doesn’t squash everything. He allows some elements—especially his more atmospheric or ambient sounds—to have a lot of dynamic range. This creates a sense of openness and contrast that makes the louder, more compressed elements hit even harder.

Key Takeaway: Use compression creatively, not just as a technical tool. You can use it to create aggression, intensity, or tightness, but don’t be afraid to let certain elements breathe without heavy compression to maintain contrast and dynamics in your track.

4. Sampling and Layering: Textures and Complexity

Another key to JPEGMAFIA’s unique sound is his approach to sampling and layering sounds. His tracks are often densely layered, with multiple samples, synths, and effects playing off each other to create a chaotic, yet cohesive, soundscape.

  • Unconventional Samples: JPEGMAFIA is known for using unconventional samples, pulling from obscure sources like video games, internet culture, or random audio snippets. These samples add texture and a sense of unpredictability to his music. Instead of using a sample in its original form, he often manipulates it with effects like pitch shifting, time stretching, and filtering to make it feel fresh and unrecognizable.
  • Layering for Complexity: His tracks are rarely straightforward. Instead, JPEGMAFIA builds complexity by layering sounds on top of each other. For example, he might layer multiple drum samples to create a dense, textured rhythm, or he’ll stack synths and samples to create a wall of sound that feels both chaotic and cohesive.

Key Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to use unconventional samples and layer multiple sounds together to create complexity in your mix. The more you experiment with different textures and sound sources, the more unique your music will become.

5. Deliberate Imperfection: Breaking the Rules

One of the most distinctive things about JPEGMAFIA’s music is that it often sounds “imperfect” by traditional production standards—and that’s exactly what makes it so compelling.

  • Clipping and Overdriving: In many of his tracks, you can hear elements clipping or being pushed past their limits. This intentional overdrive adds to the raw, abrasive quality of his music and reinforces the emotional intensity of his performances.
  • Unpredictable Arrangements: JPEGMAFIA often breaks traditional song structures, with tracks that shift abruptly in tone, tempo, or arrangement. This unpredictability keeps listeners on edge and ensures that his music never feels formulaic or repetitive.

Key Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to break the rules. Imperfection and unpredictability can add character to your music, and sometimes pushing your sounds to the limit (or even past it) can lead to unexpected and exciting results.

Wrapping Up

JPEGMAFIA’s unique sound comes from a combination of experimental production techniques, creative use of saturation and distortion, dynamic contrast, and a willingness to break the rules. By using saturation to add grit, reverb to create space, and unconventional samples for texture, he’s able to craft a sound that’s raw, chaotic, and unmistakably his own.

If you’re looking to create music with a similar experimental edge, take inspiration from JPEGMAFIA’s approach and don’t be afraid to push boundaries in your mixing process. Embrace imperfection, experiment with dynamics, and most importantly, stay true to your artistic vision.

Have you tried any of JPEGMAFIA’s mixing techniques? Let us know how it went or share your own tips for achieving a unique sound in the comments below!