During the course I started to build up a studio of my own with plenty of hardware gear – samplers, synths and outboard effects and dynamics processors and a 32 channel digital mixer.

I’d also started collecting vinyl of trance tracks and artists I loved and one day, after reading a book about mixing, I decided to buy some turntables.

I scored my first gig 3 months after getting my decks, and I’m sure I was terrible but I had amazing fun and quickly progressed from there!

And you are enjoying your career in music?

Music is something that has always had a strong effect on me emotionally and I so I loved being able to play out and share the music with others. I still feel this way now.

Whenever I do a gig, as long as one person feels the wonderful music I play and gets into it with me then I’m happy. It’s an amazing feeling, especially when you can play around the world and share this emotion with people of different nationalities.

When did you first get involved in trance/electronic music? Who are some of your influences?

I’d never gone to a club till I’d moved to London! I remember the first time – in fact I’ll never forget it. I was completely shocked as I never really knew the scene existed. The lights, lasers, crowd and especially the music totally amazed me!

I had listened to some trance music before that, CDs of friends back in Australia such as the Global Underground series. I’d always loved most forms of music from classical to rock but trance immediately captured a particularly strong interest,especially when I started seeing some of the world's best producers DJing live.

I loved the classical elements in trance and the incredible way it could transform you emotionally. Artists I grew to love and who influence me include Armin Van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, Sasha, Agnelli & Nelson, Gabriel & Dresden, Thrillseekers, Above & Beyond, Tiesto, Kyau vs Albert, BT…and I could go on for ages here. But as soon as I’d put my studio together I started playing around trying to write trance!

How are you balancing DJing with producing your own tracks?

DJing certainly took up less time before I moved over to Ableton! Previously it was as easy as grabbing a bag of CDs and walking out the door.

Now as part of Ableton LIVE I need to prepare (warp) every track or sample I wish to play out. I also maintain a database with the name, artist and most importantly the key and bpm of all my tracks as well as effects, samples and accapellas so that I can play in key. All this takes a great deal of time!

It also takes time playing around with the software and learning new plug-ins and experimenting with new sounds and effects to try when playing out. All in all it means I have to sit at home rehearsing stuff, as you can’t turn up to a gig and think ‘hmmm perhaps I’ll just try this stutter effect out’ – as you would end up with a disaster!

But I love using LIVE, it’s definitely more work but it’s fun as I can be far more creative than with just a bag of CDs.

Tell us a little more for our users about your DJ setup. Is it strictly Ableton Live or do you combine other elements?

At first I played 100% vinyl but then about 2 years ago CDs started to appear. At first DJs using them were criticized – and being someone who embraces new technologies I shifted to CD very quickly and as a result faced some initial backlash too. However the trance scene seemed to wisely adapt to them fairly quickly in the end, until now where most DJs (in the trance scene at least) play entirely off CD.

My recent move has been over to Ableton LIVE. I loved this program from the day I first started playing around with it. It encourages so much creativity and is fun and easy to work with.

The only thing that puts me off is the time required to prepare my samples database and also the fact that the equipment can be a nuisance to carry around…laptop, midi controller, external soundcard and cables. But as I’ve said, the result is amazing and well worth the time and effort.

What is your studio like and what kind of tracks are you striving to produce? Have you done any collaborations or do you find yourself working better solo?

The past 6 months I have been switching from a PC running Cubase to a Mac with Logic and plugins. Now that I’ve learnt the new setup I find it to be much better than using all the outboard gear – it’s far quicker for me to lay down tracks now.

When I write music the only thing I strive to produce is something that others may enjoy. If one person who hears my track comes up to me in a club and says they like it, or writes to me about it, then I feel extremely happy.

I’ve had amazing moments like when my first track was signed to Armin’s amazing A State of Trance label, or seeing that Paul Van Dyk is playing your track, as I really respect these amazing producers and they’ve inspired me so much from the beginning, but I also find the really rewarding moments are when trance fans take the time to write to say they like your work.

I have done collaborations before and I really enjoy it just as much as working on my own. I enjoy working with others as it’s great to share ideas and work off each other’s slightly different direction and influences.

Today’s technology makes working with artists around the world possible without always being in the same room, and despite some of the producers I work with being based in the US, this is not an issue as we are on the same Logic platform with virtually the same plugins. This enables us to work on tracks together by bouncing them down and sending them back and forth between us via the internet.

What are some of the current projects you’re working on?

I have a few original tracks that I’m working on at the moment as well as some collaborations with Randy Boyer of EnMass. Plus I’m always busy in the studio maintaining my ‘musical database’ for Ableton LIVE.

How have you found iZotope’s plug-ins to help you with your creative process?

iZotope’s plus-ins have been a real help on the production side. In particular the amazing delays and effects in Spectron.

Everyone has moments where you’re struggling for ideas and I find a great way to make a start is to simply open a synth and make a few random note hits and let the Spectron delay create some brilliant melodies!

I’ve also used Trash in a similar way, creating some crazy sound and then putting effect on them – they’re both great for sparking ideas and creativity.

Any favorite features of Ozone, Trash, or Spectron?

The Ozone is simply amazing software! The interface for it as with all iZotope’s products is great but more importantly the results are fantastic. The sound quality is brilliant and has even moved me away from my traditional hardware mastering device – something I thought I’d never do!

Trash is also lots of fun and has some brilliant effects however my favourite really is Spectron. I love what this program can do. Its ability to split audio into thousands of frequency bands and then independently apply effects to these bands is amazing. I love it in particular for delays, filters and panning for creating some great sounds and effects.

Any feedback, additional thoughts?

Thank you for your time and the brilliant software. It’s very much appreciated!

To learn more about Tania Mann visit www.taniamann.com.