"Translate their vision into sound"

Hello Arnar, thank you very much for sitting down with us! How would you introduce yourself to the unknowing?

I’m an Icelandic producer, multi-instrumentalist, mixing engineer, and artist based between Reykjavík (Aeronaut Studios) and Malmö, Sweden (Gula Studion). I have worked with many of Iceland's leading artists, and written, arranged, and produced music for feature films, documentaries, TV, and advertising, both in Iceland and abroad. My current personal project is the psych-pop duo Warmland.

 

Quite a life, to travel back and forth between these locations! Tell us about your humble beginnings!

I was born and raised in Reykjavík, Iceland. My father was a jazz drummer, though he wasn’t very active after I was born. But there was always music in my home, mostly jazz or classical. I picked up the guitar when I was 10 years old and have been playing ever since. I started playing with bands when I was 13 years old. My first bands played death metal, and then I moved on to different styles of rock music until I formed the band Leaves in 2001. We got record deals in the UK and the US, and that’s when I started digging into the audio field. I recorded all our demos and was deeply involved in the process of recording our albums. Soon after our first album, I was asked to record and produce another Icelandic band and, from there, it naturally grew into a career. I’m still making albums today.

Before this major decision, did you have any other plans for a career? What else were you interested in? Or were you always confident that you want to make a living from music?

I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be a musician, even though I didn’t yet realize that music production would become my main profession. For a long time, it was really a choice between music and football. I chose music, but I still play football and am part of a team in Sweden.

 

Coming from such a diverse musical background, what’s your main style that you’re working in these days?

I enjoy working on different genres. I’ve worked on everything from metal to pop songs. Most of the projects I work on in the studio are centered around live instruments, but I’ve also worked on some rap and hip-hop projects, though I think there are other producers that are stronger in that field.

 

That's respectable, that you know what styles suit you and what don't. In any case, was the hip-hop project a success?

Yes, you could definitely say so. I helped a young Icelandic rap artist record his very first songs, and he later became one of the biggest local rap artists in Iceland. I also worked with the Icelandic band Quarashi, who already had some international success at the time.

 

Talking about success, how do you measure it in the audio field?

I think there are several ways to measure success in the audio field. For me, true success is being able to bring out the best in an artist and help translate their vision into sound. If the project also achieves commercial success, that’s a great bonus, but it’s not the main measure for me.

 

Let’s talk a little bit about operating two studios in two different countries. What got you into this, and why did you open a second unit in Sweden?

A few years ago, my family and I decided we wanted to experience life outside of Iceland. We chose Malmö because we have friends there, and it‘s close to Copenhagen Airport, which makes traveling back and forth very easy. Many of my clients are in Iceland, so I split my time between the two countries, and it has worked out really well. Being in Sweden has also allowed me to connect with local artists, so professionally it makes a lot of sense too.

 

 

What are your most cherished works?

I’m very proud of my work with Kaleo. We recorded and mixed songs for their album A/B in my small room in Reykjavík. There was not a big budget, as this was in the beginning of their career. We played around with a 4-track cassette recorder to get that old Robert Johnson blues sound on the guitars on the song "Broken Bones," and for "All the Pretty Girls," we used the corridor to get a nice ambience for the percussion. It has been amazing to watch them grow to be one of the biggest alternative rock bands in the world with close to 15 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

 

Congratulations on this; this is really no small feat! One cannot help but notice that there's something in the air in the northern countries; music and originality seem to have greater value over there, and people are more outgoing when it comes to concerts. What do you think could be the reason behind this?

I don’t really have an answer for that. Maybe there‘s something in the water over there. But Iceland being a small and isolated country probably plays a role.

 

Gear talk! Which Buso Audio desk are you using?

I’m using the Studio XL. It’s the perfect desk for me because I can put all the hardware I use in the racks and the keyboard tray is perfect, leaving the desk free for other things. It’s just a perfect design.

 

 

From the music perspective, who are the artists who influenced you the most?

My influences originally come from rock music. The Beatles played a big part in my musical upbringing, and I’ve always had a sweet spot for British guitar-driven bands like Suede, Radiohead, and many others. Over the years, though, I’ve started listening more to electronic music, and I love when artists blend those two worlds together.

 

Who are your main influences from the audio world?

I learned a lot from the people who worked on my own albums. Getting the opportunity to sit next to them during the mixing process was invaluable. Seeing how they organize sessions and build their mixes gave me a lot more confidence. Today, we have access to endless mixing tutorials, and engineers are very generous in sharing their knowledge. If I were to name some producers/mixers I look up to, I would have to say Andrew Scheps, Michael Brauer, Spike Stent, Rich Costey, and Nigel Godrich.

 

 

What gear do you use in your studios?

I work in the box, so I use a lot of plugins. I love the UAD plugins and FabFilter. I always use outboard preamps and compressors when tracking: 1176, Distressors, Chandler TG preamps, and Heritage preamps, to name a few. I mix in the box, but occasionally I run things through outboard compressors and even a 4-track tape machine for character.

 

What got you into this workstyle, working mostly in the box?

I wanted the flexibility to open my sessions anywhere without relying on outboard gear; it just makes life so much easier. The plugins available today are really high quality, so I don’t see the need to overcomplicate things. I also move between projects frequently, and having to patch in hardware every time I open a session would slow me down significantly.

 

I can imagine the Buso desk supporting this workflow.

The Buso desk allows me to have my preamps and compressors within reach. I used to have them in a standalone rack, but having everything integrated into the desk makes the workflow much faster and more intuitive.

 

 

How do you see the future of analogue equipment?

I work mostly in the digital domain because it’s fast, flexible, and makes experimentation easy. That said, I don’t think analog is going anywhere, especially when it comes to recording. Analog gear brings subtle saturation and imperfections that add depth and character. While many plugins try to emulate these qualities, I don’t think they’ll ever fully replace analog gear.

 

What about AI? How do you see it affecting the audio segment?

I think we have to face it - how we make music is changing and it’s changing fast. I think AI can open up a lot of creative possibilities. It can spark ideas you might not have reached on your own and speed up the technical side. Instead of replacing musicians, I see it helping us experiment more and work faster. It’s like having a creative assistant - the vision still comes from the artist.

 

It’s great to hear such an optimistic view on this! Thank you, Arnar, for taking the time, and now it is my pleasure to ask you for a contribution to our playlist!

I’ll go with Warmland - Violet Dreams.