Great music doesn’t usually come from stacking effects or fixing things after the fact. It starts much earlier than that. In this conversation, Hugo talks about sound selection, discipline, and why choosing the right elements matters more than polishing the wrong ones.
Born and raised in a small town in Spain, Hugo has been making music for years before sharing it publicly, slowly developing an approach rooted in intuition, simplicity, and consistency. We spoke about finding your own sound, staying productive without burning out, navigating content and AI as a producer today, and what it means to build something that feels honest over time.
Hugo’s WAVS profile
Q: For people who might be discovering you for the first time, who’s Hugo? Where are you from, how long have you been making music, and what originally pulled you into production?
Hugo: For the people that are not familiar with me, my name is Hugo (22), I’m from a small town in Spain and I’ve been making music for about 7 years. What first brought me into music was kind of random, even though my family encouraged me to learn an instrument from a young age I never got into it and I never wanted to really do it. But randomly (or not so much) one day in my class the idea to make a song was brought up and I curiously ended up downloading FL Studio from that to see how it worked. That rapidly turned into me diving deep into Youtube to figure out every little thing about FL and locking myself in my room every afternoon after school to go deeper into music and beatmaking. Tutorials in that era really helped and people like Nick Mira basically teached me everything about making melodies and beats in FL Studio.
Q: Do you feel like you have a “signature sound,” or is that something you actively try to avoid? If you do, could you speak a little on how you found your signature sound, and whether you think producers should always strive for that? Is true success in production maybe found in variability, versatility and always staying on top of what’s considered hot?
Hugo: Even though I think you can have a successful music career without having a ‘unique’ sound I think we should always strive to explore what is inside us to the max. For me it’s not about having the most complicated or unique melodies that sound like nobody else. It’s more so about sitting down and truly doing what comes out of you instead of trying to do a certain thing. The cool thing about this for me it’s that when it works and you find some success, it gives you a different type of confidence. With that being said though, for someone that is just starting out in music i would not worry about it too much. I spent years emulating and making really ‘inspired’ stuff (and I still do to a certain degree) until it all evolved into a thing that was more ME. Its definitely a slow process and different for everyone.
Hugo’s latest installment is FAIRY with fellow WAVS collaborator TY
Q: Is there an element, sound, instrument, or texture that keeps showing up in your music? What’s one aspect of your work that defines what you sound like? Do you think people can use that to improve their own work, or does it only work the way it’s supposed to when you do it?
Hugo: I for sure got some sounds and techniques that repeatedly get into my music and with enough practice I think it becomes that way for everyone. I would define my process as more of choosing the right sounds that work together rather than trying to make something else sound good with different effects or such. I truly think great music is all in the sound selection and composition rather than effects or similar stuff. And yes I think everyone can benefit from this as I would love to learn from other people’s approach on making music.
Retail Therapy by ARDN and Férina co-produced by Hugo
Q: Are you more structured when you create, or your output is defined by your circumstances? Are you a fan of schedules, practice and repetition, or going with the flow?
Hugo: I never have a fully strict schedule but I do have some in order in what I do. I usually slow down on the weekends and I don’t really do any music-making on Sundays, that way I’m always fully charged and ready to go on Monday morning. Also, I’m usually the most productive on mornings, although all this is different for everybody.
‘hugo’s bounce stash‘ is a 4-volume series comprised of Hugo’s best drum loops
Q: We need some sauce from you. Your sound is always organic, uplifting, but also pretty nostalgic at the same time. What are some of your favorite instrument and effect VSTs that you like to use on most of your projects? Do these shift often, or do you like having a selection of trusty tools?
Hugo: I do have some VSTs that I always come back to. Let me drop all the sauce real quick 😌.
Kontakt: this is where my main organic sounds come from.
Session Strings Pro 2: Main strings / Cool articulations
CineHarps: Glissando harp sound I always use
Elysium Harp: Main harp sound
Omnisphere 3: this has been one of my absolute go-to recently and has so many great sounds in it.
EastWest Opus: More strings sounds particularly ‘Hollywood Strings’
Also use Arturia’s V collection as well as Korg’s VST collection.
Also, more recently I’ve been diving heavily into sound design myself with Analog Lab V and Pigments so ive been using that in almost all my samples. More on that coming soon hehe.
Finally like I said before I rarely use FX in my samples but when I do it’s typically something from Universal Audio‘s FX bundle or my trusty RC-20.
Some of the plugins Hugo recommends
Q: If you had to share one aspect of your workflow, whether it’s a practice or a VST, that would instantly improve a producer’s sound and workflow, what would it be?
Hugo: Like I said before, for me it would be to try doing more, with less sounds.
‘hugo’s creative world‘ is an 8-volume series so far, highlighting some of Hugo’s best samples
Q: What’s your opinion on the new era of production being inescapably tied to content? We know you actively create content, but is this something you enjoy, or do you do it purely because you feel it’s become necessary? Would you happen to have any advice for fellow creatives about how to utilize content, how to create great content, and how to build your own brand through it?
Hugo: I’m by no means a professional content creator but I do think I’ve found a way for my music to be heard and discovered by people that matter to me and I think that’s what everyone should strive for instead of just views. With that being said I do think nowadays it’s essential for most people to have an online presence and post content consistently to have a career in music. I wouldn’t say I love making content but I’ve definitely grown into it and I like doing it these days. I think it’s a hard time to become a producer or artist but at the same time if you manage to cut through the noise I think we live in one of the best eras especially for people like me from small places where there is no way to utilize the music you love making to make a living. That’s also why I love WAVS so much. So yeah, the internet and social media and content can be tricky but I believe I’m blessed to be born in this era.
Hugo is actively creating social media content to showcase his work
Q: It’s been so hard to escape it lately, the AI craze. What’s your take on using AI as a music producer, is this something you approve of or condone? Are you using AI in your own work and if yes, how crucial is it for your work?
Hugo: I don’t personally use any AI tools for my music at all. With that out of the way I do think we have some crazy years ahead of us with the coming up of AI. I’m fine with people using AI to amplify our tools to make music and such but I really don’t like or condone using generative AI to make or help me make stuff. This goes back to the importance of being you and putting your own perspective in your music. If you do this I don’t think you should be scared or preoccupied with the come up of AI, I believe people relate to music because someone is making it.
The WAVS Similar Sample Finder is a great way to stay inspired and find sounds that fit your current inspiration
Q: When you think about the next few years, what kind of path do you want to carve out for yourself? Not just in terms of success, but creatively. Where do you plan on being in the next few years, and what do you think producers should strive to achieve in their 3-to-5 year plans?
Hugo: I think everyone’s goals and plans are and should be different but for me I’m excited to continue developing my sound and start landing songs with my favourite artists. Also one of my main focuses right now is to go down the sound design path and explore and develop big projects to inspire the producer community and be useful to the community. That’s my plan for the next few years but I think rather than planning my main goal is to do and execute ideas as fast as possible and see what sticks. I believe that I have successful years ahead and I’m excited for the future.
Big thanks to the WAVS team for this opportunity as for a great platform to be seen and rewarded for my work.
hugo’s ‘spirit alive‘, one of his latest releases
