SoundGym Hero: Michel Lafontaine

A lifelong musician and teacher who combines his passion for music with innovative technology, programming complex sounds with virtual instruments and creating MIDI controllers while inspiring others with his dedication to sound exploration and creativity. Michel Lafontaine is this month's SoundGym Hero!

How did you first find your way into making music?

Watching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, I knew there was something that attracted me. One day, a guitarist came to live at my parents' house above me. He first showed me how to play a few chords on the guitar. That's when I understood: music would be a lifelong relationship, it would be my life.

I continued learning guitar and played with a few bands. But it wasn't enough. I started studying music, then after completing my university education, I began teaching music. A profession to which I devoted myself fully throughout my life. Driven by music myself, I tried to share my passion with younger people, to give them a spark of the fire that burned in me.

Obviously, not all my students became professional musicians, though some did. Still, that's not what's important. I often meet former students, and I can see from their attitude that I left them with something.

Aside from music, what hobbies or activities do you enjoy?

I enjoy reading and meditation does me good. But apart from improvisation and composition, I especially like to invest my time in related activities.

For example, I recently spent a lot of time programming a Japanese (not very user-friendly) vocal synthesis software. I've managed to get satisfactory results so far, but the best is yet to come. Where I've really invested myself fully is in developing MIDI controllers for several virtual music instruments. I'm not talking about electronic tinkering with potentiometers, but controllers in the form of applications for the iPad.

My virtual controllers for the MIDI Designer system are downloaded by musicians from all over the world. These creations take up a lot of my time, it's true. At the same time, they considerably increase the musical possibilities of virtual instruments. The mouse has its limitations and is not really suitable for improvisation or composition.

You can download my creations for free from this link: https://mididesigner.com/michel

What’s something you're surprisingly good at that has nothing to do with music?

I enjoy cooking, it allows me to relax. And I find that a healthy and balanced diet is essential to keep me in shape.

I also like woodworking. I've made some complex puzzles. This discipline requires patience and precision, two qualities that serve me as a musician.

If you could play or create with any artist, who would it be and why?

Jacob Collier, without hesitation. This guy is a genius. A real one. I saw him perform in Montreal a few years ago and I follow his activities on various networks.

Harmony and counterpoint were my favorite subjects during my university studies. Later, I had the chance to study the "Equal Interval System" with David Blumberg. An approach that allowed me to discover different ways of harmonizing a melody. Surely a meeting with Jacob Collier would make me discover a new world of colors.

What piece of music gear do you love the most, and what makes it irreplaceable in your creative process?

My computer. Yes, I studied music, but I'm not a virtuoso. I can of course play on a keyboard or bass guitar, for example. That said, I certainly can't play at the level I would like.

But thanks to the computer, I can create and produce musical pieces that I wouldn't be able to perform alone. And then, the computer opens the door to an infinite sound universe. Even if I were an exceptional pianist, my sound world would still be limited to the piano. With the computer, all timbres, all nuances of interpretation are accessible to me.

What daily or weekly habits do you have in place to keep you creating?

At least once a day, I sit in front of my keyboard to improvise. The works thus created are of course ephemeral, a bit like sandcastles or mandalas. Nevertheless, this activity brings me a lot of pleasure. To tell the truth, it is indispensable to me. Improvising nourishes me.

What keeps you motivated to continue making music?

I don't need any motivation. producing music is a vital need. I couldn't imagine living without creating music. In my circle, many consider me passionate. Which is not entirely false, but it's much more than that. Perhaps only musicians can understand.

What song would you choose as the soundtrack of your life?

It would be "La complainte du phoque en Alaska" (The Lament of the Seal in Alaska), by the Quebec group Beau Dommage. This song tells the story of a lonely seal in Alaska, whose mate has gone to work in a circus in the United States.

The seal, sad and nostalgic, watches the sun set on the glacier and thinks of his beloved. The chorus emphasizes that leaving those you love to go perform circus acts is not worth it. Although these shows amuse children, this pleasure is ephemeral.

What's your favorite feature on SoundGym, and how has it helped you in your musical journey?

Peak Master. Being able to hear and name frequencies is a bit like having perfect pitch. If a sound is less pleasant to the ear, I can now more easily identify the disturbing frequency or frequencies.

What’s something exciting you're working on or looking forward to?

I'm always eager to create a new controller with MIDI Designer or develop a new preset in Unify (a software driven by PlugInGuru). In short, something that will give me the opportunity to go further in my improvisations of ephemeral pieces, to continue my endless exploration of sounds and melodies.

Thanks to technology, we have been able to discover an infinity of soundscapes to which acoustic instruments alone had not given us access. The tactile controllers I develop for the iPad transform the computer into an orchestra with infinite colors, which I can direct as I wish to express my most varied feelings.

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