Laurent “Tippy I” Alfred

Musician, Producer, Engineer

I Grade Dub, Midnite, Pressure, Lutan Fyah, Dezarie

Tippy I is a musician, producer, audio engineer, and co-owner of I Grade Records in St. Croix.

Dub music is known in part for its unique implementation of delays and other audio effects, and the sound of dub on the island of St. Croix is heavily influenced by Tippy I and his arsenal of Soundtoys plug-ins.

LUKE AWTRY PHOTOGRAPY -Tippy - SXSW2016 - Bungalow - Austin, TX-001

Since launching I Grade Records in 2001 Tippy I has produced, recorded and mixed over 30 albums with a range of roots reggae artists including Midnite, Pressure, Lutan Fyah, Dezarie, Niyorah, Perfect Giddimani, Glen Washington, Cornel Campbell, Toussaint, Danny I, Army, Abja and many others. The current headquarters for Tippy I’s audio work is Aqua Sounds Studio in St. Croix, where he serves as head engineer and operates I Grade Studio out of Studio B. Tippy I also performs his live dub mixes around the world through his recently launched live dub sound system, I Grade Dub.

“I use Soundtoys on almost every mix and live dub mix that I do.  They are an integral part of how I create space and manipulate time in my mixes and give me the tweakability that I need as a dub mixer.”

While he is most known for his work in the reggae genre, Tippy I is also a composer/producer of a wide range of musical creations, from hip hop to soul to film scores.  While based in Brooklyn NYC before relocating back to his home in St. Croix in 2005, he was a member of the Downbeat Production Collective that produced several notable hip hop songs including “Hell Yeah” by dead prez feat. Jay-Z and “Ridin'” by David Banner feat. dead prez and Talib Kweli. More recently, Zion I Kings – a collective of the producers of I Grade Records, Zion High Productions and Lustre Kings Productions – has developed a powerful new sound that has the feel of classic roots, but with a cutting edge HD quality and progressive creativity.

Check out the song “LION IS A LION” by Pressure Busspipe. Here’s how Tippy I used Soundtoys on the record:

“I used EchoBoy delays for sure – at least 2 different ones….I like a particular preset I made that splatters the echo around a stereo field…  I also used the MicroShift on some of the synths to widen them up. I probably used PanMan after my other delays to bounce them across the stereo image. The filter later in the song is FilterFreak too.”

 

And here is the I Grade Dub remix of “LION IS A LION,” featuring even more Soundtoys modulation and delays:

 

You can read more about Tippy I and I Grade Dub on their website and Instagram page.

Artists

Mac Quayle
Mac Quayle
Composer

American Horror Story, Mr. Robot, Pose, Ratched

"Crystallizer is my go to for creating weird, sonically interesting high pads. A little goes a long way with this plug-in."

Kenny Beats
Kenny Beats
Producer, Audio Engineer, Songwriter

Dababy, Lil Baby, Vince Staples, Freddie Gibbs, NBA Youngboy, FKA Twigs, Rico Nasty, Flo Milli, Remi Wolf

"Soundtoys is an irreplaceable part of my workflow. From MicroShift on background vocals to Decapitator on live drums or EchoBoy on literally anything; I can't do a session without the entire suite."

Paul “Willie Green” Womack
Paul “Willie Green” Womack
Producer, Engineer, Sonic Artist

Wiz Khalifa, Armand Hammer, The Roots, Donnie McClurkin, Moor Mother, The Alchemist

"Decapitator finds its way into every mix I do. It’s amazingly flexible, it can go from subtle and warm, to "oh sh*t!" and everything in between."

Andrew Sarlo
Andrew Sarlo
Producer, Engineer, Mixer

Big Thief, Nick Hakim, Show Me The Body, Dijon, Bon Iver

“If anything is just too pure and not exciting enough, reach for Little AlterBoy ASAP.”

Noah Georgeson
Noah Georgeson
Musician, Producer, Mix Engineer

Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, The Strokes, Cate Le Bon, Andy Shauf

"I'm pretty sure I could mix a whole record with Echoboy as my only effect. I use it for all sorts of things - occasionally even what it's intended for."

Sylvia Massy
Sylvia Massy
Record Producer, Mixer, Engineer, Author

Tool, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Taylor Hawkins, Prince, System of A Down

"Finally plug-in effects that make me forget about my rack gear!"

Dan Hermouet
Dan Hermouet
FOH Engineer

Perfume Genius

"My current live set up with Perfume Genius includes a mobile set up for voice processing revolving almost exclusively around Soundtoys plugins."

Bryn Bliska
Bryn Bliska
Keyboardist, Producer, Composer

Jacob Collier, Maggie Rogers, Karol G, Sofi Tukker

"It's rare for a channel in one of my mixes to not have something from Soundtoys on there at this point, and EchoBoy and Little Plate are absolutely my go-tos for sends in their respective categories."

Ludwig Göransson
Ludwig Göransson
Film Composer, Record Producer

Oppenheimer, Black Panther, Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper, Haim

"Soundtoys plug-ins were irreplaceable tools in helping create the Black Panther score."

Anomalie
Anomalie
Keyboardist, Producer, Performer

"Little Plate is one of the best reverbs I’ve ever used. It’s unmatched!"

Mike Dean
Mike Dean
Producer, Engineer, Multi-Instrumentalist

Madonna, 2 Chainz, Pusha T

"Decapitator made my 808 kicks on Desiigner’s 'Timmy Turner' growl and gave them great presence in the mix. Love it."

Jamie Lidell
Jamie Lidell
Musician, Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Podcast Host

Super_Collider, Mura Masa, Feist, Simian Mobile Disco, Beck

"Soundtoys doesn’t make a bad plugin. I’ve destroyed with the Devil Loc, I’ve Crystallized myself, I’ve Altered and Echo’d my Boy to high heaven. The world of sonic putty awaits."

Moderat
Moderat
Band

Apparat / Modeselektor

"EchoBoy is not just a delay plug-in - it adds life to your sound."

Dan Deacon
Dan Deacon
Electronic Musician, Composer

"Since getting Soundtoys, every channel on every track has Soundtoys on it."

Ariel Borujow
Ariel Borujow
Mix Engineer

Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West, Lucius, Chromeo, Justin Martin, Prinze George

"Soundtoys has helped me to achieve "In-The-Box" what I was used to when mixing on analog desks."

Nick Sylvester
Nick Sylvester
Producer, Songwriter, Mixer, Label Owner

Channel Tres, JPEGMAIA, Yaeji, loveleo

"For Godmode artists, I design a custom stereo ambience fx send buss in Effect Rack and throw from various channels to give my artists' records their own unique sense of space."

Jason LaRocca
Jason LaRocca
Mixer, Producer

Movies, Video Games, TV

"One of my favorites is the 'Starlight' preset from EchoBoy. It has been a little secret weapon reverb preset for piano on films like 'Paddington,' 'The Accountant,' and 'Life.'" – Jason LaRocca

Tony Ni
Tony Ni

“I could be deserted on an island with a laptop that has GarageBand and Soundtoys 5, and I can still mix a hit.”

Mija
Mija
DJ, Producer

Never B Alone, This Ain't Bristol, OWSLA, Fool's Gold

"If there's a sound that doesn't quite have the edge that I want, I'll use Decapitator to give it more angst."

ODESZA
ODESZA
Electronic Duo

Harrison Mills & Clayton Knight

“We run just about everything through Decapitator or Radiator before it hits anything else.”

Phantogram
Phantogram
Band

“We’ve used Soundtoys on every record we’ve released. It’s become a must have in our studio” – Sarah Barthel

Chvrches
Chvrches
Band

"The lead single from Every Open Eye, 'Leave A Trace', includes Soundtoys plugins right from the intro."

Yaeji
Yaeji
Dance/Electronic Musician

"Crystallizer is my favorite and at this point an essential element of my sound. When it’s applied to my voice, I can create intimate, dreamy textures. The way it interacts with Korean words when delayed and reverse recycled is unlike anything else."

Bob Power
Bob Power
Record Producer, Mix Engineer, Educator

A Tribe Called Quest, Erykah Badu, Citizen Cope, D'Angelo, De La Soul

"My professional life can be considered in two periods; life before Decapitator, and life after Decapitator."

Empress Of
Empress Of
Pop Innovator

"EchoBoy has always been my favorite plug in by Soundtoys. I try to use it really creatively on chopped up vocals to create new textures."

Tom Elmhirst
Tom Elmhirst
Mixing Engineer

Adele, Amy Winehouse, Cee Lo Green, Florence & The Machine

"Once you start using all of these plug-ins you find it hard to stop."

Son Lux
Son Lux
Band

Lorde, Woodkid, Sufjan Stevens, Busdriver, Nico Muhly

"In creating Son Lux's music, we make regular use of every Soundtoys plug-in." - Ryan Lott (Son Lux)

Rachel Alina
Rachel Alina
Mix Engineer

Stephen Marley, Gabriel Garzon-Montano, Interscope Records

"Soundtoys 5 is the foundation of my creative process when I’m mixing.”

Blake Mills
Blake Mills
Songwriter, Guitarist, Producer, Composer

Alabama Shakes, Perfume Genius, Fiona Apple, John Legend, Beck

"Plug-ins like Decapitator, Devil-Loc, EchoBoy, Little AlterBoy, FilterFreak… to me these aren’t just for post-production and mixing - they can also serve as sources of inspiration during tracking and writing."

Autolux
Autolux
Band

"Soundtoys plug-ins generate all kinds of unexpected melodic disasters at the extremes." – Greg Edwards

Noga Erez
Noga Erez
Dance/Electronic Artist

"Soundtoys 5 has amazing tools for creation and playing, but also for mixing and making your sound bigger."

Marc Urselli
Marc Urselli
Engineer, Producer, Mixer, Sound Designer

Lou Reed, Nick Cave, John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, Joss Stone

"Soundtoys plug-ins help me come up with tons of alternate ideas and sonic palettes that I might have not otherwise thought of."

Clean Bandit
Clean Bandit
Band

Sean Paul, Anne-Marie, Marina and the Diamonds, Jess Glynne, Zara Larsson

"I've used Crystallizer, Little AlterBoy and EchoBoy on more or less every track that I've produced in the last three years." – Jack Patterson

Jad Abumrad
Jad Abumrad
Radio Host, Composer, Producer

Radiolab

"FilterFreak's lowpass sort of defines the Radiolab sound."

Scott Hansen
Scott Hansen
Composer, Songwriter, Producer

Tycho

"It's really inspiring as an artist to see developers who are as passionate about true hardware sound as I am."

Fab Dupont
Fab Dupont
Writer, Mixer, Producer

David Crosby, Isaac Hayes, Shakira, The Dø

"Soundtoys plugins bring the vibe to every single one of my mixes. No Soundtoys, no mixing."

Greg Wells
Greg Wells
Musician, Producer, Songwriter

Katy Perry, Adele, Keith Urban, Twenty One Pilots, Pharrell Williams, Rufus Wainwright

"Soundtoys has the most unique and useful color palette out there, and all the plug-ins are suited to my needs as a record maker."

Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL)
Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL)
Musician, Composer, Producer, Engineer

Deadpool, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dark Knight Rises

"This bundle is absolutely fantastic!"

Will Clarke
Will Clarke
DJ, Producer

All We Have Is Now, Kneaded Pains, Trick

“Soundtoys is 100% my favourite audio tools for production. Every single project I work on has at least one of the Soundtoys plugins being used, worth every single penny and I would advise anyone that wants to get creative in production to buy them.”

Qmillion
Qmillion
Producer, Mixer, Composer, Songwriter

Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge, Chris Dave, Billy Preston, Seun Kuti

“Soundtoys put a wide palette of colors in my hand to paint with!”

Wye Oak
Wye Oak
Band

"Without these tools, we would be a much different sounding band."

ESKMO
ESKMO
Producer, Composer

Brendan Angelides

"Soundtoys have made a wonderful collection of plug-ins that are downright musical."

Scott Jacoby
Scott Jacoby
Writer, Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Multi-Instrumentalist

John Legend, Vampire Weekend, Sia, Cory Henry

"Soundtoys found a way to put soul, feel, grit and warmth into the digital world."

Tim Kelley
Tim Kelley
Producer, Songwriter

Michael Jackson, Madonna, Beyonce, TLC, Boyz II Men, Sia

"I can't do a track without using EchoBoy and FilterFreak... they're equal to finding drums or a pad."

Zedd
Zedd
Musician, Producer, DJ

Ke$ha, Hayley Williams, Skrillex, Selena Gomez

“The Soundtoys 5 bundle is a must have in my plugin arsenal."

Jack Garratt
Jack Garratt
Songwriter, Producer, Performer

"The Soundtoys Plug-ins were absolutely necessary in the completion of my album, Phase."

Lido
Lido
Producer, Songwriter, Artist

Cashmere Cat, Chance The Rapper, Banks, Halsey

"Soundtoys plug-ins sound absolutely incredible and I use them all the time."

Glass Animals
Glass Animals
Band

"MicroShift and Decapitator are constantly used to add a bit of character and width to anything from vocals to guitars to cymbals. ."

Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Producer, Remixer, Artist

Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, David Bowie

"Calling EchoBoy a delay plug-in is doing it a disservice. It has become the first thing I turn to for treating a wide variety of sources."

Ken Andrews
Ken Andrews
Producer / Engineer / Mixer / Composer / Multi-Instrumentalist

Failure, Paramore, M83, A Perfect Circle, Beck, Nine Inch Nails

"EchoBoy is definitely my echo of choice."

Peter Katis
Peter Katis
Producer, Engineer, Mixer

The National, Interpol, Kurt Vile, Trey Anastasio

"I love Soundtoys plug-ins. They’re practical, creative, fun and effective. I use them all, and a few…I couldn’t live without."

John Hill
John Hill
Producer, Songwriter, Mixer

Aluna George, BØRNS, Wavves, Rihanna, Santigold, P!nk

"These plug-ins are amazing. They get used on every song I work on."

David Sitek
David Sitek
Guitarist, Producer

TV on the Radio, Jane's Addiction, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Decapitator RULES!"

MNDR
MNDR
Artist, Remixer, DJ

"My favorite plug-ins, hands down, are Soundtoys EchoBoy, FilterFreak (1 and 2), and Decapitator."

Dave Tozer
Dave Tozer
Producer, Songwriter, Musician

John Legend, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake

"Soundtoys plugins are a part of every record that I make.”

Yeasayer
Yeasayer
Elite Middle Eastern-Psych-Snap-Gospel Band

"The Crystallizer and EchoBoy are in constant use, I’m literally obsessed!"

Ade Fenton
Ade Fenton
Producer, Engineer, Remixer

Gary Numan, IAMX, Parralox, Motor

"I’m very, very impressed."

Dave Clarke
Dave Clarke
Producer, Remixer, DJ, Radio Presenter, Photographer

Placebo, Depeche Mode, Soft Moon, A Place to Bury Strangers, Fischerspooner, The Chemical Brothers

"Soundtoys are absolutely essential to my production work."

Jamey Scott
Jamey Scott
Sound Designer

Gears of War 1, 2 & 3, Unreal Tournament, Daxter

“I’ve become increasingly dependent on Soundtoys."

John Paterno
John Paterno
Producer, Engineer

Lustra, Soraya, Robben Ford, Eros Ramazzotti, Bonnie Raitt, Badly Drawn Boy

"Soundtoys plug-ins have proven that analog effects can be attained in the digital domain."