Name: Sean Long
Band: While She Sleeps
Links: https://www.facebook.com/whileshesleeps/
Best music-related memory?
I think this was when we first entered a real recording studio and watched our little jams as kids slowly turn into the kind of songs we could have only dreamed of creating. I think, just the feeling of “wow, I think we actually sound good”, haha.
First band you were ever in?
Maximum Volume with Azz, our bassist. We wrote two songs, I think. One was called “Sunny Breeze”.
How come you ended up doing this type of music. Is there a specific album or event that steered you on this path?
I was quite the normal kid before i met Mat, our guitarist. I loved playing football that much so I used to wax my boots and football. I met Mat in secondary school and he looked completely different to me. He had bangles all up his arms and weird big hoodies on etc. I once asked him “what do you want to be when you grow up” and he replied “a thrasher”. I had no idea what this was. We became friends very quickly and I got completely fascinated with this new side of life I had never seen before. He got me into Slipknot pretty quick and I have been hooked on the dark side ever since.
When did While She Sleeps start moving into the the digital world of recording and songwriting?
A little after we left school. I remember stealing our music department’s brand new Boss I think it was a 15-track recorder. I stole it during my last school exam, then bolted home. I feel bad, but just listen to our songs now… So I’ve been recording ideas for nearly twelve years but got into the digital world around ten years ago.
How has Toontrack helped in that process?
The thing is, when writing and recording there was always this mystery for me of how to get it to sound “real”, like all the other bands I loved. What was that secret ingredient… The closer you got the more excited you got. Then I found about about Toontrack, kindly introduced to me by Jona Weinhoflen and Tom Searle. Writing just doubled in excitement and progress as I finally had a lot of the “secret” ingredients I didn’t have access to at the time. Like REAL drums and tones. This made me more enthusiastic about writing which then in turn helped me write great songs.
What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you in stage or the studio?
Tuning a guitar for nearly two days for one riff.
What’s your favorite part of Superior Drummer 3?
My favorite part about it is the ability to externalize all the drums to separate tracks after you have already achieved a mix of the drums you like through the Superior Drummer 3 Mixer. Then you get full control of mixing an unbelievably good sounding kit. Also, just knowing that it’s all real is great, like, bouncing maybe just the room sounds just for a slow tom section. The potential is endless.
What are the future plans for While She Sleeps?
Blow people’s minds at every turn.
