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Pan-Pot built HUMAN as an extension of their experience of club culture and of how they want audiences to experience music again. The concept centers on depth, presence, and physical impact in a room.
That same thinking carries directly into their studio process, where arrangement, sound selection, and dynamics are shaped with long-term tension in mind rather than short-term payoff.
In our conversation with the duo, Tassilo and Thomas break down how that philosophy translates into real production decisions. They talk through their reliance on u-he Diva for analog punch, Soundtoys Decapitator for saturation, and FabFilter Pro-Q 3 and Pro-C 2 for controlled shaping. Every tool serves a specific purpose, and each choice supports space, clarity, and groove.
The result is a workflow built around restraint and confidence. Fewer layers. Intentional automation. Processing that enhances character and preserves movement. HUMAN begins at the first sound selected in the DAW and carries through to the final master.
HUMAN launched as more than a label or event series and it reads like a broader statement about how you want people to experience music again. When you were defining that concept, how did that mindset carry over into how you approach production in the studio?
When we were shaping HUMAN, it became clear that it had to reflect how we experience music ourselves. For us, it is about depth, patience, and emotional intensity that unfolds over time. That mindset directly affects the studio.
We focus on intention rather than accumulation. Instead of adding layer after layer, we spend more time choosing the right sound from the start and letting it carry the narrative. That often means stripping a track back to its core elements and making sure every sound has weight and purpose.
Technically, that approach leads us toward expressive instruments and precise tools. u-he Diva is central because it reacts in a very organic way and gives bass and lead elements a sense of movement without heavy processing.
For more detailed modulation and evolving textures, Xfer Serum is often used because its routing allows us to design slow, controlled changes over time.
In the mix stage, FabFilter Pro-Q 3 and FabFilter Pro-C 2 help us refine without over-polishing. We want clarity, but we never want to remove the tension that makes a track feel alive.
A lot of HUMAN’s messaging points toward pre-digital club culture. When you sit down to write or finish a track, what practical choices help you avoid overly polished results and keep things feeling direct and physical?
One of the first things we avoid is over-correction.
Older club records had character because they were not perfectly aligned or overly edited. We deliberately leave small timing shifts in place and sometimes adjust grooves manually instead of locking everything to the grid. That slight instability adds physicality. We are also careful with saturation and compression. Instead of aiming for loudness early, we focus on impact and space.
In terms of tools, Soundtoys Decapitator plays a big role in adding weight and grit to drums and synth buses. It introduces harmonic density without feeling artificial when used with restraint. Diva is again important for basslines because of its analog-style drift and behavior. For control without flattening dynamics, FabFilter Pro-C 2 is used gently on groups, allowing transients to pass through while shaping the body.
The goal is always to enhance character, not remove it.
Your music often relies on tension and restraint rather than constant movement. How do you use automation, modulation, or dynamics processing to hold interest without overcrowding a mix?
Restraint begins with limiting movement to specific areas.
We rarely automate everything at once. Instead, we choose one focal element and let it evolve slowly across many bars. Filter cutoffs in Serum or Diva might open gradually over long sections, or resonance might increase slightly to introduce pressure.
Those small changes can completely shift the emotional weight of a passage without adding new layers.
Dynamics also shape tension. FabFilter Pro-C 2 is often set with slower attack times to preserve punch while controlling overall energy. For subtle movement, Cableguys ShaperBox is used in a restrained way. Gentle volume shaping or filter modulation over extended cycles can create internal motion without sounding like an obvious effect. The intention is to maintain clarity and groove while building anticipation.
You’ve played HUMAN events across very different cities and systems. How has hearing your own music in those environments fed back into how you finish tracks in the studio?
Playing in different environments is one of the most valuable feedback systems we have.
A track behaves very differently on a large festival system compared to a smaller club. You quickly learn which frequencies translate and which parts hold attention over time. Those experiences influence how we balance low end, how long we allow a break to develop, and how minimal we can go without losing momentum.
Back in the studio, we reference that knowledge constantly.
We might revisit a bassline in Diva to tighten its sub response, or adjust midrange clarity using Pro-Q 3 so that it cuts cleanly in a large room. We also test dynamics carefully, ensuring compression does not reduce impact on bigger systems. Hearing your own music in real-world contexts teaches you how to finish tracks with more confidence and awareness.
For producers working mostly in-the-box, what parts of your workflow help keep tracks grounded and physical rather than abstract?
Even when working entirely in the box, we try to maintain a physical relationship with the music. We use controllers to record automation in real time rather than drawing everything with a mouse. Riding filter movements in Serum or shaping delays manually creates a different energy compared to static programming. Recording longer takes and then editing afterwards also preserves natural flow.
We also check mixes at higher volumes and on multiple systems.
If the low end from Diva or the drive from Decapitator does not translate physically, we adjust it. Plugins are powerful, but they require discipline. We aim to keep processing simple and intentional. That way the music retains direct impact instead of becoming overly technical.
If someone listened to a HUMAN release and wanted to understand the studio thinking behind it, what production detail would you tell them to pay attention to?
I would tell them to focus on the negative space. The most important production decisions are often about what we choose not to add. Listen to how long certain elements are allowed to sit alone, how tension builds without immediate payoff, and how layers enter gradually rather than all at once. That restraint is intentional.
Technically, pay attention to how evolving textures from Serum or Diva sit against tightly controlled drums shaped with Pro-C 2 and subtle saturation from Decapitator. The detail is in the balance between movement and stillness.
That balance reflects the HUMAN philosophy in a direct and practical way.
Our Big Takeaways
The biggest takeaway here is discipline.
Pan-Pot are not relying on complexity to create depth. They are relying on restraint, on choosing a few tools and pushing them with intention. Diva for weight and movement. Serum for controlled evolution. Decapitator for character. Pro-Q and Pro-C to shape without stripping the life out of a track.
There is a clear lesson in that approach. You do not need more layers. You need better decisions. You need sounds that hold their own, automation that unfolds patiently, and processing that enhances instead of dominates.
If HUMAN stands for anything in the studio, it is commitment to space, tension, and physical impact. Keep the palette tight. Let the groove breathe. Finish with conviction.
