Ace’lo
When one thinks of New Orleans entertainment, they usually think of The Neville Brothers, Mardi Gras, brass bands & Lil Wayne. But deep in the belly of the city, is a talent like none other. Angelo "Ace'Lo Jackson is a combination of artist, engineer, producer & businessman. Rapping since the age of eight, he has released a slew of independent projects (mostly recently the Smokin Ace series) and produced & engineered for some of the biggest names in the industry. Through years of hard work, and a lot of industry studying, Ace'Lo has gathered an extensive resume for himself. Some of the things that he has done include three remixes for Truth Hurts second LP (Pookie/Capitol), production work for the UPN Network, voice over production for local radio station 104.5, production for Ceto(Power&Money/Cash Money artist) and "ghost" production for some of the biggest names in the industry. During this past year, he has also engineered for Jazzy Pha, Cadillac (formerly of Cash Money Records), Baby Boy Da Prince and a slew of other independent artist.
Although Ace'Lo is deeply rooted in the industry, he still finds time to give back to the community. He has spoken to students at the University of New Orleans, among other middle & high schools around the city. Just recently he has taken on the task of putting together a state-of-the-art studio for the church Household of Faith in their newest facility in Harvey, LA. He has appeared on ballerstatus.net, hiphopwarehouse.com & other various websites and blogs. He has appeared in the Times Picayune "Money" section, The Source "Unsigned Hype" column and plenty other publications around the nation. Music is our voice and Angelo "Ace'Lo" Jackson, is speaking for the masses. Watch as he becomes a force in this industry like none other. Stay tuned!
Artist Q&A
1.) How did you first hear about Open Labs?
I first heard of Open Labs a few years ago from other producers & the internet. Actually, I was into the Neko before it became the "cliché" machine for today's producer. So I guess I'm an Open Labs original.
2.) What Production Station do you have?
I own the NeKo SE (Gen3) with 4 GB of ram and 3TBs of drive space.
3.) How has the gear changed your method of work?
It has changed my method a lot. I can produce, mix and master a track all on one machine. No need for tracking, or bouncing down to different DAWs.
4.) What is your production station's primary function, live or studio?
The studio.
5.) What is your favorite software on the board?
Cubase. I love the way it is setup in my Neko, and the way it handles the VSTs.
6.) How do you use it?
I use it as my main piece for production. Cubase is my sequencer and I run all my instruments through there. I have every VST & plug-in in the world, so this machine is more of a "super" keyboard/DAW.
7.) Which kind of equipment have you owned in the past and how do they compare to your Open Labs equipment?
I've owned everything! The Fantoms, the Motifs, the Karmas, etc....But nothing compares to this machine. Not only can you have terabytes and terabytes of sounds in it, but you can put your own type of plug-ins on the sounds. It could be Waves SSL, Neve, URS, Sony or whatever; you can put it on your sounds "in-the-box" with this machine. It's a monster!
8.) Has the gear changed the way you write songs?
Yes it has. I say this because, usually I would have to wait until tracking or mixing to do change ups. But with everything being on the Neko, I can do my entire track editing before or after the vocals are laid. And if I want to change something, just go into the Neko and do it on the fly.
9.) How different is the composition process compared to the standard computer or laptop system?
The composition process is different because the Neko does what it is "made" to do. Standard computers/laptops have to be configured to handle the types of things the Neko does. And to get a standard computer/laptop to run as smoothly as the Neko, it's going to take a professional and a whole lot more money. The Open Labs products are built for the audio professional, and it handles it as such.
10.) Do you think the quality of your production now would be possible with another keyboard?
No. Like I said earlier, I can put Waves, Sony, etc...on my productions. One would usually have to wait until mixing to get those types of effects. But with the Open Labs Neko, you can have it all in one box.
11.) Have you had any experience with our Tech Support and how does it rate with you?
Tech Support is great! They explain everything in a calm, timely manner. And if they can't do it by talking, they link up to you machine, and get it running like a charm. Best tech support I know of in the industry.
12.) What is next for you and your Production Station?
I'm currently working on my mixtape, "Before Da Piece" and album "Piece Be Wit U". I'm getting tracks together for Baby Boy Da Prince, Ceto of Cash Money Records, my label Power2Move ENT. among with a slew of other local & national artist. I'm just trying to do any & everything. I'm even venturing off into the world of gospel with these hot tracks!!
Equipment Used
Purchased NeKo SE (Gen3)
Artist Links