Mortalengines from the 440 Forums is a Gearwire MVP candidate who knows the importance of the computer in music. From Propellerhead Reason to MySpace, he gets the significance of it all.

What is your background?

I have been a new construction plumber for almost 12 years now. Prior to that, I was a property appraiser. I have a BA in English Literature.

How did you get started in music and what advice would you give to someone who just started?

I think I took my first guitar lessons through a church group when I was 13. Not long afterward, I begged my mom to help me buy an electric guitar and amp, and I took more lessons from the local music store. I guess the best advice I could give is to not be afraid of sucking at first. Many people seem to fall out of bed and play an instrument or sequence with a computer really well. Don't let that discourage you. Your first try at anything will often be difficult and frustrating, but if you plug away at it for long enough, it will come to you.

Who are your musical influences and what genre do you listen to most?

Lately I just listen to a lot of CDs by Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers, etc. Funny ... NONE of the music I make sounds like it. I also grew up listening to a lot of Progressive Rock like Yes, King Crimson, (later) Brian Eno, Tangerine Dream, and Gong. I listened to a lot of Industrial Music in the 90s like Einsturzende Neubauten, Skinny Puppy, and Scorn, as well as Psycho-Acoustic & Ambient music like Nocturnal Emissions, Zoviet France, and the Hafler Trio.

What's your inspiration?

I guess that I am inspired by anyone who really strives to put a piece of themselves in the music that they make. This is tough to describe ... proficiency in craft but not necessarily the most technically skilled. I find more inspiration from a Beck or Radiohead disc than I would from a Dream Theater disc (though Dream Theater are definitely better musicians).

What's your motivation for helping people out on forums?

I get a lot of help myself from the same forums (especially when I was just learning to program music), and I know how frustrating it can be. I was very thankful in the beginning to get the help and advice from others online and really, I am just "paying it forward".

What's your favorite piece of gear and why? What gear do you use?

I guess it would be my laptop (Mac G4 Powerbook) ... I am pretty much dead in the water without it. I also use a Mackie Onyx 1220 as a Firewire interface, and an M-audio Oxygen 8 midi controller. When I play out, I often will run my laptop's output through a Korg Kaoss KP2 that I can loop things with and do other fun things with. I run Ableton Live as my main sequencer and also use Reason, Reaktor 5, Absynth 3, Moog Modular V, and Pluggo.

What are your favorite sources for gear-related information?

I often refer to Tape Op magazine (free subscription from www.tapeop.com ) as well as Electronic Musician and EQ magazines.

What's the best music related advice you've ever given?

Where to find free VST and AU plugs and loops and how to install the free plugs once you have downloaded them. That seems to get the most appreciative responses.

What's the best music related advice you've ever received?

USE YOUR EARS. This helps when miking instruments, using EQ, compression, etc. I took a class on recording music as well as sequencing, and this seemed to be the thing that stuck with me.

What's the best and worst thing about being a musician?

Very little pay or respect.

What is the best and worst thing about online forums?

The best thing would be the fact that there are so many people out there who are more than willing to help. The worst things are the many posts from people who didn't even attempt to at least read the "getting started" section of their new hard/software manual. Nobody likes to read manuals, but they are pretty helpful.

What music-related topic do you think is most neglected on forums?

I can't think of a single thing right off the top of my head. There is a forum for just about any subject under the sun.

What are the 5 forum posts/threads where you are most proud of your contributions? (Give actual URLs)

I don't track my own posts after they have been replied to. That is so much mental masturbation.

Anything else you would like voters to know? Any interesting music related stories?

I will be releasing a new CD soon. Feel free to check back periodically at www.myspace.com/mortal_engines. I continue to meet fascinating people through MySpace and it has helped me get several gigs and created many good opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.