Geoff Haught of The Theos Variant breaks down how he and vocalist Dan turn acoustic demos into layered, heavy rock productions from a home studio, and how 25 years of writing together shaped their new album.
More...
You've hit a wall with your audio skills and can't seem to improve your sound, no matter what you do?
See if you are a great fit for The Self-Recording Syndicate!
It is the number one way for DIY producers around the world to get results that they'll be proud of forever.
- Grow your audience with songs that don't sound "demo-y".
- Be taken seriously by your peers, fans and other musicians.
- Make records that sound as good as your favorite songs in your playlist.
Here's how to get there:
Apply for unlimited, personal 1-on-1 coaching (results guaranteed) - This is by far the fastest and best way to achieve your goals. Your gonna be working 1-on-1 with an experienced studio pro until your project is done. On your own songs, from your (home) studio and in your DAW of choice.
Some songs by The Theos Variant start in a surprisingly simple place.
Dan records an acoustic idea, sometimes as little more than a rough demo, and sends it to Geoff Haught.
Geoff learns the song, opens up Reaper and starts building.
Guitars. Bass. Programmed drums. Synths. Atmospheres. Transitions.
By the time they’re finished, the original acoustic idea might have turned into something much heavier and more layered, while the song underneath is still recognisable.
That process is a big part of the sound of The Theos Variant, a melodic rock duo from Ohio that sits somewhere between alternative rock, metal and atmospheric heavy music.
Geoff and Dan have also been writing together for roughly 25 years, which makes their new album, Tales From Ataraxia, the latest chapter in a very long collaboration.
One person builds most of the record
The division of labour in The Theos Variant is pretty unusual.
Dan handles the vocals and most of the lyrics. Geoff handles almost everything else.
He records the guitars and bass, programs the drums, adds synths and other production elements, engineers the sessions and builds the arrangements.
Dan lives about three and a half hours away, so a lot of their work happens remotely. He sends Geoff ideas and vocal demos, and when they need final vocal recordings, they either record together at Geoff’s home studio or use another studio.
Dan also has a doctorate in vocal performance and a background in opera, which gives the band another interesting ingredient. His training affects the way he approaches melody, rhythm and phrasing, even though the finished music sits firmly in the rock world.
From acoustic song to heavy production
Some of their songs begin with Dan sending Geoff an acoustic recording.
Geoff then figures out how to translate that idea into the language of The Theos Variant.
That can mean replacing the acoustic feel almost completely, building a full rhythm section, finding guitar tones, adding electronic elements and deciding how far the arrangement should go.
One of the interesting things about their process is that there isn’t a fixed formula.
Geoff listens to a huge range of music, and some of those influences find their way into the productions without him deliberately trying to copy them.
On Tales From Ataraxia, you can hear heavy guitars alongside ambient sections, electronic textures and more experimental transitions. Geoff mentions hearing some Deftones influence in “Dark Anomaly,” even though he didn’t consciously sit down and decide to write a Deftones-inspired song.
That kind of cross-pollination is part of what gives the record its character.
Learning to program drums without being a drummer
One of Geoff’s biggest technical challenges has been drums.
He isn’t a drummer, but he programs the drum parts himself.
When he first started doing that, he found it difficult to think like an actual drummer. Over time, he began paying much more attention to what drummers were doing on the records he already loved.
That listening became a form of study.
He noticed arrangements, fills, transitions and the way drum parts supported different sections of a song. Tools such as EZdrummer and Superior Drummer helped him turn those ideas into usable parts.
Interestingly, Geoff says drums and arrangements are now two of the things he listens to most closely when hearing other bands, even though guitar is his main instrument.
The second album sounds different for a reason
Geoff has become much better at recording and production since The Theos Variant made their first album.
That improvement is obvious on Tales From Ataraxia.
The programmed drums are more convincing. The arrangements are more developed. There are more textures and unexpected transitions. Geoff is also much more comfortable simply recording music than he was when he started.
A friend named Chris played an important role in that development.
Whenever Geoff got stuck, Chris could show him what mattered, explain how to do something and cut through the huge amount of conflicting recording information available online.
Geoff describes that kind of direct help as a much faster way to learn because it removes a lot of unnecessary information and gets you straight to the thing you actually need.
Ready To Transform Your Sound And Workflow?
Apply for professional mentoring and book a free clarity call with Benedikt to see if our programs are a great fit for you!
Reaper is mostly a recorder for him
Geoff uses Reaper, but he doesn’t try to use every feature in it.
He hasn’t built elaborate scripts or customised the interface heavily. He mainly uses it as a multitrack recorder and learns additional functions when a song requires them.
That simplicity is probably one reason he keeps finishing music.
Reaper can become an extraordinarily deep system if you want it to. Geoff doesn’t need all of that depth to make The Theos Variant records.
He knows the parts of the software that serve his process and leaves the rest alone.
Helix, real amps and changing guitar tones
For much of their previous work, Geoff used Helix Native and a Helix Floor for guitar sounds.
More recently, he bought a Torpedo Captor and started recording his PRS MT100 amp directly through a load box and cabinet IRs.
He likes the tighter feel and sound enough that he expects to use the real amp more often for the heavier material they’re currently writing.
That doesn’t mean he has abandoned modelling. He still likes the Helix and uses it live because carrying around a full amp setup no longer sounds particularly appealing.
The choice depends on the job.
Two songs didn’t make the album
One of the more interesting decisions behind Tales From Ataraxia happened late in the process.
Two songs had originally been part of the album, but Geoff increasingly felt that they didn’t fit.
He and Dan eventually agreed to remove them.
Geoff then wrote two new songs that became part of the final record, and he feels the album makes much more sense because of that decision.
One of the removed songs may still appear someday. It simply wasn’t right for this record.
That kind of decision can be difficult after you’ve already invested time into writing and recording something, but the final album mattered more than protecting every individual song.
The goal is emotional impact
Geoff has a simple way of deciding whether a song is working.
He wants to feel something when he hears it.
He isn’t particularly interested in making the most technical music possible. The playing and production still have to support the song, but technique is never the end goal.
The music has to connect with him first.
That also influenced the way he and Dan approached Tales From Ataraxia. The songs are based around real experiences and stories, and Geoff often changes the production after the lyrical direction becomes clearer.
A drum part, arrangement or texture might change because the song needs a different emotional weight.
One of his favourite examples is “Netherveil.” There’s a slower, quieter section where the production pulls back and Dan’s layered vocals become the focus. Geoff says that part still gives him goosebumps.
Twenty-five years into the same collaboration
Geoff and Dan met in high school.
One of their early shared experiences was going to a Creed concert together.
Around 25 years later, they’re still writing music.
They’ve moved from early acoustic recordings and old DAWs to producing full albums from a home studio. Dan now sends ideas from hours away. Geoff builds productions around them. They bring in other musicians when needed, get outside feedback from people they trust and keep refining their process.
And they’re already working on the next batch of songs.
For a band that spends most of its time writing and recording rather than touring, that home-studio process has effectively become the centre of the project.
You can hear the result on Tales From Ataraxia.
Listen to The Theos Variant
Website: https://thetheosvariant.com
Listen to Tales From Ataraxia on your preferred streaming platform:
https://linktr.ee/thetheosvariant
Watch / Listen To The Episode
Turning Acoustic Ideas Into Melodic Yet Massive Songs | The Theos Variant
Want help with your own recordings?
If you’re writing and recording your own music and want experienced feedback on your songs, recordings and production decisions, you can apply for a free first coaching call here:
Recommended Free Downloads:
Standout Mixes – The DIY Musician’s Guide To Exciting Mixes That Connect
Follow And Connect With Us:
Outback Recordings (Benedikt's Mixing Studio and personal website)
Manel's Website
TSRB Instagram
Benedikt's Instagram
Manel's Instagram
If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: podcast@theselfrecordingband.com