How It Was Made: MT JONES -Why I Cry

MT Jones has a way of pulling soul music into the present without losing touch with where it came from. His new single Why I Cry captures that balance, blending heartfelt lyricism with live instrumentation that feels both classic and fresh. The song explores the lasting presence of those we’ve lost, how memories, small moments, and fragments of feeling continue to live within us. It’s reflective but never drifts into melancholy.

Instead, it holds onto light, carried by Jones’ voice and the warmth of its production.

Following Punchin’, which landed on the BBC Radio 2 Playlist earlier this year, Why I Cry marks another step forward for the Liverpool-born artist ahead of his debut album in early 2026. His ability to connect old-school soul with contemporary songwriting has earned him recognition across BBC 6 Music, Jazz FM, and BBC Introducing, while performances with Lauryn Hill and Jalen Ngonda have sharpened his reputation as a powerful live performer. The release also coincides with a full UK and European tour, with dates already selling out.

In this How It Was Made feature, Jones walks through the production tools and techniques that shaped Why I Cry. From the UAD Vocal Rider and Studer Tape Machine to the Hitsville EQ and FabFilter Pro-Q3, his approach centers on intuition and feel over complexity. Each plugin choice supports the emotional tone of the record, shaping the mix in ways that let his voice and the story behind it stay front and center.

UAD – Vocal Rider

I use this plugin on my vocals a lot, before anything else. I have quite a dynamic vocal, so it helps level out the peeks and bring up the quiet parts.

I used this plugin on all my vocals as I do with most demos. I want to make sure it’s front and centre, so it’s always good having a level of control with it.

I would use this on any style of music really. I use it on basically every track I make.

Studer Tape Machine

I feel like this is a really good plugin when going for the retro thing. It just gives you that old-school sound. I’m not initially sure how it works, but it tends to just round every instrument nicely. I ride the input gain and balance it out with the output so it sits somewhere that my ears like.

I used this plugin on most of the tracks in this session, but most notably on the guitars and the drums. With the drums I just gave them a good slam, and the guitars were all DI, so I just grouped them and ran them all through the tape plugin to give them a nice rounded feel.

I would just generally trust your ears with it. You really can put a lot of gain on things—more than I always thought. And just bypass and put it back to where it originally was so it’s not just the volume tricking you.

Hitsville EQ

This is one I use often on demos, on the master bus too. I’m not super technical, but generally it just makes things sound better. I play around with presets and just move things around until my ears like it.

On this track and demo, I used it on the strings and the master bus. I actually used a preset for the strings—I just put it on the group and it sounded better. It gave it a much more old-school sound that I liked.

I would just give it a try. Play with presets too. It’s a bit of a cheat code really, and if it works, it works.

FabFilter – Pro-Q3

A good EQ is pretty essential for me, as I’m working with a lot of real instruments. Always the first thing I do before applying any other type of processing. A more recent discovery, but it really helps you have a clear idea where everything sits.

I use it on most instruments. The screenshot above I just used it on acoustic, just to take away the honk and drop some of the low end out so it sat in the tune properly.

It’s just super helpful in every session. It’s just cleaning stuff up if you want to hear it a bit better. EQ should help.

Quick-Fire Hot Takes

#1

There’s a lot of people making music and that’s a great thing. Find what you love, collaborate, and feel confident when making stuff.

#2

Keep doing—you learn something every time you make something new. And collaborate; always great picking up tips and tricks from peers.

#3

Pay attention to what music you love. There’s so much out there, so much great art, so find what resonates with you the most.