Mack Loenz’s (@mackloenz) debut album From The Heart marks another milestone in the evolution of an artist many listeners already know as electro veteran Exzakt. Released on Maceo Plex’s Lone Romantic imprint, the ten-track album expands his long-established sound with melodic vocals, analogue synthesis, and an emotional thread that runs from the opening track to the closing moments.
While the record never loses sight of the dancefloor, its bigger ambition is to give electro another emotional dimension without abandoning the genre’s identity.
That philosophy is rooted in Mack Loenz’s own history.
Years spent producing electro for labels like Tresor, Fabric, and Skint gave him the technical foundation, but From The Heart looks beyond nostalgia. Instead of recreating classic records, the album borrows the feeling they once created and channels it into something contemporary. Across tracks like “Follow Me,” “It’s Complicated,” and “Back To The Stars,” vintage synthesizers, modern production, and carefully crafted vocals work together to balance warmth, melancholy, and optimism.
For this edition of How It Was Made, Mack Loenz breaks down several of the instruments and pieces of hardware that shaped “Follow Me,” from the Studio Electronics ATC-1 and Access Virus TI to his layered kick design and an analog mix pass through a Rupert Neve console.
More than any individual piece of equipment, the common thread is trusting familiar instruments, following instinct, and letting emotion dictate every production decision.
Studio Electronics ATC-1 (303 Cartridge)
One piece of gear that has stayed with me for years is the Studio Electronics ATC-1 with the 303 cartridge. It’s one of those synths that always seems to find its way into my productions because it has a character that’s difficult to recreate with software. The bassline on “Follow Me” came directly from the ATC-1 and became the foundation the entire record was built around.
I remember having a conversation with Maceo Plex years ago when he told me one of his favorite electro records of mine was “Earth Wind Fire.” That track also featured the ATC-1 with the 303 cartridge, and while working on “Follow Me,” that conversation came back to me. I wasn’t trying to recreate the past or chase nostalgia. Instead, it reminded me to trust the sounds that have always felt natural to me. Sometimes the gear you’ve owned for years still has something new to say if you approach it with a different perspective.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is not to overlook the instruments you’ve had sitting in your studio for ages. Sometimes inspiration isn’t about buying the newest synth. It’s about rediscovering something you already know inside and out.
Access Virus TI
The Access Virus TI has been part of my studio for years and continues to be one of my favorite synthesizers because of how versatile it is. While it’s often associated with electronic music from the late ’90s and early 2000s, I’ve never used it to recreate old sounds. For me, it’s about capturing a feeling rather than chasing nostalgia.
Growing up, those classic electro records had an emotional impact on me that went far beyond the individual sounds. With “Follow Me,” I wasn’t trying to recreate the past. I wanted to recreate that feeling of hearing those records for the first time. The Virus TI became the instrument that helped translate that emotion into something modern while still carrying the spirit of the music that inspired me.
Rather than starting with presets, I usually build sounds from scratch or heavily modify existing patches until they fit the personality of the track. Don’t be afraid to push a synth beyond what it’s known for. Some of the most interesting sounds happen when you stop trying to imitate and start creating.
Kick 2 + Black Box Analog Design HG-2
My tracks usually start by constructing a groove with percussion, finding the rhythm for the composition, and then mixing parts around it. “Follow Me” was a little different. The Studio Electronics ATC-1 bassline came first, but from there I constructed the beat around it. When the vocal came in, it became the carrier that pushed the track into its musical direction. The vocal is an important part of this record because of its message. It’s a message of hope and promise, and once everything clicked into place, every decision I made with the kick and low end was about supporting that emotion instead of overpowering it.
Once the musical direction was established, I focused on building a kick that worked with the groove instead of dominating it. I usually create the top layer with a 909-style attack, the middle layer with an 808-style body, and then design a completely separate low-end sine wave underneath. Kick 2 gives me the flexibility to shape each layer independently before bringing everything together.
My approach to the sub layer comes from my love of drum & bass. Rather than simply following the kick, I treat the sub almost like its own instrument. It’s often tuned independently and used to create emotion and movement in the low end instead of simply adding more low frequencies. Once all of the layers are working together, I run the kick through the Black Box Analog Design HG-2 to add warmth, harmonics, and additional character while keeping everything controlled.
Instead of searching endlessly for the perfect kick sample, try thinking of the kick as three separate jobs: attack, body, and sub. Treating each layer independently gives you much more flexibility and makes it easier to fit the kick around the rest of the record.
Rupert Neve 9098i
One of the most rewarding parts of finishing “Follow Me” was having the opportunity to mix it through the Rupert Neve 9098i console at Power Station Studios. Even though I work in a hybrid environment, running the mix through an analog desk adds a sense of depth and cohesion that’s difficult to recreate entirely inside the computer.
The session was especially meaningful because I mixed it alongside my longtime friend Rob Roy, who I’ve known since high school. Sharing that experience with someone who’s watched my musical journey from the very beginning made the process even more memorable. Although “Dance With Me” was my first release on Maceo Plex’s Lone Romantic label, “Follow Me” represents another important chapter in that relationship and reflects how much both my sound and my production approach have evolved over the years.
Technology continues to evolve, but I’ve learned that great records aren’t made by gear alone. They’re made by trusting your instincts, surrounding yourself with people who inspire you, and staying true to the emotion that made you start the track in the first place.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
