ACE Studio Creator Spotlight: Max Porcelli
Max is an Italian DJ, producer, and educator blending electronic artistry, emotion, and innovation through three decades of sound.
A Life in Electronic Music
For Max Porcelli, the spark began early. At fourteen, he stepped into a club for the first time and was instantly captivated by the DJ, the heartbeat of the night.
“That moment changed everything. I knew I had found my calling.”
From that night on, music became his language. With a degree in Multimedia Sciences and Technologies, and over 30 years of experience, Max has released more than 80 tracks, collaborating with icons like Inaya Day, Jocelyn Brown, and Angie Brown. His background also includes extensive studies in musical languages and audio-visual production, allowing his sound to move fluidly through Deep House, Progressive, Organic House, and Downtempo, blending rhythm and atmosphere to create deeply emotional soundscapes.
“I love creating immersive soundscapes that resonate both on the dance floor and in more introspective moments. Whether it’s a peak-hour club track or a chillout piece, my goal is always to evoke emotion and take listeners on a journey.”
Founding 989 Records in 2007 gave him both freedom and purpose: a platform to explore his sound and to uplift emerging artists. His early collaboration with Sam Paganini shaped his approach to production and discipline, setting a tone for everything that followed.
His creative process often begins with a vision rather than a sound.
“I imagine the dance floor first. For instrumental tracks, I start with the groove, basslines, synths, and samples. For vocal tracks, it’s usually chords and rhythm. And sometimes inspiration just appears, like the time I used a Pringles tube for percussion.”
Music, for Max, is about the connection between people, energy, and emotion. That same connection flows into his role as a mentor. As a Steinberg Certified Instructor, he has guided countless producers toward finding their own voice. In 2018, he carried that mission to Ibiza, where he ran a DJ school and hosted a radio show on Mambo Radio. Through HTMEM Online Blog and Academy, he continues to teach, blending theory, practice, and creativity.
Discovering ACE Studio
Always curious about new ways to express sound, Max discovered ACE Studio while exploring AI technology in music. What caught his attention was the tool’s ability to handle the smallest details of human expression, syllables, consonants, and phrasing, with surgical precision.
“From the first moment, I was blown away. The level of detail ACE allows, along with the ability to sculpt the prosody of a vocal line, was incredible. It felt like having a new instrument in my hands, one that could actually sing.”
ACE Studio quickly became more than software; it became a new creative companion, one that blurred the boundaries between digital production and human emotion.
Expanding the Creative Process
Although Max is best known for instrumental productions, ACE Studio soon became a core part of his workflow. It offered a playground for experimentation, a place where he could merge sound design with vocal storytelling.
His first impression was a mix of awe and excitement. The idea of transforming a vocal performance through AI while keeping its essence felt revolutionary, like unlocking a new form of creativity.
While ACE can produce convincing results right away, he found that true mastery comes from refinement. Achieving a polished, emotionally charged performance takes time and attention, and that process quickly became one of his favorite parts of using the software.
ACE provides the tools to dive deep, to tweak every detail until the voice breathes naturally.
“It’s not just a shortcut, it’s an instrument. ACE gives me the ability to sculpt emotion note by note.”
Every project with ACE feels like a step into uncharted territory, a genuine game-changer that pushes him to explore new edges of his artistry.
Reimagining a Classic: Twist in My Sobriety
That philosophy came to life in Max’s remix of Tanita Tikaram’s 1988 classic “Twist in My Sobriety.”
Using ACE Studio, he recreated the entire vocal performance, giving the track a haunting, cinematic tone that bridges past and present.
The remix is now released across all major streaming platforms and digital stores, with airplay worldwide.
What makes ACE Studio so valuable to Max is its ability to create authentic, emotionally resonant vocals with incredible precision.
“This remix allowed me to shape the vocal exactly as I envisioned, blending seamlessly with every layer of the instrumental track. ACE Studio isn’t just a tool for demos or harmonies—it’s a resource for creating polished, finished vocals that elevate a song to the next level.”
The release includes two versions: the main remix—a lush reinterpretation that stays true to the song’s introspective roots—and the “Acid Phase” mix, a high-energy club version built around a hypnotic acid line.
“It’s fresh, it’s vibrant, and it’s ready to get you moving.”
What made the process truly unique was ACE Studio’s Vocal to MIDI & Lyrics feature. Max first imported the original vocal recording, then converted it into editable MIDI parts, which he refined to perfect the phrasing and tone with remarkable precision.
“With one click, ACE created a raw yet incredibly close version of the original voice. From there, I could shape it into something completely new. That kind of functionality felt almost magical.”
ACE Studio as a Creative Ally
In the studio, ACE Studio became a trusted creative partner, an ally that helps transform ideas into fully realized performances.
“ACE can create authentic, emotionally resonant vocals with incredible precision. It’s not just for demos or harmonies; it’s for finished, professional-grade vocals that elevate a track.”
Max now uses ACE not only to experiment but also to finish songs, crafting expressive performances that blend seamlessly into his productions. It’s a process that has changed how he approaches composition itself, giving him tools that respond as naturally as a human collaborator.
“It’s like having a personal singer in the studio, ready to perform anytime, anywhere.”
Reflections and Insights
With a background in linguistics, Max approaches ACE Studio with both a producer’s instinct and a scientist’s curiosity. He understands how every vowel, consonant, and breath shapes the emotional delivery of a phrase, and ACE lets him control each of those details with remarkable precision.
“When ACE suggests adjustments to vowels or phonemes, it can take time to get the right balance. For those without a linguistic background, it might feel a bit technical at first. But once you understand it, you realize how much power you have over the final sound.”
He also sees exciting potential for the platform’s future. A predictive feature that automatically refines phonemes and intonation would make the workflow even smoother and more intuitive, allowing producers to focus more on creativity and less on technicalities.
“You absolutely need to try ACE Studio. It bridges a gap many producers face. It’s like having your personal singer in the studio, ready to perform anytime, anywhere. The flexibility and creative freedom it offers are unmatched, and for me, that’s priceless.”
A Journey That Keeps Evolving
From the early days of club shows in Italy to remixing international classics and mentoring the next generation, Max Porcelli’s story is one of constant evolution.
“Music has always been my way of telling stories. ACE Studio has given me the freedom to tell those stories in ways I couldn’t before.”
His path continues, still guided by curiosity, still driven by connection, and now amplified by technology that allows imagination to sing.
Discover More from Max Porcelli
With over 170 releases and collaborations with icons such as Jocelyn Brown and Angie Brown, Max continues to shape the sound of modern electronic music.As the founder of 989 Records and director of HTMEM Academy, he inspires and mentors a new generation of producers while sharing his expertise as a Steinberg Certified Instructor.
Listeners can explore his evolving sound on Spotify, where his catalog spans from deep, introspective house to bright, club-ready anthems. Each month, he hosts the 989 Records Radio Show on Patchouli Deep Radio London, curating a selection that blends emotion, rhythm, and innovation.For more of Max’s music, collaborations, and creative highlights, explore his world at found.ee/MaxPorcelli_BioLink.
Start Creating with ACE Studio
ACE Studio gives artists and producers the freedom to create expressive, natural-sounding vocals that fit effortlessly into any workflow.Like Max, you can transform ideas into performances that feel alive, uniting technology, precision, and emotion in one seamless creative process.
This ACE Studio Creator Spotlight is part of our ongoing series celebrating artists who redefine what’s possible with AI-powered creativity.
