The Monks: A Recording Studio

No my dad was just like in local bands sort of playing bass just for a laugh really wasn't I don't think he ever really wanted to be a musician or anything. He bought me bleach you know by Nirvana because I was listening to yeah Hobie Hank Okeon and all this kind of music. This studio is pretty much a kind of my gear best ofs at this point it's likeYeah I can't really fit anything else in here so it's sort of one in one out at this stage right Anything I buy has to be something that I really want which is a good thing as it stops me scrolling on eBay for no reason.

Transcript

chevron_right

Play full episode

chevron_right

Transcript

Episode notes

Thanks to Highnote for supporting this episode of Tape Notes.

Highnote is the best way to share, store, and discuss your recording projects, a kind of bespoke Dropbox for audio specifically built for communication. Think time-stamped voice comments directly over your audio, nesting versions to toggle and compare in real time, and instant notifications when people comment or listen to a track you’ve shared. Highnote accounts are completely free and include 4 gigabytes of storage to get your started, plus there's a special offer for Tape Notes listeners of 3 months of their 200GB plan for free.

Head to highnote.fm/tapenotes to find out more.

-------

In this episode, John ventures over to Clapton to join James Ellis Ford and talk about how he wrote, recorded, and produced the album ‘The Hum’.

His debut solo release after almost two decades working with some of the world's biggest artists, James looks back on how his approach to music has changed over the course of the album, reflecting on the different mindsets and decisions that come with producing his own work compared to that of others.

As well as a deep dive into his vast studio setup and hybrid system of new and old creative techniques, we’re treated to thoughts on the fine line of ironing out the humanness of mistakes, and how more often than not, pieces of gear can give you back ideas that you’d never have expected.

Listen to find out which undiscovered mics are used across almost all of the records he works on, how to implement a Frippertronics-style tape setup, and what you can create when you push a bass clarinet to its limits.

Tracks discussed: I Never Wanted Anything, Squeaky Wheel, The Yips

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

linktr.ee/tapenotes

Listen to ‘The Hum’ here.