In the debut episode, hosts Chris and Will welcome legendary DnB DJ, producer and studio nerd, Danny Byrd. They discover his surprising choice of studio location, his unusual luxury item and the six bits of studio kit he would put in his Forever Studio.
Chris Barker: Hi, I'm Chris Barker.
Will Betts: And I'm Will Betts, and this is the Music Tech My Forever Studio podcast.
Chris Barker: In this podcast we talk to producers, engineers, musicians, and fellow gear heads about their dream studio.
Will Betts: They'll choose where in the world they want to be. They'll describe the studio vibe, but, and here's the rub, they have to own the six pieces of gear in that studio forever.
Chris Barker: So they get a computer, an audio interface and a DAW included, but then they will choose six other gear related items and one luxury non-gear related item for the studio.
Will Betts: In this episode we're talking to drum and bass producer and DJ, Danny Byrd.
Chris Barker: Danny is a self-confessed studio obsessive and he's produced on a multitude of different setups during his career. He was one of Hospital Records first signings in 2008 and has gone on to release four albums and stacks of incredible remixes. So should we find out how easy he finds it to build a studio with only six bits of gear?
Will Betts: Let's do it. This is Music Tech's My Forever Studio with Danny Byrd.
Danny Byrd: All right.
Chris Barker: Okay, so welcome to the podcast.
Will Betts: Welcome.
Danny Byrd: Hello, welcome.
Chris Barker: So here we are today with Danny Byrd.
Danny Byrd: Nice to be here. This is the quickest, I could have walked here. It was like five minutes from my house.
Chris Barker: Yeah, well...
Danny Byrd: Nice to do a podcast in Bath.
Chris Barker: Obviously, that's not the only reason we asked you, Danny.
Danny Byrd: No.
Chris Barker: We are big fans.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, yeah. Appreciate that. Appreciate that.
Chris Barker: We didn't just stick a pin in the map and draw a circle and say, "All right, who's local?"
Danny Byrd: Let's just say it worked for us both.
Will Betts: Okay, okay.
Chris Barker: So let's kick things off. Mac or PC, first. It's going to be the best version of that, but...
Danny Byrd: Mac. Yeah, has to be Mac. I started out on the Atari, which is still... We'll probably get back to that. Maybe that will go in one of the other items but I struggled so much from the switch from about 2001 where everyone went in the box. And everyone I met in the box really quick as well, it was interesting. And I was on an Atari and an [Acai inaudible 00:01:51]. And that was a path I set up, like the MIDI timing on the Atari was really nice. And then, going from that to a G4 Mac, which was pretty powerful for the time. But I always used 64 track, I always used loads of stuff, intricate stuff in production and I just could not get on with it. So I was a Mac guy, but very begrudgingly.
Danny Byrd: And it wasn't until the G5 came out, everybody remember when the G5 came out, that it was like, oh, this is powerful enough now to do the business. And so, I say Mac, but I'm still wounded from those years of... Mac, because I don't have time to learn anything else.
Will Betts: Also, whereabouts are you going to put your studio? Because this is a big thing. Where's it going to go?
Danny Byrd: So we've got an unlimited budget, have we?
Will Betts: Unlimited budget.
Chris Barker: Fancy budget.
Danny Byrd: I think we've been thinking about this a lot, actually, me and my partner. And do we want to move to London? No, we don't want to move to London now. And do want me to Bristol? Maybe, but maybe not kind of thing. And Bath, for as much as I moan about it, there are a lot of things to moan about Bath. I mean, Chris you live in Bath, so there's a lot of things to moan about Bath. I'd probably find it hard to go.
Danny Byrd: So there's this canal house that looks over Sydney Gardens that was for sale. It was for sale for, I think, it was about 2.5 million or something, and I was thinking, I used to walk past that as inspiration. And sometimes I do that, I'll walk past a thing and go, "Yeah." I like to do that. And so, that would be my dream. That looks over the canal. It must've been some famous architect that did it. It's a beautiful house.
Chris Barker: So would you have the studio looking out over the canal?
Danny Byrd: Maybe. I'd have to go and do a viewing of the house. I mean, there's a basement, there's grand rooms. Any room could be a studio, basically, in there.
Chris Barker: Well, that's interesting, though. You'd stay where you are now and...
Danny Byrd: I think so, man. Because it's...
Chris Barker: That's a real compliment to Bath, though.
Will Betts: Yeah.
Danny Byrd: I think it's just like people get caught up in, don't get me wrong, you have to go to London once or twice a month. You have to go to Bristol once or twice a month. Catch that vibe, catch that inspiration, but you don't need to be there 24/7. Because if you're there 24/7, there's a lot of distraction as well. You see a lot of people. I've always seen it like, working with musicians and stuff, like Bristol has a load of talented musicians, singers, songwriters, guitarists, everything. But the real ambitious people always go to London, but they're not necessarily the most talented. The talented guys are the ones sometimes that stay in Bristol but don't realise their ambition. Does that make sense?
Chris Barker: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Will Betts: Yeah, mm-hmm (affirmative).
Danny Byrd: So it's an interesting thing. There's a lot of industry nonsense in London.
Will Betts: Yes.
Danny Byrd: I mean, a lot gets done as well, but I think stay in Bath. Stay with your friends and family, and just dip in and dip out and just make things happen. It's done all right. You've got to be here and work with a London work ethic. You can't be chilled at and just work at the, you know.
Chris Barker: Although this is the Fantasy studio, so you can do whatever you want.
Danny Byrd: All right. We've made it. We're just going to just make ambient music.
Chris Barker: So we're making ambient music, we're looking at the canal in Bath.
Danny Byrd: Sounds good, yeah.
Chris Barker: What's the audio interface then?
Danny Byrd: Is this dream audio interface?
Will Betts: Whatever you want.
Chris Barker: It's a free item, so it doesn't come out of your six, but it can be anything.
Danny Byrd: Do you know what? I use the Apollo stuff. I like that. That's very practical for the money.
Chris Barker: And it could affect your other items in terms of plugins as well.
Danny Byrd: I think I'd go with the Cranesong conversion. I'd go for some Cranesong egrets with the [quantum inaudible 00:05:39] conversion, and I'd get one of their interstellers for the two track backing. I reckon that's the height of conversion.
Chris Barker: That's a cheeky work-around on the one audio interface I own rule.
Will Betts: It is a very cheeky work-around. We need to tighten these rules, Chris.
Danny Byrd: Yeah.
Chris Barker: He's taking the piss.
Danny Byrd: All right, all right. Okay.
Chris Barker: Okay, now we'll go with that. Right, okay.
Danny Byrd: Yeah.
Chris Barker: So we've got this set up. And let's describe, and this isn't one of your items, but describe what your... Because there's various, incarnations of what a studio is.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, sure.
Chris Barker: From ones that are like spaceships to ones that are sort of...
Danny Byrd: The white room. That's the big one now, isn't it? The white room with three ravens in it. That's that Aoke vibe.
Chris Barker: Yeah.
Will Betts: Yeah, exactly.
Danny Byrd: It looks nice, but a cup of tea, I drink a lot of tea. My missus is always like, "Put it on the coaster." That is going to get ruined quick.
Chris Barker: You don't want to ruin your dream studio with tea stains and little tea rings.
Danny Byrd: Exactly. You know it's going to happen.
Chris Barker: So what's your dream studio look like in terms of the aesthetic? Is it wooden? Is it low ceilings? High ceilings? What's the...
Danny Byrd: It would be...
Will Betts: Windows, no windows?
Danny Byrd: Really good point there. Yeah, no windows. I like the no window vibe.
Will Betts: What?
Danny Byrd: And I'll tell you why, because I don't like being affected by nature when I'm writing. And that sounds weird, but as in like, look, we're looking out the window at the moment. We're looking out a window, it's a sunny day. It makes you feel a little bit happier. When it is chucking it down with rain...
Will Betts: British.
Danny Byrd: Makes you feel a little bit sad.
Chris Barker: So if you want to make a sad song and it's sunny outside...
Danny Byrd: A windowless environment is an emotionless environment, and you create the emotion. That's always been my thing. And you can put the lights down.
Chris Barker: That's a good tip.
Danny Byrd: I would like a windowless studio. I do like that kind of vibe, I'm not going to lie.
Chris Barker: And what about the rest? Do we have sofas in there? Or do we keep it quite clean? Is there just your chair? What do you have?
Danny Byrd: Yeah, there'd be some sofas. I think acoustics would be the number one thing. I mean, I've just said to you offline I've just taken on a studio in Bristol. I've been looking for a studio for ages. I do all my writing at home but I don't mix at home. So I've always mixed in other studios, generally in London, which is a nightmare because you've got three or four hour driving in there to try and make a track in a studio.
Will Betts: Yeah, right.
Danny Byrd: Then go back the same day. That is quite a task. So I've just taken a studio in Bristol and it's acoustically perfect. It's very high ceilings, trapping everywhere. I mean, that would be my main concern. Acoustics. There's nothing more important than than that for me.
Chris Barker: But you can have the acoustics and have it all. Like you say, spaceship-y and clean or you can have eight curtains and soft, and...
Will Betts: Lava lamps.
Chris Barker: Yeah, lava lamps.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, I don't know. Do you know what? I'd be just so grateful for having a studio that sounded perfect.
Chris Barker: This is the fantasy, Danny.
Danny Byrd: I know, I know. I just...
Will Betts: Dream a little bigger.
Chris Barker: Dream bigger.
Danny Byrd: I don't know if you've seen Dr. Dre's studio. It'd be like that. Dr. Dre's my idol. Yeah, yeah. There you go.
Chris Barker: I love that. Leave that. "I'm not really bothered. All right then, Dr Dre's studio."
Danny Byrd: Yeah. Well, it's a fantasy studio.
Will Betts: There you go. Yeah I know...
Danny Byrd: As long as it has good acoustics, that is the main thing. And people overlook that. Like people build stuff in rooms, but with low ceilings. Low ceilings are bad for acoustics as far as they go. This is stuff I learned. So if you have massive main monitors in there, that is not good for a low ceiling. As a high ceiling, you can control that.
Danny Byrd: And I'm not an acoustician, I don't know, but acoustics is the most important thing in a studio. By far, above all the kit. And I don't know enough about that to say, I just hope that the acoustician would make it. But I like, if I'm talking property stuff, I mean, if we renovate, I'd like a grey carpet. I like the grey carpet, maybe that grey paint. Maybe it'd be like a grey room. That's the modern vibe. That'll probably change in five years time. So I don't know if I'm setting the scene here.
Chris Barker: Yeah, yeah. I'm getting this. I'm getting this cool grey studio, acoustically perfect, overlooking the canal but with no windows, so you can't see it.
Danny Byrd: Maybe then, there'll be some blinds there.
Chris Barker: Yeah, blinds is a good idea. So you can roll the blinds up when you want some inspiration of that view.
Danny Byrd: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Chris Barker: Okay. Got the audio interface. You've got your Mac. DAW of choice? This is free. This is a free one.
Danny Byrd: Okay. Logic Pro.
Chris Barker: Yeah. Always use Logic Pro since the Atari?
Danny Byrd: No, I was with Cubase on the Atari.
Chris Barker: No, but I mean after you left the Atari, it was straight onto...
Danny Byrd: Yeah. Straight onto Logic because that was the one that everyone said you should go onto, because it's got the best MIDI and the best tight timing. And it definitely didn't have the best tight- I mean, no MIDI was ever tight on a Mac or a PC in my opinion. So begrudgingly, I stuck with Logic. But then you look at all these other DAWs and everyone's on Ableton or free use and you just go... I've downloaded and I've tried them but it's like, "Do you know what? This is not going to change anything in my production, really." Like it's whatever's up in your head and what you could get. And then there's the other thing, you could switch to another DAW. And then, by the time Logic 11 comes out, they've got all the features that you wanted anyway. So no technology holds you back now, it's not like the old days. No DAW can hold you back.
Chris Barker: Just to add to the pressure of the DAW selection, Danny. Because you're limited to your six items, hardware and plugins and things. Does Logic have the best included bundle, you think, so that you can supplement those? Because some DAWs, you need to add loads of cool plugins to them.
Will Betts: Or you've got to go different versions to get good stuff.
Chris Barker: Yeah.
Danny Byrd: Well, that was one good thing about Logic. For the cost of it, it always had a lot of good plugins.
Chris Barker: Do you still find yourself going to the native.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, still use the native stuff. Like the EQ one is just easy because you just double click at the top of the channels [inaudible 00:11:14], even if you just want to roll something off. I mean, I use a lot of UAD plugins, I won't lie. I use a lot of UAD plugins now. The Massenberg MDW is my EQ of choice.
Danny Byrd: Did a lot of high passing on that because I've actually realised that high passing with that sounds better than doing it with the Logic. You'd think a high pass is just a high pass but there are different... I don't know, it just feels a little bit better. If there's something really, you want it smooth, it works better. But again, Logic, if you just want to roll the bottle, it's there at the top, you just double click EQ and it's there. But I don't use the compressors so much in Logic anymore, actually. I suppose the more you go down the UAD system and stuff, they are superior plugins. But if you can't get the job done with Logic, stop yourself because you can't do it at all. There's nothing.
Chris Barker: Sorry, I just want to state at this point, you can't game the system by having one of your items as the UAD bundle and having all those plugins.
Will Betts: Oh, yeah.
Danny Byrd: Okay. All right. Okay, okay. No bundles.
Will Betts: No bundles. Sorry, that should have been clear from the outset.
Danny Byrd: Okay. Right, yeah.
Chris Barker: Can I just say, my one item is all of the UAD plugins.
Danny Byrd: I think [Roni Size inaudible 00:00:12:27] got a trial for a year by UA and he got all the plugins for a trial for a year. But then, of course, used them all and everything. And then, that's going to cost him a fortune when it comes back.
Chris Barker: That's a good way of getting...
Danny Byrd: It's like less is more sometimes. Yeah, like you want to try that Shadow Hills compressor, then this, then that.
Chris Barker: So let's move on to the first. So it is a fantasy studio. It's your forever studio, but it is limited on these gear choices. So you've got six now and we're going to go through those and tell everybody why you're choosing these particular six bits forever.
Danny Byrd: Forever. Okay.
Will Betts: Number one. In at number one.
Chris Barker: So you're going to need some monitors or headphones.
Danny Byrd: Let's go monitors first, actually. Genelecs all the way.
Chris Barker: Yeah?
Danny Byrd: I've got some Genelec 8351s ones that I love. I was a Mackie guy before that on the 824s, which were good. They were the drum and bass monitor of choice because they used to go super loud and they'd have loads of bass in them, but times do move on and actually, I blew so many of those monitors as well. Honestly, I had about blown monitors in my hallway.
Will Betts: How do you blow it? How are you blowing it up?
Danny Byrd: Having it too loud. Yeah.
Will Betts: Okay. That'll do it.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, just ragging them out, basically. Because they weren't cheap but they weren't really expensive at the same time. So it was just like...
Chris Barker: So mid-level, sort of like [pro-Shumer inaudible 00:13:58] level.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, I just got used to them. But then, after blowing them for the... they did used to blow. Again, that was probably my fault, blowing them, having them up too much. Maybe their protection software wasn't as good as it should have been or whatever.
Chris Barker: But it is a big investment going up to the serious side of monitoring. That's a big leap.
Danny Byrd: What attracted me to the Genelec, I don't know what it was. I tried some vocals and they're excellent monitors, actually, the SM-9s. They're excellent because they've got them in the Hospital studio and they're excellent. But they were too big for my room. I did actually get a pair and bloody hell, carrying them up three flights of stairs as well. The weight, I mean, it was a good workout. But they didn't sound right in my room just because of the acoustics in my room. So I knew that I needed something a bit smaller. And then, when I saw these Genelecs 8351s, they were brand new. I think I had the first pair in the country and they had the GLM SAM, or whatever they call it, the room correction. And that really appealed to me because I was like, " Well, my room is terrible."
Danny Byrd: And basically, anything that sounded good in my room, I'd take to a studio and it'd be like, "What?"
Chris Barker: Right.
Danny Byrd: Like it's not meant to sound like that. You'd spend the day trying to get it back to where it sounded at home. Not even mixed, you're just trying to get it back to where it was where you left it. And the Genelecs have just been game changing with that. It really does work, that software. It really does work. And it's come to the point where if I have to mix something down in my room, say it's a remix or something like that, on a timeline and a deadline, I could do it. I can get by. If it was a main single, I wouldn't want to do it, feel safe doing it in my room when I want to check it. But then, I can't remember, someone said you're not a proper engineer if you don't test it out on at least three different systems, a record. And that that's true as well, so...
Chris Barker: I suppose if you're doing something you want to play out on the weekend as well, you can get it really, pretty lively in that room.
Danny Byrd: I think so. Yeah, I think so. So they were a game changer. And actually, I was telling you I've taken on this new student in Bristol, and we put the 8351s in there but I've got a spare pair as well, and we put them in there and they sound amazing. And then we did the room correction in there as well, because although this room is trapped out, I'm going to say it, it's the best sound room in Bristol. I'm going to state my claim now. But room correction takes a room that's 97% and takes it to 100%. And we pinged the room and we did the, it's really easy to do room.
Chris Barker: Yeah, I remember I went to the launch of those, just saying, and they did a demo in Finland in like a stone...
Danny Byrd: Yeah, like a crypt.
Chris Barker: Like a stone crypt. It obviously sounded horrible. And then they activated the software and it was like... It went from being like a bathroom, sounding like you were in a bathroom to-
Danny Byrd: Yeah.
Chris Barker: And I was like, "This is nuts."
Will Betts: How is it doing that, though?
Danny Byrd: It is amazing.
Chris Barker: Magic sound.
Danny Byrd: When we were in this studio, this was the weekend, mind, this was on Friday, actually. When you press the bypass, it was like, it still sounded good because obviously the room was good. But when you engaged it, it sounded like it had been mastered. It was weird. It was the difference between a non-mastered version and a master. Really weird, I can't explain it.
Will Betts: Bizarre.
Danny Byrd: It was like, yeah. But it was obviously better and it just evens out all the problems. So I was talking to someone from Genelec, like getting some... The interesting thing about these Genelecs is they sound great in my room and they go up to a nice volume, but in a well-trapped room, they weren't quite going up as loud as I'd want them to because of the amount of [treble inaudible 00:17:25].
Chris Barker: So maybe in your dream studio, you'd...
Danny Byrd: So I've been talking about the 1238s, I don't know if you've seen those but they're big.
Chris Barker: So maybe those are the ones for the forever studio?
Danny Byrd: They could be the ones for the forever studio, I think. They'd be good.
Chris Barker: So Genelec 1238s?
Danny Byrd: 1238s. I mean, I haven't heard them yet, but I trust Genelec. I've got big trust in them.
Chris Barker: That was another thing, actually, when I visited, is they had this sort of ethos that right from the smallest ones to the biggest, it just extends.
Danny Byrd: It was transparent sound, yeah.
Chris Barker: Yeah, so as they get bigger, you just hear more and more low fallout and so they are really transferable. If you have to work on smaller ones, it still has the same-
Danny Byrd: It's a transient response, as well, for the engineer. And there's new ones, and the transient, the snappiness. Even my girlfriend, Nancy, she's like, "I love it when you work with the Gen. Your mixes now, they're just snappier and transient."
Chris Barker: And that's a requirement when you're working at tempos that you're working at as well.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, that's very important. Yeah.
Chris Barker: You have to hear that, yeah.
Danny Byrd: It's very important, yeah. So yes, bring on the 1238s, man. Bring them on. If Genelec want to give me a free pair, then they're more than welcome.
Chris Barker: That's one item down. Five more to go.
Danny Byrd: Okay. Okay.
Will Betts: Is there any particular, let's talk about software. Is there anything? So you've only got the Logic and the starter plugins right now, so is there a synth or something that you couldn't live...
Danny Byrd: Yeah, it's just boring stuff. It's like Serum, I suppose, is like...
Will Betts: But it's forever, so if it's boring it has...
Danny Byrd: Yeah, Serum is forever. I never got on that well with Massive. Even though everyone was like, before Serum, everyone was on Massive. And people made some crazy noises. I was always one of those people that, with my basses I always just got by, by either using a sample that, I might use just like a "whomp" and then a sample of that. And then, I might use a Massive patch that someone's given me, and somehow I always just got by, by making basslines but I always felt like I was faking it. I was never a synth master and I never got on with Massive. And Serum, I've surprised myself with some of the bass. It's definitely my weakest point on production, is synths.
Chris Barker: But that's why you need a strong tool. I guess if you've got a weakness, then you need the tool to help you.
Will Betts: Yeah.
Danny Byrd: Yeah. But Serum just makes a bit more sense to me. I mean, everyone's using it but it does what it says on the tin. But say a Serum sub-bass, going through analogue equipment, going through a few channels of analogue equipment that have been boosted. It comes back and then saturate it. Now that's a nice sound.
Chris Barker: So are we going to say another item?
Danny Byrd: Yeah, definitely. Definitely got to have some analogue choice bits. I mean, I'm not convinced on Summon yet, and all that kind of stuff yet. I mean, yeah, I'm on the fence. I haven't really done enough tests on that. But I've got some vintage, I say vintage but they're SSL 4000 strips.
Chris Barker: Nice.
Danny Byrd: That a company called Recycle Audio, that are really good, made me. They're two SSL 4000 strips in a rack and I put my kick and snare through those, or a sub. Real fundamental elements through them.
Chris Barker: So is that G series?
Danny Byrd: Yeah, G series. And those are my secret, in fact I want to buy three more. Because if you think about it, they're taken straight out of the desk but if they're racked up then they're wrong way around.
Will Betts: Yeah.
Danny Byrd: So what I want to do is buy another three of them, because they only come in two. So then you'd have eight channels, and then make a bespoke little sidecar.
Will Betts: Right.
Danny Byrd: But we're on hardware inserts. That'd be pretty sick, just to run out your kick and snare, and your bass.
Chris Barker: I'd give you that as one item. I don't know about you, Will.
Danny Byrd: That's one item, yeah.
Will Betts: A whole sidecar.
Chris Barker: [crosstalk 00:21:07] sidecar.
Will Betts: Sure, why not?
Danny Byrd: Yeah, why not?
Chris Barker: Because you could have just picked a G series.
Will Betts: That's true.
Danny Byrd: Yeah. But I think that's like a modern way of working because it's like you could go down the road and have a desk and do all that stuff, but I do love the idea. A lot of the time when I'm putting, say, a kick through the SSL, I'm boosting that and getting the compression and the snap, which by the way, you can't, the plugins are good, but they don't match the hardware. They don't match it. But sometimes I'll put a plugin after that.
Will Betts: Like an SSL plugin after that?
Danny Byrd: No, not an SSL plugin, but maybe a limiter or something after that or something else. A software transient designer, like [Waves Smack inaudible 00:00:21:54] I love for transient stuff. So maybe it's like...
Chris Barker: Is that going to be included, though? You'd have to...
Danny Byrd: Guys, is this...
Chris Barker: It's hard.
Danny Byrd: You need to write the rules up on there.
Chris Barker: Six items, mate.
Danny Byrd: I thought this was a casual discussion.
Will Betts: No.
Chris Barker: Serum, you've got your Gennies.
Danny Byrd: Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Chris Barker: You've got you SSL sidecar, which is a...
Danny Byrd: The SSL sidecar will do. I'm just saying, the benefits of having the hardware inserts and doing it like that is a more modern way. Because when you've then got your perfect kick, you can print it and then it's all there. I always feel safer when it's printed because I'm always worried that my cat's going to rub past, or something's going to happen. Once it's printed, it's committed but you've got the best of both worlds.
Will Betts: When you're printing, do you mean getting from MIDI to audio? Or do you mean getting from your sample, then processed? Do you keep reprinting every time you'd make a change? Or is it...
Danny Byrd: I just print. Well, sometimes I just print it so it wasn't going through the hardware anymore. It was committed.
Will Betts: Yeah, okay.
Danny Byrd: I basically recorded and recorded it, and bounced it down. And so, it was there. Whatever the GCs was doing, it's there and now it's audio.
Chris Barker: It's kind of like making your own sample, essentially.
Danny Byrd: Committing it. But sometimes I have actually thought, "No, this needs more snap again." I put the snare back through the SSL. Lately, I have sometimes done it a few times. If you need something to pop, those are the ones to do it. I mean, everyone knows that but people less and less now, because they're not working on desks and stuff like that.
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Will Betts: So you've got three more items left.
Chris Barker: Three more.
Will Betts: It's a pretty good studio so far, though, I think.
Danny Byrd: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Chris Barker: You've only got Serum now. I mean, that's panicking me.
Will Betts: What are you going to do for drums?
Chris Barker: Yeah, what are you going to do for drums?
Danny Byrd: Because if we're talking about, we've got Logic and we've got all the bundle, then maybe you can use the EXS24, I suppose.
Chris Barker: Yeah.
Will Betts: That's fine.
Danny Byrd: It still works. I'm a big MPC guy, so let's put an MPC-X or Live or whatever.
Chris Barker: So a modern one? You don't want to go vintage. Go for a modern.
Danny Byrd: No, modern ones. Just because doing it all, the old ones probably sound amazing and I have had a few of them. But again, just integrating it, just workflow. Yeah, I could have an NPC-60, but on an MPC 60, 170 BPM is not the same as 170 BPM on a Logic. There's timing, do you know what I mean?
Chris Barker: Yeah.
Danny Byrd: They've done a really good job with the new MPCs because they are software controllers, but they definitely have the sound. They sound different. They really snap. There's some built in limiter or...
Chris Barker: Do you find yourself working in a different way when you approach it?
Danny Byrd: Of course. Yeah, of course. And you programme drums in a different way and you come out with some crazy ideas. I mean, the MPC, don't know why i didn't forget that. My brain's been a bit slow today.
Will Betts: So the MPC is clearly something that's a special piece of gear for you now. It has been for a very long time. Is it still part of your creative process?
Danny Byrd: Oh yeah, definitely. I mean, I was trying to use the MPC 2000 XL back in the day, and trying to use programme drum and bass drums on it. And this is before it had any, it didn't have a key editor or anything so you missed a note, obviously, you would quantize it, but it was tricky to build. I was trying to build whole tracks in this thing and you'd slow it down to put a little part and then speed it up. But now, the MPC-X and the Live and the Renaissance as well, when they brought that out they had the software integration. So it's a little DAW in itself, actually. And so I used that loads on the last album.
Danny Byrd: The MPC Live, I think, would be my desert Island one because it works off batteries and it's six hours, but it's charging. It runs for six hours, just totally portable. And so I was taking, I have an MPC in my car, just to put the AUX into the car and just be in a Soho car part, working on tunes and just blasting it out. And one of them made it to the album, actually, is the title track, Atomic Funk. And you can hear it's definitely MPC heavy. Like you would have never programmed that in a DAW in the same way. It's just a different way of working so...
Chris Barker: That's cool. So you'll have Logic but you might have an MPC that you just set up in the studio?
Danny Byrd: If I'm stuck for ideas you'll never go wrong with an MPC. If you're really stuck. And in fact, I haven't been doing much of the MPC stuff recently. We're going to Australia for a little tour next week, for about three weeks, so I need to pack that maybe, rather than a laptop and just come back with a lot of ideas on it.
Chris Barker: And not have the pressure of the blank Logic screen as well. Like you know, that kind of...
Danny Byrd: Yeah, yeah.
Will Betts: Do you get the same thing with the sequencer in the MPC-X, though? Do you have blank screen fear?
Danny Byrd: No.
Will Betts: Because it's smaller, or what?
Danny Byrd: Because, I have to be honest, I have my own Samsung, I have an SD card that has all my sample library on it, but it comes with some really good samples and loads of sounds built into it. So I might just start with a few of their sounds, then load a few of my sounds. It's as much to do with, they've got quite a nice library that just comes with it. And it's what you do with that library. It's not the same as having the same folders then, because the way you use it in the MPC, you might put in 16 level [Mosen inaudible 00:28:03], do the tune, and I don't know, it's just...
Chris Barker: I suppose not having a keyboard must change things as well. Do you use keyboard much?
Danny Byrd: Yeah, I do. That always annoyed me. You try to use a QWERTY keyboard to play stuff on a laptop. Don't get me wrong, it can be done and I have done it and it's fine, but...
Chris Barker: What about a MIDI keyboard? That's what I mean, I think sometimes programming is a different interaction, isn't it, when you're using Pats?.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, it is a totally...
Chris Barker: Even when you're playing chords and stuff...
Danny Byrd: You're going to programme drums in a totally unique, unorthodox kind of way. You're not going to do a simple drum and bass two-step beat. You're going to do something because it's funky. It's a funky machine. And also as well, yeah, you do have the blank page but it's a two bar loop. And it's constantly going around, and you're just constantly adding stuff to it. And if it feels boring, you just start adding more stuff.
Danny Byrd: And that's the thing about the MPC, is that nothing ever feels congested. If you add another hi-hat on top of another hi-hat and you add some more stuff, it always feels like it's working with its same internal groove. So what I'll do is I'll keep on building stuff up on the MPC and adding stuff, and it'll be a bit like a drop. And you just keep on adding stuff. And then, what I'll do is I'll take that sequence and then copy that too. That might become sequence two, and I'll copy the sequence and I'll use the mute pad function. And I'll mute the base and all the little bits, so maybe it'll just have a little pad, and that will be playing in it. So it's got some elements of what I was working on that's part of the drop, but it's just cycling on the two bar loop and then you'll just suddenly go from sequence one to sequence two, and suddenly it feels like a drop. And it's an amazing feeling because it's all uniform. You've only just muted out parts.
Chris Barker: You start to get an idea for the arrangement.
Danny Byrd: And of course, these are things you can do in a DAW, but you can arrange so quickly. It's suddenly like, "Oh, wow, that sounds..." Because sometimes when you're working on a drop, you're caught in the moment and you're working on the same thing and hearing the same sounds, when you strip it all away and then you hear something stripped away and then hear something coming in, and again, with every bit, suddenly it's like, "Yeah, that works." And that is something I'll never get over. I love that.
Chris Barker: And the modern ones still have that same vibe?
Danny Byrd: They have the same swing in them. They have all the same, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Will Betts: That's four out of six.
Danny Byrd: Four out of six. All right, okay.
Chris Barker: Four out of six.
Will Betts: We've got two more to go.
Danny Byrd: Okay.
Will Betts: Surprisingly...
Danny Byrd: It is pretty, you can get through them. API 2500 bus compressor.
Chris Barker: Really? Gone hardware again?
Danny Byrd: Gone hardware again, yeah. Just using all the stuff that I use in my room, man. But I mean, I bought a bit of new kit recently. I'm not going to say the name because I don't want to trash people's stuff, but it was the emperor's new clothes. It's one big kit that everyone's been talking about. It's kind of analogue processing and saturation stuff. Didn't like it. Didn't like it. I mean, everyone's got their own different things, but it was interesting. I bought this bit of kit thinking I was going to love it and it's like, no, this doesn't work for me. So there are bits of analogue kit that don't work in what I do but the API 2500 bus compressor is serious.
Chris Barker: So on the SSL sidecar, we don't have a G series bus compressor on that, though. That's just channel strips.
Danny Byrd: Yeah.
Chris Barker: So you're using the API. So you choose the API over a G series bus compressor?
Danny Byrd: Yes and no. It's weird. So the API 2500 is really good for jungle sounding staff. So if you've got an amen break and the 808 and you smash that in an API 2500, it suddenly sounds like jungle. Like the bass comes up like a cushion underneath. It compresses it down. It's not so good for modern drum and bass, but for old jungle, raw...
Chris Barker: So is that what you're making?
Danny Byrd: [Spy inaudible 00:31:50] would love it. This is what I keep on telling about Spy, he needs to get one of these. I'm like, "Mate, you would love this." But it's also really good for vocals. I actually use it for compressing vocals as well. Not when I'm tracking vocals, but afterwards when I need more compression. It's really good for compression. Just good for squashing anything, basically, like horns or anything. It's just really versatile. But it's funny, I don't like it so much for a real modern drum and bass, you kind of mix that. But for something that's rough and raw and big 808 breaks, something feels '90s about it. It's probably the [op amp inaudible 00:32:26] as well. And if you turn the make up gain up, and turn everything, you get the op amp saturation and stuff. And it's a cool bit of kit.
Chris Barker: So that makes you down to your last item.
Will Betts: That's five, so yeah.
Danny Byrd: Oh, five. Okay.
Will Betts: You've got to round this off.
Chris Barker: But what's interesting for me so far, you're choosing a lot of stuff, I guess the Genelecs are kind of out there in terms of budget and they're a bit more fun, but you haven't chosen any items like... I thought when we decided to do the podcast-
Danny Byrd: Oh, this is desert island, yeah.
Chris Barker: Well, I just thought that people would go for like, "Yeah, I'll have CS80, a Fairchild..."
Danny Byrd: True.
Chris Barker: Expensive stuff. But you chose the stuff that you know and love forever.
Danny Byrd: I suppose just because it's working for me right now. And it's like we're at a point now where things can't get any, they can get better but like I said, if you can't make something within Logic with the stock plugins. You can make a hit, anyone can make a hit with that. Kit is just kit. It is just that. And when you find a little system that works for you, you become quite passionate about it. And so, you do have those desert island item things. But I think about it, I'm like, "Do you know what? I don't know whether I really need that." I mean, I would love it...
Chris Barker: So one last item, then. Let's hear it.
Danny Byrd: I mean, going back to the SSL, I guess I would love a 9000 or something. If you had a...
Chris Barker: Then would you get rid of the sidecar, though?
Danny Byrd: Yeah, get rid of it.
Will Betts: Okay. So then that's...
Chris Barker: Get rid of the sidecar, we've got 9000.
Danny Byrd: So we've got a 9000. That's the Dr. Dre's... I am always looking at pictures of Dr. Dre's studio. He's always on the 9000. I think it's like 96 inputs. I think he got some 4,000 modules put in his 9000 somehow, customised, which is pretty cool.
Chris Barker: So that leaves you still one item then, because you've got rid of the sidecar and replaced it with 9000.
Danny Byrd: Oh, god.
Chris Barker: [inaudible 00:34:23] good. You don't have to have it if you don't want it. If you want to give it away.
Danny Byrd: Is this a bit of kit, yeah?
Chris Barker: Yeah, a bit of kit.
Danny Byrd: I don't know.
Chris Barker: Maybe you want UAD. You were talking about that. But are you happy with that?
Danny Byrd: Yeah, the UAD is really good. I suppose again, that MDW EQ, that Massenburg EQ. Highly underrated, that thing is. I mean, I've known top engineers, I've been to a few [Moloko inaudible 00:34:47] open days and I've seen the engineers and someone asked, "Why are you using that plugin?" He says, "Because it's the best. Only one that actually works in the box." And I kind of agree with him, like it's the best digital EQ. And you see a lot of engineers use it. But when I try and tell other producer friends, they're like, "Yeah, not really bothered about it." But it's so clean, you can use it on the mix verses. I mean, it's based on the GML 8200, I think.
Chris Barker: Yeah.
Danny Byrd: Or whatever. I mean, it's vanilla looking, but it does the job. It's pretty indispensable.
Chris Barker: So the studio site is complete. It's complete.
Danny Byrd: Yeah.
Chris Barker: We've got some beautiful house in Bath, we've got some blinds, we've got some windows and a view, but we're locking it out most of the time.
Danny Byrd: We're locking it out. We've got electric blinds going down, yeah.
Will Betts: Electric blackout blinds.
Danny Byrd: Blackout blinds. You've got it.
Chris Barker: And then we've got the big Genelecs.
Danny Byrd: Yeah.
Chris Barker: And we've got...
Will Betts: Serum.
Chris Barker: Serum.
Danny Byrd: Yeah.
Will Betts: We've got the SSL 9000 just because, why not?
Danny Byrd: Why not? Why not, yeah.
Will Betts: It's your choice.
Danny Byrd: Why not?
Will Betts: An MPC-X or Live.
Danny Byrd: Live, yeah. I think I'll go for the Live because it's battery operated.
Will Betts: Yeah.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, yeah. Take it and take it into the park.
Chris Barker: And then the Massenburg.
Will Betts: The API 2500 bus compressor.
Danny Byrd: API, yeah.
Will Betts: And then, rounding off with the...
Chris Barker: That's quite a lot of stuff, actually.
Danny Byrd: Yeah.
Chris Barker: It's a good studio.
Danny Byrd: To be fair, you could get it all done with that desk. We'd just say the 9000...
Will Betts: 9000 and lunch.
Danny Byrd: And we could have been gone an hour ago.
Chris Barker: So now it comes to the non-gear related side. It's like...
Danny Byrd: I'll tell you what I'd have, no one else would have this. I'd have a slush puppy machine inside the studio.
Chris Barker: You're got all this silent air-con, and you've got this slush puppy machine swirling in the corner.
Danny Byrd: Yeah, stuff that. The slush puppy is not going off. It might...
Chris Barker: Red and blue? The red and blue classic?
Danny Byrd: It might be like a Tango Ice Blast. I might go modern, but I don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Something like that. Because I actually know about this because a Tango Ice Blast machine needs a gas canister because I knew the guy that ran the burger stand at Motion. And he said, "Yeah, you need a can of CO2 gas to run a Tango Ice Blast machine."
Chris Barker: Dream studio.
Danny Byrd: But I mean, you can't say that you wouldn't want one of those right now on this hot, sweaty day.
Chris Barker: Yeah.
Will Betts: Yeah, with the air-con off and everything.
Danny Byrd: Air-con off, slush puppy. I mean, it wouldn't be good for your arteries and stuff, but it's be good for the energy levels.
Will Betts: Yeah. It's all fat.
Danny Byrd: Well, you see people, they've got an arcade machine in there. It's like, "Oh, come on man."
Chris Barker: Slush puppy.
Will Betts: Slush puppy.
Danny Byrd: Slush puppy, yeah. Have all the flavours.
Chris Barker: All the flavours, yeah.
Will Betts: It is your dream studio after all.
Danny Byrd: Exactly. Exactly. You're welcome to come and have a slush puppy of your choice.
Chris Barker: Yes. Well, thank you so much for coming in.
Will Betts: Thank you, Danny Byrd.
Danny Byrd: Well, you're welcome. No worries. Thank you guys.
Chris Barker: Slash puppies all around, now.
Will Betts: Yeah.
Danny Byrd: Sounds good. Cheers.
Will Betts: Cheers.
Chris Barker: If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure you subscribe using your favourite podcasting app, and also think about rating and reviewing Music Tech's My Forever Studio. Don't forget to check back every Thursday for new episodes. Thanks for listening.