{"id":56531,"date":"2024-04-05T17:11:36","date_gmt":"2024-04-05T16:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/?p=56531"},"modified":"2024-04-05T17:11:39","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T16:11:39","slug":"in-the-studio-with-andy-gray-rme-and-ferrofish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/2024\/04\/05\/in-the-studio-with-andy-gray-rme-and-ferrofish\/","title":{"rendered":"In the studio with Andy Gray, RME and Ferrofish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-56727\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-composer-interview-feature-image-2.jpg\" alt=\"Andy Gray RME and Ferrofish interview feature image\" width=\"1200\" height=\"661\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-composer-interview-feature-image-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-composer-interview-feature-image-2-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-composer-interview-feature-image-2-1024x564.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-composer-interview-feature-image-2-768x423.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-wrapper\">\n<h2>Film Composer Andy Gray discusses recording synthesizers in his Cubase and Pro Tools-based studio<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cDoes anyone want a mince pie?\u201d offers <strong>Andy<\/strong> as we step inside his studio. \u201cI\u2019m trying to get rid of them if you want one?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is the home of Film Composer <strong>Andy Gray<\/strong>, who\u2019s been recording and scoring film sound tracks from this current location &#8211; a picturesque countryside hub in Shropshire &#8211; for the past 7 years.<\/p>\n<p>A Composer, Musician and Sound Designer, <strong>Andy<\/strong> is also known for dance music production stretching back into the 90s, as well as his work as a Producer and Programmer for a number of popular artists and bands.<\/p>\n<p>Surrounded by keyboards and an eye-catching wall of modular, it&#8217;s immediately clear <strong>Andy<\/strong> is a true synth aficionado &#8211; no surprises then that his talents have been sought after by some of the biggest names in synth pop, new wave and dance music!<\/p>\n<p>We sat down with <strong>Andy<\/strong> for a big ol&#8217; chat about his career and making the switch into film composition, and why he bases his synth-heavy studio around gear from <strong>RME<\/strong> and <strong>Ferrofish<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: flex; justify-content: center; margin: 0 auto; text-align: center;\">\n<div>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">In the Studio with Composer Andy Gray | RME 12Mic &amp; Ferrofish A32pro<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"In the Studio with Composer Andy Gray | RME 12Mic &amp; Ferrofish A32pro\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fIkYmwPUqWs\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p id=\"synthax-subscribe\" style=\"text-align: center;\">See more videos at <a title=\"Subscribe to the SynthaxTV YouTube channel\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/subscription_center?add_user=synthaxtv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Synthax TV<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<h3>&#8220;I&#8217;ve enjoyed it all&#8221;<\/h3>\n<p>Alongside his many contributions to songs by the likes of <strong><em>Gary Numan<\/em><\/strong> and <strong><em>The Human League<\/em><\/strong>, <strong>Andy<\/strong> also made up one half of a formidable writing partnership with <em><strong>DJ Paul Oakenfold<\/strong><\/em> (as <strong><em>Perfecto<\/em><\/strong>), with the pair\u2019s output including remixes of <em><strong>Moby&#8217;s<\/strong><\/em> &#8220;<em>Natural Blues<\/em>&#8221; and <em><strong>U2&#8217;s<\/strong><\/em> &#8220;<em>Beautiful Day<\/em>&#8221; &#8211; not to mention the small matter of creating the theme song for reality TV sensation <em><strong>Big Brother UK<\/strong><\/em>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve enjoyed it all really,\u201d <strong>Andy<\/strong> says reflecting on his career. \u201cI do tend to pick the same kinds of projects, all nice people to work with. Working with <em><strong>Gary Numan<\/strong><\/em> was great, he was one of my heroes when I was a kid. Writing songs together, doing loads of remixes. We\u2019ve become really good friends.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did really enjoy producing <em><strong>Enter Shikari<\/strong><\/em>. I worked with them for quite a while, we recorded <em>Common Dreads.<\/em> That was in my old studio on the Isle of Wight. Really good guys, everything recorded live. <em><strong>Tori Amos<\/strong><\/em> back in the day, moving to Cornwall to work with her, that was great fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alongside his synth and production skills, <strong>Andy<\/strong> is also highly regarded for his remixes &#8211; what was it like to be a <em>Remixer<\/em> in the 90s?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRemixing for me started right at the beginning of my career,\u201d he explains. \u201cBack then it wasn\u2019t as easy to create a remix. Labels would be looking for someone to kind of \u2018re-work\u2019 a song, just to help with the marketing and promotion. So there might be a version for DJs to use in clubs, there might be a Trance version or a House version or whatever. It was very lucrative at the time, there was a really big market for it before the internet, with remixes being pressed to vinyl etc.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s different now, because I kind of think everyone\u2019s got the tools to be a Remixer. So I think that kind of thing\u2019s changed, maybe a big DJ will still get someone to help them, but these days they\u2019ll probably just do it themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img alignright wp-image-56553\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-workspace.jpg\" alt=\"Over the shoulder of Andy Gray in his recording studio\" width=\"525\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-workspace.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-workspace-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-workspace-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-workspace-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>On scoring for film<\/h3>\n<p>Despite his background in pop and dance, these days <strong>Andy<\/strong> spends most of his time in the studio composing music for film.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat really came about from working with <em><strong>Paul Oakenfold<\/strong><\/em> on the album <em>Bunkka<\/em>,\u201d Andy says of his transition into film scoring. \u201cWe were offered some work on the film <em>Swordfish<\/em>, in about \u201898 or \u201899. And we just ended up staying in LA and doing the whole soundtrack, the electronic side at least, with <strong>Christopher Young<\/strong> doing the strings-side of things.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a kid I always wanted to do film music really, but I didn\u2019t really know how to get into it. And it just sort of happened by accident &#8211; we went from doing <em>Swordfish<\/em>, then another film on <strong>Miramax<\/strong>, <em>Steel.<\/em> Then I got offered another film, <em>TimeCop 2<\/em>, just off on my own. And I kind of slowly moved away from making traditional records. My stuff already sounded quite cinematic and big, so it was just a natural progression really, although it wasn\u2019t really planned.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My approach is pretty much the same for each project. I\u2019ll work off the script if I have to, say if it\u2019s early in the production, but it\u2019s much better when you can see the picture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tend to work on the soundscapes first, to get an idea of what the mood will be. Once I get some tones and a few background ideas, then the melodies start to come. At that point you can usually start playing stuff to the director, to see if you\u2019re on the right track.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sometimes they might have a temp score, i.e. music from other films as a guide, which in my opinion isn\u2019t always that helpful. But the best way is really to start each project from scratch, experiment with some ideas, sculpt out where you think the melody is going to go. And then you can work it to the picture, fitting it to the story. You\u2019re trying to tell a story, that\u2019s the main thing with music for film.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019ve got a film that\u2019s just come out, <em>No Way Up<\/em>,\u201d <strong>Andy<\/strong> says regarding his upcoming projects. \u201cThere&#8217;s a couple of other things in the pipeline, although I don\u2019t like to talk about them too much in case I jinx them or something, but yeah, documentaries and films coming up for the rest of this year basically.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img alignleft wp-image-56555\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-Cubase.jpg\" alt=\"Cubase and RME ARC USB remote control\" width=\"349\" height=\"524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-Cubase.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-Cubase-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-Cubase-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-Cubase-768x1152.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 349px) 100vw, 349px\" \/>On Cubase and Pro Tools<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Andy\u2019s<\/strong> studio setup consists of two systems \u2013 a main <strong>Cubase<\/strong> rig for composing, and a second one running <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong>. Why the two systems?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s kind of two reasons for that,\u201d <strong>Andy<\/strong> says. \u201cOne is if you\u2019re doing a film which is reel by reel, say 5 reels or whatever, it\u2019s quite handy as you can export a file into <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong> which will have all of the film in one hit. And then you\u2019ve got that as a quick reference &#8211; you can see everything visually, almost like a patchwork quilt, whether you\u2019re missing any cues etc.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe second reason is because a <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong> file is a quite a clean and simple way to deliver the stems at the end of a project, especially since a lot of people still use <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong> at the dub. I don\u2019t actually use it anymore to create or record, it\u2019s literally just housing the stems and playing back the video, which is running off <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong> in sync with <strong>Cubase<\/strong>. Maybe I\u2019ll change that part of the setup at some point, but at the moment it\u2019s a pretty rock-solid way to work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think if you\u2019re not doing music to picture, then they\u2019re all pretty equal these days,\u201d <strong>Andy<\/strong> says on moving back to <strong>Cubase<\/strong>. \u201cBut if you\u2019re dealing with huge amounts of data, and using tons of RAM, then a lot of them get their knickers in a twist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnother thing is that <strong>Cubase<\/strong> has a really good gate on every channel built in. And the gate is so delicate that it removes the hiss, but it doesn\u2019t click when you play a synth. That\u2019s perfect if you\u2019ve got like 30 channels of analogue synths open, because it can be a bit of a \u2018noise-nightmare\u2019. The built-in effects are really good in <strong>Cubase<\/strong>, and they use a fraction of the memory a third-party plug-in would use, which is vital for me in how I like to work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Studio Tour<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cOne of the questions I often get asked by non-musicians is, \u2018why have you got so many keyboards?\u2019&#8221; <strong>Andy<\/strong> says as he gives us the guided tour. &#8220;You can only play one at a time, right?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell the thing about keyboards is, they\u2019re a bit like actors. They all do the same job, but they\u2019ve all got a different character, they all come across differently.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen when you sit at a certain keyboard, the way it\u2019s set up makes you work in a certain way. Then you sit at a different keyboard, and that makes you work in a different way again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I think that inspires you to make different sounds. You could make most of the sounds on one keyboard &#8211; something like the <strong>Moog One<\/strong> could probably do most of the sounds in this room. But it\u2019s just not as inspiring. You\u2019re not moving around in the studio, or working with different sets of controls.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA wall of modular is really inspiring for making modular-types sounds,\u201d he says motioning to the stack of knobs, patch cables and flashing lights behind him. \u201cBut trying to make something polyphonic on that? It\u2019s really slow, you can do it but it\u2019s slow. So that\u2019s when you use the other stuff. It&#8217;s just having that selection, to help feed your ideas.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img aligncenter wp-image-56563 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Oberheim-Moog.jpg\" alt=\"Arp 2600, Oberheim Expander and Moog Modular Synthesizers\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Oberheim-Moog.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Oberheim-Moog-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Oberheim-Moog-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Oberheim-Moog-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot less than I used to have, I\u2019ve only got what I use these days. I haven\u2019t really got a collection like I used to.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Whilst we won\u2019t get too into it here &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/B1uyBMXfrCg?t=482\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> see Crow Hill&#8217;s interview with <strong>Andy<\/strong> for the full story<\/a> &#8211; part of the reason <strong>Andy\u2019s<\/strong> studio is more scaled back these days, is due to losing many of his original pieces to a horrific studio fire! Huge respect to Andy for bouncing back, and remaining optimistic after such a traumatic experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah it was awful. Nine fire engines couldn\u2019t put it out,\u201d he tells us. \u201cBut from a more positive perspective, there can be something quite distracting about having loads of gear that you don\u2019t use. I\u2019d end up sitting in the studio thinking \u2018why don\u2019t I use that?\u2019 So in a way it is quite nice only having the stuff I regularly use now.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My mate <strong>BT<\/strong> (Trance producer) &#8211; his studio, oh my God, he\u2019s got like every single drum machine ever made, every synthesizer, <strong>Fairlights<\/strong>\u2026 I mean it&#8217;s amazing his collection, but personally that would drive me nuts, having that much gear!<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: honeydew; padding: 1rem; margin: 3rem 1rem; border: 1px solid #cef2ce; border-radius: 1rem;\">\n<h2>Synths, synths and more synths<\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;Something I never thought I\u2019d own is the <strong>Korg PS 3100<\/strong>, that\u2019s a great synth,&#8221; Andy says as he talks us through his beautiful selection of hardware synths. &#8220;Just really rare and weird sounding, quite thin and glassy. <strong>J\u00f3hann J\u00f3hannsson\u2019s<\/strong> favourite synth was this.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And then something I\u2019ve had for years is the <strong>(Roland) System 100-M<\/strong>. Mine is wired quite differently &#8211; before I found everything I did on it would sound like <strong>Depeche Mode<\/strong> <em>Speak and Spell<\/em>! \u201cSo this time round I\u2019ve wired it so it\u2019s three notes polyphonic, and it actually sounds a bit more like a <strong>Jupiter-4<\/strong>. I really love that, again very <strong><em>J\u00f3hann J\u00f3hannsson<\/em><\/strong>, that kind of Icelandic vibe rather than the big American <strong>Moog<\/strong> sound.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpeaking of which, then we have this monster, something else I always wanted. The bottom of the cabinet is nearly all original 60s or very early 70s <strong>Moog modular<\/strong>, with the two holy grail filters, the high and low pass which everyone knows. This one actually has some original reboxed <strong>Minimoog<\/strong> oscillators. And then I\u2019ve added a couple of cabinets of some more modern stuff.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What I\u2019ve found with the old analogue gear &#8211; especially these original filters &#8211; they\u2019re really round and woolly, they\u2019re not exactly cutting-edge. They really sit back, they\u2019re not like a plugin where it\u2019s so in-your-face. And by mixing older units with some of the more modern units, I found that you get the best of both worlds, you can go from that big, round, <strong><em>Boards of Canada<\/em><\/strong>-esque detuned oscillators, to the super-sharp, modern and in-your-face sound.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img aligncenter wp-image-56568 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Moog-One.jpg\" alt=\"Moog One polyphonic synthesizer in Andy Gray's studio\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Moog-One.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Moog-One-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Moog-One-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-Moog-One-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i>Moog One (left) and Korg PS 3100 (right)<\/i><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Then this badboy is a re-issued <strong>Arp 2600,<\/strong> which I mainly use for bass and drones. I\u2019m in love with these re-issues, they sound just as good, they don\u2019t crackle, and they don\u2019t go out of tune.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And then over here another re-issue, the <strong>Korg 700s<\/strong>, like <strong><em>Human League<\/em><\/strong> used to use. Really cool, I said I wasn\u2019t going to buy any more synths and then this thing came along. Has a couple of tricks up its sleeve &#8211; I love the pitched noise, kind of <strong><em>Linkin Park<\/em><\/strong> style &#8211; plus your big synth bass sounds too.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And then going over to here, this weird little box, the <strong>Lyra-8<\/strong>. Again, really good for your drones. Have you seen the film <em>Arrival<\/em>? Sounds like that doesn\u2019t it! That\u2019s a good score, <em>Arrival<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Then an analogue drum machine, same make as the <strong>Lyra<\/strong>, <strong>SOMA.<\/strong> Really like their stuff, really good for sound design. Very analogue, very raw. I&#8217;ll mainly just pull some noises from these and drop it straight into <strong>Cubase<\/strong>, chop it up and use it in a sampler. I\u2019ve got mates who still work on drum machines, but I just cannot work loop-based &#8211; it has to be linear &#8211; I can\u2019t work in a pattern.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething else I replaced straight away when I lost it, is my beloved <strong>Oberheim Expander<\/strong>. I know that thing inside out. I did a lot of work with <strong><em>Human League<\/em><\/strong> on their album <em>Octopus<\/em>, and I basically programmed exclusively on the <strong>Expander<\/strong> for that album. There\u2019s a song on there called <em>&#8220;Words&#8221;<\/em>, and that track is just me on an <strong>Expander<\/strong>, no other synths on it. I love that for programming and modulation, another really cool synth.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;And then over to this thing which is just another monster, the <strong>Moog One,<\/strong> probably my favourite keyboard at the moment. I used to have a <strong>Memory Moog<\/strong> and it wasn\u2019t really very reliable &#8211; this is similar but much more modern, it does all the analogue stuff you&#8217;d expect, wicked synth that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img aligncenter wp-image-56584 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-arp-2600.jpg\" alt=\"Arp 2600 reissue in Composer Andy Gray's studio\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-arp-2600.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-arp-2600-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-arp-2600-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-arp-2600-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i>ARP 2600 FS<\/i><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Guitars, Piano and Amps<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cSo in the guitar corner over there I finally got my arm twisted and I bought a <strong>Kemper<\/strong> which I\u2019m liking so far. I\u2019ve got my old original <strong>Fender 1957 Champ<\/strong> which I\u2019ve had forever, that sounds really big miked up. And then a couple of slide guitars, mainly for doing drones and <strong>Ebow<\/strong>, stuff like that.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019ve also got a piano now. I managed to get a (<strong>Yamaha<\/strong>) <strong>Disklavier<\/strong> one where you can connect the MIDI, so I can kind of sit and work out my parts, then fire the MIDI over it to and record it playing it back. It\u2019s really cool, I love doing that.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Finally I\u2019ve been collecting mics since the late 80s, and I used to also have a massive collection of mic amps. And what with re-doing the studio, I don\u2019t know, I just found it a bit cumbersome, having loads of mic amps and all that extra gear.<\/p>\n<p>So I\u2019ve kept the vintage mics, which personally I think is more where the sound comes from. Plus I used to find that combination &#8211; using a vintage mic pre and an old mic &#8211; the noise floor just got bigger and bigger. And it was always \u2018where\u2019s the noise coming from, is it the mic? Is it the mic amp?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I recently switched to the <strong>12Mic<\/strong> from <strong>RME<\/strong> for that reason &#8211; super clean mic pre, loads and loads of gain. And then you use a vintage mic connected to that, so you get your vintage sound but your signal path is pretty clean, which for me has been the best solution.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img aligncenter wp-image-56565 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-piano.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-piano.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-piano-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-piano-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-piano-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<h3>Connecting it all together<\/h3>\n<p>Managing everything in a modern, hybrid studio can be something of an artform itself.<\/p>\n<p>With so many instruments and FX at his disposal &#8211; not to mention running two different systems &#8211; <strong>Andy<\/strong> needed a setup that would allow him to keep track of all his different mics and instruments easily. That way, he can focus solely on getting his ideas down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat I wanted was loads of I\/O, just loads and loads of I\/O,\u201d <strong>Andy<\/strong> explains on discovering <a title=\"Ferrofish A32pro | Overview\" href=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/ferrofish\/ferrofish-ad-da-converters\/ferrofish-a32-pro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ferrofish\u2019s A32pro<\/a> AD\/DA converter. \u201cI saw it had 32 analogue ins and outs, and then another 32 which can connect via optical.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At first I was a bit confused as I couldn\u2019t see any computer connections on the back, but that\u2019s where having the <a title=\"RME MADIface USB | Overview\" href=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/rme\/firewire-usb\/rme-madiface-usb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RME MADIface USB<\/a> comes in, which is a little interface that does USB to MADI. So the Ferrofish connects to that over this little pair of optical cables, which can connect up to 64 things in and out of the <strong>RME<\/strong>. That blew my mind.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe <strong>Ferrofish<\/strong> then connects to the speakers for monitoring, all of my FX returns for my guitar pedals and stuff like that, and then every synthesizer is connected to it as well, plus you\u2019ve also got two headphone connections. All of that\u2019s permanently plugged in and set up in Cubase.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then the game changer was getting the <a title=\"RME 12Mic | 12-Channel Microphone Preamp\" href=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/rme\/mic-preamps\/rme-12mic\/\">RME 12Mic<\/a> in there, which also goes optical to the A32pro (and then on to the <strong>RME<\/strong> interface), and connects every single microphone in the studio &#8211; from the guitars to tracking other people when they visit, plus the 4 or 5 mics I\u2019ve got pretty much at any one time on the piano.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis means that everything\u2019s always plugged in, and it&#8217;s all labelled in <strong>TotalMix<\/strong>. That\u2019s the key, everything\u2019s connected all of the time, I don\u2019t have to swap out mics or mess about with levels.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img aligncenter wp-image-56557 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-12mic-ferrofish-a32pro.jpg\" alt=\"Closeup of the Ferrofish A32pro and RME 12Mic in a studio rack\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-12mic-ferrofish-a32pro.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-12mic-ferrofish-a32pro-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-12mic-ferrofish-a32pro-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-12mic-ferrofish-a32pro-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>With everything set up in <strong>RME\u2019s TotalMix<\/strong> mixing controller, <strong>Andy<\/strong> controls everything from his mouse and keyboard, as well as an iPad and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/rme\/accessories\/rme-remote-controls\/rme-arc-usb-advanced-remote-control\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RME\u2019s ARC USB<\/a> remote control.<\/p>\n<p>A number of presets he&#8217;s created in <strong>TotalMix<\/strong> allow him to easily switch between sending different sounds to his monitors \u2013 be it <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong>, <strong>Cubase<\/strong>, his mics, synths, or a combination of the above!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYeah it really is a game-changer,\u201d <strong>Andy<\/strong> says on <strong>TotalMix<\/strong>. \u201cI don\u2019t need a mixing desk in the studio anymore. Plus if you\u2019re just using a DAW, whatever it may be \u2013 <strong>Cubase<\/strong>, <strong>Logic<\/strong>, <strong>Ableton<\/strong> etc \u2013 and you want to hear one of your synths through the speakers, then usually you\u2019d need to enable it within the DAW. So you either have to have a track armed, or make an Aux so you can hear it. And sometimes you just want to play something, or hear something quickly and move on. With <strong>TotalMix<\/strong> you can just route the synths directly to the output.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor that reason I actually have a Preset in <strong>TotalMix<\/strong>, with everything in the room on already. I have Preset 1 which is just <strong>Cubase<\/strong>. Preset 2 which just <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong>. Preset 3 is <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong> and <strong>Cubase<\/strong>, and Preset 4 is everything in the room \u2013 all the mics, everything on at the same time &#8211; and I can switch between them all using the <strong>ARC<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo it\u2019s really quick for routing something directly to the speakers. It just gives you kind of a software mixing desk, with the <strong>ARC<\/strong> as the master volume and a bunch of other shortcuts. It\u2019s really simple, but really effective.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"background: ghostwhite; padding: 2rem; margin: 3rem 1rem;\">\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img alignright wp-image-56559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-totalmix-fx.jpg\" alt=\"TotalMix FX, RME 12Mic remote and Remotefish software\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-totalmix-fx.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-totalmix-fx-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-totalmix-fx-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-totalmix-fx-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>Autogain &amp; Autoset with the RME 12Mic<\/h3>\n<p>One extra tip Andy had for us was how he uses the <strong>RME 12Mic&#8217;s<\/strong> <em>AutoSet<\/em> feature. Also found on several of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/rme\/firewire-usb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">RME\u2019s audio interfaces<\/a>, <em>AutoSet<\/em> provides automatic overload protection when recording, allowing you to record without worrying about clipping any of your takes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is really, really powerful. So how it works is, you switch it on and crank the input up, and hit a note on the piano for example. Crank it up, scary loud where it\u2019s going to distort, play some notes, and the autogain is now set for the optimum level for that channel.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So it\u2019s really cool &#8211; say you\u2019re on your own and you want to record the piano with four mics. You can just put everything on <em>AutoSet<\/em>, play the part and this will look after the input level. Really quick, really easy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img alignleft wp-image-56561 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-moog-modular.jpg\" alt=\"Composer Andy Gray next to his wall of Moog Modular synthesizer\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-moog-modular.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-moog-modular-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-moog-modular-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-rme-ferrofish-moog-modular-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/h3>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>Sounding Off&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p>With this being <strong>Andy\u2019s<\/strong> first foray into <strong>RME<\/strong> devices, our final question was &#8216;what do you look for when choosing an audio interface?&#8217; As it turns out, <strong>Andy\u2019s<\/strong> used a number of different devices throughout his career \u2013 now, he thinks this is the best he\u2019s ever had it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo originally I used <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong> as my main tracking rig, because that was the only thing that had audio of any big amount at the time,\u201d he recalls. \u201cAnd at that point <strong>Digidesign<\/strong>, who later became <strong>Avid<\/strong>, made their own interfaces, so I just stayed with that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it was always the case for me &#8211; I do want it to sound good, I want it obviously to be the best quality it can be &#8211; but back in the day when they started to allow more third party hardware, I just found it was a really flakey connection. So I\u2019d rather have the latest <strong>Digidesign<\/strong> at the time or <strong>Avid<\/strong>, than I would to go third party and find it wouldn\u2019t connect properly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then I moved away from <strong>Pro Tools<\/strong>, dipped my toe in other makes, which I stayed with for a while \u2013 it was just clunky, it wasn\u2019t for me, it wasn\u2019t effortless.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"head-img alignright wp-image-56702\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-RME-MADIface-USB-1.jpg\" alt=\"Closeup of the RME MADIface USB (MADI to USB audio interface)\" width=\"425\" height=\"425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-RME-MADIface-USB-1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-RME-MADIface-USB-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-RME-MADIface-USB-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-RME-MADIface-USB-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-RME-MADIface-USB-1-267x268.jpg 267w, https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Andy-Gray-interview-RME-MADIface-USB-1-75x75.jpg 75w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/>\u201cI then came across <strong>RME<\/strong> on the <strong>Cubase<\/strong> forums, when I moved back to <strong>Cubase<\/strong> about a year and a half ago. It\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve bought <strong>RME<\/strong>, and it just is so easy, it\u2019s just rock-solid. Sounds amazing, and the setup is just so easy compared to what I\u2019ve had in the past. Certainly this combination with <strong>Cubase<\/strong> and an <strong>M-Series Mac<\/strong> laptop, I\u2019ve never had anything so easy to use.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI run my whole studio off of a laptop now, plus a couple of thunderbolt hubs. It\u2019s super portable. I can plug the laptop in in the morning, take it out again at night, and then when I come back the next day everything\u2019s still set up. There\u2019s none of this driver stuff with <strong>RME<\/strong>, none of \u2018is it going to see the driver, am I going to have to unplug it, plug it back in, reboot it?\u2019 There\u2019s just none of that, it hasn\u2019t done that once.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJump on the train with it &#8211; I went to the dub for a film and I took my laptop with me, and there was a problem with the stem. And with a modern laptop, you can go straight into the original session, edit the MIDI or a sample, it\u2019s really flexible. I can\u2019t imagine not having everything on a laptop now.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo in all a really slick system, basically in a 1U unit, then with an extra 1U for the mic pres. And yeah the sound is amazing, both the <strong>Ferrofish<\/strong> and the <strong>12Mic<\/strong>, they sound great, I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Massive thanks to Andy Gray for giving us such an in-depth tour of his studio, and for the minced pies!<\/p>\n<p>To find out more about his work, visit his website at <a title=\"Andy Gray Music\" href=\"https:\/\/www.andygrayproductions.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.andygrayproductions.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"RME Audio Interfaces | Synthax Audio UK\" href=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/rme\/firewire-usb\/\">See the full range of RME Audio Interfaces<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Ferrofish Multi-channel AD\/DA Converters | Synthax Audio UK\" href=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/ferrofish\/ferrofish-ad-da-converters\/\">See the full range of Ferrofish AD\/DA Converters<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr>\n<footer>\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"logo-img\" style=\"float: left; margin: 10px 20px 20px 0;\" title=\"RME Audio Logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/RME-Logo.png\" alt=\"RME Audio Logo\" width=\"150\" height=\"29\"><\/figure><div style=\"margin-top: 5px;\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"logo-img\" style=\"float: left; margin: 10px 20px 20px 0;\" title=\"RME Audio Logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/latest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Ferrofish-Logo-teal-1024x220.webp\" alt=\"RME Audio Logo\" width=\"150\" height=\"29\"><\/figure><div style=\"margin-top: 5px;\">\n\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"footer-text\">\n<p>Want to know more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/rme\/\">RME<\/a> and Ferrofish?\n<br>\nGive us a call on <a href=\"tel:+441727821870\">01727 821 870<\/a> to speak to one of our team, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.synthax.co.uk\/contact-us\/\">contact us here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/footer>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<style>\n\n#attachment_50344 {\n  border: none;\n}\n\nh1 {\n  line-height: 36px;\n}\n\n.article-wrapper p, .article-wrapper li {\n  font-size: 1.2rem !important;\n  line-height: 26px !important; \n  margin-bottom: 24px;\n}\n\n\/*\n.article-wrapper h3, .article-wrapper h2 {\n  letter-spacing: 0.099em !important;\n}\n*\/\n\n\n.article-wrapper-heading {\n  margin-top: 20px;\n  letter-spacing: 0.099em;\n}\n\n\n.eightCol {\n  padding: 0 !important;\n}\n\n.wp-block-separator {\n  margin: 10px;\n}\n\n.footer-top-wrapper {\n  padding-bottom: 0;\n}\n\n\n.footer-text {\n  font-family: \"Helvetica Neue\", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; 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