 Recording music in the world's remotest area Is it possible to record music in the remotest area in the world where temperatures regularly drop to -40 C. Well yes it is if you're Mat Richardson. Mat is one of a team of engineers supporting UK scientists at the British Antarctic Survey's Halley Research Station on the Brunt Ice Shelf in the Antarctic.
On a 2 year assignment, Mat was determined to continue playing and recording music during his spare time. So he contacted Guitarworks, Reading and together spec'd out the equipment that he would need. This included a Fishman Rare Earth pickup and Pro EQ II for Mat's Martin guitar, a Focusrite Saffire with Novation Remote 25SL midi controller, Samson monitor speakers and mics, and Planet Waves cables. Special care was taken to choose high quality equipment that could withstand the rigours of travelling to the Antarctic, and was lightweight and reliable in use.
When Mat contacted us, he was already based at the Rothera Research Station in the Antarctic. We chose equipment that we were confident was top quality and reliable in use. We had to be conscious of the weight because it was being hand-carried to him - everything was double-checked, and we made sure there were back-ups for essential items. There are only two supply drops a year so we couldn't afford any mistake.
The equipment was flown down to the Falklands, and then was transported via Icebreaker ship, plane and finally Snow-cat. After a 3 month wait, Mat was finally able to install and set-up the equipment in his office. Already he has used the equipment to record two new songs and is impressed with the sound quality and features available
"Although we are here to support incredibly important scientific research, we also make as much use of our spare time as possible." says Mat. "We have a superb opportunity to learn all sorts of things from languages to engineering skills and in my case, music. One of my aims when I came to the Antarctic was to learn to play guitar and have a go at writing some songs. After my first year here I started getting into recording but had very little equipment available to me. Contacting Nigel and the guys at Guitarworks was great, they talked me through all the gear I would need, they tested it all and packed it up ready for it to come down here. Now I have a little recording set-up where I spend lots of time learning how it all works. I'm not sure the quality of my songs is getting better but the recordings certainly are!"
Mat will be at the Halley Research station for another 12 months. You can check out his work here. His songs "Blown Away" and "All that I Am" were recorded on the new equipment.
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Next beginner's classesWe've been running Beginning Rock Guitar classes for two terms now and they've proven highly successful. Here's the deal:
8 weeks of classes
45 minutes per class on a Saturday morning
3 people maximum per class
The course has been developed by renowned local teacher Nick Hollings, and every participant receives a course book written by Nick. This is a great way to learn guitar.
We're working on the next course dates but if you're interested, let us know and we'll reserve a place for you. Cost is only £95 for the complete course. |
