In The Studio Focus: Tailor Birds

Answered by: Sophie Kinston — frontwoman, songwriter, electric violinist, founder of Tailor Birds, producer, booker, linker of good souls

In what studio did you record your most recent release? The latest records foundations (strings and piano) were recorded in northern Holland. However, to finish it off we recorded the drums in Holland and India, the flutes in the UK and then the vocals and final strings in makeshift studios through Australia.

What made you choose it in the first place? This allowed us to give the music its unique energy, taking inspiration from the land and its people. This combined with the guest musos gave it a European quality, and a world folk edge.

When anyone with a computer can record something of studio quality, what made you still go into a studio? The studio gave it the overall support that the record needed, with then more alternative spaces to create that added gloss.

Was there any piece of equipment or instrument in particular that the studio had that you enjoyed using? Quality recording engineers more than anything.

Who was working with you on the recording (producer, engineer) and what did they bring to the table? There were key moments. Paul in Holland gave a strong foundation to work from, Ando gave us special tips for recording a more orchestral sound, and Damien Gerard Studios gave the record its finish.

Did you record pretty much live to tape or did you use some studio trickery? We recorded the basis of the work live to tape, and then added more layers of violins, drums, vocals and flutes in studios through Australia, India, Amsterdam, and London.

Do you aim for perfection in the studio or more feeling or vibe when deciding to use a take? It's all about vibe. We recorded many versions, some live looped and some pre-recorded loops, plus different speeds and timings; all of this done without a click track. And we then chose our favourite.

Do you prefer analogue or digital? Whatever makes sense for that specific recording. I'm not a huge tech nerd, so it's all about what works for that moment.

Did you run into any musos while you were recording? Did you swap stories/talk collabs or anything like that? Working on this while on the road, our links with various locals, definitely fed into our music. We recorded for our flute player Paya, on her new record, and there's always talk of other collabs.