Located on Lower Abbey Street, right Dublin’s city centre, Phonic Studios offers an unbeatable recording space for Irish bands, which they describe as the “perfect atmosphere for making great music.” Previous Rising Stars winners The Barley Mob are just one of the many up and coming acts to record there.
To find out more about the studio I spoke to Paul Byrne, one of the key people at Phonic. Paul is one of the founding members of 1980s legends In Tua Nua, as well as session drummer for acts including Luka Bloom, Leslie Dowdall and Rocky De Valera & the Gravediggers. On the production side of things, Paul has worked with some incredible names, including Peter Walsh (Simple Minds), Ian Broudie (The Lightning Seeds), Don Dixon (REM) and Paul Fox (XTC/They Might Be Giants).
Paul is also the person credited with discovering Sinead O’Connor when she was 15.
Within Phonic Paul specialises in working with singer-songwriters and vocal production. Some of his recent credits include Una Keane’s “Saya Nova”, Jeannette Byrne’s “Cafe Diva” and “Elegy” albums, and Rocky De Valera and the Gravediggers’ “Sinne Fianna Fail Blues” and “Diceman” singles.
Bernard: How did Phonic Studios get started?
Paul: I used to run a small home studio in Howth called Yellow Moon in the 90s. In 1998 I got a job as A/V manager at Oniva Multimedia Productions where I met Derek Cronin. When Oniva went bang in the dotcom crash I set up Phonic with Derek.
What was the motivation for setting up the recording studios?
I knew there was a need for a studio that housed musician-producers rather than just engineers.
How has Phonic developed in recent years?
In 2009 we merged with Conor Brady’s ‘Vicar Street Studios’ which added a lot to our gear list plus it brought in the production and playing talents of Conor.
Where is Derek now?
Derek is no longer here full time but regularly does sessions for me.
What is the scene for new Irish bands at the moment? How easy is it for them to get into the studio and record music?
There are loads of bands out there at the moment, it’s amazing, and they all seem to have demos on myspace etc. A lot of bands have friends with some recording gear and often get good results. Sometimes they just come here to mix what they’ve recorded at home.
Is this scene improving or getting worse?
We’ve seen a bit of an upsurge in business lately and I reckon it’s due to the massive increase in the number of bands but also because word of mouth about the standard of product coming out of here.
You have quite an impressive amount of recording equipment in your studio, how important is it for Phonic to be well stocked?
By pooling our gear we can now compete with any of the bigger studios. It’s not that we have a huge amount of gear, it’s more that what we have is real quality, especially on the way in i.e. Manley preamps and good mics.
You offer far more than just a recording space at Phonic (production, mixing and mastering etc), is this a core part of the studio’s role in helping musicians and bands reach their full potential?
Production is essential. Sometimes it’s just getting the essence of a band on tape and sometimes it’s a complete overhaul of a song (but only if they ask for it!). Mixing and mastering are part of that process too but you don’t have to record here if you only want to mix or master.
What bands have recorded there recently?
The Kapitals, Von Shakes, The Barley Mob, The Players Brigade, Ciara Sidine, Mary Coughlan, Colm Lynch, Eibhin Eviston, Stephen Ryan.
Where have bands who recorded music in phonic studios gone on to?
The Kapitals played Oxegen 10, Von Shakes are getting ready to go to New York for the Summer, The Barley Mob are in the last 5 of the Today FM competition to support The Committments at the O2, Ciara Sidine is going to be on Other Voices.
Where do you see Phonic going in the future?
We will continue to provide high quality production at low cost. Hopefully Conor will be discovered internationally!
Why should musicians choose Phonic to record their music?
Recently top Swedish producer Adam Kviman (produced Eagle Eye Cherry) has started using Phonic as his Dublin base and loves it here. Artists wishing to use Adam can contact us if they wish to avail of his services here.
We have also brought in demo rates for recording with a young trained engineer for new bands who aren’t in a position to pay for a producer/engineer. It works out about €100 cheaper per day.
More information about Phonic can be found on their website. Phonic are dedicated to providing a space which really gives musicians what they need, not just great gear and technical experience, but also a comfortable, friendly atmosphere in which to record.
[...] Blues” and “Diceman” singles and albums for Von Shakes and The Kapitals.Click here to read an interview with Paul Byrne done by Bernard O’Rourke!AlsoWe also work with a number [...]