Three weeks into a recording project that has taken the South Africa-based Wired for Sound mobile recording set-up back to Malawi, sound engineer Simon Attwell reports 40 recordings are in the bag – in spite of power cuts and connectivity issues. No problems with his new Audient kit, however.
Supplied by local distributor Benjamin Pro Audio, Attwell is using the iD22 USB interface (which he describes as ‘flawless’) alongside an ASP880 eight-channel mic preamp and A/D converter. ‘We have done all the recordings using our solar set-up built into the vehicle, powering a MacBook Pro, the iD22 and headphone amp,’ he says. ‘In fact, we are going solar all the way, using a Studer 200w pure SW inverter. It gives us clean power, free from clicks or interference.’
The iD22 has a proven track record in location recording, due to its compact design and portability, as well as audio performance. Being part of a solar-powered set-up is unusual, however.
‘We’ve installed two solar powered recording studios – mirroring our set-up of two-channel interface and laptop powered by solar panels – in Monkey Bay and in Mchinji. We’ve been mostly tracking using Audio-Technica AT4047MP and Shure SM7 microphones, which both sound superb through the iD22, and the built-in DI is super useful for bass and guitar overdubs,’ he says.
One of the project’s goals is to gain access to young musicians in remote areas, and in order to do so they partner with radio stations as an entry point into the community. This year however, the team have also found themselves in jail: ‘We used the ASP880 in Kachere Youth Prison in Lilongwe to record the prison band,’ Attwell explains. ‘It was an amazing experience. We were a bit concerned about getting it all up and running, but it linked perfectly and we were recording eight tracks within minutes. Thank you Audient.’
The project will move north to install studios at Nkhotakota and Karonga over comingthree weeks. ‘We finish off the project recording the choir festival in Nkwichi lodge in Mozambique,’ Attwell says.
Attwell is also the founding member of South African band Freshlyground. Together with radio producer Kim Winter, music producer Itamar Weiss and Freshlyground guitarist Julio Sigauque, they make up Wired For Sound.
