INTERVIEW: Sonorous Hue Studios

10th October 2020

With the music industry currently in a state of extreme fragility, many artists, performers and others involved in music have had to find ways of keeping their businesses afloat.

Recently The Sound of the Crowd spoke to musician and songwriter Barry Walton - a prime example of someone who has had to diversify their musical output in order to keep Covid-induced difficulties at bay. His usual work as a member of OMD tribute band Manoeuvres has been called to a halt over the last few months, so instead he is currently focusing his attentions on a micro recording studio he has built in his home (with the help of his wife and fellow band member Sarah-Leigh) in Herefordshire.

You can read our findings - both about the new studio, and Barry’s experiences as a musician - below...

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The Sound of the Crowd: Reading the information on Sonorous Hue’s website it certainly sounds like this whole experience [of building the studio] has been quite challenging – what would you say is the main thing you’ve learnt?

Barry Walton: Yes it was a little more difficult than I imagined it would be, particularly because I didn’t have a bottomless pot of money to feed from, and decent studio equipment is VERY expensive! I spent a lot of time researching the mountain of available gadgets and gizmos that go to making up a basic set-up, finding out about how they would integrate with the equipment I already owned, and how compatible they would be with the other items I needed. After all of that, and once I’d decided on the system I was going to use, I then had to work out the logistics of fitting it into the, shall we say, ‘economical’ space that I am using as my studio! Even things such as the routing of the wiring took a lot of working out because of the inherent complexities of a recording studio. You have to be able to record a variety of sources, in a variety of ways, and then have to provide a feed back to the artists so that they can listen to what has been recorded, as well as hear what they are currently playing...!! As for learning anything from this process, I would say that, as most things in life, creating and running a studio is a constantly evolving process, and you learn something new every day. The one thing I did learn is that what I wanted to do was possible, and I did it!

TSotC: How did the idea for the studio actually come about then?

BW: Having been a professional musician for some time, the sudden appearance of the Covid-19 virus, and subsequent lockdown, meant that all work came to a grinding halt overnight. With no immediate ending to the situation in sight, I had to look for other ways to fill my time and, hopefully, generate a little income. Having already partially set up a studio in which to produce the tracks to which I perform during live shows, it seemed to be a logical progression to develop this into a small studio where other people could record their own material.

TSotC: Is there anyone specific your services are aimed at or more suited to, or is it just

anyone who wants to do some recording?

BW: Nothing or nobody specific at all really. The only limitations I have are down to physical size, and being a ‘micro-studio’, fitting a six-piece rock band in the studio just isn’t going to happen! I have many years recording experience under my belt, both as an artist and producer, and I can handle most recording tasks, from a simple 30 second voice-over recording, to the complex recording of a full album involving live and software instruments with multi-layered vocals. Solo artists & duos are probably ideally suited to the facilities that I offer.

TSotC: Is there anything you’d do differently if you had to do it again?

BW: I suppose the one thing I would change if I could is to use a bigger room, as it’s been ‘interesting’ trying to fit an elephant into a shoebox (it’s not quite as bad as it sounds!) Seriously though, in time, a bigger studio would be nice, but for now the space I have may be small but it is perfectly formed.

TSotC: We love your stained glass-esque logo! What was the thought process behind that?

BW: Erm...Well, I could waffle on about how I used my artistic flair and imagination to conjure up this wonderful masterpiece of abstract art...but I wouldn’t exactly be telling the truth! In fact, I have my wonderful wife [Sarah-Leigh] to thank for this. We wanted something visually colourful and interesting to reflect the diversity of the studio, and I think it works.

TSotC: We certainly agree. How about your own musical career/experiences then, can you tell us a bit more about that?

BW: Crumbs! Where to start? At the beginning I suppose! This is going to be a VERY potted history. My first ever live performance was around the age of 6, when I was paid the princely sum of sixpence to stand up on a table in a pub and sing a couple of songs. I then went on to learn and play bass guitar for the school orchestral group at 13, and I joined my first ‘pop group’ at 14. I first entered a recording studio on the outskirts of Hull at 15, where I made my first ever recordings, playing bass and singing backing vocals. At 16, I jointly wrote some songs with another band, and travelled to London with them, with the promise of a recording contract that sadly never materialised. At 17, I became the resident bass guitarist for a record company, appearing on a number of recordings, the most notable of which was an album called ‘Some Other Morning’, where I wrote the bass lines and provided backing vocals. This album was once included in the top 1000 rarest & collectable records in the world! Since then, I have been a member of a number of different bands, written, recorded and produced many songs, been a radio presenter and producer, and a mobile and nightclub DJ. I am currently in the process of completing an album of my own songs to be released in the not-too-distant future and, along with my wife, go out as Manoeuvres - the only recognised tribute in the world to the mighty OMD [Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark]!

Barry and Sarah-Leigh in action as Manoeuvres at St Paul’s Worthing in 2019. Photo by The Sound of the Crowd.

TSotC: ‘Crumbs‘ indeed! You’ve certainly got some experience under your belt. So as someone with a lot of experience of the industry, what is your opinion on the ‘bedroom pop star’ nature of certain aspects of music nowadays? Do you think it’s good that

people can make and release everything themselves, with no previous experience, or

do you think it’s reducing the quality of mainstream music?

BW: In general, I believe anything to encourage and promote music on any level is a good thing, but I do worry about the state of the industry as it stands right now, as there appears to be a very definite lack of imagination and diversity in mainstream music. It seems that there is an industry standard for producing today’s music, where similar vocal effects are used, as well as production techniques, and one heck of a lot of songs are released all using the same format. In my humble opinion, we have sadly ended up with a bland mix of similar-sounding songs that have massively dominated mainstream music for many years. I understand that this can be said for a lot of music at various points across the decades, but at least there was always space previously for experimentation and diversity (just check out the 70’s & 80’s...!), whereas these days, anything different is almost ‘underground’.

I am also not a fan of some of the so called ‘talent’ shows that have been on TV over recent years. I feel so sorry for some of the youngsters who have it drummed into their heads by their parents and friends that they are wonderful when, in fact, they have difficulty stringing two notes together with any sort of quality. They end up believing wholeheartedly that they are going to ‘make it’, but end up literally in pieces when they are told the truth. I’m all for encouraging young, raw talent, and it’s absolutely right that parents should encourage their children to succeed in whatever field they excel in. This, however, should be tempered with a certain amount of reality so as not to build false hopes. I would like to think that one day, through Sonorous Hue Studio, I could help someone with a genuine talent, to develop who they are, and to provide them with a way to achieve their potential, as well as their dreams.

TSotC: We’re sure that considering your background and obvious dedication, that will happen one day! Aside from that do you have any other future plans or aspirations, either for the studio or yourself as a musician?

BW: I would dearly love to have even just a tiny bit of success with some of my songs. Even if just a few people like them, then I will be happy, and that will spur me on to write more. I would also love my studio to grow, and hope that I will be able to be involved with other singers and musicians - recording them, and helping them to become recognised. In short, music is absolutely and wholeheartedly, my drive in life, in particular, live performance, recording, production and songwriting. Therefore, my future plans hopefully, will include much more of the same, as I couldn’t think of anything better to fill my time with.

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The Sound of the Crowd would like to thank Barry for taking the time to speak to us for this interview.

Sonorous Hue logo credit to Sarah-Leigh Walton.

For more information about the studio, including how to get in touch with regards to their recording services, please visit: https://www.sonoroushuestudio.co.uk