Colin J. Morris - Pecking order by SSTN Strings
Tell us a little about your musical background ie influences, formative experiences, bands you play/played in
I wanted to play guitar since I first heard The Shadows play "Apache" when I was about 7 years old. The only music I had available to me was my Dad's, so it was The Shadows, Elvis and Glenn Miller almost constantly until my teens. I caught the indie bug in school when I heard My Bloody Valentine's "Isn't Anything" around '89. Also around that time, I started listening to The Byrds and Joni Mitchell. So after a few dodgy bands, I ended up in a band called Sunbear in 1993 and had a blast for a few years. Since that band, I played in the Ruby Tailights and currently play with Carol Keogh and Miriam Ingram.
I only really started recording myself in 2005 and formed a film scoring company www.tootsweet.ie with Miriam Ingram in 2007. I think getting in to recording was the best and most creative thing I ever did. I started off with a Yamaha 8-track machine, using guitar pedals as effect inserts. I still like those old clunky demos, but I also love software recording. I think a lot of musicians can be a bit snobby towards computers, software and decent mics, but I love them.
Describe your process of music-making/composition. Is this piece (ie the one submitted to SSTN) typical of this process?
I guess the process changes from time to time. For the SSTN track, it was great that there was a strings theme, because that gives me that little restriction. I think restrictions can really make creativity blossom. So all of the sounds in "Pecking Order" were created with stringed instruments, including the beats. For this particular piece I used a steel string guitar, a mandolin and an Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer.
Usually I'll spend a bit of time miking instruments well and then mess about on the guitar for a while. When I get to something I like, I'll record it and then start cutting it, destroying it, reversing it -essentially anything I can do with all of the audio I've recorded. Then I'll set up some effect sends and some filter inserts and automate all of the effects to some degree.
What sort of equipment (e.g. computer, hardware, home made gear, instruments etc.) do you use to make your sounds?
I have a few decent mics that I use -M-Audio Sputnik, A pair of SE3s, a Sennheiser 421 and a trusty Shure SM57. I use some Focusrite preamps and record into Cubase on a PC. I'm pretty fond of the Ohmforce plugins and the UAD stuff, but I usually shape most of the sounds within Soundforge. Other than that, I use a Rickenbacker electric, a Fender Jazz bass, a Taylor acoustic, a Takamine spanish, a mandolin and a mountain dulcimer. When I (rarely) use synths, it's just really a Casio SK-1 and a Yamaha CS01mkII. those two, going through guitar pedals are pretty monstrous.
For beats, I tend to sample stuff around the house, like wheelie bins, the toaster, pieces of wood and pillows for kick drums and once I'm finished editing them I create a Battery kit to trigger the samples within Cubase. I tend to create a new kit for each track but sometimes go back to previous kits for some pieces.
Info about upcoming gigs, releases, website etc.
I'll have an album out in the last quarter of 2010 which will be a release of co-writes with some of my favorite songwriters. So far it's Miriam Ingram, Carol Keogh, Kim Porcelli, Danielle Harrison, Nina Hynes and Ann Scott. It'll most likely be under the name "needlework", but that's still to be confirmed. I guess I'll try to gig the album at least a few times, but I haven't started preparing that. Gulp.
Web: http://soundcloud.com/colin-j-morris
http://www.tootsweet.ie
sounds gorgeous!