Me in my studio: Nambyar

Welcome

Having cut his musical teeth in a guitar band, Amsterdam-based R&B tunesmith Nambyar changed sonic tack when he started writing songs on analogue synths. He marries these vintage tones to subtle beats and his soulful vocals, telling stories of love and loss.

Nambyar has just released a new track, Once More, the video for which you can watch below. Beyond that, you can check out the gear he uses - and the boat-based studio it resides in - by clicking through the gallery…

The studio

“Me and my producer Peter Kriek (pictured right) met two years ago. Peter, also known as the Producer/writer from CUBICOLOR, has transformed his houseboat, which sits in the waters of Amsterdam, into a studio.

“It’s a really special place and there's a lot of gear. Every now and then you feel the waves rolling in and it adds a second dimension, like you’re floating through the universe, making the day timeless.

“While doing some sketching at home, I use plenty of software synths, but after my writing is done we prefer to record it with real synths”  

SSL 4032 E/G

“We have an SSL 4032 E/G in a 4056 frame, with black EQ' and masterbus modified to G+, with optional masterbus switch to API, fully recapped in 2010.

“We imported the console from Japan. It sounds amazing and is fully working!”

Dave Smith Instruments Prophet 12

“One of the synths we're using is the Dave Smith Prophet 12. It's not an analogue-sounding synth, as it’s a digital synth. But it does have a clear character of its own which is new and intriguing.

“All the different modulation possibilities allow one to create a great variety of original patches. Sounds that we haven't heard before - that’s what we want!”

Moog Sub 37

“We use a lot of sub in our tracks so this one is perfect! It’s easy to play and the filters are clean and consistent”

Arturia Matrixbrute

“The Matrixbrute is a pretty heavy one, weighing in at 20kg, and its front panel measures 860 x 432mm!

“We use this for the soundscapes. It’s crazy how many options this beast has got and we’re still figuring out how to fly this spaceship! It really does work for filling up the back.”

Gear for on the road and at home

“The Space Echo is great for live and for in the studio. I bought it as a verb/delay pedal for my guitar, but now I use it for vocal looping as well.

“I use Ableton Live on a MacBook; this program is great to use when you’re preforming live. I use the Akai 40 to trigger sounds - it's really handy for writing and creating new things.

“The Microkorg XL is a great synth to write on. I bought it four years ago and I still love the sounds for writing. I know it really well, so it's easy to create sounds.

“I just bought the KeyLab because I needed a bank of sounds at home. Arturia has the Analog Lab which is a synth studio plugin. With this keyboard it's easy to save presets and go live. The sounds are really good and you have a lot of old good synths.

“The M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 is for when i’m going on vacation making beats or playing some notes while lying in the sun. The Isa One preamp is for my vocals at home - it gives a great spark and it suits my vocals well.”