Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Plugin Week 25
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week A-Z
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
Lawrence Hart
Artists Watch UK electronic artist Lawrence Hart build a track from scratch in his hardware-stuffed studio
Nadia Struiwigh
Artists Tresor resident Nadia Struiwigh on why she avoids tutorials and keeps things 'loose' in the studio
tourist
Producers & Engineers "You'll make so much bad music, and that's great": Tourist's advice for aspiring producers
lone
Computers Lone on how he creates his technicolour, rave-adjacent electronica
disiniblud
Artists “It creates a tone that you can't find in Guitar Center”: Disiniblud on the self-built instruments behind their debut LP
Djrum
Artists "I have a very emotional relationship with my machines”: How Djrum made one of 2025’s best electronic albums
Riva Starr
Artists “I have an original 909 – every time I use it I feel like I’m ruining it”: Riva Starr's studio essentials
  1. Artists
  2. Djs

Me in my studio: Fairmont

News
By Chris Barker ( Future Music ) published 27 September 2012

The Border Community artist takes us on a tour

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Intro

Intro

"I move around a lot, so my studio is a collection of gear rather than a particular location. In the past three years it has been in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Barcelona, Berlin, Rotterdam and Toronto.

"I use a Mac to run Cubase. For getting sounds in and out of the computer I use an RME Fireface. It sounds OK, but like all the other interfaces I have come across it tries to please everyone but probably pleases few with its layout. I'm forced to use a monitor controller, which I find ridiculous."

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Monitoring

Monitoring

"For monitoring I use Dynaudio BM12As and Sennheiser HD650 headphones. I love both for the same reason: they're transparent to my ears and I haven't had to question what they do since I bought them."

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Preamp and synths

Preamp and synths

"I've had this UA 610 preamp for several years and will probably never switch it out for anything else. The sound and the design fit perfectly into how I work.

"Beside that you can see my Prophet 08. I used to have a 600 which I prefer, but I move around too much for something that size. Up front we have an Oberheim SEM and a DSI Evolver. Two very different synths that are useful to me in very different ways."

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
More synths and drum machines

More synths and drum machines

"In the back is my Swejman S1, my favourite synth ever. It's very well thought out and I very seldom feel limited by the fact that it's only semi-modular because almost everything I could hope to patch is there.

"In the middle is my Yamaha DX100 which I use a lot for percussive sounds. In front there are my DR-110 and TR-606 drum machines. I modified the 110 with controls for its filters and envelopes as well as ins and outs for the noise sources. The 606 is awaiting to be modded. I used to have one that I had covered in knobs, but I sold it for some reason or other 10 years ago."

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Plug-ins

Plug-ins

"I bought a UAD Satellite last year and have been quite happy with it. Some of my favourites from them are the Harrison EQ, the PrecisionBuss Compressor, the Studer 800 and the EMT reverbs.

"Also pictured here is the Four FM editor for my DX100. The DX is a great synth, but without this editor I doubt that I would bother with it."

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
The rig

The rig

"This is what I fly around with for gigs. I have no interest in bringing a computer on to the road - it's a relief to have some time away from the screen. The MPC-1000 is the main sequencer and provides most of the drum sounds.

"My synth needs are taken care of by a DSI Evolver, Prophet 08 and Moog Minitaur. Pictured here is my Swejman S1 which I was just using for a special occasion. My vocals are processed with a Digitech Vocalist Live 4. I also Have a Jomox Xbase09 which I use for improvised drum programming. Everything is mixed through a crappy Alesis mixer. Don't even get me started about portable mixers: I've never found one that I've been happy with."

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Pedals

Pedals

"I have always been a fan of pedals. I used to collect and modify rare and vintage ones, but now I just have the ones I play guitar with in my band Bishop Morocco.

"For Fairmont productions I don't use them that often, but real bucket brigade chorus and delays are always pleasing on the ears and fun to use."

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Fender Precision bass

Fender Precision bass

"This is my friend James's bass. I'm not sure of the exact year, but I guess it's almost as old as me. It weighs a ton, but it sounds great. It's the one I played on Last Dance and also Bercy."

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Chris Barker
All-access artist interviews, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more. image
All-access artist interviews, in-depth gear reviews, essential production tutorials and much more.
Get the latest issue now!
More Info
Read more
Lawrence Hart
Watch UK electronic artist Lawrence Hart build a track from scratch in his hardware-stuffed studio
Nadia Struiwigh
Tresor resident Nadia Struiwigh on why she avoids tutorials and keeps things 'loose' in the studio
tourist
"You'll make so much bad music, and that's great": Tourist's advice for aspiring producers
lone
Lone on how he creates his technicolour, rave-adjacent electronica
disiniblud
“It creates a tone that you can't find in Guitar Center”: Disiniblud on the self-built instruments behind their debut LP
Djrum
"I have a very emotional relationship with my machines”: How Djrum made one of 2025’s best electronic albums
Latest in Djs
TAKKUUK
“Everyone comes back changed”: Bicep on their new collaborative project with Inuit musicians
Lawrence Hart
Lawrence Hart on the mixed blessings of classical training and being ‘scrappy’ in the studio
Nadia Struiwigh
Tresor resident Nadia Struiwigh on why she avoids tutorials and keeps things 'loose' in the studio
 Deadmau5 Performs At The Seaport District's Pier 17 Rooftop on September 8, 2018 in New York City
“Your passport to deep vibes and low-altitude cruising”: Deadmau5 launches his own 24/7 Youtube stream
Daft Punk
“We are the inventors of electro”: Emmanuel Macron wants French house to be added to UNESCO heritage list
ARMNHMR
ARMNHMR on their tools of the trade
Latest in News
Joe Armon-Jones
Ezra Collective’s Joe Armon-Jones on the imagined musical apocalypse that inspired All The Quiet
Melbourne Instruments Roto-Control
Melbourne Instruments' Roto-Control gets Bitwig Studio integration following 2.0 firmware update
Waves 4th of July
Waves just made building a pro-level plugin chain a lot cheaper - grab 2 for $59.99 or 4 for $99.99
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Celebrate the 4th of July in style with hundreds slashed off gear from Gibson, Fender, Alesis, Roland, Yamaha, Boss and more
Paul McCartney at the piano at Live Aid
Bob Geldof on how Paul McCartney’s Live Aid performance was almost a disaster
ai band
Who is behind The Velvet Sundown, the AI-generated band that blew up the internet?

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...