Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • EVH trance state
  • Antonoff on Please Please Please
  • “Mick looked peeved. The Beatles had upstaged him”
  • 95k+ free music samples

Recommended reading

Joe Armon-Jones
Artists Ezra Collective’s Joe Armon-Jones on why he created his Aquarii Studios and his dub mixing technique
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
lone
Computers Lone on how he creates his technicolour, rave-adjacent electronica
Lawrence Hart
Artists Watch UK electronic artist Lawrence Hart build a track from scratch in his hardware-stuffed studio
Basement Jaxx
Artists Our forgotten interview with big-beat legends Basement Jaxx reveals the oddness of working with John Lennon’s widow - and a love for Atari
trevor horn spitfire audio jupiter
Producers & Engineers Trevor Horn finally dishes out his sampling and drum machine tips
emma jean thackray
Artists Emma-Jean Thackray: "Ableton is great for making tracks, Pro Tools is great for mixing. For me, Logic is great when you do both"
  1. Artists
  2. Djs

Me in my studio: Jupiter Ace

News
By Chris Barker published 23 February 2012

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

Intro

Intro

"My studio space is in Start Together Studios in the centre of Belfast.

"Start Together mainly record rock and indie bands and I'm always bumping into people from that world in here which is really interesting. I produced the debut release for my new record label Big Vision in this studio."

"The label is a joint venture with Strictly Rhythm and I have one simple mission – to deliver dance bombs of epic proportions! I hope I've achieved this with the first release 'Wheel Of Life', which is out now."

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
The studio

The studio

"I share this space with the Start Together guys - they sometimes record bands or voice-overs in here which explains the big Protools control surface!

"The acoustic in here is excellent, my productions have gone up another notch since I started to work in this room."

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
Macbook Pro

Macbook Pro

"My beloved Macbook Pro. I made the leap to working exclusively on a laptop a few years ago.

"Whilst I do most of my work here, it's essential for me to be able to work on the move as well. As you can see I'm a Logic man. My favourite synths would be Sylenth, Nexus, Massive and the Logic ES1 and ESP.

"Some fave effects plugins would be XFER LFO Tool, Valhalla Room reverb, Waves CLA compressors and the Sonalksis TBK series."

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
Apogee Duet

Apogee Duet

"This was a pricey unit considering its simple features but the money goes into the quality of the converters, which Apogee have an amazing reputation for.

"It hasn't let me down yet and interfaces very nicely with Logic."

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
M-Audio Oxygen Controller Keyboard

M-Audio Oxygen Controller Keyboard

"Does what it says on the tin… I don't tend to twiddle knobs much on this, I just draw my automation.

"To be honest, half the time I just hit 'Shift Lock' in Logic and input MIDI that way!"

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
Genelec 8040A

Genelec 8040A

"My beloved Genelecs. I've had them a long time now and they work well for me."

"I have tried the NS10s in the other room here which I know some people use for dance, but for this style of music, I think you need monitors that are going to give you a bit more top end and most importantly low bass - it gives you a rough idea of what it will sound like on a club system."

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
Korg MS-20

Korg MS-20

"I would describe this as my pride and joy. I got it for my 21st birthday and it's stayed in my studio since.

"It's semi-modular so you can have a bit of fun tinkering with it, and the filters are fabulous of course. I must admit, it's harder to find a place for it in my productions these days both practically and sonically, but I still love it and I will never part with it."

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
Various pedals

Various pedals

"The Digitech Talker is an interesting pedal - it works like a vocoder but sounds more like a talkbox.

"It's very clear-sounding, I'm about to give it a try on a new remix to process vox. The Moogerfooger pedals belong to Start Together - they have loads of lovely gear here that I can use."

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
Vocal booth

Vocal booth

"The studio was originally built for TV and voiceover work, which explains the layout of the booth. It works really well."

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
Wunder Audio CM7

Wunder Audio CM7

"Start Together recently bought this mic - it's a replica of the legendary Neumann U47 which is very popular for vocals.

"It's so great to have access to this, I really couldn't ask for more in terms of quality. They have a range of mics I can use - including a Blue Mics Kiwi which is also very nice to use for vocals."

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
Presonus Tube Pre

Presonus Tube Pre

"This is a very simple tube preamp which I bought some time ago for under £100. It's got a lovely tube drive on it which adds that distinctive presence and edge to vocals.

"There are of course better preamps out there but this is working for me at the minute."

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
SSL G-Series Console

SSL G-Series Console

"Start Together use this console for all their mixdowns. I was so excited when I heard they were getting this in that I got in touch and that's actually how I ended up in here.

"It's an 80s desk and has a very retro-looking computer which is used for the recalls amongst other things. Again, I can get access to this if I need it which is amazing - I have done some mix-summing through it and it certainly adds character."

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
Chris Barker
Read more
Joe Armon-Jones
Ezra Collective’s Joe Armon-Jones on why he created his Aquarii Studios and his dub mixing technique
Riva Starr
“I have an original 909 – every time I use it I feel like I’m ruining it”: Riva Starr's studio essentials
lone
Lone on how he creates his technicolour, rave-adjacent electronica
Lawrence Hart
Watch UK electronic artist Lawrence Hart build a track from scratch in his hardware-stuffed studio
Basement Jaxx
Our forgotten interview with big-beat legends Basement Jaxx reveals the oddness of working with John Lennon’s widow - and a love for Atari
trevor horn spitfire audio jupiter
Trevor Horn finally dishes out his sampling and drum machine tips
Latest in Djs
Deadmau5 and James Hype
“Next time don’t bring a wet sponge to a tech fight”: deadmau5 just beat down DJ James Hype by beating Elden Ring with a Pioneer CDJ-3000
Djrum
"I have a very emotional relationship with my machines”: How Djrum made one of 2025’s best electronic albums
Lawrence Hart
Watch UK electronic artist Lawrence Hart build a track from scratch in his hardware-stuffed studio
The Cure
“Way beyond anything I could have hoped for”: Robert Smith announces new Cure remix album
Riva Starr
“I have an original 909 – every time I use it I feel like I’m ruining it”: Riva Starr's studio essentials
Mustard Native Instruments
Mustard will be headlining at Coachella tonight with a very exclusive Native Instruments Maschine MK3
Latest in News
The Carpenters
“We would have absolutely lied through our teeth if there wasn't a full song”: How a TV jingle turned into a pop classic
Springsteen and Trump
“Too risky at the moment”: A Springsteen covers band has been advised not to play in his hometown
polymax
Universal Audio is giving the $199 PolyMAX synth plugin away for free - but not for long
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus explains her distinctive singing voice and why it’s preventing her from touring
Memorial Day software deals
I wish these Memorial Day software deals had been around when I mixed my new EP - save up to 90% off Waves, Native Instruments, and Positive Grid plugins
Jim Irsay in 2023
“Gilmour’s Strat went for four million”: The man with the $1billion guitar collection

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...