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The right tools for the job

Getting a sound that makes an impact and lasts requires a studio with just the right variety of ingredients, and from mics to monitoring, it's all about details. At Bark we think you'll find the blend of old and new that you're looking for.

Instruments

We’ve built up a selection of interesting instruments over the years, not just because they look nice (although they do!), but you never know when you’ll want a different sound or texture to bring a song to life, add a catchy hook or just generally spice up a track:

1967 Fender Jazzmaster (heard on many Felt recordings from the 80s)
- Gibson Les Paul
- 1962 Burns Split Sonic & Futurama
- Martin D28 acoustic (the favourite folk guitar)

... And just in case your guitarist's new amp turns out to be a fizzy sounding transistorised horror, we’ve got a few tasty old valve amps:
- Ampeg Rocket bass amp
- Vox AC 50
- Fender Twin & Session guitar amps

Plus various vintage pedals: ElectroHarmonics, Cry Baby, Marshall, Boss, WEM Copicat, Roland GP16 guitar multi-effects processor

Keyboards

- Hammond C3 with Leslie speaker (gospel, Beach Boys etc)
- Arp Solina (strings synth), Elka Rhapsody (60s strings, harpsichord)

- Selmer Clavioline (the sound of Telstar)
- upright piano (as used on Primal Scream’s Loaded!)
- Yamaha DX7
- Juno 106 synths

Percussively…

We don’t have a house drum kit, but we do have lots of percussion instruments: congas, timbales etc, & perhaps the finest collection of tambourines in private hands in north east London!

Recording and Monitoring

- M.C.I. Series 600 36 channel automated console
- Studer A80 Mk.3 24 track
- Soundscape SS32 hard disk recorder offering comprehensive digital recording & editing
- Studer A80 1/4" stereo
- Sony DTC1000ES DAT
- Denon cassette & CD player
- UREI 811 main monitors powered by Crown
- Yamaha NS10 powered by Quad 405
- Auratones powered by Quad 303
- Beyer & AKG headphones powered by Quad 303.

Outboard

- TL Audio C1 valve compressor DBX 160(x2) compressor
- 2xBehringer MDX2000 Composer Valley People Dynamite limiter/expander/gate
- Drawmer DS201 dual gate
- Rebis parametric E.Q.
- Eventide DSP4000 Ultra - Harmoniser
- Yamaha REV7
- 2 x Lexicon LXP 1 BEL BD80
- Korg SDD 3000, DRV 2000
- Aphex Aural Exciter Type C Antares ATR1 Autotuner

Microphones

It’s important to have a wide variety of interesting and characterful mics available and we’ve got them at Bark:
- Neumann U67 (valve), U87, KM84
- Apex 460 multi-pattern valve condenser
- 2 x AKG C28 (valve), D112, C3000, C1000, D140E

- Royer R121 (ribbon)
- 2 x Reslo RB vintage ribbon
- Octavia 219, 319 condensers
- Shure SM7, SM57, SM58 Beta
- 2 x Beyer M201
- Sennheiser, PZM x2
- Sony ECM 737 stereo