Tess Savigear, aka Sister Savage, hails from Cornwall, UK. From her compact home recording studio she creates a uniquely moody and ethereal blend of electronic and traditional music. She has graciously agreed to share the details of her music room with us:
Q: How long have you had a home-recording setup?
I feel like I've had a real setup for about four years now. Before that I was just using a tape recorder. I think it's fair to say that if you want a home recording setup, you'll create one out of whatever you have.
Q: Could you describe the room you record in?
A ground-floor closet, 6ft X 5ft. There's no natural light or central heating. It's an unusually large but otherwise unremarkable closet.
Q: What sort of equipment do you use?
The computer is just a standard home-built PC largely cobbled together from spares, with I/O handled through a Tascam US-428 USB device. All recording and mixing is done using Ardour running on 64-bit Gentoo Linux. Acoustic input runs through one of two mics - either an EV N/D767a or an SE Z5600A.
Vocals run through a Lexicon MPX 200.
Q: What is the one piece of equipment or software you couldn't live without?
Ardour. You can record, mix, edit and master. And it's free and incredibly intuitive.
Q: What is the one piece of equipment or software you could get rid of without consequence?
Hate to say it, but I never use the SE Z5600A mic. Despite advice from everyone, I find the sound very crisp and unforgiving, which can be quite cringe-inducing. I prefer to sing curled up with my little mic and a glass of wine. For what I am trying to achieve—having fun and making music—I get by using basic stuff, the gear that makes me feel at home and comfortable. I would never recommend this to anyone else and encourage anyone who sings in my studio to use the SE. If I lost anything else, I'd rush out immediately to replace it.
Q: What one piece of advice would you give home-recording artists?
Take the RPM Challenge, and really throw yourself in to it. It's a learning experience. You'll meet a load of like-minded, enthusiastic artists, you'll probably be dragged in to a happy collaboration or two and you'll end up with an album of original songs!
Sister Savage can be found at www.alonetone.com/sistersavage
Comments
Great piece. Sister's songs have a modern folk feel and a voice that could put Kate Bush to shame. Yeah I'm a fan.
You know you've got it bad when you're singing in a closet into a Linux box. Hard core.
And yeah, I'm a fan too.
This was interesting to read.
I like the sun and moon rug on the wall.
Thanks guys - too kind as usual! :)
(@Neb - It's actually a throw. Not even I would put a rug on a wall.)
Sister's songs are amazing and her passion for music is too! I am a fan!
well, that's what I meant... ? :) Oh yea, are you going to buy one of those mics for christmas?
for ME I meant.. hehe
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