In the studio with Dustin OHalloran

reviews.headphonecommute.com by Headphone Commute

Lets start at the very beginning. Can you tell us how you got
involved in composing, and what was your very first piece of gear?
Everything started when I starting writing music with Sara Lov and we formed
our first group Devics. I started playing bass and guitar and bought an old
Tascam 4 track. It was my first attempt at recording and i was immediately
hooked. I still love the sound of these old machines and of analogue tape. These
were really my formative years of music learning to trust my instincts and a time
of discovery. It was not until I moved to Italy that I started working on my solo
piano work which really let me into composing.

How many different studio iterations have you gone through, and
what does your final setup look like right now?
I have had a few incarnations of my studio each one slowly progressing to a
more professional situation. But I really started in a room in my flat then
eventually had a dedicated space that was more a glorified closet. I realized
pretty early on that I needed to start collecting recording gear and learn about it
if I was going to find the sounds I heard in my head, so over the years I have
collected a lot of vintage mics and pre amps. When I moved to Italy, I again
worked out of my house and recorded both of first piano records in the living
room with old tile floors. I eventually moved my studio into an old farmhouse in
the country side in Italy where i had my first dedicated studio set up. It was
really special space an old animal stall that I treated acoustically but kept the
old curved ceiling it actually sounded great and it was dead quiet all around
me. It was still a working farm so each day when I would show up to work I
would have small chats with the local farmer.

When I moved to Berlin I had a set up in a separate room and then moved into a
great studio space in Kreuzberg in an old factory loft where I have some friends
next to me like Johann Johannsson and Hildur Gudnadottir. Its my favorite
studio space I have had nice acoustics, tons of light, and really inspiring people
around me.

What is your favorite piano?

I became really attached to this old swiss Sabel piano from the 1930s that I had
in Italy so much that I brought it back to Berlin myself! but I think if I could
afford to have any piano I would love to have a Fazioli. Its an incredible
instrument that is soft and full and has the most incredible bass. Or a
Boesendorfer Imperial piano!

Tell us about your favorite piece of hardware.

Im always experimenting with different pieces of gear tape delays, pedals,
compressors. But probably the one piece of gear that I will always use on every
recording is 1072 neve pre amps. Nothing sounds as warm and smooth as
these they make everything sound the way I want them to. But I also dont try
to get too hung up on gear I just try to work with what I have and make it
sounds interesting.
And what about the software that you use for production?
I have been using Pro Tools for ages. It has its limits but I just dont have time to
learn anything else Im getting too old!

Is there a particular piece of gear that youre just dying to get your
hands on and do you think one day youll have it?
I think I would prefer a Boesendorfer Imperial piano from the 1950s above all

pieces of gear or a Fazioli piano. I can work pretty low fi sometimes which I
think is always something I try to hold on to. Even if I buy really high-end
monitors sometimes recording something on a cheap old tape recorder is the
right sound.
Can you please share some aspects of sound design in your work?
This is something that constantly evolves. I do a lot of sound design elements
created running through my pedal board. Right now my favorite new pedal is the
red panda particle delay it has a lot of unexpected elements and its hard to
control which I like. I love being surprised by what comes out. Also the
Strymon Big Sky is a beautiful sounding reverb pedal that sounds amazing I
will also run a lot of things through my 2 tape delays, A Roland and an old
Echoplex as well as running analogue signals through my ARP synth filters. On
the last AWVFTS album we used some GRM sound design tools to manipulate
audio these are great.

Any particular new techniques that you tried out for your new work
on Transparent?
The palette of instruments is pretty minimal piano, harmonium, bass, some
guitar, glockenspiel. Mostly its just recording on the right piano. Either my
Sabel or my August Forester or a Blunther grand. So it was not really a lot of
new techniques as it was using a lot of piano miking techniques I have learned
over the years.
What does your live setup look like, and what do you bring with you
when you travel for an extensive tour?
Right now Im mostly only doing AWVFTS concerts. We rent local pianos for the
concert and my computer set up is running a lot of my own samples off of
Ableton and using a controller with a lot of internal processing. I have a Princess
Analog delay routing through everything to add more warble and effects, and Im
using a 12 step foot controller that triggers a moog minitaur for my bass sounds.

What is the most important environmental aspect of your current

workspace and what would be a particular element that you would
improve on?
Light for me is vital. I cant work in a dark studio space. I really need windows
to be able to open them, have fresh air and see the natural light. I could
definitely improve the acoustics of my space its something I would really like
to work on.
What can you tell us about your overall process of composition? How
are the ideas born, where do they mature, and when do they finally
see the light?
It can really happen in so many ways. Most of the time its sitting at the piano
spending time improvising. Sometimes Ill record small parts and come back to

them so if something resonates with me its usually worth going back to But
if an idea really stays in my head than I usually know I need to follow it. But Im
always trying to change my process a bit so I dont get into musical ruts. I
recently worked on a film score that was all electronic and this was a really
intuitive way of working as I was really recording ideas and collaging them as I
did it it was less about structure and more about sounds and instincts. I was
mainly using a vintage ELKA SYNTHEX which is one of my favorite synths.
Sometimes when I know I really want to craft something it will take more time
working on strings arrangements and carving them out using the piano and
Sibelius to get it down in notation. But its really at the recording process that I
understand if its all working.

How is composing music for film and television different from your
studio albums?
Writing for film is really a different process than writing for my self but
somehow they both inform each other. Ultimately working on a film is a
collaboration with a lot of different people directors, editors, producers and
sometimes all seeing it a little different. So you have to navigate this and find
way to keep pure what you do. You rarely have the luxury of time when working
on a score, so you really have to follow your first impulse which is also a good
thing to learn. But when Im writing for myself its a much slower process and
more about digging for the deeper ideas. I like to resonate on things and make
sure they feel timeless. I have a lot of material I have never released as Im
waiting too long and now I feel the moments has passed or they could not
stand up against the great purifier of time.
After the piece is complete, how do you audition the results? What
are you reactions to hearing your music in a different context,
setting, or a sound system?
I use to audition my records on all kinds of sources different speakers, car
speakers, home. But lately I have really learned to just trust my speakers and let
it go. You can really lose your mind always searching for the perfect listening
situation, but its something you cant really control. Everyone will have their
own systems and a lot of times they are just listening to MP3s on a computer. So
I just try to get it to sound good with what I know and let it go.

Do you ever procrastinate? If so, what do you usually find yourself

doing during those times?
Email and the internet are great for procrastination I think its a really bad
habit and Im trying to make sure I make time where Im unplugged. If Im not
feeling inspired its always better to use the time to study something or better yet
read a book!
What gets you inspired?
I think Im inspired by everything music, art, books, life, love its all in there.
It comes and goes and the best thing you can do is just be in the right place when
it comes!

And finally, what are your thoughts on the state of electronic

music today?
I think its a great time for electronic music. A lot of gaps are closing and the
lines and types of music are getting so blurred especially in electronic music
it still feels vital. I think the advancement of audio manipulation has created a
whole new world for electronic music it is not longer just about synths and
beats. It crossed into sculpture almost Im finding a lot of inspiration these
days in it.