Producer and Singer Songwriter Callum MacColl installs EVE Audio SC307's
into his London recording studio
For anyone immediately recognising the MacColl family name, you will be familiar with the long and influential
careers that Callum's Mother and Father
Ewan MacColl and
Peggy Seeger
have brought to the folk scene. With such pedigree, it is understandable that Callum has been immersed into the
world of creative musicians and singer song writers from an early age.
Callum recalls "I was 12 years old when I was tasked with the job of building the family studio with my brother
and a family friend. This was in South East London back in 1975, so pre punk. I remember editing my mum and dads
songs for many years in that studio. I became a full time professional musician when I was 22 and spent the next
part of my life working in different indie bands like Rough Trade and the Liberty Horses. During this time I did
lots of Session work all over."
"I would say my style is eclectic, I have worked with so many different styles and genres over the years. Some
of my past projects include Eddi Reader, Hafdis Huld, Christie Hennessy, Christy Moore, The Bible, Brian Kennedy,
Black, Sarah-Jane Morris, Ronan Keating, The Backstreet Boys and most recently the award-winning Malian singer
Rokia Traore."
"Meanwhile, I always had a studio. It became that thing when you had to keep writing songs, and as you wrote them
you had to produce and mix them for demo's. Nobody was going to do it for you unless you were willing to pay. So
I have built up the studio over many years."
Callum's studio is a converted double garage in the family home using a room within a room construction. The
floor is raised on studs with the studio walls and ceiling offering an acoustic void between these walls and
the original garage structure. Designed by the Studio Wizard – Howard Turner, the space has been treated to
offer a natural deadness. In other words the mids and highs can still have a little reflection for character
whilst keeping the troublesome low mids and lows under control with heavy baffling. Sporting a fine collection
of around 40 guitars and a Microphone collection that would envy most studio owners, Callum recently decided
to upgrade his studio monitoring system:
"So I went for the Eve's. I was worried about changing monitors, so I auditioned a number of brands to find what
I was looking for. I choose the
SC307's
because they are easy on the ears in the high frequencies whilst offering
such great clarity on the low mids without fatiguing and tiring the ears. They are easy to work on. Easier to
identify EQs. The only thing I would say is that the stereo imaging is so precise. I suppose this is not a bad
thing but it means you need to sit exactly in the sweet spot to enjoy their accuracy."
"I have had the EVE's for a few months now and I really enjoy listening to them. It has taken no time at all to
become familiar with them and mix some great music through them."
Callum MacColl is currently working on a number of EP projects in conjunction with his record label
Red Grape Records.
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