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Top 5: Kite String Tangle

The Kite String Tangle is the musical project of Brisbane-based artist/producer Danny Harley. Since his debut single 'Given the Chance' in 2013, he’s built a global following thanks to a distinctive sound and engaging live performances. Here are his Top 5 studio tools.

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16 October 2023

MODULAR SYNTH

Okay, so this isn’t one piece of gear, it’s more like 50. Lately I’ve been building it up and it’s been a constant source of inspiration. I try to use it in ways that wouldn’t make sense to do in the box. It’s great for happy accidents, plugging things in accidentally and finding something totally unexpected. I usually use it as a sound design tool and then chop things up in my DAW rather than as a compositional tool but it really is a wild beast of unlimited possibilities. I work much slower on it than on a computer which is sometimes annoying but on the flipside you’re forced to spend more time thinking about each step, so it generates different results.

YAMAHA U1 UPRIGHT PIANO

It’s a classic instrument. It’s moved between a bunch of studios of mine, and I love it. It’s made it onto countless records I’ve produced for myself and others. I have a bunch of nice piano VSTs but I find the creaks and finger noises etc. are irreplaceable for getting a really organic and human feel. This piano also has a really beautiful mute pedal that lends itself well to intimate songs. 

YAMAHA M1532

My studio is designed so that everything runs through this mixing desk. I’ve had it for 12 years or so and I can’t seem to part ways with it even though it takes up so much space. Every acoustic instrument and even all my synths and my modular run through it. It’s also got two inputs per channel so I run my DAW outputs into the second channel so I can press a button and route anything I want from my DAW through it as well. I have the auxiliaries patched to a bunch of ever-rotating guitar pedals so I can do delay or reverb throws or parallel compression on the way in. It’s a really fun and tactile way to get great sounds into the computer before you even look at a screen.

NEUMANN U87 (VINTAGE)

This is my main vocal mic and I record pretty much anything else with it too. I picked it up at a blind auction for a criminally cheap price and have guarded it with my life ever since. It definitely has a sound, although I’m so used to hearing it that I forget what other mics sound like until I use them. I guess it’s my desert island microphone, though I don’t know how much recording you’d be doing on a desert island.

ROLAND SH-101

This is the only vintage synth I own (for now). It’s just such a classic. It has all the basic functions you need put together in a super intuitive way so that it’s fun to play with. It also sounds super rich. My interest in the SH-101 was first piqued when I discovered that one of my fave acs (Bicep) used it in almost every song they release. It really comes to life once you add some FX and processing but you’re really starting with the best source possible if you’re after a classic square or saw mono synth sound.

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