For nearly two decades, Start Together Studio has been at the beating heart of Northern Ireland’s independent music scene. As an engineer, producer, musician, mentor and artist, Rocky O’Reilly has not only helped shape the sound of countless landmark records – he’s created the kind of space that allows artists to discover themselves. In the latest edition of Conversations, Rocky reflects on the studio’s origins, the changing shape of creativity, and what makes a song truly unbreakable.

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Hi Rocky. Start Together has been absolutely nothing short of an institution here in Belfast, across two studios, since 2007. So much magic has been captured between those walls over almost two decades and it is showing no sign of diminishing. If you could go back to 2007 Rocky and show him the last 18 years, what do you think he would say?

I’d definitely be blown away by the amount of sessions and artists we’ve hosted, as well as the development of the studio over the years. We started with two good microphones, an old broken digital mixer, one guitar amp and a few synths.

We’re now jam-packed with equipment I once dreamed of using, never mind owning. More than that, opening the studio was a call to action for artists to make their dream recordings without going to other countries, which was happening with every band I loved in Belfast at that point. That has really changed, and it’s possibly the thing I’m most proud of now.

You have, of course, produced everything from post-punk to alt-pop to sludge metal and far, far beyond. What’s your approach if an artist walks into the studio and you don’t yet know what they need?

It’s rare these days for me to start a session without having chatted the face off the artist, swapping influences, ideas and references. It does happen sometimes, especially if we’re writing songs together – we might only have emailed a couple of times. In that moment, it’s cups of tea, chats about their journey, their recent experiences, our childhoods, hopes and more.
Across the course of a morning hanging out, ideas and signposts usually appear and we’ll often write something that we’ve touched on in conversation.

I’m also lucky to have a really wide range of sonic options in the studio. A dozen guitars into thirty amps via a hundred pedals is usually a good canvas to create almost any starting point.

How do you balance making something sound good with making it feel right, especially when those things don’t immediately align?

I think I focus more on right than good. I’ve definitely got hi-fi, or certainly commanding preferences for sounds and sonic landscapes, but it’s truly about serving the song.

We were talking about vocal mics recently. We have every option from the SM58 through classic Neumanns all the way to a five-figure Telefunken valve mic, but one of my favourite vocal captures is a song called ‘Fiction’ by Wonder Villains, where we tracked Eimear singing through a headphone as the microphone.

Often it’s getting it to feel right and then, in the mix, making sure it’s presenting in a way that feels good, exciting, perfect and also finished.

What’s the most memorable moment in the studio where that trust paid off?

The trust of an artist and faith in the adventurous approach is the greatest feeling. I’ve been lucky to experience it. Certainly, making the Gangs and All Hail Bright Futures albums with And So I Watch You From Afar were sessions where we were truly making it up with every passing second, but the finished records have travelled the world and positively changed a lot of people’s lives.

‘Bad Habits’ by General Fiasco was another nice moment. It wasn’t even being considered for their album, but walking across the city one day near the end of recording, I listened to the demo on headphones and could just hear how it was going to sound. It still sounds unreal today, and later hearing it as a Radio 1 ‘Hottest Record in the World’ was a beautiful moment.

I’ve got so many of these, I could talk forever. Nathan Connolly’s record from a couple of years ago started with an ambient guitar motif and grew to life as a full album of songs.

The new Wood Burning Savages album is another one. We jumped in deep to the themes, carving, shaping the songs, lyrics, arrangements, sound and every detail.

Strange New Places are a special indie punk crew about to release their debut album. I convinced them to scrap and re-record it to make it feel better, after we’d completely finished the first version.

I think any time an artist trusts me to twist or explore things, it’s an honour and a really exciting experience.

What do you think makes a great song unbreakable – something that still holds up no matter how it’s produced?

I think the artist does that. If the performance is true to the magic and talent of the artist, and you can hear that front and centre, nothing will stop it feeling perfect.

You’re well respected as a self-described gear nerd. Do you have a secret weapon in the studio – a piece of gear, a plugin or even a phrase – you return to again and again?

‘Let’s give it a try’ is a much-used phrase. I’d rather hear an idea and explore it than rule anything out. Everything is up for grabs: tempo, arrangement, key, feel, time, structure. If you have the idea, try it.

I’ve got a guitar pedal I’ve used on the vast majority of albums, a very subtle boost that thickens things out. There’s an old guitar amp by Burman that features often, a Ludwig snare drum, the Moogerfooger Freqbox, a 12-string guitar and the back echo room in the studio – all wonderful, much-used sonic enhancers. I’ve also got an old SSL mixing desk that I believe imparts a powerful sense of excitement to things.

How would you describe the sound of Belfast right now? And, looking both back and to where we are now, how much of that do you think is shaped in rooms like Start Together?

I definitely feel like noisy guitars are back in large parts, but it’s also busy and diverse in a way that it’s never been before. There’s more hip hop, soul, experimental trad, metal, ambient, folk, jazz and opera than I’ve ever witnessed.

I hope that Start Together is an amplifier, springboard or mirror for what’s out there. Helping artists find their voice, their message and their creative sonic landscape has always been the driving force.

Who are some lesser-known NI artists you’ve worked with over the years that you think deserve much more attention?

‘Voices’ by Go Wolf is one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard. I feel like that should have been a legendary indie hit across the world.

There were bands with cult status that I’ve been lucky to work with: In Case Of Fire, Fighting With Wire, Wonder Villains, Mojo Fury and Hornets. They all did special things and achieved greatness, but I firmly believe they were good enough to have had ten-album careers across the globe if things had fallen differently.

Olympic Lifts were an indie-hip hop group way ahead of their time, touring with incredible bands and releasing on cool German labels.

The same has to be said for Kidd Dynamo. I watched him perform in the early 2000s and he inspired me to start making music. His song ‘I Am a Landslide’ is one of the greatest to ever come from this island. Properly one of my favourite songs of all time. In another moment he could have been an indie rock superstar.

My ‘lost classics’ playlist is vast. ‘Love Like Fire’ by The Benjamins, ‘Frequency Song’ by Tunic, ‘Torgas Valley Blue’ by Torgas Valley Reds, ‘I Wish You Were Dead’ by Scheer, ‘When Love Slips Away’ by Margo & The Marvettes. All classics.

You’ve been at the heart of some of the most vital NI records in the last decade. What’s changed most about the music coming through your doors since you started?

In the beginning, it was fearless – perhaps because it was all such an unknown. Artists behaved more instinctively and trusted their own decisions.

A lot has moved locally and globally in the years since. There’s a growing industry of influence, guidance and advisers, often distorted by masses of contradictory noise online. There’s been increased social isolation and a downturn in talented tastemakers properly leading music releases and developing artists.

As a result, musicians are generally much more considered, tentative and often more scared. There’s fear: of the wrong move; of saying the wrong thing; of saying it too loud; of not fitting in; of blowing their one chance to connect.

I’m all for nuance and micro-obsessions on melodies, lyrics or mix levels when needed. But I think it’s broad strokes, big statements and true expression that sit at the core of every special song.

Artists don’t even consider making a ‘demo’ anymore – it has to be a single, released at the same moment and on the same platform as megastars with glorious machines behind them. That’s a pressure that wasn’t there before.

On the positive side, artists are usually technically more informed, with much better understanding of the processes of writing, demoing, rehearsing, arranging and recording. They often need to have every aspect of their artistic vision considered before they even press record.
When an artist cracks it all, finds their voice, has confidence in who they are and goes for it, what they achieve is wonderful.

Spaces like Start Together play a key role in giving artists permission to experiment safely. How has it been seeing that play out over and over?

The greatest. Whether it’s the multi-platinum-selling artist locking into the perfect phrase, the newly formed band hearing themselves back for the first time, or someone buzzing at the synth sound they’ve just discovered – it’s truly the reason to be here doing it.

Has there been a project that really pushed you out of your comfort zone, in the best possible way?

Many. Making Slomatics albums is a sonic adventure like no other. Down-tuned guitars, no bass, slow tempos. They sound like nothing else, yet it has to sit next to pop songs. Getting those sonics to lock top to bottom and sound special was a challenge. I’m grateful they were open to experimenting.

There have been sessions where I’m the weakest musical ear in the room, with artists flying at breakneck speed, recording one idea while the next is forming. That’s a fun challenge – trying to stay half a step ahead and keep things flowing.

How do you stay creatively fresh when you’re working across multiple genres, artists and timelines?

I find the variation keeps everything fresh. I’ve mixed an opera; I’ll probably listen to a punk record on the way home. If I’m deep in dark electronic synth world, I’ll be writing indie pop on the weekend.

My favourite part of music is new music – hearing my new favourite song for the first time. I never tire of searching, or reaching for it.

Your status as a producer/mixer runs parallel with your reputation as one of NI’s all-time most celebrated and forward-pushing musicians. From Oppenheimer to Malibu Shark Attack, Birthday Problem and various collaborations along the way, has there been a common thread – a specific mindset or motivation – that has guided where you’ve focused your time and intention?

For everything I do where I’m at the start of the process, it’s simple:

Enjoy it, mean it, and keep pushing until we feel excited with every single second we’re listening to.

Sometimes it’s about setting parameters and seeing how long we can go without breaking them. Other times it’s about coming up with an impossible dream scenario and then making it come true.

I might feel less responsibility for the finished outcome when it’s ‘my’ project, and that often helps – so it’s something I try to bring to all projects.

Do you think producers today have to be part-psychologist, part-engineer, part-hype-man? How do you manage all of that?

Understanding motivations, behaviours and attitude is a huge part. Encouragement too – I see more self-doubt now than ever in artists.

The engineering side is also bigger and more detailed. What used to be a team of five or more is now down to one.

To truly do it I’ve undertaken years of learning, practice and refinement. That includes understanding microphones, processing, mixing, outboard gear, mastering, recording (tape and digital), drum tuning, how instruments work and interact, melody, groove, file backup, scheduling, admin, room design, mood lighting, even smells. And that’s all whirring while you appear to be just playing air guitar in the room. I love it all.

If Start Together could speak, what would it say about the last 15 years of Northern Irish music?

I think it would simply say ‘clean me’.

If you could press one Northern Irish album you’ve worked on into the hands of every young band starting out, what would it be and why?

It would be hard not to give them the first two And So I Watch You From Afar albums. Look at how they made them, the message, the action, the inspiration and the activity around them.
To quote the songs: ‘Don’t waste time doing things you hate’, ‘Start a band’, ‘A little bit of solidarity goes a long way’, ‘Gang starting never stopping’.

Lastly, as a noted Simpsons fanatic, we’d be remiss not to ask you something Springfield-related. If you could commission one artist/band to record one song featured on the show, what would that look like?

It’s got to be ‘Canyonero’ taken and twisted by exmagician. makes whipping noise