Producer, Composer and Sound Engineer, working in a variety of styles from Cinematic scoring to House floor fillers. Collaboration is my strong point having worked alongside singer-songwriters, Musical Theatre composers and spoken word artists.
I first started writing and producing music when studying in Actor-Musicianship at Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance. I have since had a successful career in Musical Theatre, performing in regional theatres around the UK and starring in Westend productions such as Sunny Afternoon: The Kinks Musical, The Go-Between, and The Prince Of Egypt. Alongside my acting career, I have gigged the London music scene playing bass and guitar for various bands and singer-songwriters. I also Sound Engineer at Piano Smithfield's a music venue with a varied programme of live acts.
My current projects include:
Producing and recording with Musical Theatre composing duo Kansley & Lidert.
Composition and Sound Design for spoken word poet Imogen Frances on her upcoming project "Nameless".
Co-writing and producing a sync licensing album with Singer-songwriter Max Runham.
Collaboration is at the heart of what I do best and is why I chose to make a career in music.
Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.
Credits
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Silas and I worked together on a spoken word show I am in the process of developing, ‘Nameless’, as well as collaborating on various poems / songs. He is committed, passionate, respectful, reliable and puts a lot of care into what he creates. He’s also a great laugh, which makes creating alongside him a pleasure!
Silas is an extraordinary and I intuitive musical talent. Kansley & Lidert the music and theatre composition duo have loved working with Silas to create original orchestrations and sound scapes for our shows. We are thrilled to continue our work with him and could not recommend him more emphatically.
Kansley & Lidert
Interview with Silas Wyatt-Barke
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I recently arranged recorded and mixed a track called "My New Beginning" for Kansley & Lidert and I managed to really achieve the sound they were looking for based on the brief. I also offered some surprises and interpreted some bits in ways they hadn't thought about but they loved it and it felt like true collaboration.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I will almost work my hardest to achieve what is best for the project and your desired outcomes.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The freedom and creative input I can have on every project. You really do end up injecting a bit of your own personality into things without purposely trying. I love being part of something new.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: What instruments would be best to use? My answer is usually, well what do we want to achieve with the arrangement. Do we want it to support the vocal as best as possible? Do we want it to juxtapose what is being said in the narration?
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: People assume that as music creators we are constantly inspired and coming up with music in our heads but to constantly be creating you have to work hard through the moments of creative drought. The best work for me comes through experimentation, not divine inspiration.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Guitar, Bass, Djembe, Rev 2, and something to record on maybe even a 4 track tape machine.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I first started out as an Actor-Musician studying at Rose Bruford College of Performing Arts. Since then I've always lived between these two worlds of Theatre and Music.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: The style I'm naturally drawn to is that of the obscure or "mangled" sounds. When your ear hears something that you don't recognise as an instrument but instinctively understand why it's there
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Blake Mills does weird and wonderful things with his songs and productions that always surprise and delight me. To work with him would be a dream.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: An understanding of how to develop dramatic traction to a piece, how to find its peaks and troughs, and how to bring out the story or intention behind a song.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Blake Mills, Olafur Arnolds, Thom Yorke.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common type of work I do is developing clients' musical ideas. The most common form this would take is helping develop the right "soundworld" for the project so that the choices of instrumentation and arrangement best serve the story-telling in a song, scene, or poem.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm currently working on some Music Library material focusing on a Neo-Classical style
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: Max Runham does what he does so well. Go check out his page and have a listen.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Different projects call for different ways of making sound so one is not always better than the other it's context dependant.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What do you want to make the listener feel? What story do you want to tell?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Get in touch with people and talk to them. It's the only real way to get a feel for whether you will end up with the right sound.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Don't follow a template. Every project is different and therefore requires a different approach.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I work a lot with people in the theatre industry because of my acting background. I have the amazing opportunity of knowing so many incredible singers as a result and it's always a joy to work with incredible vocalists.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is definitely in working with someone to find a common vision. I love working on a project where the person or people I'm working with feel like their needs have been met by the project and my work.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I love taking organic sounds and manipulating them into something totally different and unique. I feel it brings something new and ear catching to each production I make and there always some incredibly happy accidents along the way.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My DAW of choice is Logic Pro X. I use a mixture of VST's, hardware synths and drum machines and real acoustic instruments.
I was the Producer, Composer, Mixing & Mastering Engineer in this production
- Acoustic GuitarContact for pricing
- Electric GuitarContact for pricing
- Bass ElectricContact for pricing
- Songwriter - MusicContact for pricing
- Programmed drumContact for pricing
- Mixing EngineerContact for pricing
- Full instrumental productionContact for pricing
Typically 2 revisions depending on the size of the project. I will send through examples of my progress to check we are heading in the right direction as well. Turn around dependent on clients needs.
- Sequential Prophet Rev 2
- Behringer RD-8
- MPC One
- National Resonator Guitar
- Fender Jazz Flea Custom Bass
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