Studio Black Cloud: Interview with Bri Doom

Following on from our interview with John of SLPC, we have an interview with another DIY punk studio engineer and producer: Bri ‘Doom’ Talbot from Studio Black Cloud.

Aside from playing guitar in bands as diverse as Doom, Pi$$er, Virtual Reality and Sore Throat, Bri has been the brains behind the mixing desk for a host of classics in the d-beat and crust punk world—more details below. Bri also tells us about the move from his long term base at Bradford’s 1in12 Club to Bristol.

Can you start by introducing yourself and your recording operation. You had a hand in a lot of great releases from labels like Flat Earth in the ’90s and plenty more DIY releases in the 2000s and 2010s. How long have you been recording bands and do you have any idea how many you’ve worked with in total? And for those who haven’t worked it out, where did the name Black Cloud come from?

Hello. My name is Bri, most commonly known as Bri Doom. I started recording bands around 1999, first of all on an old 8-track Fostex reel to reel, recording live in the 1 in12 Club gig room. I then managed to get a digital version which probably wasn’t as good but much easier to operate. Before that I’d been “producing” bands mostly for Flat Earth as you said, at Inner City and also at Fulton Street Studios (which was just over the road from the 1in12). That’s where I produced the Disaster record.

The name “Black Cloud” comes from the early day of Doom, when we used to get drunk at rehearsals and swap instruments for a doss. We jokingly called it Mood and we did a really bad reggae song called “Doom’s Black Cloud”… (“doom’s black cloud follows me around until I’m six foot under ground” were the lyrics)

Are there any particular recordings that stand out for you as being particularly proud of because you hit the sweet spot sound wise or overcame technical challenges?

As “producer” the Disaster record, Health Hazard, and Scatha all hit the spot for me, recording-wise probably the Afterbirth LP, and the Lazarus Blackstar recordings, as well as Doom’s Corrupt Fucking System all turned out well. Sometimes it’s nice to hear something that I’ve recorded years later and be surprised had how good it actually sounded, especially with the limited gear I had access to at the time.

What services does Studio Black Cloud currently offer?

At present I offer mixing, mastering and some audio restoration services. Recently I have restored and mastered Deviated Instinct demos & live recordings for CD release, and I’m currently mixing the Ultimo Gobierno LP and the new Pi$$er album. I can master for cassette, vinyl, CD and streaming. I am able to do some limited recording (such as vocals and guitars for Industrial Suicide) and have made connections with AlphaDelta Recording studio in Bristol, so there are options for the ability to record drums too.

You’re probably best known as a musician for Doom but you’ve played in other bands over the years. Can you give us a quick run down. Has the experience of playing in bands made a difference to how you approach recording and production?

Yeah, Doom has been my main band for most of my life, but I’ve also played in other bands/projects including Sore Throat (nothing to do with the current farce), Warfear, The Devils, Bugeyed, Stalingrad, Virtual Reality, Lazarus Blackstar etc. I’m currently in Disciple BC (guitar), Pi$$er (guitar), and Industrial Suicide (bass). I think the experience of playing in bands and being a performer on the other ‘side of the glass’ is really important to be able to understand how the achieve the best results and to avoid situations that can make bands fall short of a great performance. I always try to let bands perform live together (or at least able to see each other), with the sound that they are used to. I’ve recorded before where the drummer has been in the cellar or another room with just one way video link… horrible.

You used to be based at the 1in12 Club in Bradford but relocated to Bristol. What impact has that had on studio work?

Yeah, I built, set up, managed and engineered at Studio 1in12 from around 2000. Before that it was on the gig floor with an 8-track, so we had the idea of turning the unused cellar into a recording studio and rehearsal space. Building walls, sound proofing and fund raising for some basic recording gear and the rest they say is history.

The move to Bristol was hard for me and leaving the 1in12 after over 30 years has been life-changing to say the least. So basically without a studio the recording side of things is virtually non-existent at present. Having said that, as previously mentioned, I do have a local Bristol studio, AlphaDelta Recordings Studios, available to hire for recording if needed and that is where we recently tracked the drums, guitars, bass and sax for the new Pi$$er LP. Fortunately I do have the facilities to record guitar, bass, vocals at home and to mix & master, so I’m still able to continue working.

Anyone can download a Digital Audio Workstation (recording software). Why should people use Studio Black Cloud? Most people will understand it makes sense to have someone who knows the type of music to mix it but can you explain the difference mastering, re-mastering, re-amping guitars and other production tricks can make to the final recording?!

Indeed. But what I have to offer is years of experience and a deep understanding of underground extreme music. As well as my experience of playing, and recording I also have 16 years experience of tutoring or teaching music technology & recording techniques in my previous employment. It is possible to achieve good results yourself in your bedroom, but with the experience I can offer I can help to produce much more professional results.

I really enjoy mastering a recording, whether I’ve recorded it myself or someone else has recorded it, then to get the feedback back from the band. Mastering enables a recording to sound and feel the best it can be on a variety of differing formats. Things & times have changed and in the early days it was all about mastering as loud as possible, but now it is much more about dynamic range to achieve a much more powerful results, especially when it comes to online streaming platforms. This is the challenge when re-mastering, often something that was pushed too far for “loud as possible”, to re-gain some of the dynamic range. As for re-amping guitars in a mix, this I often do, and am able to do at home. Its really useful to create much better mix and when I’m mixing now always request to get DI guitar tracks as well as distorted, specifically for this purpose.

Have you ever been in the position of being able to survive on income from recording or has it always had to be supported by other jobs or benefits so you can pay the rent and buy food? Would that be the dream?

No. Unfortunately. The way Studio 1in12 was arranged meant from every session I got 50% and the 1in12 Club got 50%. The majority of the gear I purchased all belonged to the club, so any money made was used to buy, replace, and update gear or to contribute to large spends that the Club required, such was new security shutters or towards the roof repairs. So I have always needed a “proper” job to live on. This wasn’t too bad previously as my “proper job” was also in music tech & recording techniques. Now it’s warehouse and forklift driving which is much more physically demanding :-(

Yeah, the dream was to have my own recording studio and to not have to work for a shit boss or to physically destroy myself…

Do you have any advice for bands regarding things they should do before they record their songs?

Rehearse! You can throw all the plugins money can buy or spend hours tweaking the sound, but if the band are unrehearsed it just makes everything 10x harder.

Do you have any plans to set up another physical recording studio for bands to lay down tracks, or anything else in the pipeline?

At the moment, no. Mainly due to lack of money. I am going back to Uni in September to start a Masters in Music Production & Sound Engineering, so as well as having access to AlphaDelta, I will also have access to my Uni/dBs in Bristol which has some amazing facilities. The course actually requires that I have bands material/stems for mixing and mastering so this will be great.

Away from recording for a minute, what’s your preferred format for listening to music: Records CDs downloads or streaming? And why?

I love vinyl, mostly for that analogue warmth and for the physical attributes of record sleeves. I’m not a fan of CDs, I used to love them when they first came out for the clarity, but now I struggle with the sound and the physical attributes are just crap. I love downloads and, to be honest, that’s what I listen to most. Mainly because of the convenience and I listen to a lot of music at work and in my van, but its always great to listen to something again on vinyl afterwards. I don’t do much streaming, as I don’t pay for any streaming services.

If bands or artists want to use you, what’s the best way to contact you? And do you have touch ball park prices or is that asking how long a piece of string is?

I can be contacted by email: bridoom at gmail.com

Studio Black Cloud can be found on Facebook. I charge £30ph or approximately £350 for mixing an LP/£200 for mastering an LP, but it all depends of course on the material and what formats are required.

A lot of Bri’s production work is also listed on his Discogs page.