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Between being a creative director at global audio network Squeak E Clean Studios, composer for film and television, and producing and engineering records, Rob Barbato has his hands full and his workflow set up for maximum efficiency. A core component of that workflow is Barefoot Sound’s MicroMain monitors which have been part of Rob’s journey for over a decade, helping him shape scores for releases like Apple’s El Deafo, ESPN’s More Than An Athlete, IFC’s Maron; records for artists including Bleached, Kevin Morby, La Sera; and ads for brands like Lexus, Nike, Honda, Facebook, Target, and Canon’s “Inspired” spot, which won an Emmy and a Silver Lion.
We caught up with Rob to chat about his recent projects, his studio, his new Barefoot MicroMain27s, and the one pro audio company website he has bookmarked for frequent visits. Read on for more.
Tell us about your journey in music.
At a very young age, about seven years old or so, I fell in love with the movie La Bamba, got really obsessed with learning how to play the guitar, and taught myself how to do that. Through high school, I had a Tascam four-track, and I got into recording and playing in bands.
After that, I ended up going to Berklee College of Music, where I majored in music synthesis. This was in the early 2000s, and I saw that the recording industry was going towards hard-disk recording and things that were more technology-based, rather than large-format consoles, which I still use to this day, but I thought it would be more advantageous for me to learn more computer-based non-linear recording, so I got into that.
After school, I moved to Los Angeles, started a band called Darker My Love, signed a record deal, and toured in the US and Europe. I also performed in a UK band called The Fall for a few years, and then I played with Cass McCombs, touring as a sideman.
I'd been recording and producing my own music during that time, and in the late aughts, I started producing records by younger bands and have since continued to do that. I’ve also moved into writing music for media, film, television, and commercials. So I do all of it, which I feel like all musicians do because you really have to have multiple revenue streams and piece it all together to make it work.
It's also all musical expression, in a sense.
Exactly! And when you can change it up all the time, whether it's performance, producing, engineering, composing, or writing songs, it keeps things interesting; you're not locked into just one thing.
Tell us about your studio and some favorite projects you've worked on recently.
I'm a partner in Squeak E Clean and we have studios in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Melbourne, Australia, but this studio [where I’m now] is my personal studio; it’s an additional ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) behind my house in Austin, where I’ve been producing records for artists, mixing, working on film scores, TV shows, and a lot of ads.
I finished producing a record here for Scott Ballew called Paradiso. The initial tracking for it was done in a jail in Tremé, New Orleans that's been converted into a B&B. We didn't really know what we had when we were recording because it was an open room thing, but when we came back, we were able to listen to it on my system with the MicroMains and do some overdubs, mixing, and re-track some vocals as well. I’m excited about that project!
I've produced a couple of singles for this artist called Elvis Kay, who was part of the group FIDLAR. Hunt Sales, who played drums on Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” and has played for Todd Rundgren and David Bowie, tracked for that here, and then we mixed that here too. For the second single, the drums were played by Steve Mugalian, who plays drums for Mavis Staples; I didn't end up mixing that one, but we did all the tracking here.
I also just scored a short film and did some music editing for this brand Tecovas. The film was directed by Jeff Nichols, who’s done some great films, like Mud with Matthew McConaughey; he’s also working on a new film with Margaret Qualley that’s in production right now. I also did a film score here with Kevin Morby for Montana Story, and worked on an Apple TV show called El Deafo with music by Waxahatchee.
What drew you to the Barefoot MicroMain27 studio monitors?
Let me tell you about how I initially got into Barefoot Sound and their MicroMain monitors. Around 2007 or 2008, my band Darker My Love had been up at Hyde Street Recorders in San Francisco, working on a split 12-inch with a band from Colorado, doing experimental tape editing, kind of like The Pretty Things, The Kinks, or the Beach Boys’ Smiley Smile.
We were about to start working on our second record, and Dave Cooley, who is a great producer and mastering engineer, had just gotten a pair of the Gen1 MicroMains. When we met up with him for pre-production for the record, we decided to listen to our music on them and, immediately, I was hearing things I hadn't heard at Hyde Street. I was like, “Man, the detail in these is insane! Our mix is messed up…we need to fix these things.”
At that time, we worked in a lot of studios in Los Angeles, and I started noticing that the Gen1s were getting added to a lot of studios — it was those and the ProAcs that were in almost every studio. I remember noticing that whatever volume we were listening back at — whether it was loud or at a lower level — the detail was always there. So it really kind of transcended this idea of [being] a midrange, close monitor to also being a main monitor — it really has that versatility.
Back then, I couldn't afford to purchase them, but in about 2015-2016, as my career went on, I purchased a pair of used Gen1s from Vintage King, and that's when I started to see how valuable these monitors were. All of a sudden, my low-end really focused, my mixes were translating across multiple systems, and when I had clients in the room, they were super impressed when we were listening at loud volumes. I was also able to listen at low volumes and not have ear fatigue, but still, at the same time, be able to hear detail. I've had those trusted ones for years, and I still have them over here in my studio. I need to get the amps repaired, because I plan on keeping them and maybe using them in another location or having them as backups.
This year, I was like, “It's time to get a fresh pair”, so I got this Gen2 pair, and I noticed that there was no real shock during the upgrade with anything they've done to improve upon the monitor. I felt at home again with them immediately; there was no moment where I was like, “Man, these sound different!” There is a consistency in terms of the frequency response; it felt very similar, with some improvements.
I haven't really been using the modelling, but I plug it in every once in a while to use the Auratone setting or the NS10 modelling, but, for the most part, I just leave them on without the DSP.
It's really easy to talk about them because all of those features of good monitors [like transparency, accuracy, detail, imaging, etc] are just inherent to them. In terms of being useful for a working producer, engineer, and composer, you’re able to fit all of the needs of a monitoring system within them, and that's why I think they're such a valuable addition to my studio.
How do recordings and mixes on the MicroMain27s translate to other systems?
A lot of people consume music, advertisements, and trailers through their phones now, and sometimes, a lot of low-end information can get lost, so you need that to be represented in an accurate way for the phone, of course, and for other devices and listening systems as well.
What I found, with tracks mixed on the MicroMains, is that when you're listening through your phone or TV, rarely does it feel like you've lost that low-end information. So that means that the equalization I've been doing has consistency across devices, and what I'm hearing [in the studio] is able to translate across those different mediums.
Another thing about a broadcast mix versus mixing a record is that for broadcast, you're trying to get a lot of clarity and have the elements of the voiceover, sound effects, and music work in harmony together, which I am really able to make happen here. And then, for a record, you're also able to get in there and saturate instruments and really be able to hear the detail and the harmonics as well, when you're getting wilder with things. So I think they're great in both use cases — whether you're working on a punk record or trying to create something extremely polished for media.
What do you think of the bass response of the monitors?
There is a punchiness to it and, at the same time, you hear a fuller low end, so you're able to clean things up or focus it a lot easier than, say, when you're working with a separate subwoofer or if you're just guessing!
How have the MicroMains impacted your workflow?
They’ve been a part of my life for a decade now, and before that, people that I worked with had them, so I just trust them. Sometimes, when I go into other studios, or if I'm interfacing with other systems, I always find myself being like, “This doesn't sound right.” So then I do things with EQ to compensate and make it sound how I feel like it should sound. And then, when I come back to my studio and listen to it on my speakers, I end up removing all that stuff. [Laughs] I'm like, okay, “What I was doing was right; I was just hearing it in a much different way.” I just really know the MicroMains and feel comfortable with them.
I was working as a session musician on a record recently, and once the mixes started coming in, the artist asked me to check and confirm that everything sounded good on the MicroMains. I wasn’t even part of the mixing team or anything, but it’s because even he trusts the system now, through me.
They're just great. I mean, the biggest negative is installing them, because of how heavy they are. [Laughs] Now, though, I have the Sound Anchors monitor stands from VK. There’s an engineer here in Austin named Lyman Hardy, who had the MicroMains in his mix theatre on the Sound Anchors, but they were on casters because sometimes he's mixing in stereo, and sometimes in 5.1, and it makes it a lot easier to position them. I've recently added that here as well, so it’s great.
Are there any other favorite pieces of gear from your studio that you want to give a shout out to?
I have a Neve 5432 eight-channel console that I use a lot. The UBK FATSO Jr that I got from Vintage King is great; pretty much everything hits that at the end for some glue. Bass and vocals constantly go through the Retro Sta-Level compressor that I also got from VK. And then there are all my instruments!
I'm into gear, but I wouldn't say I fetishize it or anything. I love things that feel intuitive and work easily; where you don't have to get super cerebral to define the sound. I'm more reactive through hearing than getting into the technical aspects of it too much, I guess.
What has it been like working with Eric Brody and Vintage King over the years?
They're great! For at least 15 years, they have been my go-to when I need anything studio-related. They helped Drew Fischer, Be Hussey, and I when we were at Comp-ny in Burbank outfitting our studio there. When I moved here to Austin, they were amazing in getting soundproofing, sound treatment, and additional gear out to me, and I was able to get up and running extremely fast. Eric is my main dude there, and he’s been awesome!
The folks at Vintage King understand how important timelines are, and the quality of service is amazing. If you have any problems, they take care of it and really help you along the way. Like if there are any issues where you need repairs, or if the gear is not under warranty, for example, they're able to connect you with whoever you need to get yourself back up and running. They’re so trusted by me, and I really can't say anything better about the crew.
They also just have the best gear, and I'm constantly perusing VK online for what's going on in terms of new gear as well as any sort of used or consigned gear that's on there. It's one of my bookmarked websites!
Are you working on any exciting projects right now that you're able to talk about?
I'm working on a record of my own right now that I'm just about to wrap up. I was in an artist residency at the Peaked Hill Trust dune shacks up in Cape Cod, and this is the group of songs that came out of that. We’re in the final mixing stage of that, and I’m hoping to get it out either later this year or early next year.
Photo Credit: Shannon Southerland
