In the remarkably short time that it has been a band, Hiatus Kaiyote has managed to create and record two successful albums, each of which earned a Grammy nomination in the category “Best R&B Performance.”
The band formed in 2011 in Melbourne, Australia and has ever since been producing soul music infused with the ethos and attitude of indie rock. For their latest album, Choose Your Weapon, the members of Hiatus Kaiyote relied heavily on their home studio and the Metric Halo 2882 mic-preamp/converter/interface.
“The Metric Halo 2882 was a huge step up from our previous interface,” explained Paul Bender, bass player for Hiatus Kaiyote and resident of the house that contains their home studio. “We considered stepping our way into the world of truly pro interfaces, but the 2882 is affordable enough to make the leap in a single step. We love the Metric Halo sound – it’s real and solid, and the tracks we record with it always mix well.”
Every track on Choose Your Weapon contains “heaps” of material recorded through the 2882. The remainder was cut at various studios in Australia and the United States, as time and scheduling permitted given the band’s demanding tour schedule. At times, members of the band engineered the tracks they cut at home through the 2882, and at other times, they called in engineers so that members of the band could focus on the performances.
“I love MIO Console,” said Bender, referring to Metric Halo’s free software control system, which allows infinitely-customizable routing and processing via a mixer-like interface. “You can set it up in a million ways, and that’s super useful. We’re able to give everyone customized headphone mixes, and the software plug-ins, such as Metric Halo ChannelStrip and HaloVerb, make the headphone mixes sound great. We’re able to get a good vibe in the cans, which always helps to inspire great performances.”
The band was so pleased with the performance of their Metric Halo 2882 that they purchased a second unit, the fruits of which will lay heavy in Hiatus Kaiyote’s third full-length release.
