Wildwater Studios, an analog and digital recording facility in Donegal, Ireland that’s owned and operated by Eoghan Johnston, is equipped with a TASCAM Model 16 16-track live recorder and mixing console as well as the Portacapture X8 8-channel, 32-bit floating point portable audio field recorder.
Johnston has performed and toured with members of acts like Toto, Guns N’ Roses, and AC/DC. He has also composed music for TV and film, most recently To The Crows by The Midnight Preachers. In addition to working with producers such as Chris Kimsey and Dave Odlum.
“The Model 16 is the most practical setup for recording a live band that I’ve come across,” Johnston states. “I’m evolving from using the TASCAM Model 2424 in this type of application, so I’m sticking with the TASCAM brand — albeit moving up a few generations! I’ve been using the Model 16 to record live shows and tours since the Summer of 2023. Regarding the Portacapture X8, I’ve been using this to capture waves and various sounds of nature, plus a variety of musical ideas as well as audience and ambience sounds at live performances.
“The Model 16 is a plug and play unit,” he continues. “It has fantastic on-board compression and preamps, which are great for use both in the studio and live. I am currently producing an artist by the name of Todd Oliver, who is the Music Capital Songwriter Of The Year in Northern Ireland. All of Todd’s live performances up to this point have been recorded on the Model 16 and we will be using these recordings to release a Live EP in the future.”
Johnston resides along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, a route with 1,600 miles of coastline with white sands and glittering waves, and it’s also the place that inspired the lyrics to the Christian hymn Amazing Grace, which dates to 1772. “The Portacapture X8 is the perfect device to capture the sounds of nature — from the waves to the sound of rain, and the various bird calls that inhabit this area,” Johnston reports. “The Portacapture X8 enables me to collect a wide range of stunning sounds for ambience and other applications as part of my work.”
