The Focusrite Sound for singer/songwriter sensation

 PRESS RELEASE
The Focusrite Sound for singer/songwriter sensation
Ed Sheeran: “The album sounds exactly how I wanted it!”
Ed Sheeran is one of the UK's
most hotly tipped young
singer/songwriters. Parts of the
story of his rise to fame are
familiar: making music from a
young age, couch-surfing at
friends' places, playing open
mics all over the country before
running out of money. But
some things set him apart, like
playing over 300 gigs in 2009,
buying a ticket to LA in 2010
with no shows booked, being
Engineer Guy Massey recorded Ed Sheeran’s vocal and guitar using a Focusrite ISA430 MkII for tracks on his forthcoming album. spotted by Jamie Foxx, selling 7,000 copies of his No.5 Collaborations Project EP
and reaching number 1 in the iTunes chart without any label or promotion. Fast
forward to Summer 2011, and Ed has deservedly caught the attention of the
mainstream. His single ʻThe A-Teamʼ debuted at number 3 in the UK singles chart,
before he played to a packed stage at the world-renowned Glastonbury festival.
Ed's debut album, due out in September 2011, has been recorded by Jake Gosling
(Wiley, Wretch 32, Mark Ronson) and Guy Massey (Beatles Remasters, The Coral,
Manic Street Preachers). They have both been using Focusrite equipment on the
album to great effect. Jake Gosling, album producer, explains, "I have a Focusrite
Saffire interface in the studio, and I've used it on every track on the album. I'm not a
really techy person, so I normally just go with what sounds good, and the Focusrite
sound totally works for me. I was really happy with the recordings we got, they were
just really clean and transparent, which is important for Ed's sound. The best thing
was that Abbey Road loved it; they said it was one of the best mixes theyʼve heard in
a while."
GRAMMY and MPG award winner Guy Massey, whose coup de gras was
remastering The Beatles in 2009, recorded two tracks on Edʼs album. "One track was
guitar and vocal and the other was piano and vocal — it was all live. I used a ribbon
mic and the Focusrite ISA430 MkII. Both songs are just very pure recordings really,
and when we came to tracking we had a few preamps to choose from, but I just
chose the ISA430 MkII because you can just dial things in so quickly. Itʼs very
intuitive in its layout and I always find it very easy to get a great sound, whether it be
a clean and pure vocal or slamming drum destruction.
I've been using a 430 for around five years, and always found it to be a great
workhorse. I love the clarity it provides when needed and also it's versatility, which
allows you to mangle sounds quickly due to its great ergonomics."
Commenting on the sound of his album, Ed Sheeran adds, "Jake and Guy captured
everything I wanted to capture. The album sounds exactly how I wanted it, so thanks
Focusrite!" Check out http://edsheeran.com for the latest news.
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For further information, head to www.focusrite.com or contact:
UK: Will Hoult +44 (0)1494 462246 Will.Hoult@focusrite.com
USA: Hannah Bliss +1 (310) 322 5500 Hannah.Bliss@focusrite.com