Björk – Volta
The music gear and equipment used by the artists, producers, engineers, and more involved in the making of the 2007 album Volta.
Music from Volta
Gear Used On Volta
Explore the instruments, equipment, software, and production tools used in the making of Björk – Volta (2007). Click more on each item to see exactly how it was used.
Microphones used by Björk on Volta
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Avg price: $91.56
Björk's preferred studio mic. Her vocal on "Unravel" was recorded with an SM58, according to a Waves webinar with producer & co-writer Guy Sigsworth (at 37:45):
I have even made really popular records with SM58s. Björk's vocals on "Unravel" are SM58, and they were just great performances, didn't mind about the mic.
In this October 13, 2011 SonicScoop interview with mix engineer Damian Taylor, he mentions that Björk also used an SM58 for Volta and Biophilia.
One thing that remains consistent, however, was Björk’s method of recording vocal takes. Taylor says she’s not one to stand perfectly still with headphones on. Instead, she’s favored a handheld Shure SM58 for years, and she still tracks all of her vocals while listening out-loud on studio monitors.
When Taylor brought her a Neumann KMS 150 handheld condenser to try, he says that she “sang all of two syllables into it” before handing it back for the 58.
On a few songs that needed extra sensitivity and detail, Björk sang into Martin Kantola and Bruce Swedien designed NU-47, a classic redesign of the U47 with striking wooden body. Otherwise the chain was simple: The Shure SM58 into a preamp with little or no compression.
“When I’m recording Björk, I try to compress as little as possible. Basically never. I do have a little something there on the chain just as a safety net, but basically I ride her performances the whole way in. Her dynamic range is just insane. Fortunately, I’ve gotten to know her pretty well, so I can start to feel when she’s about to take a breath and ride my output gain knob. This way, we’re not getting a squished sound going in, but we’re still getting consistent levels.”
(...) Originally, Taylor plugged the SM58 into a Neve 1084, with a Urei 1176 as his safety net. “That worked really well for Volta, where the voice had a more rock and roll sound.” But for this record, he realized the voice “would be a more delicate kind of thing”, and he came to prefer Björk’s Focusrite ISA 430 Producer Pack, while largely avoiding its built-in EQ and compression.
Studio Equipment used by Björk on Volta
Urei Universal Audio 1176LN Rev. H Limiting Amplifier
Avg price: $2,977.71
Used for vocals on Volta and (initially) Biophilia, as stated by mix engineer Damian Taylor in this October 13, 2011 SonicScoop interview.
“When I’m recording Björk, I try to compress as little as possible. Basically never. I do have a little something there on the chain just as a safety net, but basically I ride her performances the whole way in. Her dynamic range is just insane. Fortunately, I’ve gotten to know her pretty well, so I can start to feel when she’s about to take a breath and ride my output gain knob. This way, we’re not getting a squished sound going in, but we’re still getting consistent levels.”
(...) Originally, Taylor plugged the SM58 into a Neve 1084, with a Urei 1176 as his safety net. “That worked really well for Volta, where the voice had a more rock and roll sound.” But for this record, he realized the voice “would be a more delicate kind of thing”, and he came to prefer Björk’s Focusrite ISA 430 Producer Pack, while largely avoiding its built-in EQ and compression.
Avg price: $4,877.86
Used for vocals on Volta and (initially) Biophilia, as stated by mix engineer Damian Taylor in this October 13, 2011 SonicScoop interview.
“When I’m recording Björk, I try to compress as little as possible. Basically never. I do have a little something there on the chain just as a safety net, but basically I ride her performances the whole way in. Her dynamic range is just insane. Fortunately, I’ve gotten to know her pretty well, so I can start to feel when she’s about to take a breath and ride my output gain knob. This way, we’re not getting a squished sound going in, but we’re still getting consistent levels.”
(...) Originally, Taylor plugged the SM58 into a Neve 1084, with a Urei 1176 as his safety net. “That worked really well for Volta, where the voice had a more rock and roll sound.” But for this record, he realized the voice “would be a more delicate kind of thing”, and he came to prefer Björk’s Focusrite ISA 430 Producer Pack, while largely avoiding its built-in EQ and compression.