Stuart McCallum

An in-demand guitarist, composer, producer and educator, Stuart McCallum's current projects include the Breath (Real World Records), Solitude - a series of solo acoustic guitar albums (Edition Records) and Music for Imaginary Film - a series of cinematic-inspired albums co-written with Mark Slater. 

Stuart rose to prominence writing for and playing with the Cinematic Orchestra, on their Ma Fleur and Live at the Albert Hall albums, as well as on their award winning Disney soundtrack, The Crimson Wing. His varied career has involved collaborations with electronic artists such as Jordan Rakei, James Zoo, JP Cooper and Björk's percussionist Manu Delago; performances with UK jazz greats John Surman and Kenny Wheeler; recordings with American jazz stars Ari Hoenig, Ira Coleman and Dan Weisz; and performances with prominent folk artists, such as Danny Thompson and Michael McGoldrick..

What made you want to add the SubSix to your current setup? 

I first started using the SubSix during a collaboration with d&b audiotechnik at their HQ in Nailsworth. We were experimenting with how the guitar can interact with their Soundscape system. The ability to position strings in different areas of the 3D space was extremely exciting. It creates an effect of being inside the guitar in a way that I'd never experienced before.

How do you currently use it? 

I use the SubSix with The Breath, a folk duo of me on guitar and Ríoghnach Connolly on vocals. The pickup allows me to split the bottom two strings from the guitar and run one, or both, of them through a bass pedal board. This has revolutionised our live sound and allows us to sound much bigger than a conventional duo. When playing through the Soundscape system as we did at WOMAD this year, we positioned the six strings around the 3D system but also created multiple sets of these objects which were processed in different ways. Some are static, some rotate, some move randomly, some are distorted. I also use the SubSix in studio settings - it works well in stereo providing left-right panning possibilities that are not available with traditional pickups. I have also experimented with stereo techniques such as mid-side by splitting the SubSix into three on either side, with the acoustic mics in the centre. Additionally, double or triple tracking the pickup can create interesting effects in Dolby Atmos or other 3D environments. The guitars can be panned down either side, or overhead with strings spread out to create cascading effects.

Has it changed your creative process and if so how? 

When performing live with the SubSix through the soundscape system, it's equivalent to being inside the sound in a way that you are when you play, say in a cathedral, where the sound that you hear back is very different to the sound that the instrument creates in a small space. This inevitably makes you play differently and has an impact on the creative process as a result. In studio settings the pickup offers a world of possibilities that I'm just starting to explore. I'm working primarily from an acoustic perspective for now but I'm excited to investigate different ways of processing the signals from the SubSix and the sound worlds this will afford.

Has there been any surprising discoveries in the time that you've been using it? 

Yes. I need to work on my time! When you hear all of the strings individually it's surprising how many little inconsistent inconsistencies there are. So, back to the practice room and the metronome for me!

Have you used it as part of a group/larger ensemble rather than just solo?

Yes, in a duo, but not in any other settings as yet. I've used it at WOMAD on the Soundscape stage as well as at performances at Kings Place, London and New Century Hall, Manchester. These were all 3D sound system gigs. I have used the SubSix on all of my acoustic guitar gigs and have been on tour with The Breath all year performing about 70 dates across the UK and Europe.

What is your favourite guitar gear? Software? Hardware? 

Definitely hardware. I love Strymon reverbs and delays, and pedals by Chase Bliss Audio and Hologram. For my bass sound when using the SubSix I use the Line 6 Helix to clean up, compress, and synthesise the signal before running it into a Moogerfooger low pass filter which adds warmth and analogue goodness.

The Breath: Stuart McCallum and Ríoghnach Connolly

What are you currently working on?

I've just finished a Dolby Atmos version of a Breath gig at New Century Hall in Manchester - this was one of the d&b audiotechnik Soundscape gigs. We did a version of the concert in multi-cam video in Dolby Atmos, plus a VR version where you could stand on stage with head-tracked audio and look around the venue as we played. This was cool and I presented it at the WOMEX conference this year. I'm currently working on some folk arrangements of jazz standards for Hudson Records - the SubSix is heavily featured in this.  I'm excited to be a part of where 3D audio is heading and SubSix is playing a big role in how I'm starting to reimagine how a guitar can be recorded and performed.