Bird York: Production on the Go
Bird York: Production on the Go
Globetrotting actress/writer/musician Bird York captures inspiration in the moment with Pro Tools M-Powered and the FireWire 1814
Globetrotting actress/writer/musician Bird York captures inspiration in the moment with Pro Tools M-Powered and the FireWire 1814
Perhaps there is no more fitting snapshot of creative chameleon Bird York’s varied roster of accomplishments than her performance of “In the Deep” at the 78th Annual Academy Awards. As she sang the Oscar-nominated theme song from Crash for an audience of millions, York embodied the convergence of the film, television and music communities in which she is so deeply invested. For the past two decades, York has funneled her uncompromising creative vision into a wide array of outlets—from acting and screenwriting to singing and composing. It is rare when an individual attains success in any one these disciplines, but York seems to excel effortlessly at all, whether bringing to life a dynamic character on NBC’s The West Wing, writing a television show to sell to Sony, creating songs for screenwriter Paul Haggis (Crash), or releasing an album through EMI Records. When it comes to making music, York embraces the freedom to create on her own terms with the aid of flexible M-Audio solutions.
At the center of York’s home studio is the M-Audio FireWire 1814, which she uses to track vocals and guitar into Pro Tools M-Powered and Digital Performer. With complete session compatibility between all Pro Tools systems, her in-home vocal performances made their way onto several of the final tracks on her latest album, Wicked Little High. “It’s so easy to sing things down into Pro Tools and then just hand the stuff off to the mixers I work with. I’m not a big fan of demos; I just like to go ahead and start making things. So I just love that I can do things here and then go on iChat and send the files over to people.
“I’m not a gearhead. I’m not a geek,” she continues. “I am independent in a lot of ways; I don’t like relying on people for things. A lot of females still believe that a guy has to come and do this, the guy must engineer this, the guy will figure it out. And what I really love about M-Audio is that they make things simple. It’s very easy so you can just get to it and get an idea down. For the last few songs on the record, I used the 1814 and engineered and produced all the vocals and some remaining guitar parts myself.”
York’s multi-faceted career keeps her continually moving around the globe. When a film role took her to Halifax, Canada at the same time that she needed to finish Wicked Little High, York simply packed up her FireWire 1814 and a microphone, and went on the road. “I had to get this record finished and out because we were all hoping that there would be an Oscar nomination—we had a definite deadline,” she recalls. “I was in an apartment in Halifax. I had to leave to film at around 7:00 in the morning and at 2:00 AM, I was still in my closet recording vocals. In this kind of situation, without this gear, it just wouldn’t have gotten done.
“I was also working on a theme song for Paul Haggis’ new series that needed to get done right away,” York relates. “It was so great to have someone send me some files and then go and write melody and lyric and record it on the spot. I find the FireWire 1814 incredibly convenient and useful. It really freed things up for me.”
Even though the whirlwind ride from the Oscar nomination is just barely coming to an end, York already has big plans for creating her next album. Eager to further embrace new technology and evolve her process, she plans to utilize M-Audio sound libraries while songwriting and exploring her two favorite themes—the unknowable and sensuality. “I’m always interested in the place between places. It’s not just themes that I’m interested in. The songs and the music help me climb over those chasms in myself.”
At the center of York’s home studio is the M-Audio FireWire 1814, which she uses to track vocals and guitar into Pro Tools M-Powered and Digital Performer. With complete session compatibility between all Pro Tools systems, her in-home vocal performances made their way onto several of the final tracks on her latest album, Wicked Little High. “It’s so easy to sing things down into Pro Tools and then just hand the stuff off to the mixers I work with. I’m not a big fan of demos; I just like to go ahead and start making things. So I just love that I can do things here and then go on iChat and send the files over to people.
“I’m not a gearhead. I’m not a geek,” she continues. “I am independent in a lot of ways; I don’t like relying on people for things. A lot of females still believe that a guy has to come and do this, the guy must engineer this, the guy will figure it out. And what I really love about M-Audio is that they make things simple. It’s very easy so you can just get to it and get an idea down. For the last few songs on the record, I used the 1814 and engineered and produced all the vocals and some remaining guitar parts myself.”
York’s multi-faceted career keeps her continually moving around the globe. When a film role took her to Halifax, Canada at the same time that she needed to finish Wicked Little High, York simply packed up her FireWire 1814 and a microphone, and went on the road. “I had to get this record finished and out because we were all hoping that there would be an Oscar nomination—we had a definite deadline,” she recalls. “I was in an apartment in Halifax. I had to leave to film at around 7:00 in the morning and at 2:00 AM, I was still in my closet recording vocals. In this kind of situation, without this gear, it just wouldn’t have gotten done.
“I was also working on a theme song for Paul Haggis’ new series that needed to get done right away,” York relates. “It was so great to have someone send me some files and then go and write melody and lyric and record it on the spot. I find the FireWire 1814 incredibly convenient and useful. It really freed things up for me.”
Even though the whirlwind ride from the Oscar nomination is just barely coming to an end, York already has big plans for creating her next album. Eager to further embrace new technology and evolve her process, she plans to utilize M-Audio sound libraries while songwriting and exploring her two favorite themes—the unknowable and sensuality. “I’m always interested in the place between places. It’s not just themes that I’m interested in. The songs and the music help me climb over those chasms in myself.”
