For this month’s student success stories we talk to Brendan Carthy who recently joined forces with fellow pulse graduate Paul and took a huge career step setting up “The Orchard Recording Studio” outside Enniscorthy town, Co Wexford. Having shared their love of music since they first met in school, have been playing music together since. Both moved to Dublin to train in different areas of the arts, but would always meet up back home to perform and record at the weekends. In 2006 Paul started the diploma course at Pulse College and was followed by Brendan a year later, the duo have never looked back since. We catch up with Brendan and Paul to get an insight into their new business venture.

Q1. You and Paul have worked together with music since secondary school. How did this partnership come about?

We became friends in primary school, Paul played keyboards and I was taking drum lessons so it was just a matter of time until we started a band.

Q2. What was the defining moment that helped you discover your passion for music and multi tracking in those early years?

We received a Korg D1600 as a Christmas present and this was to be a turning point as we would start to record ideas and experiment with layering vocals and guitars for fun.

Q3. You both went your separate way during your college years studying different areas of arts in Dublin. Tell us about this experience

Paul: I moved to Dublin to study theatre, and worked in Waltons music on north Frederick Street to help fund my studies. I looked after guitars and keyboards. I trained with NAYD under their ARTSTRAIN programme for drama facilitation and found myself working for various festivals in Ireland and the UK.

Brendan: I moved up in ’03 and enrolled on a Theatre production course in the old SFX theatre. I learned about all areas of stage production, lights and sound to set building, stage and FOH management. I eventually got the job of head technician in the last years of the buildings existence. From there I worked around the city as a lighting technician and general stage hand, also some small gigs designing sound. Finally I decided to concentrate on sound.

Q4. You both kept your interest in music alive, getting together at the weekend to record. What were your musical influences in those early days?

Our musical influences haven’t changed much from those days and can be anything from Irish trad to heavy rock. We`ve always been open to all styles of music and see good and bad in all genres.

Q5. How has your musical taste developed and changed over the years.

Simplicity less is more. Groove is everything!

Q6. You both took is the Pulse College Music and Technology Diploma courses. What made you decide to do down this path?

We both were beginning to take music more seriously and began hearing the quality of our recordings were just sounding amateur. We needed to fill a massive gap of knowledge to progress. We out grew the old band room, rusty mic`s and korg box.

Q7. Tell us about how you found this experience.

Pulse gave us great technical grounding, musical production insight, invaluable hands on time with world class facilities, and sound advice, insight and support from all its lecturers and guest lecturers alike.

Q8. What was the most important element you took from this course?

Most important element would be, listening FULLY to music and having the patience of a saint.

Q9. You took the huge step and followed a lifelong ambition setting up you own studio The Orchard in Wexford. Tell us about it.

For us this wasn’t a huge step, it was natural progression. We were always going to build our own space and it seemed like the perfect time to go for it. This place is our baby and we really want to get the best results we possibly can. We first want to put Wexford on the map in Ireland as a great hub of talent and quality and eventually we will step up and hopefully be seen as a world class recording studio.

Q10. What advice would you have for Pulse graduate about to embark on their career?

Get as much hands on experience as possible, never under-value yourself, or over value!!, never think you know it all because you never will, always be prepared to up-skill, be nice to people and record record,record.

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