A Magical Tour with Studio Founder and Emmy Award-winning Composer Nathan Barr
By Claris Sayadian-Dodge June 2024 Interview with Nathan Barr
Emmy-winning Composer Nathan Barr (Hostel, The Americans, True Blood ) is a preservationist at heart, building on the legacy of Hollywood TV and Film. So, when it came time to design his own studio, it was natural to fill the modern space with historically significant musical instruments. You can see Barr's respect for history of film in every corner. Vintage movie posters and memorabilia adorn the walls, next to his current projects. His diverse roster of film and television projects includes Hulu's The Great, Amblin's The House With A Clock In Its Walls, FX's The Americans, HBO's True Blood, and most recently Netflix's The Diplomat and The Beanie Bubble on Apple TV Plus. Barr composed the main title theme for Amazon's Carnival Row on the Barr-Fox Wurlitzer 3-manual, 19-rank Theater Organ with 1,366 pipes that takes center-stage in Bandrika studio's scoring room. The organ formerly lived at Newman scoring stage from 1928-1997, and can be heard in dozens of scores by legendary composers such as Bernard Herrmann, Alex North, Jerry Goldsmith, and John Williams.
Taking its name from the fictitious country in which Alfred Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" is set, Bandrika has been — much like its namesake — a hidden corner of the music world in Los Angeles, until now. Nevertheless, in its short history, Bandrika has welcomed scores of top composers, musicians, and engineers, through its doors, carrying forward the tradition of recording live music in Los Angeles. Since its inception in 2018, Bandrika has helped birth countless elaborate, rich and emotional soundtracks for film or TV. Past sessions include: John Powell recording choir, or Danny Elfman conjuring a mystical, haunting backdrop for The Grinch, or Kris Bowers creating a spooky world for The Haunted Mansion.
The original building was a 2-story commercial structure. The ceiling was removed at the stage location to allow for full height. According to Designer Jay Kaufman, this project had lots of twists and turns. "It’s not often that you need to find a building that will work well for a pipe organ and scoring stage. Nate had me look at many buildings for acceptable height, square footage, exterior noise, parking, etc," says Kaufman. Barr found a good fit in Tarzana that met both Kaufman's and the organ restorer and installer Ken Chrome's required sizes and specifications. The organ underwent a comprehensive 5-year restoration. The 3 organ chamber sizes were initially specified based on the Fox chambers. According to Kuafman, one of the challenges for the space was the required width of the stage to house the organ equipment. "Typically, pipe organs produce lots of extraneous noise from the huge blower to the regulators, tremulants, etc. But since this was being used in a scoring stage, noise levels were critical. The design produced an extremely low noise floor. I designed the entire facility. Soler Architecture was responsible for all things permit-related and finishes, plus the awesome upstairs lounge with a full kitchen. The acoustics in the stage is quite extraordinary, and works beautifully for organ or orchestra performances, and for scoring," adds Kaufman of Kaufman & Associates.
Barr has become known for his unique, organic, and versatile approach to scoring film and television projects. His background as a multi-instrumentalist and fascination with unique musical instruments inspire his compositions, lending to each of his projects a distinct and evocative palette. He is also known for his collection and use of rare instruments from around the world, all of which are housed at his studio, Bandrika. "This studio is an expression of my obsessiveness as a musician and composer to create the perfect home for recording music," says Barr. Hailed by legendary scoring mixer Peter Cobbin as "The best room of its size in the world to record in right now." Bandrika is recognized by top composers and engineers as a generous and brilliant acoustic space. The studio can accommodate up to a mid-size orchestra. A collection of rare and unusual musical instruments, including the organ, are available for use.
Interview with Nathan Barr
Nathan Barr has become known for his unique, organic, and versatile approach to scoring film and television projects. It's truly a magical experience to visit Bandrika where romance and heritage of Hollywood's past, is expertly paired with state-of-the-art recording technolog of today. "Part of the joy of creating a studio like this is sharing it with others. I'm excited to open the doors of Bandrika to other musicians and composers to explore who they are," says Barr.
And while exploring your creation, there's ample gated parking and an espresso machine to enjoy breaks in-between sessions at Bandrika
SE: For this interview, I had to watch The Lady Vanishes! Good story told by a master! You named your studio after the film directed by Hitchcock. Why? NB: Because the film takes place in a fictitious country called Bandrika where music is a central part of that country's culture, just as it is the focal point of my studio. Further, I wanted visitors to my studio to feel as if they were visiting a far away country, like Bandrika in the film, unlike anything they have experienced before. To come to the studio is to step outside of Los Angeles into a creative cocoon unlike any other.
SE: Quite true! You say Bandrika is the expression of your obsessiveness as composer and musician to create the perfect home to record. When did this love for music and instruments begin? Your early education and/or mentors. NB: My love of instruments from all over the world began in childhood. I grew up in a home with an old mandolin, a piano, a harpsichord, a shakuhachi, a koto, and quite a few non-Western instruments. So from an early age I was picking up instruments I didn’t know how to play and making music with them. I studied cello beginning at nine and picked up guitar around eleven years old. Music was magic and escape from my earliest years.
SE: I can think of many musicians who would feel like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory at Bandrika! What made you open your studio to others (initially built to serve as your private studio)? NB: I wanted a couple years to explore what I had built before opening it to others. It’s intended to be a very welcoming environment, a creative oasis of sorts, and I had enough friends coming in and seeing and hearing the space saying “you’ve got to open this to others” that I finally relented. Also, I want the studio’s reputation to grow during my life and having many composers and musicians work and record at the studio will help that goal.
SE: Besides the Wurlitzer organ, what were your must-have design features and what was the experience of working with studio designer, Jay Kaufman? NB: Jay brings a level or practical thinking and knowledge to studios that is unparalleled in my experience in the industry. He was central to making the studio what it is today. I wanted a stage with a sonic identity (as opposed to large space with no acoustic personality.) I wanted the main room to accommodate 40-50 orchestral players, and I wanted it completely sound-isolated from the exterior and other interior spaces. I also wanted it to be an aesthetically beautiful space to work in. I want it to be a room musicians enter and immediately want to make music in. I think all these goals have been accomplished.
SE: Harry Risoleo books your room and also engineers for you. how did you find him and does he assist clients when outside engineers or composers work here? NB: Harry began working for me the very first week the studio opened in May of 2018. He went to Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. A professor of our’s recommended him and I am so grateful he did because Harry has become a crucial part of the studio today. He is a brilliant engineer and mixer in his own right, but is also happy to assist outside engineers and always gets top marks from anyone who works with him.
SE: What can you say about the scoring film/tv industry today. One thing you could change? NB: The industry is undergoing an enormous change right now between AI and streaming platforms, among other things. Overall it feels like music as an occupation is under attack by those who want to maximize profit at the expense of the musicians who create it. If I could change one thing it would be to back off from the growing trend I see of studios and platforms going after the royalties of younger composers who are just starting out, because they are far more vulnerable than I and the established composers are.
SE: You have a fascination with technology reflected in your collection of *instruments and recording gear from periods ranging from 1700s to today. Name two instruments that are extra special to you and explain why? NB: The Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ is special to me because it represents the height of technology and imagination going to work in service of the earliest days of movie-making. I also invented a Sympathetic Drone Cello, expertly built by Fred and Suzy Carlson, which represents the way I think about music. It has a mechanical drone with four strings, 10 sympathetic strings, and 5 main strings with an E on top.
SE: Your beverage of choice? NB: A latte made with a combination of heavy cream and whole milk - very decadent.
SE: Ah, my order exactly with a request to book Bandrika. Calling Harry !
All photos Courtesy of Nathan Barr
The control room features an expansive, flexible producer's desk that can be configured to suit the needs of anyone working at it. It features a pull-out keyboard, sit-stand functionality, and modular screens to maximize productivity and comfort. An Avid S3 is placed on the desk for Pro Tools monitoring and mixing during sessions. The listening experience is courtesy of a thunderous 5.1 Bowers and Wilkins 800-series Diamond loudspeaker system driven by Rotel amplifiers and a grace m906 monitor controller.
"At present, all of the microphones in the studio's collection are newly made - we find it easier during fast-paced sessions to know that our equipment will be working properly every time we turn it on. That said, we have relationships with rental companies throughout LA and can source vintage mics when necessary. And, engineers who come to work at the studio are always welcome to bring their own mics to use and experiment. One of our favorites in the Bandrika locker is the Chandler REDD microphone - our matched trio of REDDs gets used on just about every session! They compliment the sound of the room beautifully," says studio manager, Harry Risoleo.
Select Instruments Available at Bandrika
Replica of a glass Armonica invented by Benjamin Franklin, built by G. Finkenbeiner in Waltham, MA
A Nyckelharpa (bowed chordophone) from Sweden built by Esbjörn Hogmark.
A mechanical Clock Organ from 1790, maker unknown.
Euphonicon Upright Piano, built by F. Beale and Co. (1843)
Steinway Model D grand piano
An extensive assortment of percussion and guitars
Wurlitzer pipe organ 3-manual, 19-rank Theater Organ with 1,366 pipes! .
