Meet the Team and Some Technical Information

The Saint Brigid’s Team

The Saint Brigid’s Sessions are made possible by the dedicated efforts of this volunteer team:

  • Stephen Neale, host and co-producer
    • Stephen is one of the hosts of CKCU-FM’s Saturday Morning program. Involved at CKCU-FM since 1987, Stephen is drawn to all styles of music and has traveled to festivals and shows across Canada, the United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas, the Caribbean and Africa.
  • David Bignell, sound and co-producer
    • David is both a musician and a producer/engineer. He plays as a sideman in many
      Ottawa bands as well as in his own 2 projects: the Lake Effect Sound and Cloud of Rock.
      David can also be found in his studio recording and mixing releases for a wide range of
      artists, including: Lucky Ron, Ian Tamblyn, The Hammerheads, Sneezy Waters and many others.
  • Robert Patterson, video
    • A camera man, photographer and video editor with well over 20 years of professional experience, Robert is also an avid music fan. Robert has brought a stronger dimension to the sessions by capturing and co-producing the videos.
  • Jason Leroux, video
    • Jason is an experienced camera man and video editor, who, like the rest if the team, has a passion for music. He is also one of Ottawa’s most dedicated Lucky Ron fans.
  • Michael ‘tic’ Houston, photography
    • tic, among many other community minded endeavours, is the producer of Barn Storm, an annual music festival of country, rock, folk, ambient, instrumental and metal that is held in his Odditorium, a converted 150-year-old barn, in Finch, Ontario. tic also hosts the Wednesday Special Blend on CKCU-FM.
  • Josée Robillard, photography
    • Josée is a mixed-media artist/printmaker, a founding member of the New Edinburgh Artists’ Studio Tour (NEST) and music enthusiast. Actively participating in local art exhibitions, Josée is inspired by the myriad of individuals on their own journeys to better themselves and their communities.
  • Patricia Traill, photography
    • The energy and soul of Frou Frou Boutique, an independent business located in Ottawa’s Lowertown, Patricia volunteered for the sessions to reignite her interest in photography.
  • Liam Tyrell, stage management (Sessions 1 through 5)
    • Liam is a stonemanson who has volunteered many hours to the restoration of the stone walls at Saint Brigid’s, best seen in Brigid’s Well (the pub in the basement), and his time helping to set-up several of our sessions.
  • Piaras Ó Giobúin, stage management (Session 6)
    • Shortly after managing the stage for the 6th session, Piaras returned to Ireland.
  • Patrick McDonald, Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts and stage management for Session 7 and 8

Some Technical Information

Microphones
The Saint Brigid’s Sessions uses the following microphones:

Each session is tracked to a Pro Tools HD Native System and mixed post-session.

Instrumentation
In line with the overall concept, the space and the fact that the session will first be broadcast on a morning program, we do not want to work with anything LOUD. That means, for example, no full drum sets, small drums played loud, full-on electric guitars or bagpipes, etc.

The goal is to capture a natural sound in what really is a magnificent sounding space. The louder the music gets, the murkier and indistinct the sound becomes.

That being said: quiet drums and/or percussion and quiet electric instruments are manageable.

It sounds counterintuitive because it is a big church space, but it will work best with an intimate ensemble. Think of it as a small studio but without walls. What we are looking for are performances with 1 to 3 people. That is what will work best.

Broadcast Sound and Video Sound
The sound file used for radio broadcast is: 44.1k / 16 bit.

The sound file used for the video is: 48k / 24 bit.