Barry Watson

Musician

Recording engineer

Educator & author

Band manager & agent

Cambridgeshire based Barry spends the majority of his time teaching and writing about music and technology. When not doing this, he can often be found on main stages of leading festivals and at private events with the ever-busy Stumpy Oak ceilidh band and duo Erin Brown & Barry Watson. Recording and production are enduring passions, spurred on by a period working an an Audio Associate at the prestigious Banff Centre in Canada, producing work for rock, jazz and classical artists. To ensure there's no chance of thumb twiddling, Barry manages bands and events as director of the Ceilidh Network music agency.

Performance & session work

I play piano/keys, accordions, Irish whistles, bouzouki, acoustic guitar and flute. I've performed with Stumpy Oak, Erin Brown & Barry Watson, The Jen Ord Trio, Cotter & Watson, plus guest appearances with Crafting With Foes. Remote studio recording sessions a speciality - send me your recording project and I can add some tasteful extra parts!

Recording & production

Recording, production, mixing and mastering. Specialising in acoustic music and use of natural acoustics to get the most authentic sound. I have access to a hall, treated live room, grand piano and a wide selection of microphones, plus a mixing/mastering suite at home.

Educator / writer

I teach Music Technology and Music at A level, I'm a senior examiner for the Music Technology A level and a reviewer for GCSE Music. I write for MusicTech magazine and contributed music production tutorials and reviews to Sound on Sound magazine for a number of years. I also taught at degree level during a period of research into spatial audio.

Band and events management

I co-run an agency for folk musicians, helping to develop a custom events management system, associated contracting/safety and insurance procedures and SEO strategies. I manage my own ceilidh band, taking care of all booking details, contracting, press, publicity, web and media.