CLIENTS
Nick Maloney
Faraway Asylum Studios nestled under the mountain of gold in East Clare be prepared for the purest air in Europe to enhance your recordings combined with the amazing production engineering and musical skills of your host Pronoia. From complex MIDI setups through an array of high end guitars boutique amps and state of the art keyboards to beautiful acoustic instruments FAS has it all. I have had the pleasure and honour of adding keys to many recording sessions in my role as session player and have constantly been amazed at the quality and fidelity of sounds combined with an expertise that is way above any strictly commercial enterprise, you are entering a world of art, surrounded by natural beauty from the nearby forest to the amazing Trout Lake in the peace and tranquility of a bygone era, you won't want to leave! Pronoia has the most open set of ears, an ability to capture pure sound, the knowledge to bring each performance to a higher level, a fantastic guitarist, multi instrumentalist and musician in his own right he has that amazing knack of bringing the best performance from others and then using his wizardly technical skills to take it to the next ĺevel combined with an artists vision, arranging and production skills at the highest level to ensure the maximum content from each session , you won't be left wanting in your search for artistic sonic quality!
Earthmonkey
Pronoia, aka Tony Roberts, lives way out in the back of beyond in County Clare, Ireland.
He has built a creative commune consisting of crazy buildings, his own rainbow trout lake, a host of live-in vehicles, quadbike tracks (plus quadbikes!) and a piano-shaped swimming pool to boot. It’s an amazing place for groups to get away, hole up and record in luxury.
Far Away Asylum Studios is packed with Tony’s own collection of rare and quirky instruments, which range from the latest electronic drumkits, basses and guitars to sitars, koras and an impressive assortment of world percussion. This is all set against a funky backdrop of psychedelic UV-lit wall hangings and brightly coloured posters.
When you first walk into the studio, you instinctively want to start playing music and this is always greeted with Tony’s own natural enthusiasm and passion for playing. He will be happy to spend as long as it takes to set you up with the best quality instruments and the particular sound that you’re looking for.
Neill Farrell
Put it this way. In the studio – and maybe in art in general - there’s a false dichotomy between having a good time and getting the real hard work done. You can chill out and vibe or you can roll up your sleeves and labour. Pronoia, AKA Tony Roberts, sees through this bullshit. The good times and the good vibes are important. The laughter is important. The relaxation is the concentration. The love is the practice; the practice is the love. You will work your arse off by playing your arse off, and you will love it and feel relaxed in so doing because this is a no-stress environment, for exactly the reasons of making the best art possible. I was sixteen when I met Tony; barely hominid with an ego the size of a bus, slapping a four-string bass as if that made me special. Tony was the epitemy of sound and patient, while also giving me exactly the slagging I needed to calm down and be the best musician I could be. He took me under a tie-dyed wing and brought me to a dizzying paradise in the remote and barren backwaters of rural Ireland. A private lake with fish hopping out of it in the Summer sunshine – an outdoor pool – and, a studio packed from end to end (tidily, and with care) with every instrument I’d dreamed of playing around with. Sitars and synthesizers, electronic drums and congas and oh the many gorgeous basses and guitars. My band at the time shat out the best demo we could manage, and at every point, Tony’s fierce but gentle guidance brought out better and better takes, and clever little suggestions and observations that made us sound far better than we had any right to. The years went on and I remained a family friend, counting myself lucky to occassionally revisit that spot in the mountains, jam, or even churn out the occassional recording. I was given the chance to play with some of Tony’s legendary old friends, some of whom you will probably read about if you feel the need to continue your research into FAR AWAY ASYLUM STUDIOS and somehow are not already sold on this unique space and authentic, music-focused world. Leave your ego at the door, is what I’d advise. Not because this is a particularly school-of-hard-knocks story I’m telling you, but because my story is supposed to be about Fun, and how it intersects with Beauty, Music and Art. That's not the place for your ego, it's the place for your inner child. If you want to knuckle down and relax at the same time; to be egoless and also play at your best – and mostly, if you want to go somewhere that feels like an escape from oppressive architecture, bad music and bad vibes – then at least give yourself the chance to get into the Asylum. Give Tony a buzz or an email. If he doesn’t make you laugh, I’ll eat my hat. Neil Farrell – musician and YouTuber.
Rory
I’ve been to many studios in my day and it’s easy to say that Faraway Asylum Studio is unique! You may have trouble finding it on your sat nav but this is part of the joy of the place - when you’re out there, you’re there to make music and there are few distractions. You arrive to a very unassuming, nearly hidden wrought iron farm gate and the grassy lane driveway disappears in under large trees. The site is large and can accommodate splitter van style touring vehicles etc., accommodation can be arranged on site so you can get down to it once you’ve settled in!
The studio is a building of its own and is enough of a walk from the house to wake you up of a morning!! The live room is fundamentally open plan so you can fit the entire band into the main room and track live with line of sight to all concerned - there’s even daylight!!
The equipment line up is very impressive - the many pre wired guitar rig’s are all in pristine condition, well maintained and all working beautifully. You can of course pick and choose your own instrument, pedal selection and amp to get your own sound. Uniquely and such a brilliant idea is the fact that any Gtr plugged into any pedal board can be routed to any and/or multiple amps though the various small format desks arranged in the live room.
The collection of Gtr amps like Mesa Boogie, Koch, Engl, Line Six and the ridiculously enormous selection of pedals will blow your mind - there is nothing ordinary here!
It’s much the same for the bass section and the custom built 5 string is a beautiful instrument and there’s also a double bass for those occasions when acoustic is the name of the game. The Hartke 4 x 10” and 1 x 15” cabs along with the Hartke HA3500 Hybrid bass head are all that’s required for amplification - there’s even a powered sub if that’s not enough for you!
Synth City has some serious pieces in here and a few items that are no longer manufactured and very hard to acquire. Of course, there is an entire suite of VST plug ins available too.
As a drummer I’m always happy to visit because it’s a rarity to be able to sit down and just go…whether on the acoustic or electronic kits. The acoustic kit has its own drum screen and is facing away from the main section for isolation purposes.
Arranged over two floors in a purpose built twin walled building the control room is upstairs. This serves as a self contained electronic music studio as well as the main control room.
Tony Roberts has been assembling all of this gear over many years and is adept at repairs and servicing as well as running sessions, mixing and mastering and essentially making your visit very worthwhile and productive. A fantastic Gtr’ist in his own right he has been around long enough to know his shit and you will be well looked after.
If you want to create and capture the magic that occurs when you and your band get together and play… then this is the spot for you!