(Pocket-lint) - In our latest interview with a music industry professional we delve behind the scenes and focus on someone who's job is to make other people sound better. And he's great at his job.
Sound engineer James Orchard-Lisle has worked with Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, Penguin Cafe, Sundog and other top musicians and is therefore an ideal subject for our "music sounds better with..." series, in association with Cambridge Audio. He shares the tracks he most enjoys listening to and reveals exactly why he'd invite One Direction to lunch.
So read on to find out some tips on what you might fancy downloading to your music device...
Who are you?
Hi, I’m Jamie Orchard-Lisle.
What do you do?
I’m a sound engineer and producer. I engineer both live music and work in studios.
What are your top five tracks right now?
"Wow, tough one… in no particular order:
"Ordinary Joe by Terry Callier.
"Shout to the Top by The Style Council.
"Hagen Quartetts' version of Dvořáks String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 'American'.
"Rollin Over by Skinny Lister.
"La Mer by Charles Trenet."
What's your favourite British band and why?
"I suppose it has to be Led Zeppelin. I grew up listening to them and they still sound modern.
"Their music is so exciting and the sound they made was massive. I toured with a great band called Juju a few years ago and we did the support slot for Robert Plant. They say never meet your heroes but he is such a lovely, genuine bloke so that coupled with their music, it’s got to be them."
What track makes you think of the Summer?
"Quincy Jones, Summer in the City or anything by Bob Marley."
What track makes you think of the winter?
"The Rat Pack stuff is quite good when it’s cold out. Love Sammy Davis Jr - totally cool bloke."
What's your favourite gadget at the moment?
"Boring answer, I know, but I just got an iPhone 6 so that’s quite high on my list at the mo."
What's the next gadget you are hoping to buy soon?
"I’ve just ordered the new Mac Book Pro Retina. Maxed out the memory, etc, so that’s quite exciting!
"Not sure what’s next - probably something for the studio. Got my eye on the new Antelope Zen recording interface."
When you listen to music on the go, in a hotel room or the like, do you listen to music on a pair of speakers or are you a headphones kind of person?
"I got a mid-range Bluetooth speaker a while back and that’s a great bit of kit. Still surprises me how much low end they manage to squeeze out of it so that’s good for hotel rooms, etc.
If you could have lunch with one band or singer (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
"Toughest question… there are so many people. Bob Marley would be pretty special. Jimi Hendrix is an obvious one as well.
"Some of the early classical composers would be interesting, just to see what made them tick.
"One Direction so I could politely ask them to stop. Just stop."
Since 1968 Cambridge Audio has been driven by a simple belief; that music should always sound amazing. Its original British-designed products are enjoyed the world over by people like you who share a love of music.
The company has an envied reputation for innovation and every one of its engineers is fanatical in their pursuit of delivering an authentic and enjoyable experience. When you listen to a Cambridge Audio product you don’t just hear the difference, you feel it. It wants everyone to experience that pleasure.
The Cambridge Audio team are all music lovers, plain and simple and want to share that love. Because great things happen when people who love music design hi-fi!
