5 Studio Staples with James Everingham

James Everingham’s musical journey began with a natural intuition. Today, the LA-based composer and producer is making waves with his atmospheric, boundary-pushing scores. His work ranges from scoring global television events (NBC’s Super Bowl LVI) to collaborations with major artists (BBC’s Frozen Planet II with AURORA), reflecting a bold and innovative approach to sound.

His latest project? Co-scoring Apple TV+’s epic new drama Chief of War, the sweeping Hawaii-set saga led by Jason Momoa and in collaboration with Hans Zimmer.

James’s creative process blends cutting-edge tech with an ever-expanding collection of unique instruments. So what does a modern film composer really rely on when inspiration strikes? Here, exclusively for The Blank Mag, James breaks down the five studio staples that keep his music fresh and impactful.

No. 1. Modular synthesizer

My modular synthesizer is the centerpiece of the studio, and it’s configured with modules I love, arranged in a way that feels second nature to me. I’m always trying to get out of the box, away from the computer and injecting as much humanity into my music as possible. There’s something great about the tactility of having to stand up and reach across the room to connect things together. It’s as much a beautiful piece of furniture as it is my favourite instrument.

No. 2. Coles 4038 microphone

My favourite microphone! Often, when working on music for film and TV, it can be hard to fit instrumental recordings around dialogue and sound effects. I find the frequency response of the 4038 allows it to be in the mix in a very natural way. It’s a classic, iconic design that hasn’t changed since the 1950s. I have two, and I take really good care of them, but I’m pretty sure I could run them over in a tank and they’d be just fine!

No. 3. Pūniu drum

This one is a bit different, but the pūniu drum played a huge part in our score for Chief of War, so it deserves a place on this list. Typically, the pūniu is made out of animal skin stretched over a coconut shell, and it’s strapped to the knee and played as part of traditional hula. This one was hand-made for Hans Zimmer and I by Christiaan Verbeek of Pasifika Drums, and it appears all over the Chief of W score, bringing a touch of the Hawaiian musical tradition that shaped so much of our approach to the show.

No. 4 This jacket

I got this jacket right when we started working on Chief of War, and it sort of became my studio uniform. It’s very comfortable, just smart enough for work, and perfect for long nights recording remote orchestras on the other side of the world. I think it’s from Marine Layer!

No. 5. Speakers

No studio is complete without a pair of trusted, accurate speakers. These are my Focal Trios. I bought them in the UK a long time ago, and they moved to LA with me. I’m very familiar with their sound; they’re not fatiguing, and they make music very fun to listen to. I find it really important to be able to ‘feel’ music when working on a score that ultimately needs to move air and have an emotional impact. These do a wonderful job at that, but I’m also lucky to work with incredible mix engineers who play a huge part in getting the music sounding the best it can. On Chief of War, our amazing score mixers were Forest Christenson and Joyie Lai.

5 Studio Staples with James Everingham