Laurie Torres talks us through her creative process, her love of recording in remote locations, and why the Neve 88M goes everywhere with her.
Laurie Torres with the Neve 88M
Laurie Torres is a Montreal-based composer and producer whose practice moves between solo work, theatre and dance, shaped by improvisation, sonic exploration and a deep connection to place. A pianist by training, she later expanded into drums and synthesis, developing a flexible approach to composition that prioritises instinct over structure.
A Practice Built on Instinct
“My music is instrumental and cinematic, and is definitely influenced by my classical background,” she says. “However, you can also hear my love of odd textures, found sounds, and percussion. I like to think of my songs as warm, inhabited spaces.”
Improvisation is central to how she works. Rather than building pieces from rigid structures, she allows material to emerge in real time, making room for what she calls happy accidents.
“Sometimes I record a full improvisation and commit to that version. Sometimes I improvise until I find a motif, then start recording when it is sufficiently defined and improvise around it. My main principle is that the process remains spontaneous.”
Place as Creative Material
That openness to the unexpected extends into environment. Torres particularly values time spent in residential studios, away from the rhythm of daily life, where immersion in a place becomes part of the creative process itself.
“I particularly enjoy spending time in the studio without having to go home every night. This inspired me to record my first album at a very nice spot in Quebec – Wild Studio. Nestled between the trees and right on a lake, it was the perfect place for me to record in early spring.”
Beyond the Quebec cabin, she has taken her process to residencies in Austurland, Iceland and the mountains of Banff, Canada, allowing each landscape to shape the work in ways that a home studio simply cannot replicate. It is less about isolation than about responsiveness – letting the outside world in rather than shutting it out.
“Being in these spaces makes me feel as though I’m composing music for something greater than myself,” she says. “The ideas come easily when I’m responding to that. It becomes easier to just feel, and think less.”
Laurie’s 88M alongside a selection of other outboard gear
The Recording Setup
Her recording setup reflects the same balance between precision and experimentation. At its core is a Neve 1073DPX preamp, which she uses extensively for piano and synthesis.
“The 1073 is a real game changer in my setup,” she says.
“The preamps sound phenomenal and the EQ gives the sound so much character. The piano is a difficult instrument to capture, but the Neve sound complements it perfectly, bringing out warm lows and harmonically rich highs.”
Alongside more traditional microphones such as Coles 4038s and Neumann KM 184s, she frequently incorporates more unusual tools including the LOM Geofon, MikroUsi and Sonorous Objects SO.4.
“Pairing them with conventional microphones can create some really nice textures,” she says. “I like to throw one of these into the mix, particularly when capturing percussion, voice, or the manipulation of random objects.”
Enter the 88M
For Torres, the Neve 88M became an essential extension of this approach, particularly when moving between studio, stage and remote locations.
“I bought an 88M because I wanted a way to mic up the piano during my live sets that would make it sound as good as it does in the studio. Basically I was looking for the best sounding portable preamp.”
The simplicity of the unit was a key part of its appeal, but its usefulness quickly expanded beyond the original intention. She began running vocals through her pedalboard via the 88M’s return loop, recording ideas on the fly between shows and carrying it to residencies. In performance, its outputs feed a mixer alongside a sampler and pedals, giving her flexibility across different live environments.
“I was immediately amazed by the sound of the 88M. I realised that carrying it meant I basically always had a portable studio, and that portability didn’t mean compromising on quality.”
Laurie’s live setup featuring the 88M
A Sound She Can Trust
For Torres, the appeal of Neve runs deeper than practicality.
“To me, the Neve sound is warm and instantly rich,” she says. “It has even made me enjoy microphones that I wasn’t in love with. The piano is a difficult instrument to capture, but the Neve sound complements it perfectly, bringing out beautiful, warm lows and harmonically rich highs.”
It is a quality she intends to build on.
“I feel really secure when recording and performing with such a powerful, reliable and enjoyable sound source. I’m hoping to expand my Neve collection as I develop as a composer and producer.”
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