Decline of the studio
Discussion
In recent years a good percentage of the top studios have closed, Townhouse on Goldhawk Rd, Master Rock on the Kilburn High Rd, Mayfair in Primrose Hill, Maison Rouge in Fulham plus loads more here and in America.
Everything seemed to go downhill around the turn of the new millennium with record companies not giving huge advances, the rise of pro-tools for cheap recording, the downgrading of music in general all played their part in the demise of the studio.
Bearing this in mind I can thoroughly recommend Dave Grohl's film Sound City if you get chance to watch it,the film is based around the Neve 8028 console which was used to record some of the great albums of all time, a beautiful sounding analog console.
Everything seemed to go downhill around the turn of the new millennium with record companies not giving huge advances, the rise of pro-tools for cheap recording, the downgrading of music in general all played their part in the demise of the studio.
Bearing this in mind I can thoroughly recommend Dave Grohl's film Sound City if you get chance to watch it,the film is based around the Neve 8028 console which was used to record some of the great albums of all time, a beautiful sounding analog console.
Noel Gallagher has had quite a bit to say about the rise of Ed Sheeran and the rest of the singer-songwriter brigade who can rehearse and record at home. Saves them a fortune, but does further limit the number of bands getting signed which must lead to pressure on the number of studios needed.
Round our way there are at least still several rehearsal venues with a new one opened recently, but room hire is £12.50 an hour, studio hire I think is about £500 a day.
Round our way there are at least still several rehearsal venues with a new one opened recently, but room hire is £12.50 an hour, studio hire I think is about £500 a day.
The rates were at their peak in the 80s, Master Rock if memory serves was up to £1200 a day, $2000 dollars a day in Electric Lady in New York at similar time, I did a bit of work in Air when it was on Oxford St and should imagine it was dearer still.
I think Gallagher used Air and Master Rock for Be Here Now but that was long after my time.
I think Gallagher used Air and Master Rock for Be Here Now but that was long after my time.
Angel and Abbey are cheaper now than they have been for years. (+/- £2.5k and £3.5k per day respectively).
Thing is, I can do 90% of what I do there in my studio at home, so I only use one of those when I need to record orchestral stuff... which is why most of them went bust. Only the best few remain.
Thing is, I can do 90% of what I do there in my studio at home, so I only use one of those when I need to record orchestral stuff... which is why most of them went bust. Only the best few remain.
GetCarter said:
Angel and Abbey are cheaper now than they have been for years. (+/- £2.5k and £3.5k per day respectively).
Thing is, I can do 90% of what I do there in my studio at home, so I only use one of those when I need to record orchestral stuff... which is why most of them went bust. Only the best few remain.
Check out this great site about the studios that have gone in this country.http://philsbook.com/Thing is, I can do 90% of what I do there in my studio at home, so I only use one of those when I need to record orchestral stuff... which is why most of them went bust. Only the best few remain.
Air which is now in Hampstead do a lot of string arrangements, they used have a residential in the Caribbean island of Montserrat and one of the famous Neve consoles Rupert Neve designed for George Martin can be seen in the Every Little Thing Is Magic video by the Police, the console was sold to A and M studios which carried on making hit albums, probably one of the the most desirable consoles in the world.
Abbey Rd now uses AMS Neve 88 series consoles which has nothing to do with Rupert Neve only that Siemans kept his name when they brought his old company out.
This year I am going to visit Mr Neve in Texas as I worked for him for 3 years in the 80s and have remained good friends, he is a true gentleman.
Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 8th May 22:58
FWIW, I only use the "big" rooms when I need to now. I'm more of an SSL man myself, so I've got all the gubbins at home.
I'm not that far away from Real World (Peter Gabriel's place) so go there when I need to do anything that I can't do at home.
That said, not been there in over a year now......
I'm not that far away from Real World (Peter Gabriel's place) so go there when I need to do anything that I can't do at home.
That said, not been there in over a year now......
DanoS4 said:
FWIW, I only use the "big" rooms when I need to now. I'm more of an SSL man myself, so I've got all the gubbins at home.
I'm not that far away from Real World (Peter Gabriel's place) so go there when I need to do anything that I can't do at home.
That said, not been there in over a year now......
I hear he's got a great set up at Real World, he use to own a firm in the 80s making preamps and now owns SSL I do believe, I met him in the lift at a AES convention held in London in the 80s. I'm not that far away from Real World (Peter Gabriel's place) so go there when I need to do anything that I can't do at home.
That said, not been there in over a year now......
I must admit I prefer the Neve consoles especially for tracking, SSL I find better for mixing and making life easier.
The album SO to me sums up that nasty mid 80s SSL sound and would be quite happy if I never heard Sledgehammer again, another album that I'm guessing was tracked through a SSL of the same period is Invisible Touch by Genesis, being a fan of Genesis I found this album to be a big disappointment but like SO for Peter Gabriel was probably one of Genesis biggest sellers, guess I'm stuck in the late 70s,lol.
One of those "small world moments". My friend Annie was providing medical cover in Montserrat at the time The PolIce were recording "Ghost in the machine". She spent a lot of time at Air Montserrat (stories of crazy nights out with the Straycats, watching Stevie Wonder play a spontaneous set in a tiny bar etc) and she brought me back an Air Studios Montserrat promotional T shirt.(my friend went to Montserrat and all I got was this lousy T shirt...).Anyway some time later I was walking on the prom in Llandudno wearing said shirt when a chap stopped me and enquired when had I been there.It transpired it was he who had installed the Neve desk. Cool starry bra etc 
TBH, I don't use the SSL for tracking. Certainly not in the channel. I use outboard - the usual suspects, API, Neve, Focusrite, GML, Pultec etc......
I like the character of the other Mic pres/channels, but the SSL adds something to the sound on mix.
I agree with the 80's SSL sound..... the 4k SSL range needed (and responded well) to being pushed. Akin to the "Ready Brek" glow (!), but the new stuff (and I work a lot on AWS and 9K consoles) needs to be treated with a bit more respect.
Not used Duality yet, but I'm off to a masterclass session with SSL at the end of the month - looking forward to it
DAn
I like the character of the other Mic pres/channels, but the SSL adds something to the sound on mix.
I agree with the 80's SSL sound..... the 4k SSL range needed (and responded well) to being pushed. Akin to the "Ready Brek" glow (!), but the new stuff (and I work a lot on AWS and 9K consoles) needs to be treated with a bit more respect.
Not used Duality yet, but I'm off to a masterclass session with SSL at the end of the month - looking forward to it
DAn
Funny isn't it, how personal these things are. I love that hectic mid SSL sound. I guess the big change has been decent analogue to digital converters getting ever cheaper. Working at home also gives you time. In the old days the prohibitive cost of day rates never gave us enough time to actually optimise all of the outboard. Didn't Mayfair have the pink SSL - or was it somewhere else? It's all blur, looking back.
I used the E series alot when I worked at Maida Vale, the mic pre amps and eq on the E were no where near as nice sounding as the older Neves we still had there, the g series was slightly better. The focusrite desk at a studio that I have forgaotten the name of !!! in willesden?? was reaslly nice but v expensive. Focurite, I think was designed by Rupert Neve. The great thing about ssl at the time was that you got a 32 or 48 ch console with automation and a gate/comp on every channel, so it was pretty much the desk to use for mixing.
Honk said:
One of those "small world moments". My friend Annie was providing medical cover in Montserrat at the time The PolIce were recording "Ghost in the machine". She spent a lot of time at Air Montserrat (stories of crazy nights out with the Straycats, watching Stevie Wonder play a spontaneous set in a tiny bar etc) and she brought me back an Air Studios Montserrat promotional T shirt.(my friend went to Montserrat and all I got was this lousy T shirt...).Anyway some time later I was walking on the prom in Llandudno wearing said shirt when a chap stopped me and enquired when had I been there.It transpired it was he who had installed the Neve desk. Cool starry bra etc
Great story.Is your T shirt like this one?
Re: Dave Grohl's film Sound City, great doc, I've seen it a few times now.
Decline of the 'commercial' studio:
I'm one of those tight arses who to save studio time at Rockfield one weekend, put down the click track and guides on my AW4416 at home and took the machine in to Rockfield so Phil Ault could put them through the Neve VR and onto the Studer A827.
This saved a fortune and time, the weekend was 2k and I completed 5 tracks there.
I wanted to record there for years, and this is my point, only famous studios seem to be holding on for now, home studios now hold in one small bedroom the same production capabilities of Abby Road.
So for a solo artist working alone, it will sit just fine in the bedroom environment but won't hold the same 'vibe' for a band as 'going in the studio'
I hope they hold out for as long as possible.
Decline of the 'commercial' studio:
I'm one of those tight arses who to save studio time at Rockfield one weekend, put down the click track and guides on my AW4416 at home and took the machine in to Rockfield so Phil Ault could put them through the Neve VR and onto the Studer A827.
This saved a fortune and time, the weekend was 2k and I completed 5 tracks there.
I wanted to record there for years, and this is my point, only famous studios seem to be holding on for now, home studios now hold in one small bedroom the same production capabilities of Abby Road.
So for a solo artist working alone, it will sit just fine in the bedroom environment but won't hold the same 'vibe' for a band as 'going in the studio'
I hope they hold out for as long as possible.
It's such a shame really - recording in a classic studio is an event all by itself. They always have history and the spirits of those that have recorded there before, same with venues.
Two places I loved recording at was Rockfield in Wales and Dave Stewart's Church Studios. You also bumped into other bands and had a good laugh (got mashed), which you can't do sat at home.
Two places I loved recording at was Rockfield in Wales and Dave Stewart's Church Studios. You also bumped into other bands and had a good laugh (got mashed), which you can't do sat at home.
Raygun said:
Honk said:
One of those "small world moments". My friend Annie was providing medical cover in Montserrat at the time The PolIce were recording "Ghost in the machine". She spent a lot of time at Air Montserrat (stories of crazy nights out with the Straycats, watching Stevie Wonder play a spontaneous set in a tiny bar etc) and she brought me back an Air Studios Montserrat promotional T shirt.(my friend went to Montserrat and all I got was this lousy T shirt...).Anyway some time later I was walking on the prom in Llandudno wearing said shirt when a chap stopped me and enquired when had I been there.It transpired it was he who had installed the Neve desk. Cool starry bra etc
Great story.Is your T shirt like this one?
The LMS - The late and very, very great Ronnie Lane's studio is still going. This makes me happy. http://www.recordproduction.com/lms-mobile-studio....
ReaderScars said:
Would love to hear any anecdotes from the recording industry (either side of the glass) from any of you guys who work/have been involved in recording/engineering/production...
Gossip use to go round,here's a few, Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars had just been released by Edie Brickell ATNB and we heard Edie Brickell's backing band The New Bohemians were useless and they had to get session guys in to finish the album at Rockfield or there's a certain deceased comedian keep leaving his coke spoon in the toilets at Master Rock (Rockin Around The Christmas Tree), Eric Clapton arguing with Hugh Padgham outside the Townhouse that his Ferrari is better than Padgham's PorscheGassing Station | Music | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff