Studios / Recording

ACA STUDIOS
Blenheim House, Henry St, Bath, tel: 01225 428284, email: enquiries@acamusic.co.uk, web: www.acamusic.co.uk • Associated with booking agency ACA Management, ACA Studios offers negotiable rates for artists they think are right for them. Submission is through their website, and if you are selected for a bit of ‘Artist Development’, you’ll get to enjoy on-site facilities like swimming pools, tennis courts and a sauna.

ARTIST STUDIOS
10 King Square Ave, Bristol, tel: 0117 942 3014, mob: 07736 274970, email: info@artiststudiosbristol.com, web: www.artiststudiosbristol.com • A studio kitted out to cater for any artist or band, Artist Studios offer competitive rates on live sessions, commercial demos, CD production, instrument and equipment hire and even session musicians. They’re vocal experts and offer a wide range of voice tuition, and if you’re looking for a slightly different way to celebrate impending nuptials, they also offer stag or hen parties.

ATM STUDIOS
309 Central Park, Petherton Rd, Hengrove, Bristol, tel: 01275 891847, email: atm.bristol@accesstomusic.co.uk, web: www.atmbristol.co.uk • The former site of ‘Mr Grin Studios’, ATM - or Access to Music - not only offers first-rate recording services, but also a wide range of music technology-based further education courses. The likes of PJ Harvey and local legends Portishead have previously graced the acoustically designed live room, and current staff have worked with everyone from U2 to Kylie Minogue. In addition to both day and hourly rates they offer a cost-effective ‘Live Demo’ package, ideal for bands looking to cut their first ever CD. See also Rehearsal Space, PA Hire, Tuition & Courses and Organisations.

ATTIC ATTACK STUDIO
25 Portland Sq, Bristol, tel: 0117 924 4411, mob: 07913 540549, email: info@attic-attack.co.uk, web: www.atticattackstudio.wordpress.com • Operating for over 20 years and in Bristol for more than 10 of those, Attic Attack offers both studio and live recording, mastering, editing and CD duplication. They welcome anything from solo artists to five-piece bands or voice-over recordings, and on weekdays it’s just £20 per hour, including the services of an engineer.

AUDIO SHELTER
Unit 5, First Floor, Knorr-Bremse Systems, Douglas Rd, Bristol, tel: 07769 525837 or 07968 870041, email: audioshelter@hotmail.com., web: www.audioshelter.co.uk • In addition to the recording services Audio Shelter offers - recording, mixing, engineering, corporate work and film music - owners Nick Atkins and Dave Colbrook can work closely with you on the technical and creative aspects of your music. If you’re missing a bandmate or two, they can also fill in at reasonable hourly rates.

BASEMENT STUDIO
The Island, Silver St, Bristol, tel: 0117 934 9013, web: www.basementstudio.co.uk • The Basement is a charity that has been running for over 20 years in Bristol, with the noble aim of giving young people access to the resources they need to express themselves through music. They run free open access sessions in live music - i.e. your standard drums, bass, guitar, keyboards and vocals set-up - or urban music, which involves DJing, MCing and hands-on experience with music technology. The sessions are run by an experienced tutor, and there are also youth workers on hand to help out or just chat. Membership is free. See also Rehearsal Space and Organisations.

BINK BONK STUDIO
Central Bristol, mob: 07913 161452, email: matsampson@hotmail.com • Producer and engineer Mat Sampson has worked on more than 100 albums over two decades in the recording business. As well as getting the benefit of his considerable experience, clients get the use of a vast range of vintage gear, including resources for analogue multi-tracking. A specialist in live band or album mixing and mastering.

THE BUNKER
tel: 0117 962 3155, email: thebunker@blueyonder.co.uk, web: www.bunkerstudios.co.uk • A 64-track digital set-up, rigged with Pro Tools, is at the heart of this studio close to the M5. The BBC, National Geographic, Partridge Films and Lloyds TSB all grace the clients list, though The Bunker also has a long list of non-corporate musicians who have utilised engineer Bob Pierce’s services.

CRUISIN’ MUSIC
PO Box 3187, Radstock, tel: 01373 834161, fax: 01373 834164, web: www.cruisin.co.uk • What do the Stranglers, The Bluetones and The Wurzels all have in common? They’re all represented by Cruisin’ Music Management, which also has a studio located just outside Bath, on the border of Wiltshire and Somerset.

DOCKSIDE STUDIOS
Unit 15, Albion Dockside Estate, Hanover Place, Bristol, tel: 0117 934 9994, mob: 07714 003749, web: www.docksidestudios.co.uk • Just a stone’s throw from the ss Great Britain, Dockside Studios is purpose-built and offers both recording and rehearsal facilities. In accordance with their credo that ‘a quality recording starts with a quality mic’, they have a wide range of microphones on offer, as well as a dedicated vocal booth. Recording costs just £15 per hour, including resident canine creative advisor. See also Rehearsal Space.

GANESH SERVICES
Bath, mob: 07764 584635, email: gary@ganesh-services.com • Gary at Ganesh Services specialises in live recording, be that at a gig or rehearsal, with a 24-track live set-up capturing the performance and a 96-track Pro-tools mix-down fine tuning it. See also PA Hire.

HILLSIDE STUDIOS
Hillside, Mells Green, Mells, Frome, tel: 01373 813643, email: pat@hillsidestudios.co.uk, web: www.hillsidestudios.co.uk • Run by one of UWE’s esteemed music technology tutors, Hillside Studios was first conceived for personal use. But it now offers recording services for other musicians, with a 48-channel desk and an engineer sitting behind it costing £200 per day. Hourly rates and mobile recording facilities are also available. Studio hours 10am-6pm Mon, Tue, Wed & Fri, 10am-4pm Sat.

J & J STUDIO
The Epstein Building, Mivart St, Bristol, tel: 0117 951 9909, mob: 07917 005290, email: jim@jandjstudio.co.uk, web: www.jandjstudio.co.uk • Live Portishead bassman Jim Barr founded J & J Studio in 1997, and since then it has become one the most popular studios in Bristol. Run by musicians for musicians, it offers an extensive range of pro-level equipment, live and dry spaces, and plenty of floor space so you’re not tripping up over your bandmates. Previous clients include Robert Plant, Goldfrapp and Portishead (naturally).

JONATHAN RECORDINGS
Bristol, tel: 0117 935 0474, email: jonathan@recordings.demon.co.uk • With over 30 years in the industry, Jonathan Lane specialises in live and location recording and mastering, with a large pool of professional equipment and one of the most experienced pairs of ears in Bristol. He also provides publicity photography of musicians in performance.

MOLES STUDIO
14 George St, Bath, tel: 01225 404445, fax: 01225 404447, email: nick@moles.co.uk, web: www.moles.co.uk • Long-standing studio arm of the Moles brand, now under new management. See panel for further details.

MULTIVERSE
Lower Ground Floor, 17 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, Bristol, tel: 0117 329 0108, web: www.multiverse-music.com • Specialising in vocal/dialogue recording, stereo mixing and mastering and cutting-edge sound production, the Multiverse studio has a purpose-built control room and recording booth. Voice over sessions and mixing cost £105 per hour, with day rates negotiable.

NAM STUDIOS
4/7 Forewoods Common, Holt, Wilts, tel/fax: 01225 782281, web: www.namrecording.com • Fully residential and located in an unspoilt rural setting, Nam Studios offers high-end digital and analogue recording free from the lurid temptations that might befall a simple musician in the city. The gear list is extensive, but the client list speaks even louder: Midge Ure, Van Morrison, Hugh Cornwell and The Magic Numbers have all been known to pace the control room. KT Tunstall recorded her first album here, too. Open 24 hours Mon-Sun for recording. See also Rehearsal Space.

PORTFOLIO PRODUCTIONS
10 King Square Ave, Bristol, tel: 0117 942 3014, mob: 07736 274970, email: info@portfolioproductions.co.uk, web: www.portfolioproductions.co.uk • Portfolio Productions provides a comprehensive service for ambitious songwriters, from help with composition right through to a fully produced track to catch the ear of the right people. They offer basic demo services for guitar and voice or a full band arrangement, location recording and even a flat-rate ‘Postal’ service - just send the skeleton of your track away and they’ll flesh it out.

RAW STATE
The Old Malthouse, Clarence St, Bath, tel: 01225 466464, email: info@rawstate.com, web: www.rawstate.com • What is ‘re-engineering audio’? Well, you’re about to find out. Raw State head honcho Neil Perry and his associates custom build bespoke, high-end audio equipment from the circuits of vintage analogue equipment - amps, filters, compressors, EQ racks and so on. Mr Perry also advises on the design and layout of studios, and the service/maintenance arm of Raw State counts Peter Gabriel, Roni Size and Portishead among its fans.

REAL WORLD STUDIOS
Mill Lane, Corsham, Box, Wilts, web: www.realworldstudios.com • That’s Real World as in Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records, and it’s every bit as salubrious as you’d hope in light of this rock star connection. There’s four immodestly equipped live rooms, each with their own distinct acoustic properties, and the studio is said to be one of the most high-tech in the country. Time there doesn’t come cheap, however: the crowning ‘Big Room’, 14m x 14m in dimension, weighs in at a hefty £1,000 per day. But it does look like something from the set of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.

ROHAN MUSIC
The Mill, Parnall Rd, Fishponds, Bristol, tel: 0117 958 4433, email: studio@rohanmusic.co.uk, web: www.rohanmusic.co.uk • In addition to the recording facilities provided at Rohan Music, they also offer some interesting package events: The Popstar Experience, for example, where for £120 you get two hours in a studio, recording your vocals over a backing track. Corporate packages also available.

SOA STUDIOS
Unit 4, Lawnwood Industrial Estate, Lawnwood Rd, Easton, Bristol, tel: 0117 955 4008, email: stuart@soastudios.net, web: www.soastudios.net • Part-owned by Portishead’s own Geoff Barrow, SOA Studios has been plying its trade since 1991. It boasts a spacious control room kitted out with a 60-track automated mixdown desk and 24-track analogue recorder, and Portishead have recorded large sections of their catalogue there.

SYMPHONIC STUDIOS
56 Staple Hill Rd, Fishponds, Bristol, tel: 0117 3300123, web: www.symphonic.uk.net • Symphonic Studios is a state of the art recording studio facility, with full video production, on one 3,000 sq ft site. Features include a live room suitable for up to 25 musicians, highly experienced engineers and the latest digital recording equipment together with a great kit list. They can cater for larger recordings within sensible budgets, as well as one-offs, and listen to your needs to deliver a recording you will be proud of.

TOYBOX STUDIOS
25 Portland Sq, Bristol, tel: 0117 989 2642, email: info@toyboxstudios.co.uk, web: www.toyboxstudios.co.uk • A converted Georgian townhouse is a perfect place to build a studio - as the thick stone walls lend themselves rather nicely to recording loud music. The control room is based around a rare 1970s Trident console alongside 24-track tape and Pro Tools HD. In addition to a large dead room, Toybox also has two smaller stone rooms for lively, bright drum sounds as well as isolation booths. The likes of PJ Harvey, Seasick Steve, The Kills and Daisy Chapman have all wandered the bowels of the Box, as well as local artists Kid Carpet, The Heavy and Munch Munch. Toybox has a vast array of instruments and amps to choose from. Pianos, hammond organs, synths, banjos... you name it. Great microphone selection from Neumann, Coles, AKG, Beyer and Telefunken. Outboard includes Manley, Neve, SSL, Urei and DBX. Competitive rates for local acts.

THE WHITE HOUSE
98 Kewstoke Rd, Kewstoke, Weston-super-Mare, tel: 01934 633773, email: info@whstudio.co.uk, web: www.whstudio.co.uk • With 22 years in the biz, The White House isn’t short on experience and offers both digital and analogue recording. There’s a large drum room and three isolation booths to prevent sound spill, and head engineer Martin is always on hand to guide the recording. Plus, you get a lovely view of the Severn Estuary from the garden for just £15 per hour on a weekday.

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