CTS

The Lee Group has confirmed that, contrary to recent press reports, the future of CTS Studios is assured.

Expansion plans for CTS's facilities are currently being examined by the Lee board, but it is unlikely that any detailed decisions will be made until after the Group's own offer for sale on the London Stock Exchange in March.

In the meantime, the directors of the Lee Group have assured CTS staff and clients of their support and are anticipating further development of the facilities.

The Lee Group acquired CTS Studios from BET at the end of last year as part of the Humphries Holdings group. Lee's subsidiary companies include Lee Electric, Lee International Film Studios and Shepperton Film Studios.

THE BARGE

It is our sad duty to report the sinking of The Barge — the smallest and formerly flourishing division of the Virgin studio empire.

It wasn't lack of business or act of God that sank the Little Venice Otari/MCI equipped facility, but the local authority which said that this particular mooring is not to be used for commercial operations. Our condolences to John Rowland and team.

JIGSAW

A recent upgrade has just been completed as the studio can now offer Q-Lock facilities linking its two M.C.I 16 track and 24 track machines.

Studio owner/producer Dave Williams says recent clients include Mike Vernon, Pete Wingfield, Bob Barratt, Sad Cafe keyboard player Vic Emerson and members of the Earthband.

THE POINT

The Point II programming and pre-production 16 track suite is now open for business.

'We offer the high technology route for songwriters using Yamaha's QX1 superb sequencer which is MIDI linked to eight DX7s, MIDI linked to the KX88 weighted mother keyboard and MIDI linked to the Roland SBX 80 SMPTE generator which is recorded on track 16 of the B16 recorder,' said director Alan O'Duffy.

'The artist has the fun of 15 open tracks available for guitars, vocals or perhaps blasts of Emulator II digital sampler.'

WESSEX

32-track Mitsubishi X-850 digital multitrack recorder recently installed at Wessex. 'It should be possible for any band, not just the superstars, to afford digital recording,' said managing director Bill Price.

ROOSTER

Owner Nick Sykes is producing tracks for The Quick at Rooster. Meanwhile, the Go West album has gone platinum which will mean a third award for the studio for the same album (two tracks of which, it must be said, were recorded at Chipping Norton, with mixing at Sarm West).

WOOL HALL

Cider-quaffing locals raised an eyebrow or two in the sleepy Somerset village of Beckington the other week when Tears For Fears' studio, The Wool Hall, took delivery of a new Solid State Logic, 56 channel, 6000 desk with total recall. The services of a crane were required to execute the installation.

The Wool Hall is rapidly expanding and upgrading. It is housed in an ancient building that was once the centre for the local wool trade and sited in the grounds of a castle built by Henry VIII for one of his wives.

The accommodation wing — in the neighbouring farmhouse is now complete and offered as part of the package. Currently in residence is The Cars' bass player, Mike Shipley, who is working on an album with Ben Orr producing. Larry Cline, Joni Mitchell's husband, is playing keyboards.

TOGO SALE

According to a report in Billboard magazine, the Togolese government in West Africa is considering 'all serious offers' to lease or buy a fully equipped 24 track recording facility and pressing plant in the city of Tome.

The studio is Eastlake designed and previous clients include King Sunny Ade. Asking price is around $5 million.

GOOD EARTH

Tony Visconti's Soho studio celebrates its move to 48 track with a party this month. This coincides with the completion of the mixing of the Moody Blues album, which has kept both the studio and Visconti busy for many months.

Recent additions to the Good Earth equipment roster include a Lexicon 224XL, a Publison with 21 second stereo sampling, two new Sanken mics and, we are told, a dish-washer.

PARK GATES

The people at Park Gates on the South Coast are confident that anyone who sees their new facilities cannot fail to book time. So confident that they are prepared to fly people down by helicopter for a quick look.

The control room has been completely rebuilt, having been designed by Sam Toyashima from JVC, Japan. Toyashima's other credits include the recently opened Townhouse IV.

Park Gates' Sarah Springford said that 'we are very pleased and excited by the room. It is very large and includes some unusual materials, such as marble.

'The recording room, in keeping with the theme of spaciousness, is over 1,500 square feet with a 30 foot high ceiling. There are isolation booths, including one entirely made from stone. We hope we have thought of everything. We have a wide range of outboard gear so that clients do not have to have expensive hire charges on their bill.'

To expand the residential facilities at Park Gates, a nearby large country house has been purchased and revamped. Springford claimed that 'a stay at Park Gates is now equivalent to a luxury holiday with a first class control room and recording room standing by.'

HIGHLAND

1986 is going to be a year of major changes at David Balfe's Highland Studios near Inverness, the UK's most northerly commercial 24 track facility.

'When we opened in 1978 we were as good as any other residential studio in the country,' said Balfe. 'But now that is not the case. So, following our most successful year ever, we are going to completely revamp the facilities and go digital.

'For a long time we took the attitude "why change when what we've got is doing the job so well". But now the time has come to take the plunge. We have got to be realistic and go with digital.'

Balfe said that the hardest decision he will have to make will be which console to go for. 'As things stand, it's impossible for someone like me to commit pen to paper. The future, if not DSP, is at least with a totally assignable console, and who knows what will be announced next? I don't want to be a trendsetter but, at the same time, I can't afford to buy a desk that's going to be outdated and out of fashion in 12 months time. At present, I'm hounding the manufacturers to try to establish what's happening.'

The studio will be rebuilt and rewired for digital before the desk decision is taken.

'We are going to build a most extraordinary complex here, whatever, incorporating some revolutionary ideas. And we will also be giving our residential facilities the treatment. If you are going to supply artists with top league studio facilities, the residential side of things must also be A1.'

LILLIE YARD

DDA have delivered an AMR24 36/24/2 mixing console to the Fulham studio. It is part of a refit and will be used by studio owner, Hans Zimmer, in conjunction with his digital keyboard equipment.

MILO MUSIC

Busy times at Milo Music in London N1, where recent clients include Fiction Records/ABC's recent signing Raymonde, Marc Almond and Siouxsie And The Banshees.

'We've also been mastering for Steve McNicholas and Luke Creswell who are embarking on solo careers after disbanding Pookiesnackenburger,' said manager, Henry Crallan.

'We've started to do regular audio postproduction for Wadham Film's Live at Ronnie Scott's series and also — for Wadham in conjunction with Blackheart Productions and the Voice — mixes and laybacks for Gospel Joy. We usually master this type of work onto U-matic through PCM F1 which we then programme edit using VCL's adjoining off-line suite.'

Since opening ten months ago, Milo has added an AMS RMX16 reverb and 15:80 delay, two additional Drawmer gates, Electrospace Gate, Electrospace scanner, Urei Limiter, Eventide Phaser and a further range of microphones.