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Communicate StudiosArticle from International Musician & Recording World, October 1985 |
Our boy Pat Hunt takes the 2.30 to Epsom Downs and wins by a nose
Epsom Downs, Surrey: a location having more in common with the 'Racing Gazette' then the columns of this illustrious journal. However, the times they are a changin' and Epsom enters the Studio of the Month column with the recent availability of the Rob David eight track premises at Langley Vale.
Rob Mitcham began his career in music when he decided to join some fellow Mitcham boys and go on the road circa '65. Endless one nighters nationwide were enjoyed and endured until they came to the attention of a certain Mickie Most, thus emerging in the early '70s under the name of Mud. A string of hit singles and albums followed Rob through the middle '70s until one day in 1977 he decided to call it a day. A phone call followed news of his availability and Rob subsequently joined The Darts as guitarist for another two years, touring worldwide.
Throughout Mud's heavy recording schedules, both Rob and Ray Stiles (bass) had taken a keen interest in the engineering operations and both had learnt a great deal. When the two of them purchased houses adjacent to each other they decided to pool the equipment resources that had accumulated over the years and soon developed a modest home recording set-up. The addition of an eight-track desk widened the horizons and all equipment was moved into the double garage. The collective expertise had by now reached the point where other songwriters sought to use the talents of Rob and Ray; most notably The Darts (B sides recorded for USA release) and UK disco band Liquid Gold.
So now what was originally devised as a songwriting facility began to adopt a multifarious air. Rob continued his songwriting commitment for various labels and Ray pursued his studio technique and in turn taught Rob all he knew. More recently Ray's playing commitment has taken him away from the studio, leaving Rob to run it as a commercial venture.
The studio itself comprises a single room built into Rob's garage with an area of just 16' x 12'. This in turn is subdivided into control room and live room by means of two sliding glass partitions. There are no communication problems here and the whole room benefits from natural light. The foldback is the cleanest I have ever experienced in an eight-track facility. In the live area the walls are covered with Rob's silver and gold award discs. What greater 'vibe-up' could you ask for when trying to create the perfect backing track. The size of the playing area can pose a problem to some people and because of this, Rob works to a set routine of recording drums in the live area while he puts the bass straight into the desk. He would also set up a guide vocal track at this point, both the vocalist and bassist being seated in the control room. With the drums cleanly recorded he will then bounce them down to either one or two tracks, leaving all other tracks for layering of instruments and voices. If this way of working is offensive to your band, do not despair, for Rob will rearrange and accommodate those who need to play live to obtain the right feel. In contrast to this, members of Nyjo have appeared recently to create more Sounds of Jazz.
The Rob Davis hardware consists of a TEAC ¼" tape machine, a Soper Fleximix 8 track desk combined with JBL and Auratone monitor speakers. This is backed with full outboard gear — delays, gates, etc. complemented with Shure and AKG microphones. The real gem amongst this little lot is the Trident Fleximix desk; a real psychedelic job covered in red and green metal flake control knobs. Far out!
Should Rob's studio gear not be adequate for our demanding readers, additional gear can be obtained direct from the ESS hire group, who will deliver to the studio in less than one hour, and if this were not enough, Rob will be happy to supply you with his own Linn Drum, Yamaha Keyboard, Washburn Bass and Fender Strat, at a small hire charge. Problems and spares department can be solved at Epsom's amiable music store in the town centre, just five minutes' drive from Rob's front door.
To conclude then; what we have here is a modest outlay at a rockbottom rate (£7 an hour) providing master quality sounds and results. In fact, a unique opportunity to record at the home of a first class musician/engineer, coupled with the knowledge that satisfaction is guaranteed. Quite frankly, in my opinion, this is the finest eight track you will find in the UK!
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Feature by Pat Hunt
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