Unimpressive, maybe, is the external appearance of RMA Music, in a Plymouth side-street, but Russ Aisthorpe turned these shop premises into a lively centre of recording activity.

Russ, now 37, started his career as a musician on the road, playing both drums and guitar, but decided a few years ago that being a 'roadie' is no way of life for a quiet, peace-loving sort of chap, and thought he would like to live in the West country.

Moving to Plymouth, he found this dilapidated shop, with some back rooms that appeared to be very suitable for conversion into a small studio and control booth. So he set up hearth and home here, with his faithful dog Sally as a companion, and so began this recording studio venture.

The acoustically treated studio proper is tiny, about the size of four telephone boxes, but with the aid of his synthesiser/reverb system, the results from his tapes of small groups are very impressive.

Apart from local bands and vocalists seeking demo tapes, Russ copes with jingles, film soundtracks and commercials. But this is not all Russ can commit to tape master, as bigger ensembles can be tackled by spreading the instrumentalists around outside the studio shell, followed by judicious mixing and dubbing. The drummer and vocalist are usually sited in a soundproof box, assembled by Russ (a keen DIY man) with acoustic tiles and a heavy door.

Let's look at the rig collected by Russ over recent years. The tape machines used are a Fostex A8 8-track and the Tascam 22-2, used with a Seck 18:8:2 mixing console. Other equipment on hand includes the Fostex compressor/limiter, reverb unit and digital delay.

The cassette deck is a Nakamichi, and the monitor loudspeakers are Wharfedale and Auratone. The array of microphones available includes Shure, AKG, and ElectroVoice models.

Musical instruments on hand for the use of artists range from a Yamaha CX5 computer, a Yamaha digital drum machine, a Fender Rhodes piano, and acoustic six or twelve string guitars.

This quietly spoken musician and engineer has established a following from many performers, professional and amateur, both in South Devon and further afield. This is not entirely surprising in my view, as his charges are in the region of £7.00 an hour for studio time, plus the cost of Ampex 406 tape consumed.

The Sequel

So successful have Russ's modest recording studio efforts been that in November he has transferred the bulk of his studio sessions to a new venue nearer the centre of Plymouth. Greatly improved facilities and studio dimensions are available here, and the first floor area forms part of a musical instrument store, known locally as Mr. Music. The clans gather here daily.

Russ's new venture is known as Trax Recordings, (Contact Details), of which he is now General Manager and operator. With the introduction of some capital, Russ has acquired an Aces 16-track recorder and a 16:16:2 desk. The machine uses two inch tape, and is capable of expansion into 24-tracks, (as is the Studiomaster range). An array of new Primo microphones has been added, including electret condensers and dynamic types and new Ditton-Celestion monitor speakers have also been added to the system.

Because of the choice of equipment and the studio conditions, Russ records in stages. Firstly, he deals with the drums and bass until it sounds exactly right (taking into account both his satisfaction and the performers'). Then the guitarist, and keyboard players are added to the total sound. In other words, drums and bass tracks are overdubbed with the guitar, and the vocals inserted at the end of the sequence.

It is too early for any elaborate sessions with bigger groups to be experimented with but even with this half finished arrangement, Russ has composed a signature tune and some jingles for RIT Radio in Tavistock; a new satellite station offshoot of the local Independent Radio organisation, Plymouth Sound.

However, with a wry smile, Russ did admit that his studio fees will have to go up, as 2 inch, 2,400 feet rolls of tape do cost around £62.00 each, a significant increase, even compared with even a big ¼" tape reel!