Ashley & JC's assorted musings

[Filterlab]

I owned a Uher Pro reel-to-reel many years back, very nice machine but unfortunately I wasn't into hi-fi then so I can't comment on how good the sound was. Granted it was probably a whole heap better than my Sony tapedeck though.

[snapper]

They are not the only one!
I still have a Nakamichi Dragon

That seems a strange choice for a studio.


Got any pics?


What artists use your studio?


Or is it confidential?

[Marco]

I've heard many systems and the analogue sources have never excited me or made me go 'WOW'

I think you should reserve definitive judgement until you've heard one that can make you go "WOW". Hopefully I should be able to provide you with that experience sometime soon

As an aside, ask Steve what the Technics is like when playing mint well-recorded vinyl. He knows my system very well, and he was once similarly as sceptical about vinyl as you.

Trust me, if you heard a good professional reel-to-reel machine now that you're in a position to appreciate what it does your eyes would be wide opened!

Marco.

[snapper]

The first big hit recorded in the studios was Dave Edmunds’ I Hear You Knockin' in 1970. Following that success, the studios were used to record Peter Hammill's second solo album Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night in 1973 and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975.

During a 12-month period in 1996-97, Rockfield sessions resulted in five UK Number One albums, by Oasis, Ash, Black Grape, The Charlatans and the Boo Radleys. Other acts using the studios have included Robert Plant,[1] Black Sabbath, Budgie, Echo & the Bunnymen, Motörhead, Rush, Hawkwind, The Stranglers, Iggy Pop, The Pogues, Paul Weller, Simple Minds, Manic Street Preachers, Sepultura, Kasabian, and New Order.

[Filterlab]

I could reserve judgement, and actually in all honesty one should reserve judgement until their death bed - i.e. when one's never going to hear anything more. Trust me mate, I know analogue can sound tremendous, I've owned a very nice turntable in the past and I loved it, I love the squelch of synths played back from a turntable, I love the realism of a well balanced turntable, I know how good modded turntables can sound, but digital still does it for me.

Maybe it's the cleanliness, maybe the inky blackness, maybe it's the virtually non-existent noise level - I don't know, but it's what I prefer.

However, I'm still looking forward to hearing your system. Be aware though, I may drug you, nick your amps and them claim you were burgled.

[WikiBoy]

The first big hit recorded in the studios was Dave Edmunds’ I Hear You Knockin' in 1970. Following that success, the studios were used to record Peter Hammill's second solo album Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night in 1973 and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975.

During a 12-month period in 1996-97, Rockfield sessions resulted in five UK Number One albums, by Oasis, Ash, Black Grape, The Charlatans and the Boo Radleys. Other acts using the studios have included Robert Plant,[1] Black Sabbath, Budgie, Echo & the Bunnymen, Motörhead, Rush, Hawkwind, The Stranglers, Iggy Pop, The Pogues, Paul Weller, Simple Minds, Manic Street Preachers, Sepultura, Kasabian, and New Order.

What! no Spice Girls!

[Marco]

However, I'm still looking forward to hearing your system. Be aware though, I may drug you, nick your amps and them claim you were burgled.

Not before I've taken you up the hills first and shagged you!



Marco.

P.S We may be able to 'work something out' with the amps. PM me and I'll tell thee of my idea.

[snapper]

Maybe they've changed a lot of the equipment since I visited (2001?).




"Rockfield was developed by converting redundant farm buildings without the help of any design consultants," Kingsley Ward recalls. "We have always relied on our own ability for acoustics. To this day, Rockfield relies on natural acoustics to capture the sound of musicians."

The facility consists of two main studios, The Quadrangle and The Coach House. Each offers a very large main live room (28x19 and 26x14 feet, respectively); an additional good-sized live iso room (The Quadrangle incorporates two iso booths); and four natural echo chambers with an up to 3.2-second reverb time.

And, of course, over the years, the facility has amassed a tremendous selection of equipment. Each control room is equipped with a 60-input Neve VR console and JBL 4350 main monitors. Both studios offer a variety of Studer A820 24-track, 2-track and 2-inch recorders with Dolby SR. There's also an extensive list of outboard gear from AMS, Klark Teknik, Yamaha, TC Electronic, Tube-Tech, Drawmer, Orban, Eventide and others. And the studio is particularly proud of its vintage Neumann microphones, which include two U67s, five SM2 stereo mics and two KM56s. There are also many newer choices from Neumann, AKG, Sennheiser, EV, Shure and Beyerdynamic. A three-person maintenance crew works full-time during weekdays and is on call in off hours to keep all the gear in shape.


"More than 1,000 million recordings from Rockfield have been sold worldwide," Kingsley Ward says, "which is more than all the other residential studios in the UK put together."


Not bad for a wee farmhouse in Wales.

[anthonyTD]

Maybe they've changed a lot of the equipment since I visited (2001?).




"Rockfield was developed by converting redundant farm buildings without the help of any design consultants," Kingsley Ward recalls. "We have always relied on our own ability for acoustics. To this day, Rockfield relies on natural acoustics to capture the sound of musicians."

The facility consists of two main studios, The Quadrangle and The Coach House. Each offers a very large main live room (28x19 and 26x14 feet, respectively); an additional good-sized live iso room (The Quadrangle incorporates two iso booths); and four natural echo chambers with an up to 3.2-second reverb time.

And, of course, over the years, the facility has amassed a tremendous selection of equipment. Each control room is equipped with a 60-input Neve VR console and JBL 4350 main monitors. Both studios offer a variety of Studer A820 24-track, 2-track and 2-inch recorders with Dolby SR. There's also an extensive list of outboard gear from AMS, Klark Teknik, Yamaha, TC Electronic, Tube-Tech, Drawmer, Orban, Eventide and others. And the studio is particularly proud of its vintage Neumann microphones, which include two U67s, five SM2 stereo mics and two KM56s. There are also many newer choices from Neumann, AKG, Sennheiser, EV, Shure and Beyerdynamic. A three-person maintenance crew works full-time during weekdays and is on call in off hours to keep all the gear in shape.


"More than 1,000 million recordings from Rockfield have been sold worldwide," Kingsley Ward says, "which is more than all the other residential studios in the UK put together."


Not bad for a wee farmhouse in Wales.

briliant,
makes me proud i am welsh [again]
not that i am one of those funny language speakers mind you, look you three times boyo, isnt then....

[Mike]

Right.....

That's it, from now on I'll confine myself to threads that at least seem to have at least SOME small semblance of staying vaguely on-topic.

I've heard of thread drifts, but for the love of god this place goes off on more tangents than a geometry teacher on acid!

It seems to be mostly caused by erm, ' a certain few' but I'm not going to be drwn into anymore arguments. So there!