Clowns Pocket Recording Studio is a spacious, 4-room, custom built studio located on the Kent/London border (close to M25, A2 and A20).  It has independent walls and floating floors, offering fantastic separation.  The studio is 16-track in a live record situation but can expand to 32-track for overdubbing.  It features a Yamaha O2R-96 mixing desk, Soundscape hard disc recording (SSL), Steinway grand piano, large and isolated drum room, instrument room (4-5 horns) and vocal booth, with a large, isolated control room.   Headphones with individual monitor mixers are available for all musicians.  Derek Nash, the in-house engineer, has over 20 years BBC experience and is also, of course, a highly respected musician, producer and composer in his own right.

CONTACT DETAILS:

85 Summerhouse Drive, Joydens Wood, Bexley, Kent, DA5 2EF

Telephone - 01322 557720 or 07961 347399

Email - dereknashsax@ntlworld.com

STUDIO LAYOUT:

ROOM 1 - Drums plus space for electric bass and percussion.  Mics include AKG D112, 460s, 451s, Shure 57 and 58, Beyer M88s.  All microphones and stands are permanently wired for speedy drum micing

ROOM 2 - Steinway Grand Piano (6ft) plus separate, screened area for other musicians (typically double bass)

ROOM 3 - Instrument room (4-5 horns) plus separate vocal booth

ROOM 4 - Large control room including seating area and raised dias for clients' listening.  Wired to accommodate other musicians if necessary

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

MIXING DESK

Yamaha 02R-96 (fully digital, fully automated) includes gates, compressors on all channels, plus three internal FX devices

HARD DISC

Soundscape (SSL) 32 track

OUTBOARD

Tube Tech Valve Preamp/compressor, Lexicon PCM60, Alesis Quadreverb

MICS

Mics include Neumann U87s, U89s, U47s; ATC 4033s; AKG 414s, D12, D112 and ribbon mic; Shure SM58 Beta, SM57 Beta, SM58; Beyer M88s

IMAC

Logic, Reason softsynths

SYNTHS

Roland JV1080, Korg M1, EMU 4000 Sampler

KEYS

Fender Rhodes Mk1 (73), Wurlitzer Electric Piano

TAPE MACHINES

Tascam DA98 (digital modular 8 track)

Tascam DA38 (digital modular 8 track)

OTHER INFORMATION

DEREK NASH

Our in-house engineer, Derek Nash, has over 20 years' BBC experience and is a highly respected musician, composer and producer in his own right.  He has recorded five CDs for Sax Appeal, two highly acclaimed solo albums - Setting New Standards and Snapshot - and Young Lions, Old Tigers, voted Best Jazz CD of the Year by the British Jazz Awards, with the late Spike Robinson.  

COSTS

Costs are £45 per hour plus VAT, which includes the use of a sound engineer.  Consumables/hard disc space, etc are charged as extra (approximately £30). Piano is tuned free of charge for a normal 8-hour session (otherwise charged at 50%, currently £25).

HOURS

Studio hours are normally Monday - Friday, 10am - 6pm.  This can be altered where necessary by prior arrangement.  Please note - no children or persons unrelated to the recording for Health and Safety reasons

LOCATION

Set in 1 acre of wooded gardens, with patio for relaxing when weather permits

REFRESHMENTS

Tea, coffee and a light lunch are all included in the price of studio hire

PREVIOUS CLIENTS and ARTISTS include...

SAXES - Dave O'Higgins, Bobby Wellins, Sax Appeal, Jean Toussaint, Spike Robinson (Best Jazz CD of the Year), Paul Booth, Duncan Eagles, Tommaso Storace, Ray Gelato, Jo Fooks, Tony Coe, Simon Allen, Alan Barnes, Art Theman, Martin Dale, Tim Garland, Ray Gelato

VOCALS - Jamie Cullum (Gold disc for Pointless Nostalgic), George Melly, Kai Hoffman, Trudy Kerr, Karen Lane, George Long, Sarah Ellen Hughes, Joe Lee Wilson, Bob Dorough, Georgie Fame, Ian Shaw, Georgia Mancio, Joe Mudele

TRUMPET - Digby Fairweather, Steve Fishwick, Martin Shaw, Dick Pearce, Mark Armstrong, Danny Marsden

PIANO - Stan Tracey, Steve Melling, Leon Greening, Rob Taggart, John Horler, Dave Newton, Tom Cawley, Frances Knight, Steve Lodder, Robin Aspland, John Pearce, Ted Beamont, Craig Milverton

DRUMS - Clark Tracey, Martin Drew, Sebastiaan de Krom, Steve Brown, Dave Ohm, Darby Todd, Mike Bradley, Matt Home, Buster Birch

BASS - Dave Green, Phil Scragg, Pat Bettison, Dudley Phillips, Geoff Gascoyne, Paul Morgan, Simon Thorpe, Alec Dankworth, Andy Cleyndert, Len Skeat

TROMBONE - Mark Bassey, Mark Nightingale

GUITAR - John Etheridge, Dominic Ashworth, Tony Remy, Pete Oxley, John Parricelli, Chris Allard

LATIN - Cubana Bop, Liftmusic Library (currently Aviva Insurance TV ad)

OPERA - Clare Graydon-James

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL - Icebreaker

SPOKEN WORD - Stan Tracey Trio featuring Ben Tracey - "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas