Formerly known as EMI studios, Abbey Road studios is located in Westminister, London, England. Although the studio was established in November of 1931 by the Gramophone Company, Abbey Road Studios has been popularized by The Beatles. The studio is so often associated with the fab four given that they recorded almost their entire catalog at the studio between their kick off in 1962 up until 1970 when they disbanded. The facilities are seen as being the “it” place for musical recording in the 1960’s when artists such as the aforementioned Beatles, Pink Floyd and The Hollies all recorded there and used innovative production techniques.
Significant producers and sound engineers who have worked at the Abbey Road Studio include Sir George Martin (The Beatles), Geoff Emerick, Norman Smith, Ken Scott, Mike Stone, Alan Parsons, Peter Vince, Malcolm Addey, Peter Brown, Richard Langham, Phil McDonald, John Kurlander, Richard Lush and Ken Townsend who actually invented the groundbreaking studio effect of automatic double tracking (ADT) which heavily enhanced the sound of voices and instruments when recorded.
According to the studio’s official website, the chief mastering engineer was Chris Blair, who began his audio career as a tape deck operator – a job people often forget existed!
The equipment used in the studios:
- Studio One: 72 Fader AMS Neve 88RS
- Studio Two: 60 Fader AMS Neve 88RS
- Studio Three: 96 Fader Solid State Logic 9000 J
- Penthouse: 48 Fader AMS Neve DFC Gemini
Maybe one day I will be able to travel to London and visit the studio and see where some of my favourite music of all time was created and brought to life by my favourite sound engineers. Sigh.
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