![]() Untangling…īy the 1990s the studio was decommissioned, and relegated to occasional green room for visiting artists, so sifting through the archaeology of half a century’s worth of wiring was a huge job. Originally built in 1956 the facility was acoustically refurbished in 1979, and was where the orchestral music for UK television behemoths such as Jewel In The Crown and Brideshead Revisited was recorded. “I had no idea that there had been such a high spec purpose built music facility in Granada,” confesses Williams, whose recent work includes releases from Gogo Penguin (Blue Note Records) and Dutch Uncles (Memphis Industries). He likened the space to BBC’s Maida Vale studios. “Bringing in the ASP8024 has improved the workflow dramatically”įast forward to today: the space, which comprises a large live room with a viewing gallery and a control booth, has an Audient ASP8024 at its heart and is run as a commercial recording studio, a bespoke events space and even streams live tv-style programming.ĭan Parrott & Brendan Williams at Low Four. ![]() Programme leader of Creative Music Technology at the University of Salford by day, and producer/engineer the rest of the time, Williams saw huge potential in this surprisingly large, forgotten space, and together with Dan Parrott and Katie Popperwell they not only resurrected, but reinvented it to create Low Four. “Honestly, it’s so much about what we can create for people, creating something they’re proud of, bringing their vision to life.When an old recording room was unearthed in the recently vacated central Manchester ITV/Granada buildings, it immediately sparked Brendan Williams’ curiosity. ![]() Recording vocals is very vulnerable.”Īmong the studio’s proudest recordings is a video by multi-lingual hip-hop artist BBN Booda, which garnered 4 million views. “I love people developing personal relationships here and building networks. “Live music is great, but I wanted to help make recorded music come to life,” Rosmann says. Especially after COVID, “live music doesn’t pay a lot of money.”įor all its technical assets, Hi-Five, as its name implies, is about connecting with people. “We can be up and running within five minutes,” says production assistant Eli Stamstad. Readiness and efficiency is the studio’s calling card, given that studio rates are $70 an hour. There’s even a vintage Fender amp, “with just enough cigarette smoke from the ‘70s to sound good,” Rosmann jokes.Īnother isolation booth boasts a distinctive “Flex 48 Adaptive Treatment” allowing optimum sonics for virtually any instrument. Hi-Five includes a vocals isolation booth, and a spacious “live band” recording studio designed by Gavin Haverstick, with highly nuanced acoustical properties, fully equipped with expertly miked drums, a Conn organ, baby grand piano and Rosmann’s personal collection of guitars. It’s an all-analogue, versus digital, system to abide those who value the vinyl LP’s warmer sound. It was designed by the late Rupert Neve, who pioneered the transition from tube to solid-state production consoles. The operation appears highly professional, starting with a huge engineering console, with 32 channels is among the largest unit in the Midwest. Bliffert’s supplied all the lumber for this project (including 600 sheets of plywood for sound insulation) and we met our piano tuner walking his dog outside.” ![]() “We’re part of the cultural revitalizing that’s happening, and it’s such a cool, diverse, unique neighborhood. Why Riverwest? “It’s close enough to Downtown but a little quieter and Riverwest is what we’re about,” says studio owner Ryan Rosmann. Nevertheless, industry magazine Mix highlighted the 5,000 square-foot facility as one of a “baker’s dozen of the hottest new studios worldwide.” Hi-Five Studio has grown steadily since opening in 2017 in a perhaps-unlikely locale. ![]() Nestled in the cozy but vibrant Riverwest neighborhood is an anonymous, 100-year-old building containing a hive of musical activity, a studio poised for another recording session. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |