Studio Stories

SOS's crack studio squad tame unwanted reflections, track down strange noises coming from a Mac, and make some good-sounding drums sound even better!

50 years ago this month, the most celebrated electronic music studio in the world was established. We trace the history of the Radiophonic Workshop, talking to the composers and technical staff who helped to create its unique body of work.

Reader Stu Evans has a smart studio but a lacklustre drum sound. Can the team breathe life into it?

This month we tackle problems that were causing a bass-heavy mix and use coat-hangers to produce better vocal recordings!

Calderdale College in West Yorkshire gets the Studio SOS treatment, as we turn a concrete room into a working studio.

This month we play the role of studio design consultants... and leave the heavy work to the studio owners!

In this episode, the SOS crew sort out monitoring problems and offer some practical mastering tips to another reader.

This month we journey to the Outer Hebrides, where a college teaching Gaelic music has more than a few wires crossed...

The SOS crew go hob-nobbing at a stately home this month, and get to grips with the acoustics of a large and lively room.

The SOS crew visit reader Chris Walker's home studio and help solve amplification problems for his tea-chest bass.

The team take a trip up north to a multi-student household in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

This month, the SOS team visit a student's home studio to help him overcome a few teething troubles with layout and acoustics...

The SOS crew help drummer Darren Williams sort out a better space in which to record drums and operate as a remote session drummer.

Would you let two strange men drill holes in your house? USA-based SOS reader David Crane took the risk enough to let Paul and Hugh at his walls with a drill to solve his cabling issues...

Over the last decade, some extraordinary music has emerged from Tori Amos's Martian Engineering studio. A new box set collects together the highlights, while the studio itself is soon to open to paying customers.

Sorting digital gremlins and rogue reflections is all in a day's work for the Studio SOS team...

Sweetening the mixing environment and sorting out the bass end is this month's task — but there's much more to do than adding a bit of rockwool!

This month, the SOS team help out with the acoustics at Ultravox and Band Aid star Midge Ure's personal studio.

Recording drums and guitars is the task in this month's studio troubleshooting visit.

This month's task for the SOS crew involves stripping down Simon McEvoy's entire studio to improve the acoustics and ergonomics.

The team create portable acoustic treatment for a TV/film music composer who has plans to move house.