The studio was built by musician / sound engineer James Gasson as a base of operations for Third Circle Recordings. James’s determination to nurture his obsession with powerful, Steve Albini style drum recordings and natural acoustics led to him to design the space for exactly that purpose. His passion for music production is not just limited to the technical aspects of recording, but extends to his desire to help bands find their unique chemistry and represent that sonically through their recordings. He believes that every band has its own distinct sound and character, and his goal is to bring that out in the recordings he produces.
The studio’s live room is 6x5m, and well is separated from the control room for great isolation during recording sessions. James likes to track bands playing together as an ensemble unit, the way nature intended, and the size of the studio allows for that comfortably. The changeable coloured lighting in the live room also adds a touch of inspiration to the recording process, allowing artists to set the mood that best suits their music.
Located less than one minute’s walk from Portslade station in West Hove, the studio has a secluded feel, so that you don’t feel like the world is listening, whilst maintaining easy access to any number of eating establishments, with the lovely Railway Inn right next door – perfect for grabbing a beer and a bite to eat after a hard day’s work.
The studio is equipped with a range of specialist tools tailor made to capture powerful performances and ambient detail. This includes Neve clone preamps from Seventh Circle Audio, a host of weird and wonderful microphones including Coles 4038, Neumann U87, Electro-Voice RE20, and many others, as well as a great selection of amplifiers, drums, percussion, pedals and tape machines. The Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, 1965 Fender Bassman, and Vox AC30 amps in particular are a delight for any guitarist looking for authentic valve tones. Drop us a line to see what’s available for your session.
• You want to record together as a band to capture that live energy, not sit behind a computer noodling to a click track.
• You’ve done your recording but for some reason it doesn’t seem to sound like your band.
• The drums on your recording sound weak… mulchy… not present… and you can’t work out why.
• Your mix sounds muddy and squashed… it lacks clarity.
• The last producer you worked with seemed disinterested, or didn’t really seem to “get” you…
Yep. Been there. That’s why I built this recording studio. With the relentless onslaught of digital technology, recording studios have turned from laboratories of acoustic science to dens of digital manipulation; editing, autotune, time-stretching, sampling and more editing. Recording, in its purest sense, should be about faithfully representing what is naturally present, not seeking to change and manipulate to conform to an expectation set by a sound engineer. My goal is to bring authenticity to the recordings I make, to capture artists in their natural habitat, like a wildlife photographer stealthily tracking a family of badgers through the midnight undergrowth; I’ll don my night-vision goggles and disguise myself as a shrubbery, delicately resigning myself to not scare you away or cause you to run out in front of traffic. You are my badger, and just like Brian May before me, I’ll see to it that you are not culled. Not on my watch. We will instead use the myriad recording technologies available to us to enhance your organic sound and advance your creative ambitions, not to cram you into a box of conformity. To this end, digital technology can be a fantastic tool, but it must be used wisely. We have great power in our hands, and with great power comes a great big albatross. Throughout my time making recordings I have helped many musicians of all different stripes fulfil their creative goals with good humour, a laid-back attitude and a great willingness to see that whatever they want to achieve gets done, and gets done well. I offer support with everything from planning the project, setting up, tuning the kit, right through to mixing and mastering. If you want to take your project away and continue working on it at home, on your own terms – no problem, I’ll help you do that too. It’s your project. You’re the boss. I’m here to serve. Now put your hand down. You look ridiculous.
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