Today I spent the day at Sawmills studios near Parr in Cornwall. Ruth Taylor, studio producer met me from the train and took me to the studios. The studios are usually accessed by boat.
I entered via a secluded footpath on the edge of one of the surrounding hills. I met the band called 'Tied to the Mast" who were recording for a few days at the studio. The studio is usually a closed set so I was lucky enough to see what goes on behind the recording. They have been there previously over a year ago to record part of their album. They were a five piece band with a large section of styles all mixed into one. A kind of pure screech from the guitars and a psychedelic fruitiness from the piano underlying and supporting the vocals. I got the feeling that TTTM had many ideas and aspirations to be one of the great British bands of today but with a high energy twist, solid vocal tones which screamed 'Britain.'
The owner, Ruth, said the studio had hardly changed in its appearance since the 70's apart from some obvious technological necessities like computer monitors and software. I was then introduced to Tom who was the brains of the operation. He operated the mixing desk and all the software via two central monitors and a large central mixer. He would often direct the band and vocalists in the next room to advise them on how far to stand from the microphones to achieve the correct dynamics when singing. Many takes of each section of the song were taken at one time to save time in the long run. When the vocals had been run through and recorded enough times, the band sat with Tom to make the final decisions on which sections/chops of the vocal should be used.
I was only there observing for 4 hours, and there was so much to take in on the technical side. The house itself was directly above the studio and was newly furnished with a large kitchen come lounge area for the band to enjoy food and relax between songs while Tom eagerly made changes downstairs in the studio. Over the start of the day, Tom managed to record main vocals, fill in vocals and piano addition and finalise a whole song that had been previously started the previous day. After a short lunch break he returned to the studio to start work on a less technically intensive track. This newest track was not only subtle and soothing, but also had that same sense of high energy due to the fantastic percussion. The lyrics were vague and catchy enough to relate to instantly but also held a true sense of wisdom which I really enjoyed.
The band was professional in their aims and didn't seem to waste time when it came to deciding what they all wanted. The time I was there went very quickly and it seemed I was already leaving before I had a chance to arrive. I wanted to stay there a lot longer but the studio was so secluded I would have needed a torch and a map to find my way back to Par train station if I had left it any longer than I already had! I enjoyed my day there and valued the opportunity I had at seeing a real studio where the likes of Oasis, Muse, XTC and many more bands have been. I had stood where other many great musicians had been, and left with a grin on my face and some music ringing in my ears.
Check out sawmills studios here
Check out Tied To The Mast website here
Check out Tied To The Mast Facebook page here
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