Studio Felin Fach

After an exhausting year and many twists and turns the new Stiwdio Felin Fach is up and running in its cosy new surroundings. The purpose built green oak building has many innovative features, not least the fact that the whole project has been built to the highest eco principles that we could afford. So the building is super insulated, extremely low energy and heated by a ground source heat system.
The studio has a large performance area (48 square metres) which is very much geared towards acoustic and acoustic orientated music. There is a separate isolation room, control room and kitchen ( the kitchen is also designed so that it can easily be a secondary isolation room) and the whole feel of the place has a lot of the" homeliness" that you will have experienced when the studio was based in the Mill.
Technically the studio is based around a Tascam DM3200 digital mixer which enables me to record up to 24 tracks live and the main recording software I use is Nuendo but projects can easily be converted to run on different systems.
A good selection of microphones is available and we are also very lucky to have a 100 year old beautifully restored 6' Steinway Grand Piano (which records beautifully!).
I'd very much like to develop the reputation that's been built over the nine years that the studio was based in the Mill. During that period the cds produced have consistently received great reviews. The original studio was used by ECM for a recording and in 2010 two cds made it into the Sunday Times round up of top releases of 2010 at number 1 and number 10 respectively.
If you click on these links you'll find more information about these releases.

www.taithrecords.co.uk
www.lejazzetal.com

If you are interested in booking the studio I will be holding the prices at the old studio rate until the end of 2011.

Studio Hire £200 per day (8 hour day) - extra hours charged at £25 per hour.
Piano Hire £40 per project (This is a one off amount to cover tuning costs as the piano is always tuned before any project that it's needed for),
Production work (if required) includes arrangements, playing multiple instruments and organising extra session players. This fee can be negotiated per project.

Accommodation - over the summer we may have self-contained available for rent but there are other options that can be discussed.

I also have a 16 channel location set-up available for live gigs.

Over the past nine years Stiwdio Felin Fach has established a reputation for high quality acoustic and acoustic oriented recordings. The original studio which was based in an 18th century mill provided a special ambience for musicians who enjoy the challenge and creative possibilities of live studio performances. Many interesting musicians have produced wonderful music here
including Stefano Giaccone, Delyth Jenkins, Ffynnon, Taith, Joya, Robin Williamson, Tina May, The Carver Trio, The Tea Hodzic Trio, Szapora, Evan Christopher with Django a la Creole, Allan yn y Fan and many more. The studio has also hosted a recording session by ECM records, without doubt the finest contemporary recording company in europe. More recently was the setting for The South Bank Show, who recorded a programme devoted to the work of Ian McMillan, featuring the Ian McMillan Orchestra.
The studio has recorded a number of acclaimed albums including Dylan Fowler's 'Ffynnon Ofor' - BBC online album of the month June 2005: Taith Trio 'Now & Then'
The Ian Macmillan Orchestra 'Sharp Stories'; Szapora 'Homeland of my wanderings';
The Tea Hodzic Trio 'Stay Awhile' - Songlines Top of the World CD - April 2008:
Robin Williamson 'The Iron Stone' - ECM Records 2006.
A number of location recordings have been recorded and edited/mixed and mastered in the studio including The Angelo Debarre Quartet 'Live at the QuecumBar', Tcha Limberger Transylvanian Trio reviewed in the February edition of Songlines 2010: Tcha Limberger and the Budapest Gypsy Orchestra 'Live in the UK'; Gillian Stevens & Dylan Fowler 'Still an still moving'.
The studio is really set up for acoustic musicians who love the challenge of 'Live' recordings made under studio conditions. I've had many years experience as professional musician and a commitment to making unique recordings - and I would say there has never been a better time for musicians to take on the challenge of capturing a moment in time in the studio and create the cds that will standout as vivid documents of our times - not for the faint-hearted.
I am increasingly being asked to produce work for artists which involves my skills as an arranger,session musician and composer and have recently had the pleasure of working with the very talented singer/songwriter, Rachel Taylor-Beales on her new cd release 'Dust and Gold'.
Recently, the studio hosted the second cd recording by Django a la Creole featuring the wonderful clarinettist, Evan Christopher from New Orleans and the inimitable Dave Kelbie on rhythm guitar. The album was selected as the Sunday Times number 1 album of 2010! - very proud.