Abbey Road Studios

Stories In Sound: Last remaining tickets for Friday & Saturday sessions! Next month we’re opening the doors of Studio Two for a unique immersive experience that blends narratives around Abbey Road’s rich history with live performances of the iconic music recorded within our walls. Enjoy unique glimpses into our spaces and gear, live musical performances, and appearances by special guests yet to be announced, all designed to bring the Abbey Road experience directly to you. For those who can’t make it to London, check out our global streaming experience on Saturday 10 August, ensuring everyone can be part of the magic regardless of location. IN-PERSON: https://lnkd.in/eSvUKNjd STREAM: https://lnkd.in/eN-JBHcR

…but what does it do? Introducing the RS56 Universal Tone Control Unit 🎛️ An early example of parametric EQ, the RS56 UTC or 'Curve Bender' was designed in 1951 by engineer Mike Batchelor, who went on to become Chief Engineer at Abbey Road. A tool to control or repair recordings, it has three sections covering the top, treble and bass ranges of the audible frequency spectrum. Each section has three controls: 1️⃣⁠ A stepped control giving a 10dB boost or loss in 2 dB steps centred around a ZERO position 2️⃣ ⁠A ‘shaping’ control with 6 adjustable curve shapes – Low End, Blunt, Medium Blunt, Medium Sharp, Sharp and High End. 3️⃣ ⁠A selection of 12 different frequencies covering the full range from 32 Hz to 16,400 Hertz The chosen frequencies are based on musical divisions, exact octaves apart in the Bass and Treble frequencies and half octaves apart in the Top range. It is thought to have 14 million different combinations of the controls, earning its nickname ‘The Curve Bender’ as it had a reputation for its ‘mangle’ sound, which was ironically against EMI’s original ‘true fidelity’ concept. Because of this, it was not often allowed for use in the recording studios in the late '50s and early '60s. The RS56 has since been reimagined by Chandler Limited in the form of the EMI TG12345 Curve Bender Unit, its next manifestation being the RS56 Passive plugin made in collaboration with Waves Audio for you to enjoy at home.

A huge congratulations to legendary rock photographer Jill Furmanovsky who is the recipient of this year’s ICON Award! The ICON Award is the culmination of a unique and storied history with Abbey Road. Following her move from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to London in 1965, Jill’s passion for music led her to join The Beatles fan club and would regularly be seen outside the studios as a teenager. She went on to curate some of Abbey Road’s most famous images including Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ recording session (1975) and Oasis' recording ‘Be Here Now’ (1997). Many years later Jill became the studio's very first ‘Photographer in Residence’ (2017–2018), before joining the judging panel for the inaugural MPAs in 2022, continuing to embrace her lifelong passion for spotting new talent and inspiring the next generation of music photographers. Throughout an illustrious 50 year career, Jill has worked closely with many iconic musicians including Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Blondie, The Police, Led Zeppelin, The Pretenders, Bob Dylan, Joy Division, Amy Winehouse and Oasis. Her first rock photograph of Paul McCartney, taken on a Kodak Instamatic, marked the start of her career and after just two weeks of photography training in 1972, she became the official photographer for London's iconic Rainbow Theatre. This role launched her professional career, where she began to shoot for major magazines and weekly music press. Discover more about our Abbey Road Music Photography Awards ICON winner by heading to the link in our bio. #JillFurmanovsky #ICON #MPA24

World Photography Day 2024 📸 This World Photography Day, we’re sharing a few of our favourite music photographers who have made an impact… Including a look back at some of our incredible open category winners from the 2022 & 2023 Abbey Road Music Photography Awards ahead of this year's ceremony. 1️⃣ Khali (@khaliphotograpahy) 2️⃣ John Lyons (@johnlyons99)  3️⃣ Joe Puxley (@joepuxx)  4️⃣ Eljay Briss (@eljaybriss)  5️⃣ Anthony Pham (@anthonypham)  6️⃣ Chris Allmeid (@chrisallmeid)  7️⃣ Victoria Sanders Photogra (@veesanders)  8️⃣ Ashley Osborn (@ashleyosborn) 9️⃣ Sophia Carey (@sophiajcarey) 🔟 Clay Patrick McBride (@clay_patrick_mcbride)

For aspiring sound engineers, producers and mixers seeking a career in film and television, mastering the art of mixing for motion pictures is essential. From recreating sound through foley to re-conforming audio or synchronising sound and picture on set, the range of techniques involved is vast. Abbey Road Institute, our specialist music production school, sat down with lecturer Justin Fraser to discuss his tricks of the trade, demo industry-standard tools and reveal the secrets of crafting compelling cinema sound. Read it here: https://bit.ly/3X8AooB ✍ Laviea Thomas #AbbeyRoadInstitute #AudioPostProduction⁠ #FilmSound #SoundEditing⁠ ⁠#AudioEngineer #SoundEngineer⁠ #FilmAudio #MixEngineer

Meet some of our incredible studio runners 🏃♀️ At Abbey Road, our runners play an integral part behind the scenes. They keep the studio in motion, ensuring that every spark of inspiration travels seamlessly from artist to engineer. We couldn’t do what we do without them.

Remembering Brian Gibson 🤍 It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the passing of our beloved colleague and friend, Brian Gibson. Brian was not only a brilliant engineer, whose technical skill shaped the sound of countless iconic recordings at Abbey Road, but he was also a kind and generous soul who brought warmth and creativity to our studios every day. "Brian and I started work as EMI apprentices on the same day in 1962 at Hayes before moving to Abbey Road in the mid '60s where we finished our training in the Amp Room. We shared a common love of audio, fast & powerful cars and quirky humour. Sad to think I won't see my old friend again." - Martin Benge, former Abbey Road MD Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to Brian's family, friends, and all who had the privilege of working with him. He will be dearly missed. Rest in peace, Brian. 🎶✨

The history of our gear: Altec 605As edition 🔈 Back in the '60s, all of the recordings and mixes that came out of Studio Two were done using the Altec 605As speakers. From Pink Floyd to Cliff Richard, they played a huge role in what became "the Abbey Road Sound". A duplex loudspeaker, the Altec 605As employed a compact coaxial two-way system with a multicellular frequency horn. Former Abbey Road engineer, Ken Scott, once spoke about the pros and cons of the speakers: “They were awful. I think that’s why the Beatles stuff works – because you had to work so hard to make it sound good on those speakers. If it sounded good on there, it would sound great anywhere.” - Ken Scott During the ‘70s, our then-studio manager Allen Stagg replaced them with Tannoy Lockwood monitors and moved the Altec 605As to the live room to act as playback speakers. They were eventually sold in 1980 at the infamous “Sale of the Century” (swipe to the last slide for a peak 👀). In 2018, one Altec 605 made a return to the studios when Head of Audio Products Mirek Stiles used it in the creation of the Waves Abbey Road Chambers plugin, our Studio Two Echo Chamber emulation.

Abbey Road Institute, our specialist music production school, started a series on mixing last February. Kickstarting with an article titled ‘How to Start your Mix’, 'Mixing Guide 101' offers up a range of useful skills and drills to help enhance your skills and perfect your mix. Written by music production alum, Carlos Bricio, the series concludes with a comprehensive exploration of one of the most frequently applied techniques for mixing: mix bus compression. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eruHqjYk #AbbeyRoadInstiute #NewBlog #FindingYourSound #MixBusCompression

"Sally and I have just got back from Shell Rock, Iowa after an important and inspiring visit to Chandler HQ. Wade (Goeke) takes great pride in sourcing the best components from all over the globe and has assembled an amazing team who hand-build every microphone, preamp, EQ and compressor unit in the same way the Abbey Road/EMI REDD team would have done back in the '60s and '70s. We are very proud to have Chandler Limited as part of the Abbey Road family.” - Mirek Stiles Last week, our Managing Director Sally Davies and Head of Audio Products Mirek Stiles went to visit Chandler Ltd. in Iowa! 🎶✨ Chandler have been an incredible partner in helping us preserve and enhance the legacy of Abbey Road with their outstanding audio products. During the visit, Sally and Mirek delved into their innovative production process and discussed exciting future collaborations. 🔊