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Spinning around: 50 years of Festival Records
Recording studio: laying down tracks
In Festival Records' early years recording was done under primitive conditions. There are legendary tales of sound engineers improvising with makeshift technology. The ladies' toilet, for example, served as an echo chamber. In later years Festival installed a modern studio using the latest methods in acoustic design. Studio A, as it became known, developed a world-class reputation. This section looksed at recording and production, and invites you to explore some of the functions of the studio. It also looked at the role of the record producer, and the creative and technical processes that make a successful recording.
Images left to right: Robert Iredale and Ken Taylor in the old Festival studio, courtesy John Byrell from his book Bandstand…and all that; Festival studio live room, photo by Marinco Kojdanovski, Powerhouse Museum; Pat Aulton in the control room, courtesy Festival Mushroom Records; The new studio, photo by P Millar, design by I McGrath © 1989, courtesy Festival Mushroom Records.