2016 Yeah!

The end of 2015 got nice and busy.  September saw me join the UB40 boys once more in my beloved RAK studio 2 to complete the recording for their new acoustic album. Hey, and we mixed everything to 1/2" tape, lush.

I got nominated for a couple of awards, didn't win, but that didn't stop us! I spend an amazing time in the studio with 70's post-punkers The Comsat Angels. We recorded and mixed three tracks in RAK Studio 3 with myself engineering and Kevin Bacon in the production and bass chairs.

The amazing Jonathan Quarmby pulled me into that same studio 3 to drive the Neve on sessions for Laurence Fox and Aura Dione and I stayed there on a fab string session for Luke Higgins. 

December and the start of January saw me locked into RAK 1 & 3 with the superbly talented Plan B, writing with the dynamite duo Craze & Hoax. 

In between all my RAK visits, the board in the Sonic Cuisine saw some really cool stuff. We completed Gloria Nuti's "Quando Non Sei Con Me" with Jon Klein topping it off with stellar video work.

Late summer 2015 was spent in a new studio for me. Tobin Jones's Park studios was our home to record three songs for Georgia Nevada. The first of that selection has been released and is available on all digital outlets. "Loneliness" was written by my lovely wife and myself. I pulled in Jon klein on guitars, Chris Bell on kit, Caroline Campbell on bass, Mo Michael and Raie on BVs. I engineered and produced the work and found myself doubling up on acoustic guitar and additional BV duties. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the follow up singles.

Work has started on the mixing for a new and very exciting band "Tenth Electric". These guys combine hard rock, metal and Electronic Dance Music influences. I will keep you posted on that one. I, for one, am very thrilled.

I had to take a little break from the studio to head over to the NAMM convention. There I had the pleasure and honour to conduct my own workshop on how to get your studio and live sound to a full room. This led to being invited on two more panels with Mark Frink presiding. We covered D.I. boxes and Live sound. To top it all off, I got to do a full on software demo for Duane Wise's Wholegrain Quartet and Trio plug ins. Very cool to be on the same bill as the great Nathaniel Kunkel!

In the midst of all this studio madness, I still had a little time to squeeze in mixing Front Of House for the mighty Praying Mantis at the Islington O2 and of course the mastering doesn't stop either. Delta Unit, Deborah Bonham, Abstract Source and Joolz Denby were just a few of the GHQ Sonic Cuisine mastering clients.

The TC guys have launched a cool new online magazine, The Vintage Musician. We've been busy at RAK and the Sonic Cuisine filming a bunch of vids on vintage gear.

Speaking of gear, the Sonic Cuisine has acquired a few new bits and pieces: Meris Mercury 7 Reverb (AMAZING!), two Crane Song Insignas, Drawmer 1960, Joe Meek (C2, VC2 & Stereo Comp), SPL De-esser, Roland Dimension D, TLAudio C-2021 and a couple of TC pedals ( Phaser, Delay and Dreamscape), UAD Dangerous EQ, Sonnox Envolution. 

That's it for now. Hope to mix your sounds through all this loveliness very soon.