Beat Street Studio in Leeds is a hidden gem set in the heart of suburban Meanwood. Previously known as Star Studios, it underwent a complete refurbishment and rebrand in 2012 to re-open as Beat Street Studio in March last year.
In-house engineer/producer and studio owner Jase Brooks told us, “At Beat Street, our aim has been to bridge the gap between large and often unaffordable recording studios and those which are smaller, more affordable, but not very highly equipped. To our knowledge Beat Street is the only recording studio in the whole of Yorkshire that can offer a Neve recording and mixing facility at possibly the lowest rates in the UK for such a high specification. Our acoustically designed and air conditioned control room is a very inspiring environment to work in and will comfortably seat seven people. At its heart is a stunning Neve V3 36 channel inline console with 72 channels available on mixdown, lovingly installed and looked after by Neil McCombie of Scotch McNeil Audio.”
Black Lion Audio 192 converters connect the console to an Apple Mac running 32 inputs and 40 outputs of Pro Tools 10HD3. Monitoring is by Dynaudio, Genelec and Yamaha NS10s, via Crown and Quad amplification.
With a spec to rival many a larger studio, Beat Street also boasts a wide array of vintage outboard including a Lexicon 224, AMS DMX1580, AMS RMX16, a Connor 1107 boutique compressor built by Gareth Connor of CML Audio, Urei 1176, Universal Audio 610, Eventide H3000 D/SE, Manley Massive Passive, Crane Song Ibis EQ, Amek 9098 compressor and EQ, Black Lion Audio Inductor EQ, Summit Audio TLA 100, Avalon 747 and much more. And for the software fans, there is a fine collection of UAD and other plug-ins.
The 6.5m x 4m live room is home to a 1967 Hammond Valve Tonewheel L102 organ with a custom 147 Leslie cabinet, both maintained by Hammond specialist Keith Appleton. There is a Wurlitzer EP200a; a rare Ibanez Starfield valve power and preamp; Marshall JMP; MXR vintage blue series kit; Fender Twin; Marshall 1960; Hiwatt 412; Session, Yamaha and JC120 combos.
The bass corner hosts a 1970 Ampeg 810 with SVT head and a much loved Acoustic 126 Combo. Plenty of guitars and basses, both electric and acoustic, are available and, in the drum dept are Yamaha and Jalapeno kits with a very comprehensive collection of Zildjian K Custom Dark cymbals. There is a dedicated vocal booth offering excellent isolation, which can also be used as an iso booth; and an integrated office area where you can relax and use the internet, yet still be part of the session.
With five rooms in total, including the control room, there are plenty of tracking options on offer at Beat Street. An extensive Neve patch bay system provides cues to all rooms, and tie lines to the rear of outboard racks allow easy patching of your own preferred outboard when necessary. Jase continued, “The kitchen area is a really lively brick wall construction. There are also speaker lines running from the control room through to three of our live areas for recording stereo cabinets, allowing you to leave your amplifier head in the control room to optimise the sound before tracking.”
Mics available include a purple badge U87, a vintage Coles 4038, matched pairs of 414s, 4038s, Royer R122 ribbons, together with plenty of 421s, 57s, 441s and more. Full equipment list here.
Beat Street also has some very experienced and talented in-house engineers and producers to choose from. Neil Ferguson, James Mottershead, David Watts, Jason Brooks, Steve Whitfield and Oliver Sekunda have worked with an impressive and varied client base including Sony Records, Lucy Spraggan, Let’s Away, Jack’s Attic, Deaf Havana, Glass Caves, Tri-Tone Records, Vitamin and Richard Turvey to name a few. Check out some great reviews here.
Finally, should you wish to step outside the studios during your time at Beat Street, make sure to take advantage of some excellent local facilities with three great cafes located seconds away from the front door, as well as a number of bars, shops, supermarkets and takeaways nearby. Out of town clients requiring accommodation can stay over in The Bunkhouse, which sleeps up to eight people in an annex right next door to the main building. For more about Beat Street or to enquire about booking a session please click here.
