Rimshot Studio, owned by producer, engineer and professional drummer Mike Thorne is a new, purpose-built, boutique recording studio located in ‘the garden of England’ near Maidstone in Kent. With more than a nod to the classic studios of the past, Rimshot offers a blend of both retro and modern gear and was built to fill a gap in the market between smaller project studios and large commercial studios, whilst keeping the same ethos that made Mike’s original project studio so successful.
Mike explained, “Rimshot was built on the success of my previous studio which, for ten years, was a wonderfully relaxed and vibey attic space where musicians felt comfortable to work. The new studio is a big step up with regards to the sheer size of the live room and the facilities we can offer. However, although we now have enough space to comfortably record up to 25 musicians, it was absolutely essential when expanding that we didn’t lose the homeliness that contributed to the previous studio’s achievements. With that in mind, we decided that the new room would be built from green oak, with floor-to-ceiling windows down the entire west wall of the live room allowing clients to look out over the countryside whilst working. As players of acoustic instruments will tell you, when you walk into a room that sounds good and looks good, you want to play. And play more!”
Designed by acoustician Kevin van Green from Green & Green Audio (whose previous designs include State of the Ark in Richmond and Vince Clarke’s Pleasure Dome), Rimshot features a large live room (66sqm with a 7m high ceiling), an isolation booth, separate machine room, tea and coffee facilities and a shower room. The spacious 36sqm control room nurtures a fully restored, completely unique 1960s vintage Decca GENDEC valve console, with 10 inputs and direct outs, which has recorded the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Benjamin Britten, Itzhak Perlman and Vladimir Ashkenazy. There is also an SSL AWS900+ (chosen for its short and transparent signal path) and Pro Tools HDX with some “rather special” Burl convertors that “allow you to drive a little bit harder”. Outboard comes from EAR, Decca, EMT, DBX, Lexicon, TC Electronic, Yamaha, Urei, Focusrite and Funk Logic. And there are ample tie lines to allow easy integration of clients’ own equipment.
The control room’s ‘no compromise’ listening environment is demonstrated via Unity Audio Boulder monitors and a Focal sub (the studio is wired for 5.1 surround which is available on request). Tannoy Golds, Genelec 1029a’s and Auratone are also available. Instruments include an 1890s Bechstein Model IV 7’2″ concert grand piano that was fully restored about twenty years ago and brought up to spec, a Hammond C3 (previously owned by Booker T) and Leslie 122, plus an array of vintage drums, cymbals and valve amps. Analogue lovers are well-served here too, with several Studer tape machines primed and ready to add their own unique flavour to the mix. These include an A927 Gold Edition 2 inch 24-track, an A80 1 inch 8-track and an all-valve C37/EAR 1/2 inch 2-track.
Last but not least, Rimshot’s mic locker is replete with some classic valve mics (a Telefunken U47 and a C12), a matched pair of AEA R44 ribbons and various mics from Neumann, AKG, Shure, Earthworks and Sennheiser. A full equipment list can be found here.
Although not a residential studio, Rimshot commands preferential rates with local hotels and self-catering properties. It provides excellent transport links, with both London and Gatwick airport only about an hour away. Asked to sum up the studio, Mike replied, “If you want a big rock sound or are simply a singer songwriter with piano, it’s the business. We have a lot of experience in helping artists get the most from a limited amount of studio time and we offer packages so that those who can’t budget for recording and mixing their whole album at Rimshot can still benefit from using the studio’s live room and gear for key things like drum and piano tracks and vocals. Our clients have included BBC Folk Singer and Songwriter of the Year Chris Wood, Andy Fairweather Low, Ian Siegal, Ray Gelato, Matt Schofield, Andy Newmark, Lisa Mills, Roger Hubbard, Paul Lamb, Incognito Horns, plus artists from all over the USA and Europe. We’ll also be launching our online eMixing and eMastering website soon; so, although we do currently offer unattendedmastering and mixing services, the new website should make the whole process quicker and easier for clients who live a long way off and aren’t able to get to the studio themselves. To sum up, everything at Rimshot is as you would expect: friendly and professional staff, great acoustics, great facilities, extensive mic locker, beautiful sounding piano, no-compromise infrastructure and wiring, private car park and easy load-ins. Everything you need to do your best work.”
For further information or to enquire about booking the studio, visit Rimshot’s listing here. Photos and video tour of the studio courtesy of recordproduction.com.
