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Topic: Denham recording studio< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
fat.tony Offline




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Posted: April 25 2017, 12:44

Hey,

I've noticed a few posts relating to Mike Oldfield's home studio in Denham during the 80's.

Well I've had the pleasure of working in the Denham studio (called Tilehouse) with my band Pixi Encore last week.  I am a big fan of Mike Oldfield, my parents shoved Tubular Bells in my face at any given opportunity growing up so to have this experience to work in a studio where Crises and bits of QE2 was recorded, obviously I took it.

It is currently run by Mike's son, Luke, and contains most of the original mixer and recording equipment, albeit some upgrades to support Pro Tools UI.  The main attraction of course was the fact it belonged to Mike Oldfield.  However, it became apparent that Luke is in a league of his own when it comes to recording techniques and audio technology.  His style and knowledge is vast, he can switch between analogue and digital techniques with ease, and hearing the pre-mastering of our recorded music proved it.  He's also a genuinely nice guy and even provided us with tea making services!

I have spent many times in different recording studios but by far it has been the most enjoyable and mind-blowing.

Luke also has a dog who is simply a legend! Not only is she cute but she puts up with anything!

I am happy to share my experience in Tilehouse for those Mike Oldfield fans out there as not everyone has the opportunity I have experienced.

...Reading back it kinda sounds like an advert....but oh well!
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TOBY Offline




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Posted: May 14 2017, 06:16

Interesting story. Thanks for sharing fat.tony. I've often wondered who owns Denham now? Its good to see the old studio wasn't gutted out when Mike moved out of there. Its interesting that Luke has all Mike's old analogue gear in there. Over the years Mike must have gathered up an absolute treasure trove of old analogue equipment. I know he's sold stuff on in the past but its good to see he's also held on to some of the old gear to pass on to Luke to put to good use.

I wonder what an album by Mike produced by Luke in that analogue studio would sound like.....
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Korgscrew Offline




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Posted: May 16 2017, 10:44

Quote (TOBY @ May 14 2017, 10:16)
Its interesting that Luke has all Mike's old analogue gear in there. Over the years Mike must have gathered up an absolute treasure trove of old analogue equipment. I know he's sold stuff on in the past but its good to see he's also held on to some of the old gear to pass on to Luke to put to good use.

As far as I'm aware (and this isn't entirely directly from Luke), most of it isn't Mike's gear - at least the Studer A800 16 track is one he bought second hand a few years ago, rather than the one Mike owned. The Studer 189 desk is, as far as I know, not something Mike ever owned. The Neve 8108 desk that he had in Denham came up for sale back in 2003 - as one of the comments there says, it wasn't a terribly well regarded desk to begin with and I've since learned that Mike's was wrecked when water leaked onto it and was never quite the same again, despite it being repaired...so I think it's probably a good thing that Luke doesn't have it!

I'm told he's been given a few things by Mike, but the bulk of it is his own.

Whether Luke would want to work with his dad on an album, I don't know, but the thought of Mike recording in that sort of environment is definitely an interesting one...
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fat.tony Offline




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Posted: May 25 2017, 09:49

The studio is pretty much intact with regards to the layout and the ceiling/wall tiling.  This is evident with the picture from 1980 with Mike stood in the control room.  Regarding the equipment, there are very similar artifacts in comparison to those featured in the picture

(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFqDof9HiuEuP2b3R38IsvVtvqMHFqo0yGBG0gfj03qCbzmyl3MitqP6k)
...apologies for the rubbish link and quality, I'm sure a better one can be found on Google Images.  

There's a Boogie amp in this pic and that's definitely in the studio, they seem very rare.  The Studer A800 is an interesting one, its in very good condition so I can see how it might not be the original one Mike used.  However, I'd like to think equipment of that value and calibre would have a service every now and then.  Luke does buy lots of random stuff for his studio as well, it seems he constantly buys and sells (limited space).

Personally, I think a collaboration with Mike and Luke could be an interesting result.  However, I imagine Mike being a very stobborn person to work with (as a self-proclaimed perfectionist myself) and not allow Luke to expand in his own domain, this might be a recipe for disaster or may create something quite amazing.
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Cavalier (Lost Version) Offline




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Posted: May 26 2017, 14:19

Quote (TOBY @ May 14 2017, 06:16)
I wonder what an album by Mike produced by Luke in that analogue studio would sound like.....

Olivier already has his theory about how  a digital collaboration turned out! ;)


--------------
"Who was that?"
"That was Venger - the force of Evil!  I am Dungeon Master - your guide in the realm of Dungeons & Dragons!"
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NeveTech Offline




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Joined: Mar. 2023
Posted: Mar. 03 2023, 08:38

I used to work for Neve an I installed the 8108 in Denham studio. Mike had requested many modifications in order to control some functions of the desk while he was playing instruments! He also used the Necam automated mixdown system, not just for mixing, but to control channel levels whilst recording himself playing…. He was a very innovative guy!
As I remember, he had an Ampex 2” 24 track machine, with such a high speed rewind it could take your hand off!
I had many trips there to support thr desk, add new custom software and add yet more modifications!
Mike was always a very friendly guy and ensured there was plenty of tea on hand!
I’m going to see him play tonight in Portsmouth!
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