Out Of Eden

'Out Of Eden', the latest addition to London's recording business, is neither a music studio nor a post-production suite. Described by its chief operator as "a hybrid, a giant workstation", this ground-breaking digital facility is using techniques and technologies that are being seen for the first time in the UK.

Out Of Eden is the collaborative venture of composer/keyboard player/producer Andy Richards and the team at Eden Studios, West London. Designed by Mike Gardner and Philip Love to house the talents and machines of Andy Richards, the new room is part of the Eden complex, although different to the other studios in character and purpose.

A long-time client of Eden's facilities, the multi-skilled Andy Richards has worked with Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Grace Jones, George Michael, Annie Lennox, Rush, Ronan Keating, Gary Moore and Charlotte Church, and has racked up significant production credits with artists including Prefab Sprout, Pet Shop Boys, Dusty Springfield and Alphaville. Out Of Eden will be a permanent base for his wide variety of projects, as well as welcoming "anyone who wishes to take advantage of the facilities that OOE has to offer."

Out Of Eden has been set up as a digital music studio with a comprehensive non-linear music-to-picture brief and so the 5.1 surround sound monitoring system is critical. However, in a departure from the customary specifications of London studios, Andy Richards has chosen the new 2510P Professional Studio Monitors from Miller & Kreisel, the first of these American-made speakers to be imported into the UK by Stirling Audio.

"These monitors are, to put it simply, quite incredible!" says Richards. "The imaging is extraordinarily precise and the sound appears almost Hi-Fi in character. When we planned this studio, I wanted a high end digital room which still retained an analogue feel, and the M&Ks suit that brief perfectly since they have a real presence, an analogue quality and warmth to their sound. It's also comforting to know that they are Dolby and THX approved for cinema surround sound mixing in the US."

Out Of Eden has three M&K 2510P monitors as left, centre, right, with the independently amped M&K 2510 passive version for rears, and a sub-bass unit. "Anything below 80Hz goes straight to the sub, via the bass management system. Because the surround monitors don't have to work so hard on producing the low-end, there's more energy available for them and this shows itself in their clarity and detailed perspective. You don't feel that there is an acoustic gap between the five surround monitors and the sub - the transition between them appears to be quite transparent."

Richards auditioned many of the well-known brands of studio monitors, but his decision to install the Miller & Kreisels was made as soon as he heard them in his room. "I could hear perspectives I hadn't heard previously, and other engineers who've been here have also said the same. I think the M&Ks show us a different way to mix music - and possibly the days of giant wall-mounted speakers are numbered, considering the changing trends in music."

Out Of Eden's centrepiece is a 64 I/O 48-channel Fairlight FAME2 control surface and DAW, the first to be installed in the world, integrated with a large 40 I/O Pro Tools system. Using the FAME2 as the central processing engine for digital audio, Richards has up to 88 discrete tracks of 24 bit digital audio available when it is interfaced with his Pro Tools system. FAME2 allows direct interface with Pro Tools, as well as Richards' array of digital and analogue keyboards. "I am able to plug all my keyboards into the Pro Tools system via their 1622 mixer interface, and then have those keyboards and all other signals come directly onto the FAME2s' faders. FAME2 then gives me fully automated mixing and recall of the whole control surface and Pro Tools' inputs and plug-ins."

Out Of Eden is essentially a privately maintained satellite studio, but enjoys all the benefits of being part of the larger Eden Studios estate. From July, the studio will be open for bookings; one of its first clients is Mike Higham, music editor of movies including 'Notting Hill' and 'Elizabeth' and a well-known Pro Tools editor.

'Out Of Eden' can be contacted on the main Eden Studios number - 020 8995 5432 - or via OOE's website at www.andyrichards.com.

For further information on the Miller & Kreisel studio monitors, contact;
Andrew Stirling
STIRLING AUDIO
Tel: 020 7624 6000