ABOUT FORD LANE RECORDING STUDIOS:

Ford Lane is a spacious recording studio that combines cutting edge digital technology with classic analogue equipment and is based near the picturesque town of Arundel in rural Sussex.

Originally an old flint faced farmyard, Ford Lane houses two separate studios and various live rooms that enable us to suit an array of acts as well as budgets.

Our trained staff are both friendly and experienced, happy to assume a variety of roles from basic recording and engineering through to full blown audio productions.

For a friendly and professional service call Ford Lane on 01243 552338

ABOUT US :: SPACES :: SOUNDS :: F.A.Q.s :: CONTACT
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SPACES:

At Fordlane we have plenty of room for artists to work and relax.
We are set in the quiet Sussex countryside near the river Arun. Within five minutes in any direction there are different country pubs offering a variety of food and an escape from recording.

In the courtyard outside we have a garden with barbecue facilities open to all and ample parking. Inside there are rest areas with free broadband access, a galley kitchen, shower and sofas for chilling out.

Studio 1 is the main hub of Ford Lane and it’s here that the majority of time is spent both recording and mixing. Fortunately due to its size and layout (50 square meters), this proves to be a comfortable and enjoyable experience for both large bands and single artists.Based around an Amek Einstein analogue desk with monitoring by Genelec, Dyn Audio and Yamaha, Studio 1 provides excellent acoustics, natural light and a positive, creative ambience often commented on by many artists. An integral glass fronted vocal booth with further acoustic treatment offers an uncoloured sound and 'line of sight' with the engineer for ease of communication.

Studio 2 is currently let on a long term lease to Producer and Re-mixer Porl Young.

The Acoustic Room has superb natural acoustics, making it ideal for drums, acoustic guitars or recordings requiring a live feel. Its size (8x7 meters) easily enables full band recordings and with its natural light and seating area, this room also serves as a lounge area for band members looking to escape the control room.

The Pen, fortunately, the only thing this room retains from its farming past is its name. Everything else has been pulled apart and rebuilt to ensure excellent acoustics, and complete sound isolation from the outside world, making it ideal for extremely quiet recordings when a low noise floor is required.

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SOUNDS:

ABOUT US :: SPACES :: SOUNDS :: F.A.Q.s :: CONTACT
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q : How much time will it take to record?
A : This is a very difficult question to answer as it depends on many factors. It's an unfortunate fact that most bands try to record more songs than their budget allows. Whilst this is achievable, it is often at the expense of the end result in both the mix and quality of playing.
For some situations this is less important, new bands that just want to hear how they sound together or to record a demo to get some local pub gigs aren’t going to need the same quality as a band or artist looking for release worthy recordings.
For a full band recording three songs we would look at one day for demo quality and three or more days for release quality.
Acoustic or vocal sessions have a much quicker set up and mix time.

Q : What should we bring with us?
A : Please bring all instruments, amps and effects.
Also spare strings, copies of the lyrics and lunch (there are no shops within walking distance).

Q : How can we best prepare?
A : Unless you have a large budget, try to work everything out before hand in the rehearsal studio. Harmonies and guitar solos often take longer than expected.
Guitars and bass should have new strings ñ properly stretched to avoid mid-song tuning issues. Ideally drums should have new heads especially the snare, heads should be ëcrackedí around the rim and properly stretched, tuned and played in, then re-tuned. Cymbals and hi-hats should be cleaned using hot soapy water or specialist cleaner. Badly tuned kits with old skins often sound ok during rehearsal, but when close micíd in a recording environment they can sound flat and lifeless, a well tuned kit will punch through a busy mix.
For more on drum tuning click here

Q : Can you record us all playing live?
A : Yes. Amps can be put in various different rooms around the studio and mic’d up.
The band can then perform in the same room together monitoring their instrument and everyone else on headphones.
This is to avoid spill from the amps into the drum mic’s and while it may seem strange at first, most bands adapt extremely quickly.

Q : What do we get at the end of the session?
A : We master to high quality CD. We budget for one high quality CD per day booked so if you book 3 days you get the master plus two high quality copies. Further high quality copies can be purchased if required though most bands tend to burn their own.
Data back up’s of the audio and song files can be arranged, though this should be discussed with the engineer prior to the session.

Q: What exactly is mastering and do you do it?
A : Mastering can be divided into two parts.
First, the tracks are polished using a combination of eq. and compression. One track is initially worked on and then subsequent tracks are then mastered using the first track as a reference. The aim is to have all tracks on the CD ‘fit’ one another, both sonically and in perceived loudness.
Secondly, a track order is established, pauses and fades between tracks are set, PQ’s (track idents) and ISRC’s (a sort of digital fingerprint) are added, and finally the entire project is recorded to CDR or exabyte tape.
At Ford Lane we master all our recordings through a TC Finalizer at no extra charge. However, we are currently not set up to offer ISRC encoding or exabyte recording so large scale commercial releases may benefit from mastering else where.

Q : What happens if I get home and I don't like my mix?
A : In the extremely unlikely event of this occurring we will gladly make changes at no extra charge within reason.

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CONTACT US:

Address :
Ford Lane Recording Studios.
Ford Lane,
Ford (near Arundel),
West Sussex, UK.

Telephone : 01243 552338
Fax : 01243 546778
Email :

Map (MultiMap)

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