Metropolis Studios - 15 exclusive video features!!!

Grammy winning engineer Liam Nolan shows us around Studios A and B at Metropolis Studios, London. These two studios are the main recording rooms at the complex that many more associate with mixing and mastering studios.

Special thanks to everyone at Metropolis for giving us the tours, Emma Townshend for helping set this up and to Liam Nolan for being our guide!

METROPOLIS STUDIOS WEBSITE

Liam Nolan joined Metropolis as an assistant engineer in 2009 learning his trade with some of the greats including Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. In 2015 he engineered tracks from Adele’s chart topping album ‘25’ including the single ‘Hello’ which he won 2 Grammy’s in 2017. More recently, he’s been working closely with Clean Bandit, Jess Glynne and Calvin Harris.

Metropolis was possibly the last great recording studio be built in London. Featuring four main / large recording studios and mix rooms it's one of the most impressive mastering studios in the UK too with several leading mastering engineers based at the facility. A large number of smaller and private studios makes this one of the major studio hubs in Europe. Studio A, has a large live room , a dead room and a stone room (modelled on the classic Townhouse Studio Two stone room).

The control room is over 80 square meters with separate machine and amp rooms. The studio has been designed by Sam Toyashima to maximise sight lines and communication with floor to ceiling glass between all areas including control room and studios and large daylight windows. The studio also features an exclusive private lounge complete with kitchen and bathroom looking down on to all of the studio areas so even the most reclusive artists can be able to work in privacy. Studio A is the largest of the two main tracking rstudios at Metropolis. The bordering on huge control room houses an SSL 9072 J series console with PMC main monitors.

Studio A has been popular with the industry’s biggest most private stars such as George Michael and Queen who recorded Innuendo and Listen Without Prejudice albums. The live room is also used for concerts and album playbacks. Studio B is based around the classic SSL 4064 G Series console and features Genelec main monitoring. It has a very private feel and has its own private lounge and bathroom. The lounge can form an extension of the control room by opening the rear doors. The live area comprises a central live area surrounded by two spacious isolated areas that offer more controlled acoustics.

As well as being a great tracking room, Studio B is one of the most sought after mix rooms in London. Notable clients include; George Michael, The Stone Roses, U2, Elton John, The Verve, Rihanna and will.i.am. Our facilities include an iconic range of dynamic tracking and mixing studios, the best mastering suites found anywhere in the world, a series of new writing and production rooms available for short and longterm lease, and other serviced spaces for rent currently occupied by the likes of Roland and Spotify.

The complex has featured in many TV programmes due to it's unique design and there have been stacks of pop videos shot in the studios too. The five main studios and mastering facilities are constantly evolving and our video tours and producer interviews recorded at Metropolis are getting left behind so a new guided video tour of the complex is planned for the Summer.

Select from our large number of new and vintage videos recorded at London's top music recording studio complex which include leading record producer interviews and brief tours around the studios. Many of these features are very current but some of these are now out of date but will still be interesting - we hope!

Metropolis Studios are located in Chiswick, West London, in a converted power station, space is therefore not a problem and in the days when this huge building was constructed, power stations were built to look good, impressive even! The studios were built in the late '80's to much amazement and industry 'buzz' due to the sheer scale of the new complex.  Now, over a decade lader, the studios still retain a freshness and character unique to the UK's recording scene.

The videos below feature some of the industries greatest names, Gary Katz, Matt Howe and Ken Scott. The older videos are lower quality but are being re-edited to stream as broadband quality over the coming months.

Pictured here on the left is engineer and record producer Adrian Hall seen in Studio B, the SSL G Series studio downstairs. Warch Adrian's video interview here.

As a house engineer at Metropolis Studios from 1997 until 2004, Adrian had been a valuable member of the production team on many high-profile releases and coped with many demanding sessions. In addition, he has worked on a number of independent releases, producing the band involved, as well as handling tracking and mixing duties. Since going freelance, Adrian has formed a new production company, Chosen One Productions, to develop and nurture new talent.

With a vast track record that spans engineering for the Beatles and Elton John to producing Supertramp and David Bowie, Ken Scott has an enormous wealth of experience. Possibly one of his best talents is to be sympathetic to an artists needs and this combined with his great personality suits both the established and young band or artist seeking a special and unique sound that will make them stand out from the crowd. Watch his archive video shot at Metropolis Studio E.

Legendary record producer Tony Visconti talks on camera while at Metropolis in 2007.

Richard Rainey featured in Metropolis Studio A talking about working with U2.

Gary Langan pictured in Studio D - Gary was one of the founders of Metropolis Studios.

For bookings call +44 (0) 208 742 1111 to arrange a visit.