Nemo Studios: Potrait of a recording studio

Nemo Studios: 1975-1977

Before Vangelis obtained the premises at Hampden Gurney Street, the area was previously used by a commercial photographic studio, which utilised the location to build large sets for advertising films and fashion catalogues. However, Vangelis was unable to use the area straight away, because it needed a number of structural changes, so construction workers were brought in to turn the large photographic studio into an area suitable for a recording studio.

In keeping with conventional studio practices, the premises were divided into two areas. One section, which used to be a large kitchen combined with a darkroom, was made into the studio’s control room, and was designated to housing the recording equipment and mixing desk. The other, larger, section was transformed into the live room, and it contained a removable wooden stage and a cyclorama. Both these items were retained from the photographic studio in case they could be used when performing live music.

The live room’ windows were blocked up and the walls and ceilings were painted black. Curtains were hung on all walls. Initially, there were issues with standing waves in the studio. This was not too detrimental to the sound environment inside the studio, but audio rumble affected the neighbouring buildings, which was a particular problem when working late hours at night. The studio’s roof was thin and acted like a huge wooden loudspeaker, which resonated at low bass frequencies. The problem was fixed by adding mass to the ceiling and concrete paving slabs on the roof.

Nemo’s first recording equipment

The first recording equipment at Nemo Studios included a customised 24-channel mixing desk, made by Automated Process, Inc., and a customised tape recorder based on the Scully 280 model that allowed recording in 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 tracks. The customised Scully had three tape transports, but it was usually configured so that simultaneous recordings of 16 multitrack and two 2-track tapes were allowed, each using a dedicated tape transport.

Both the API mixing desk and Scully tape machine were purchased second-hand from ‘Command Studios’, a well-known commercial recording facility based near London’s Green Park, where Vangelis had worked before moving to Nemo Studios.

For audio monitoring in the control room, four Tannoy HPD (high-performance dual-line) monitors, which were built by Lockwood Monitors, were put into professional cabinets. The control room was covered with thick carpets and heavy curtains, which absorbed a lot of the volume. Typically, the monitors would be set to moderately loud, but not at a deafening volume, and not for long periods of time. This was so they did not overdrive the monitors. During the final mixing, another audio check could be patched onto small speakers, which were placed on the mixing desk. This step helped to verify the final mix on the smaller speakers.

Analogue synthesisers

By the mid 70’s a new generation of analogue synthesisers emerged. They featured some compelling developments which offered new possibilities in the realms of performing live expressive music. These synthesisers incorporated polyphonic capabilities which allowed the musician to play chords, or bass lines along the melody lines. In 1977 Vangelis was introduced to the Yamaha CS-80 analogue synthesiser. It was the first polyphonic synthesiser with true performance features, such as after-touch and velocity-sensitive capabilities, and both of these features appealed to Vangelis. He used the CS-80 to record the album ‘Spiral’ and the instrument was featured on the majority of his compositions onwards.

After the introduction of the CS-80 analogue synthesisers such as the ARP Odyssey, ARP Sequencer, Roland System 100, and Oberheim 4-Voice, the new instruments quickly began to replace electric keyboards as the main choice of symphonic instrumentation. Unlike the electric keyboards, the new synthesisers suffered less intrinsic audio fidelity during mixing and overdubbing , so great effort was spent on getting the sound of the synthesiser right, before it reached the mixing desk.

While Vangelis had avoided using the big modular analogue synthesisers as performance instruments, some of their components were used for linking other machines. They were also used as a tool for generating sequencers, by driving other synthesisers. An example of this included the Roland System 717A, and Korg PS-3300. These machines demanded a long time to setup before something could be played. However, Vangelis sought out other solutions which helped him achieve similar results more quickly.

For this upgrade, a further 8-channel dbx-158 unit was purchased and put next to the existing 16-channel dbx unit. This meant that all of the 24 tracks from the new Lyrec TR-532 multitrack tape recorder were processed with dbx noise reduction. It was from this point on that all of the subsequent works at Nemo Studios were recorded on the Lyrec TR-532 tape machine, and the dbx Type-I noise reduction was almost always used.

In conjunction with the new multitrack tape recorder, two new master tape machines were acquired for putting the final mix-down recording onto quarter-inch tape, these were two Ampex ATR-100s. The second ATR-100 was useful for doing editing work. The two ATR-100 tape machines were equipped with Dolby A-Type noise reduction, as this offered better noise reduction on final stereo recordings, although, in principle, the ATR-100 was a far higher specification compared with the Scully, as it was able to load the tape to a higher level, and therefore could be used without Dolby A-Type noise reduction.

Next to this equipment upgrade, Vangelis also replaced the outdated API mixing desk with a 36-channel Quad/Eight Pacifica mixing desk. The Pacifica was an in-line mixer, as opposed to the split-mixer of the previous desk. This resulted in a more compact design with almost double the channel capacity. In addition to the 36 channels, the Quad/Eight Pacifica had four auxiliary channels, and these were used for sending or receiving echo. The new mixer also had a patch bay for configuring the route of the signal to and from the tape recorders and the outboard equipment.

In conjunction with the new multitrack tape recorder, two new master tape machines were acquired for putting the final mix-down recording onto quarter-inch tape, these were two Ampex ATR-100s. The second ATR-100 was useful for doing editing work. The two ATR-100 tape machines were equipped with Dolby A-Type noise reduction, as this offered better noise reduction on final stereo recordings, although, in principle, the ATR-100 was a far higher specification compared with the Scully, as it was able to load the tape to a higher level, and therefore could be used without Dolby A-Type noise reduction.

Next to this equipment upgrade, Vangelis also replaced the outdated API mixing desk with a 36-channel Quad/Eight Pacifica mixing desk. The Pacifica was an in-line mixer, as opposed to the split-mixer of the previous desk. This resulted in a more compact design with almost double the channel capacity. In addition to the 36 channels, the Quad/Eight Pacifica had four auxiliary channels, and these were used for sending or receiving echo. The new mixer also had a patch bay for configuring the route of the signal to and from the tape recorders and the outboard equipment.

The new recording upgrades Vangelis made at Nemo Studios in 1978 marked a turning point in the studio’s audio fidelity. They did more than just add to the depth and warmth of Vangelis’ sound. They also allowed him to explore new sonic landscapes, which had been technically challenging with the older recording equipment. The first album to take advantage of the new equipment was ‘China’, and its symphonic arrangements clearly benefited from the upgrade.

Voltage-control

In the 1970s, analogue synthesisers used the principle of voltage-control as a means of communicating the desired pitch between synthesisers and other external devices, such as sequencers. The desired pitch was determined by generating a certain amount of voltage, which could be triggered by pressing a key on the keyboard or the voltage output of a sequencer’s control knob. At the time, analogue sequencers were quite primitive, and they only allowed monophonic sequences and patterns which, in most cases, were no longer than 16 notes. At that time, different manufactures used different schemes on how to map voltages to pitch values. Each manufacturer developed and promoted sequencers for their own synthesisers, although, in many cases, different machines were compatible.

As more synthesisers and sequencers were acquired and brought into Nemo Studios, several of them were linked together by using the principles of voltage control. A flexible voltage-control system was developed at Nemo Studios for live sequencer work, and it was extended to include drum machines, filters and more synthesisers, so that they could all run together and in sync . The system was intuitive to use, as it allowed Vangelis to focus his energy on the improvisational aspect, enabling him to transpose and edit the sequencers on the fly when performing his music, with all the connected synthesisers and sequencers keeping in time and following Vangelis’ musical direction. This system was a natural progression, going back to the way Vangelis had previously worked with his synthesisers and drum machines. It freed him from the constraints of lengthy programming and enabled him to produce a music scene which was instantly responsive and intuitively playable.