The new studio will accommodate up to thirty musicians and aims to provide for the classical, jazz, commercial and contemporary music recording that Gateway and Phoenix have become recognised for. Tie lines to the enormous, and adjacent, F Stage at Pinewood will make full orchestral recording available in the future. A location recording facility will also soon be available. Engineering staff of both studios will be at the new facility to work closely with existing clients.
The control room will be based around the 72-channel Neve VR console formerly in Studio 1 at Phoenix Wembley and will include full 5.1 surround monitoring, video projection, a wide variety of outboard equipment and a complete range of multitrack capability. Recording and mixing music and audio for film, television and CD, ADR plus all post production options will be available.
Pinewood is already home to a mixture of audio and music related business activities - these include Artemis Music and Spatial Audio. The intention is to work closely with these and other companies on site by offering complete audio packages for film and television productions, and of course working alongside Pinewood's own dubbing and post production facilities.
Gateway founder and owner David Ward says, "Combining our resources and client bases makes a lot of sense. Pete and I have talked about this for many years and have also been working closely on industry training projects."
Pete Fielder of Phoenix Sound comments, "Gateway's accomplished history will contribute to the strong industry brand established by Phoenix, enabling this new partnership, combined with the comprehensive support of Pinewood's spectacular facilities, to create a unique service to the film, television and record industries."
Gateway's education and training facilities will also move to Pinewood and a centre of excellence for professional development training will be created at Pinewood in audio training for the music, film, television and record and live music industries. Collaborations are being discussed with the Musicians Union, an investor in Phoenix Sound, and BKSTS, the Production Guild, Screen South, PLASA and other industry organisations as well as Government qualifications and awarding bodies.
(Jim Evans)
