20 l June 2012 studioreport UNITED KINGDOM By Jim Evans
Rimshot—going retro in Kent
NEW RECORDING studios are not too thick on the ground these days, especially ones built from scratch. Musician and recording engineer Mike Thorne
is bucking the trend. He has built and opened Rimshot Studios as a fully-fledged commercial recording facility equipped with an impressive manifest of retro/vintage gear plus the usual suspects from
The open-plan recording space enables easy communication between musicians
the modern recording era. After years of planning and development, Rimshot is now open for business. Located in the Kent countryside, not far from Maidstone and around an hour away from London, Rimshot features a spacious, tall live room, control room, isolation booth and machine room. It was designed by Kevin van Green from Green & Green Audio who has designed studios for the likes of Vince Clarke, Terry Britten and Daniel Miller of Mute Records.
started on a much smaller scale, but like most things, they started to grow and become more ambitious,” he says. The open plan, loft-style
recording space allows easy communication between musicians. The studio’s relaxed atmosphere compares to working in a comfortable lounge – sofas, easy chairs and big windows looking out over the countryside. “Acoustic instruments sound
great in this room – strings, brass, drums, guitars and vocals sound natural and balanced, allowing us to simply put the right
“My plans for the studio started on a much smaller scale, but like most things, they started to grow and become more ambitious”
Mike Thorne, Rimshot Studios In the control room there is a
restored 1960s Decca GENDEC valve mixing console with 10 inputs and direct outs, Solid State Logic AWS 900+, three Studers (A827 Gold 2” 24-track, A80 MKIV 1” 8-track, C37/EAR 1/2” stereo), some interesting outboard (including a unique echo chamber), plus the ubiquitous Pro Tools. In the back line department
there’s a Hammond C3 organ that was once owned by Booker T no less, a Hammond M102 and a good collection of vintage drums, cymbals and snares. Ampeg and Fender amps, plus a beautifully restored Beckstein grand piano are also present. Thorne has had a project
studio for a number of years and always wanted a bigger facility. “My plans for the studio
microphone in the right place… the shortest route to capturing your sound,” says Thorne. The control room has been acoustically treated to provide a neutral acoustic so that mixes translate well when played outside the studio. “We are not a vintage studio as
such,” adds Thorne, “but where necessary we use vintage. Much of our valve gear is made by the legendary Tim de Paravicini of Esoteric Audio Research. Tim’s custom-built valve equipment is installed in renowned recording and mastering studios throughout the world including Bob Ludwig’s Gateway Mastering, David Gilmour’s Astoria studio, the Exchange Mastering Studio and Greg Calbi’s Sterling Sound.” www.rimshotproductions.co.uk