BRIGHTON BEATS

11/01/12

When Audio opened in 2004 it claimed to change the face of Brighton's music scene by creating a true 'clubber's club' – a venue that was planned, designed and run with the needs of genuine club music lovers in mind. The formula was an instant hit, and the seafront terrace and bar (named Above Audio) and its stylish club space below remain firm favourites on the Brighton music scene.

The club is owned and run by self-confessed clubbing enthusiast John Holland, who has previously owned a number of venues on the South Coast over the last 30 years. "We host a wide range of cutting edge live and club music, playing everything from house and techno to breaks and dubstep and we regularly welcome top guest DJs," says John.

Recently Audio's existing Yamaha mixing console needed upgrading, so John turned to its dealer SSE Audio. "We were happy with the Yamaha desk so we were looking at the new LS9/32 channel model. My contact at SSE Audio told me about the 0% finance deal that Yamaha was running, and put me in touch with Fineline as they are the preferred finance partner for Yamaha," John says. "John Bartlett at Fineline handled the deal, he was courteous, polite and asked the right questions. I was very happy with our experience and would certainly work with Fineline again."

www.audiobrighton.com

MAKING SWEET MUSIC

10/04/12

Based just outside Edinburgh, Castlesound Studios has been recording music and film scores since 1973, making it reportedly the oldest recording studio in Scotland. It's also believed to be the largest – as the owner, Stuart Hamilton, says, "There are very few facilities in Scotland where you have the room to set up twenty musicians to record 'real music'!"

Stuart bought the studio two years ago, but their shared history goes back 18 years. "I started in studio recording when I was 17, working at various Edinburgh studios on all sorts of music from classical to heavy metal," he recalls. "I joined Castlesound in 1994 and, well, here I still am!"

The studio deals predominantly with music recording, largely acoustic, jazz and traditional music as well as singer-songwriter albums; famous names that have been through its doors include Mark Knopfler, REM, The Proclaimers and The Blue Nile. "People seem to like coming here because of the space and the relaxed atmosphere," says Stuart. "We're outside the city so it's quiet, and we're not a multi-studio facility so people get the entire building to themselves." Castlesound also handles film scores, including music for the new Pixar animated film, Brave, as well as TV, radio and commercial projects.

The success of the studio led Stuart to a decision to expand the facilities late in 2011. "As the studio has progressed, our need for 'bigger and better' equipment has increased. We want to be able to handle larger recording sessions so we're covered for all eventualities," Stuart explains.

To facilitate this requirement, Castlesound purchased an SSL AWS948 recording console. "The new console replaces our beloved old AWS900 model," says Stuart. "We looked around but there's really nothing else on the market that has the same combination of analogue and digital technology in one mixing desk. The choice was easy – we've gone from 24 inputs to 56 while retaining the same excellent sound quality."

He continues to enthuse: "I love the way it integrates with Pro Tools, and I love the sound of the EQ, the headroom of the desk and so on - it's so creative and you can drive the desk in subtle ways. It sounds fantastic, it's really a step on in terms of sound quality and everyone loves it – we've had bookings in specifically because of this new console."

To finance the new console Stuart had already negotiated a substantial discount on the list price, and was also part-exchanging his existing console. SSL put Stuart in touch with Fineline to fund the balance in a creative and speedy manner, as there was already a customer waiting for the AWS900 console. Fineline has developed a successful relationship with SSL in the Recording Studio Market over the last few years and so it was ready to help with this transaction immediately.

"This was the first time we had dealt with Fineline and it was genuinely a brilliant experience," says Stuart. "They understood my position, understood the business and the kit involved, and did everything they could to make it work. They did a lot more than I would ever have expected - Sam [Baker] came up to the studio and went through the paperwork with us – in the end all I had to do was sign, it really couldn't have been easier."

He adds, "I'm also delighted that our old desk has gone to a good new home with [electronic dance duo] Basement Jaxx."

The new SSL console was installed in January 2012 and has been booked solidly with album and film-score recording. "We've just finished a new jazz album and it sounds gorgeous," Stuart says. "I'm really happy with the new desk and even happier with the finance deal that allowed us to have it."

www.castlesound.com

GROWING FAST

11/01/12

Tamworth-based AV company, A T Communications (ATC), has been growing fast over the last few years. A move to 15,000 sq ft premises and a significant and continued investment in state-of-the-art equipment, with the help of Fineline, has led to a 40% increase in sales over the last year.

ATC is an AV hire and technical event production business with a great deal of technical expertise in professional audio visual equipment. It hires out a wide range of AV equipment across the UK and Europe in many business sectors, and works with event management companies to complement the services they offer.

"We have a constant demand both from our clients and our highly technical staff on the hire desk for more of the best equipment, so we are always looking to expand our range," says Andrew Thomas, Managing Director and founder of ATC.

Over the last year ATC has added over £500k of new equipment including Christie Mirage 3D Projectors, Christie Spyder X20 Video Processors, additional 10K Panasonic Projectors, HD PPU, AJA KiPro Hard Drives and much more. During the last six months alone the company has worked on over 60 events from Dubai to Croatia, as well as all over the UK.

"All of the events need something special to make them stand out. With Fineline's assistance we have the kit to do just that, and our clients have been thrilled with the results," Andrew says. "We have been working with Fineline's Duncan Payne for a few years and are delighted with his support in achieving our very demanding goals. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Fineline over the coming years."

www.atcomms.co.uk