A purpose-built creative facility providing affordable, flexible membership-based access to high-specification recording studios, production rooms and workspace, Tileyard X in Wakefield has given pride of place to a new Audient ASP4816-HE mixing desk.
The console was recommended by the sister Tileyard X London (TYX) staff, where the world’s first ASP4816-HE was installed last year. ‘They are all very happy with the Audient console in London and the members are getting great results, so it made sense to have the same desk up here,’ says General Manager, says George Riley.
Originally introduced in the Tileyard London complex, the TYX membership model is now being rolled out in Tileyard North (TYN), a creative industries hub at Rutland Mills, Wakefield. The facility comprises eight production suites (most of which are equipped with the Audient Nero monitor controller), a podcast studio and a film and photography studio. The ASP4816-HE is at the heart of the tracking and overdub studio.
Riley enjoyed his first experience working with it, recording session drummer Steve White (Paul Weller, Style Council). ‘He has worked everywhere so it was reassuring that he was impressed with the set-up and the results.’
TYX members appreciate the studios in different ways, according to Riley. ‘Our older members are accustomed to having a console in a studio, and a lot of the younger members, who perhaps started on a laptop, are loving what a desk can bring to their workflow and the sounds they can achieve.’
Riley draws on two decades of experience working in recording studios. ‘I like having small and large faders, something you often only get on larger consoles,’ he says. ‘I like the simplicity yet also the versatility of the master section. Having enough preamps to mic everything in the live room up at once is a huge bonus. It can be frustrating and spoil the flow a little if you only have a few quality channels that you have to constantly swap things around, so having 16 channels with quality preamps, EQ, and routing options, plus our outboard is great.
‘I also favour committing to sounds early, meaning less time staring at screens and tweaking later, so having great EQ and grouping options makes the recording experience more organic and tactile for me. A lot of our younger members, who have often only used an interface before, are loving this more old-school approach too.’
All the Tileyard X studios are in The Cotton Mill building, shared with two other floors of producers who have permanent space at Tileyard North. As a result, collaboration starts on their doorstep. ‘Tileyard X have been hosting some intimate live gigs in the Distillery bar here, and there are some very experienced producers and engineers who have permanent space here; their knowledge has been very useful to some of our members.’
As with Tileyard London, the new inclusive, creative hub of TYN will be integral in establishing new business relationships and networks, creating new opportunities and empowering talent in the area – a vibrant destination for collaborative partnerships in all facets of the commercial creative sector.
The next phase of TYN is due to open in summer 2024, where there are plans for a hotel, further event and conference spaces as well as more studios for permanent residents. Riley is confident that there is a lot to look forward to for Tileyard X in the coming months.
‘We are collaborating with some local producers and writers to host some production camps, and people are excited to try the Cotton Mill studio out,’ he says. ‘A huge amount of production can be done at home these days, but there’s no substitute for people in a great sounding room, with quality gear, interacting and creating together. It’s exciting to be able to offer these facilities to people who have often never produced music that way.’
More: www.audient.com
