The studio has been growing at a steady pace with lots of interesting projects.
The facilities are spot on and they are one of the very few venues in the country to boast a permanent D&B surround sound system. Everyone bent over backwards to help us and were totally on it in terms of experience and expertise and made us so welcome. The coffee is great too! Can’t recommend it highly enough.
John Metcalfe – composer & arranger (Peter Gabriel, Blur)
Every session and every client has brought us new challenges and opportunities to learn. As a new studio, many of these we have been tackling for the first time, accruing invaluable learning and experience as we go. For example, when London Concertante recorded with 14 musicians. For this we had the drummer in the booth on a video link to the conductor in the live room. The four-piece vocal section were on the balcony, so we truly utilised all the available space! Matt Butler was the engineer on the session (with World Heart Beat’s own Jim Sorenson assisting) and Matt has been a champion of World Heart Beat Recording Studios ever since, spreading the word within the recording community.
A jewel in the crown for British recording studios. A magnificent live hall giving performing artists and musicians a sensational environment and multifaceted temple of sound and vision.
Chris Kimsey – producer (Rolling Stones, Peter Tosh, INXS)
Our esteemed patron, Julian Joseph has recorded several times at Embassy Gardens, most notably when he recorded his BBC radio show with none other than US saxophonist/composer Branford Marsalis as his guest. Other celebrities to have graced the World Heart Beat studio are Boris Grebenshikov and his producer Chris Kimsey – the producer/engineer known for his work with the Rolling Stones and a veritable who’s who of artists throughout his career. Drum and bass legend Adam F started to record his ‘Colours’ anniversary album this year. He was super impressed and is set to book more sessions in the new year.
Mike Banks, founder of studio bible website recordproduction.com took some beautiful photos of the studio and has also been a real champion of the studio. He rates it as the best studio to have been built since British Grove and in the top ten in London. Through Mike, we now have a solid connection with iFi, an audio manufacturer who have chosen to work with World Heart Beat as their charity of choice and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with them.
The first manufactured CD release to have been recorded in the studio was released in November 2023. It it a series of preludes written and performed by virtuoso pianist Neil Angilley. Since his visit, he is hoping to bring his trio to record in the new year. Indeed, it is a pattern that so many people either using the studio or attending concerts express interest in booking sessions. Word of mouth is the best advertisement and, in this sense, things are progressing well. More and more producers, engineers and musicians are enquiring on an almost daily basis.
Through some of the sessions in which we partner with other charities, we are able to offer discounted rates. We also utilise such sessions as an opportunity to train aspiring sound engineers of the future. They get invaluable training in mic placement, recording techniques, recording and mixing.
So, all in all, our first year has been challenging but rewarding, and the future is definitely full of promise.
We are currently booking sessions for 2024 and looking forward to more exciting projects in the new year.
