Aku Recording Studio based in Southport

Halloween treats in Southport

2011-10-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

Right its been a while since I last blogged as the studio has been busier than ever!!! I hope to keep this updated with some of things Ive been upto recently.

Had the pleasure of working with a hell of a lot of bands and ill be spending time on here going through the projects and giving you some more music to check out.

In the meantime check out Gods of war, these guys were here last week working on the EP "We march for Metal"!

Bludvera - Demo Reviews & News

2010-07-27T04:49:00.000-07:00

The lads from Bludvera have been doing well since their visit to Aku Recording Studios scoring gigs with established thrash acts up & down the country such as SSS and the mighty Warpath.

Here's a recent review:

Source:

http://www.metalpsalter.com/demos_06_17_10_bludvera_serpent_venom_uncrowned.html

Liverpool, England’s Bludvera is a five-piece thrash outfit that releases its first demo that might make the city forget the Beatles are the chosen sons! Well, maybe not, but it’s still a damn good thrash effort by a band that blatantly worships at the altar of Slayer and Testament.

Vocalist Scott channels a Reign in Blood-era Tom Araya through the opening track “Tools of Bloodshed” so spot perfect it’s practically copyright infringement! A healthy mesh of Schmier and Araya styles round out his prowess throughout the remaining three tracks.

Carrying the torch for a legion of thrash bands and fans alike, Bludvera takes all of the historical importance of Kreator, Destruction, Sacrifice and Celtic Frost and finds the cauldron with which to stir the ghastly ingredients for a exciting demo that will surely impress the underground scene. The band is tight in creating a fine wall of speedy headbanging tunes that ring out that persistent gallop after the demo has left your stereo system.

The four tracks on the demo are solid, primitive songs that tap into both the modern thrash metal scene and the old school with a clear, yet antiquated feel to the music. When I hear this I think back to the first time I heard Bonded by Blood by Exodus and feel pretty good about the scene.

Give these guys a serious listen and support the flourishing U.K. scene!

Upcoming Shows

( view all )

30 Jul 2010

19:00

w/SSS @ MeloMelo

Liverpool, ., UNITED KINGDOM

13 Aug 2010

19:00

w/Bonded by Blood @ The Well

Leeds, UNITED KINGDOM

for more info on how our studio can help you on the right path, contact us today!

Recording Music in the North West, whatever the weather

2010-01-17T04:51:00.001-08:00

Contact aKu on 07768231866 to book Studio time, advice on your project and enquire about our exellent rates

This is Sprout here, our resident cat, enjoying the whether by the studio. This is a rare photo as Sprout pretty much stays in doors and lives on top of the radiator.

The weather has pretty much cleared up in Southport and the snow caused a few problems with peoples work, but here at aKu weve been working hard through December and January helping bands take the next step in their projects.

The new year was seen in with Tarlton's premier rock/punk act "The Synergy" visiting aKu to record a 2 track demo. The lads have been working hard to get their sound together and altghough the guys are only young , theyve managed to produce a raw and commercially viable CD. you can check the new tracks at our aKu Studios Southport myspace or by stopping by The Synergy myspace space.

Southport rock band Rollacoaster poped in over the last week to finish up their 4 track demo, The band intend to use the cd to promote their services. The cd includes hit songs from R.E.M and Amy Winehouse and shows the versitility of the band repitoire.

If your looking for a band to entain an event or party Rollacoaster can deliver this and much more.

Well thats it for now, Ive got Singer song writer Tim Johson coming in over the weekend and a lot of work for Sa-da-kO to come, but im sure ill tell you all about that next time.

See ya

sIMo

07768231866

We may be in Southport But I aint Recording in the Snow?

2010-01-11T06:24:00.000-08:00

I’ve been away working on various project recently which means I’ve neglected this blog for a couple of months, don’t worry though I’ve got loads of exiting news and some new bands for you to check out. And I’ll be doing some write ups so you can find a bit more about how we’ve been spending our time here.

One bit of good news I can tell you is that aKu isn’t effected by the snow, although I have been using my new skull n crossbones hot water bottle I got for christmas a bit too much.

Speak to ya soon

sIMo
\m/
Mobile:07768 231 866

Aku Recording Studios Promise to Southport Music

2009-10-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

So why has Aku Recording Studios opened in Southport?

Well I’m a Southport born lad and I’ve taken my music pretty seriously since the age of 14, in fact if you were to ask anyone I’ve known over these years they will always tell you that’s what I’m about!

So I’ve reached a point now where I feel I can genuinely offer a bit of help to local musicians and bands, I won’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that Southport just isn’t geared for music. Things are changing though!

Dagg Studios has opened and offers band rehearsal space and more importantly a chance to meet other muso’s, share gigs and network and Aaron is pretty committed to help young bands by not charging the earth.

The amount of live venues that are about has tripled in the last few years so now it’s even easier to play live and gain a local following.

Our aim at Aku is to genuinely help musicians specifically from this area, we keep are prices low and offer bands and artists a chance to achieve professional sounding recordings without the cost of travel outside of Southport and costs of paying for “hidden extras” of a studio. In fact for us it’s in our benefit for you to have the very best “end product” possible because we will promote your music just as much as you do!

So let us help you take your music further, and let’s give Southport our own sound.

sIMo
\m/

Aku Studios Home Southport's Music Scene?

2009-10-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

My God!! Thinks are getting busy here at the studio!!

I’ve been working hard with the lads from the funk brothers again on one of their funky house exploits; we managed to enlist the help of a session singer “Asher”, who has been working a bit long time friends Shooting Star Poets over in Sunny Skem and she came and kicked it and the track seems to be ticking a long nicely.

The Sa-da-kO album is now in full swing with guitar tracks being laid down a plenty and tweaks on tweaks of the overall sound, should be finished pretty soon.

Innuendo came back to the welcome arms of Aku this week to help finish a project they have been working on.It turns out Innuendo had been given a bit of studio time from a local college and the lads of course snapped this up, however the lads weren’t that happy with the mix down that they had received and asked me to have a crack. So after a few tweaks here and there and bit of tidying up of the productions the guys felt that they were much nearer to what they wanted, in fact from the reaction last night the lads were more than happy with the results.

Innuendo have been working hard at the moment with gigs and from the looks of it their going to be popping up all over the North West over the coming months, they will be appearing live on local radio Dune fm and playing Manchester academy on the 11th of November and you can listen to their tracks on the ol’ MySpace fingy.

Till next time………..\m/

Aku Recording Studio- Winter Rates

2009-09-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

£79.75 per day 10 – 7pm (Saturday & Sunday)
Prices include an experienced producer, free tea & coffee on the day, free use of any equipment in Aku 2 pearl export drums kits, 2 marshal cabs, Peavey 6560 head, and 300w trace Elliot bass rig) plus much more.

Call 07768231866 today for more information.

£147.99 for Saturday & Sunday (Weekend Deal)
Create a high end demo, up your game!
Full production on your demo includes producer, Free Tea & Coffee use of all equipment, Ideal for high level bands /professional outfits.

Call 07768231866 today for more information.

£39.99 evening sessions: (Monday to Friday)

The most cost effective way to achieve outstanding results
Evening sessions are 6 Hours recording time from 6pm – midnight
Ideal for musicians looking for a quick recording for a website or MySpace page, or if you are looking for longer time we have discounts for a block of evenings to record why not take advantage of our low rates and book a week’s worth of evening sessions
That’s 25 hours worth of recording/studio time for £170 (£30 saving)

Call 07768231866 today for more information.

Aku Xmas present deal £47.99 -One of the best presents you could ever give.

Create the perfect gift this Xmas by creating one of your loved ones favorite song on CD or give the studio experience as the perfect experience.

Includes 1hr 45 mins of which includes a 15min consultation to help choose your song from over 250 hits.

1 hour recording where you can sing along and have it recorded and produced by an Aku producer.

Then it’s time for your 30mins photo shoot. Let us create the CD, case and artwork and there you have it, the perfect gift/day

No need to worry if you feel your singing isn’t the best, let the technology we have make you sound like the star that you are!

Call 07768231866 today for more information.

If you have a specific idea or you want to custom build your recording package, give us a call and we will be more than happy to work something out for you.

Meet the The Funk Brothers!

2009-09-10T02:55:00.000-07:00

www.myspace.com/DJlilsid

Andy aka DJ Lil Sid. is a 24 year old DJ from the City of Liverpool. Lil Sid has a love of music, going out with the lads, DJin’ and producing tunes.

Lil Sid DJ's all over and you can find him regularly in Malia where Andy has had the privilege to many events including Hedkand’si foam party in club Camelot, and has worked a Tim Westwood, Dj Ez, Dj Luck, Mc neat, and Ratpac to name a few.

Andy is has scored a residency in one of the most prestigious clubs in Widnes called the view2 where Lil Sid regularly DJ’s alongside all the big names in the city. (Lee Butler, Ian Longo, John Cotton, Anton Powers Les Calvet and the man like Dave Graham)

Andy’s also involved in a lot of collaboration work and it’s his work with THE FUNK BROTHERS that has lead him to depths of Aku Studios, over the coming months there is due to be a number of exiting projects coming out of the walls of the studio, keep your eyes & ears peeled.

You can catch the funk brothers live around Liverpool at the THE FUNK BROTHERS PRESENTS PURE ELEGANCE, Andy calims “it’s the biggest thing 2 hit the northwest since Liverpool winning champions league AGAIN!

Subterrianean Monsters From Aku Studios

2009-09-09T00:56:00.000-07:00

Ive had a few comments from people who liked the blog I did about blast beats, thought I would add a simular one about Bass.

Dj Conasir: Drum 'n' Bass Legend hits Aku Studios

2009-09-08T03:39:00.000-07:00

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/CONASIR

London based Drum ‘n’ Bass Dj, DJ Conasir contacted Aku this week for work on various studio products, and we’ve just finished work on mastering one of his current projects “stop it”
Liam Jackson or “Dj Conasir” is a Southport lad born & raised, but knew if he was going to make it in a genre he loved he would have to move the snarling big city.
For the past 5 years Conasir has worked hard scoring many top Dj slots and has worked with number of Drum n Bass legends. Aku welcomes Dj Conasir to the Family and looks forward to help Liam push his music career forward.

Drummers get ready for recording at Aku

2009-08-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

The key to a great drum sound is tuning your kit before you come to the studio, it saves time and your money on the day and it will add to your recording trust me!!

All drum kits are not the same — there are different types of batter head, shell, and drum stick — the combination of which defines the overall sound. For example, snare drum heads with a black sound dot tend to have a fairly damped response, whereas plain ones ring on for longer. Heavy, thick heads tend to be louder and duller, and decay quicker than light, thin heads, which sound noticeably sharper in their attack and ring on longer. Likewise, cymbals will sound very different, depending on their size, manufacturer, shape and intended purpose.
As may now be obvious from the preceding paragraph, I'm no expert in drum kits, just as I know little about the different makes of Tuba or Bassoon — the choice and detail is down to the musician playing the instrument.

However, I do know that if the kit is not tuned correctly, just as if the bassoon is not tuned, the results of a recording will be very disappointing. Tuning a drum kit is a reasonably complex job, not unlike tuning a piano — there are lots of tensioning adjusters to twiddle and they have to be correct in relation to one another to provide the ideal tuning.

With tom-toms and snares it is important that the head is tensioned equally around its rim. This is best done by backing all the tensioner keys off completely, then winding them up by hand until they just start to get tight. From this starting point, adjust keys in pairs on opposite sides of the head, much like you would the nuts on a car wheel. Start with a full turn (maybe two) to take up the tension, then apply a heavy pressure to the centre of the head to stretch it a little and help it to equalise its position. Next, continue winding up the tension a half turn at a time, working on opposite pairs of nuts all around the head, until the desired pitch is achieved. You can check for an
even tension by hitting the head close to the rim between each pair of adjusters — the pitch should be constant all around the head.
The drum shell forms a resonant cavity and so the tuning of the head is dependent on the tuning of the shell — get the two properly matched and the shell reinforces the sound of the head, giving a loud, full tone. On snares (and toms if applicable), the bottom head is tuned in the same way, but its tuning relative to the top head is the critical thing. When the bottom head is removed from a tom it tends to make the drum louder, and affords a wider tuning range because the resonant frequency of the shell is broader. However, if the bottom head is fitted its tuning is critical. Tuning higher than the top head (up to about a fourth) gives a slightly duller attack, but an interesting pitch bending effect. If tuned lower, the attack is sharper but the sound is more damped.

Depending on the tuning and the condition of the heads, you may find some drums ring too much — most often the snare. Sometimes t
When tuning a drum, make sure to tighten nuts in opposite pairs, as you would with a car wheel. It's also worth applying heavy pressure to the centre of the drum head with your hand now and then in order to help even out the tension across the head.

note: when tuning a drum, make sure to tighten nuts in opposite pairs, as you would with a car wheel. It's also worth applying heavy pressure to the centre of the drum head with your hand now and then in order to help even out the tension across the head.

this can be cured by simply retensioning the skin, without changing the actual tuning. Some tom-toms have an internal damper which can be used — although in my experience they tend to rattle more than anything else and, since they tension the head at only one point, often don't do a particularly good job. A common solution is to make up a thin pad of tissue (or a handkerchief or duster), and tape this to the side of the head leaving the side facing the centre open to vibrate freely and thereby help to damp the ring. Alternatively, putting thin strips of plastic insulating tape in wide parallel lines (or even a noughts and crosses pattern) across the skin can help a lot too. Take this damping too far, though, and you will suck all the life out of the kit — your drummer may as well play a pile of cardboard boxes — so listen critically to any modifications you make.

With a snare drum, a tight batter head gives a crisp, sharp sound, whereas a lower tuning provides a deeper, 'fatter' sound. Equally, setting the bottom head to be fairly loose gives a deep resonant tone, while a higher tuning gives a much crisper snare effect. The snare is probably the most frequent cause of unwanted rattles. Check the mechanics of the snare action and damp with masking tape if necessary. Some tissue paper folded between the snare wires and head can help control unwanted vibrations — try moving the tissue pad from the edge towards the centre to find the optimum location.

As regards the kick drum, a tight, well-tuned beater head gives an identifiable tone and a full body, whereas a looser head gives a more clicky sound with obvious attack — you are looking for the compromise that best suits the musical style. Clearly, a harder beater will also provide more attack and click than a soft beater.

In my experience there isn't much that can be done with cymbals (other than putting them back in the box), although radial strips of masking tape can help to dampen the ring, if found necessary. Once everything is tuned up properly, listen for squeaks and rattles. Loose hardware can be damped with masking tape, and a squirt of WD40 can cure most squeaks.

Blast beats from beyond (The Aku way)

2009-08-27T02:03:00.000-07:00

Just for a bit of fun, I started a blast beat group on facebook.

For aspiring drummers and just general nutcases heres a few videos on various techniques on how to get that fast as fuk beat and still maintain rhythm and timbre of the instrument….enjoy!!

Vision Thing at Aku Studios

2009-08-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

www.myspace.com/visionthingband

Vision Thing are a band started by brothers Peter& Paul Cunliffe, We grew up mainly in the north of England sandwiched between Liverpool and Manchester.Joining the band for 2009 and beyond to take the music to a new level are Matt Lovell on Drums and Simon White on Bass.

We are currently being regularly aired on Radio Paradise one of the internets most popular Radio Stations, please visit our comments page on the site and leave a message for us, or listen in to the station, there are No Adverts and No interruptions in the quality music except for the odd song introduction here and there.

Vision Thing - Barcode Pagehttp://www.radioparadise.com/content.php?name=songinfo&song_id=39675

Radio Paradise Home pagehttp://www.radioparadise.com/index.php

Innuendo on the Radio again!!

2009-08-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

The guys from INNUENDO have 2 NEW TRACKS (On My Trail, Hands of Time) being played on 103.2 Preston FM 5-6pm tonight for the first time! Tune in and give one of our bands Aku support!!

Keep your eye on this band they are on the up!!!

Omnisphere from Spectrasonics at Aku

2009-08-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

Every so often a piece of software comes along that screams to “Buy me!!” Omnisphere is neat bit of kit from spectrasonics and is a recent addition to the Aku Studios recording arsenal.

it can offer sound textures and moods that can add severe depth to track it also means that we can now take a synth part and multi layer to create astounding results. Anyway I thought I would share this with you by putting in this demo from the keys man from Dream Theater.

By the way no dragons where harmed in the making of this video.

Aku Studios appears on Local Station Dune Fm 107.9

2009-08-25T07:58:00.000-07:00

We always make a point of fully promoting all bands and Artists associated with Aku Studios.
Aku appeared as part of Dune fm’s Live Sounds Show on August the 1st 2009, the show comprised a selection of work that the studio had produced and it was generally a good chance to plug bands & services.

Dune offered to play any bands that visited the studio in future guaranteeing extra promotion for future recordings.

Aku Studios Welcomes Innuendo!

2009-08-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

www.myspace.com/ukinnuendo

Innuendo are a 5 piece hard rock/metal outfit that are fast gaining popularity locally, their sound is raw and heartfelt and screams dedication.New the Aku family Innuendo plan to get down 2 of their more popular tracks with the results to be released on a new compilation CD called “Rock on Preston” which will be available later this year.These Tarlton based lads are musically talented and ready to take their sound the next level & with the help of Aku studios were sure you will be hearing a lot more from them.With plenty of gigs coming up innuendo will be focussed and ready to assault the senses, make sure you check them live this summer.

Aku gets a Bad Reputation

2009-08-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

WWW.myspace.com/badreputationrox

Hiya peoples! We are Bad Reputation Rock covers band from the northwest. We do all kinds of crazy shit. We've been together in this line up since the new year when we decided we should be playing purely the music we love 'Rock' and not usual pub rubbish. Get in touch if you've seen us recently and/or wanna chat about general stuff, we'll probably remember ya.Failing that and if you just want to check us out again, make sure you look at this month's gig dates above. Muchos Kudos: Laterz.

Bad Reputation arrived and record tracks by the likes of Ac/dc, Iron Maiden and Led Zepplin and had a complete blast, BR are always around the north west so if you get chance check them out!!

The Stendhal Syndrome get sick in Aku Studios

2009-08-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Stendhal syndrome- www.myspace.com/stedhalsyndromeuk

Stendhal's syndrome or Florence syndrome, is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly 'beautiful' or a large amount of art is in a single place.The band, The Stendhal syndrome is a five piece metal outfit hailing from the northwest of England.

Originally founded in Summer of 2007 by guitarists Kenny Powell and Paul Grainger, the band has been through many lineup and name changes before finally evolving into, The Stendhal Syndrome, earlier this year. Completing the lineup of the band, joining both Kenny and Paul on guitars, are Jake Lewis on drums, James Arnold doing vocals, and Jay Dean on bass.The Stendhal Syndrome is not a generic clone of a metal band, we do not acknowledge any scene, we deplore any type of bandwagon jumping, if you like something for what it is, thats all that matters.The Stendhal Syndrome does not claim to be blacker than death, more evil than hell, friends with the devil, into necrophelia or beastiality.

We do not cut ourselves, drink blood, wear eyeliner, go for a vodka and cranberry juice wih Hitler or kill people. However, we do drink copius amounts of alcohol, take drugs, have fun, piss in public, shout obscenities, laugh at ya gran an fat chicks, fancy ya mum, wake up in strange places, eat shitty food, play playstation, watch porn, puke up on ourselves and others, have a fuck load of fun and listen to many styles of music, all of which helps influence our sound. We make music we wanna hear, for ourselves, if you like us, listen, if you dont, dont. Simple.

Stendhal came to Aku and record a 3 track EP with full production and intend to return early next year

Dave Compton at Aku Studios

2009-08-25T07:45:00.001-07:00

Hope you enjoy my Acoustic Stuff, if you do and want to check out some of my Electric Stuff please visit - www.myspace.com/davecrompton1 Please feel free to add me/comment/mail/download!!! Enjoy........ Believe it or not, I sound like all my influences rolled into one to create a fresh new sound unlike anything you've ever heard before!!!! ha ha ha!!!!!!!
Dave has been in out of Aku Studios from very early on, his unique acoustic skills and strong vocals have meant that he is very well known locally in Southport. Dave came to Aku and let us produce his first EP entitled “Moving on”.

Risedeadman at Aku Studios

2009-08-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Rise Dead Man - www.myspace.com/risedeadman

RISE DEAD MAN got together in mid 2007. Andy and Graham came from local Liverpool deathmetal band Sempeternal Fall originally formed in 1991.

Sempeternal Fall released a 4 track demo which stirred up a fair amount of commotion on the metal underground and continued to bleed eardrums until they parted ways sometime around 1996.After over ten years apart Andy and Graham reformed the band (largely due to Graham leaving the Armed Forces), which saw the recruitment of guitarist Carl Emsley. Carl played in many local Southport bands including Rebel Engine and Split Level Head where he also played with drummer Ste Davies.

Initially we were fraught with drummer issues with many people coming and going until by a stroke of luck Ste Davies band Sadako parted ways leaving him able to be approached and finally complete our lineup.With two new members came new ideas and influences. The old songs were out and new tracks were pieced together over the remainder of the year. We recorded "Born to Kill" in August 2007 which was voted "Track of the day" on Garageband.com and was also featured on the cover disk of Terrorizer magazine which provided us with awesome feedback from tonnes of people worldwide including some US Radio stations.

This period allowed us to forge writing connections, find out what worked and what didn't and "Born to Kill" paved the way in defining our sound. Rather than just record and publish more tracks we spent the time honing them.In May 2008, more or less a year to date of first formation, because of new members, a new style and old expectations it seemed the right thing to do in changing the name and lay "Sempeternal Fall" to rest.

We live to gig.

We are always approaching other bands and venues who can put up with us and we always welcome offers.We play no bullshit metal, no emo, no trend following, no gimmicks, just pure metal of our own definition. If you have been along with us for the ride so far, cheers we appreciate each and everyone of you. If you have just found us we'll be as loyal to you as you are to us.
Risedeadmans offering from Aku Studios has been well received with reviews such as:

Risedeadman- a UKMETALUNDERGROUND Review of Aku Demo

Friday, June 19, 2009 at 11:08am

RisedeadMan -Reviewed by: PuddaWuddawww.ukmetalunderground.com

8/10

"This is the kind of infectious, malignant death metal which strikes a [fuckin’ monster power] chord with me- devoid of all the tiresome bullshit which comes from bands trying to be something they’re not. Rise Dead Man? They slay. They arrive, they blast, you die, and you love it.

With their origins in Liverpool, Rise Dead Man possess a punk attitude reminiscent of the city’s godfathers of grind, Carcass, giving them that gritty, dangerous sounding edge; snarling vocals and a ferocious drum heavy assault which, clichés aside, will snap your neck like a twig.

This is thrashy, groovy, grindy, blasty death metal with some serious attitude! ""A far cry from some of the fantasy fuelled nonsense which clutters the fertile land of DM, Rise Dead Man barge violently into the room, sweeping to one side the sweep-pickers, and before you know it, you’ve received what can only be described as an aural mugging. ‘Whores Of War’ cries out to be played at indecent volumes to crowds of drink fuelled, drug crazed maniacs, and contender for metal song title of the year goes to ‘We Kill People’, which after listening, makes you give some serious consideration as to whether the title actually has any truth behind it!If you had to compare Rise Dead Man to any other bands, it would be a lethal cocktail of the garage authenticity and grind of Carcass, the skin-stripping, crushing heaviness of Aborted (minus the overly technical lapses and the few questionable fans), and while they don’t particularly sound alike, the underground insanity and conviction of Ted Maul.

On the negative side of things I can’t say much; while this type of raw thrash/death metal will never sell thousands, only a fool wouldn’t see that Rise Dead Man play for the love of it, not for the money. There isn’t even the opportunity to criticise them for being overly straight forward, because on repeated listens, layers peel away, and it becomes obvious that this is the product of a musically educated bunch- launching fierce tempo changes at you with the intention to bludgeon you into submission. All points considered, Rise Dead Man are simply excellent in my books, and once again, I am astonished by the sky high levels of quality that our country’s bands keep pumping out!"

A*, guys!

8/10

Risedeadman are due to return to Aku Studios Later this Year

Aprentis at Aku Studios

2009-08-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

www.myspace.com/aprentistheband

The making of Aprentis has been far from straight forward. Different members have come and go. The band's first line up was a five-piece back in 2005, with the help of the Band Society at Liverpool University. In April 2006, Aprentis won the 'Battle of the Bands' contest held by the Band Society, with A LOT of help from thier friends! Since then Aprentis saw member changes and the occasional gig before disbanding in late 2007.Summer 2008 gave birth to the reformation of a 4-piece Aprentis, and an altogether different and better band. As we are approaching 2009, Aprentis are now at their finest! They have their best line-up since forming and are continually writing new songs in a range of styles.
Aku Studios in Southport was happy to work with Aprentis, one of the Northwest’s best rock bands, by collaborating on a 4 track demo, the lads were happy for us to do a full production of their songs and we were able to apply extra harmony’s and added a lot to their finished product.
The band plan to return to Aku studios later this year to record a whole load of new material, keep your eyes peeled.

Aku Recording Studio Equiptment

2009-08-25T04:41:00.000-07:00

So this is my first studio blog!!

I hope to be able to give you an insight in to the studio and how we work here, I like to think we can offer a unique service at a very realistic price.

So let’s start be seeing few reason why to choose Aku Studios....

DigiDesigns C24 Control Surface

Sleek and stylish, the 24-channel Digidesign C24 control surface provides full hands-on control of Pro Tools recording and mixing, a complete array of high-quality analog inputs, and a 5.1 analog monitor section to use along with your customer’s Pro Tools I/O. C24 draws on the legacy of the acclaimed Digidesign Control24, and incorporates the latest advancements in Pro Tools software, making it an incredibly powerful control surface option for Pro ToolsHD

Digidesign Control24 main features include:

· Hands-on access to recording, editing, routing, and mixing functions in Pro ToolsHD or Pro Tools LE
· 24 bankable channel strips each offer a touch-sensitive, motorized fader and dedicated Mute, Solo, Select, Input, Record, EQ, Dynamics, Insert, Send, and Automation illuminated switches
· 24 rotary encoders with LED rings
· Bright, easy-to-read, dual-row LED scribble strip displays provide instant visual feedback for channel names, plug-in parameters, sends, panning, and other editing functions
· 16 high-quality mic/line/DI preamps with high-pass filters and variable input gain allow direct mic, instrument, and line-level connections for recording via a Digidesign audio interface
· 8 x 2 stereo line submixer, which can be routed directly to the monitor section
· Professional, integrated 5.1 surround analog monitor system with trimmable inputs and outputs
· Built-in talkback mic and inputs for remote talkback and listenback
· Intelligent switch layout with bold graphics makes the layout easy to memorize and navigate
· Sleek, low-profile industrial design with stylish dark graphite

ProTools 7.4 /8 HD2 Accell

Designed for handling large I/O and track count requirements, the powerful Pro ToolsHD® 2 Accel system combines two dedicated DSP cards with the processing power of your Windows- or Mac-based computer*, giving you rock-solid performance, low latency, guaranteed track counts, and more dedicated DSP for greater plug-in processing. Pro ToolsHD 2 Accel also comes with industry-standard Pro Tools HD software and a comprehensive bundle of over 50 professional sound processing plug-ins, virtual instruments, and compatible applications, allowing you to compose, record, edit, sequence, and mix music projects or sound for picture. Learn more about Pro Tools® software.What’s Included
1 HD Core card and 1 HD Accel card (PCI), or
1 Accel Core card and 1 HD Accel card (PCIe)
Pro Tools HD 8 software
Pro Tools HDpack 8 plug-in bundle for HD 2
Free Bomb Factory® Plug-ins
12-foot DigiLink™ cable for I/O connectivity†
TDM FlexCable for DSP card interconnection
iLok USB Smart Key for software authorization
Boxed set of printed manuals In addition, you’ll need to choose at least one Pro ToolsHD audio interface (sold separately) to complete your basic system — add more interfaces to expand your I/O capabilities, and integrate other Pro ToolsHD options to meet your project and workflow needs.

Drum Replacement for Pro Tools

TL Drum Rehab™ offers a comprehensive set of tools to enhance or replace original drum recordings precisely, automatically, and in real time.Features
Automatic, sample-accurate, and real-time replacement of drum sounds
Editable sample-accurate trigger locations
Dynamic multi-sample support for up to 16 levels
Extensive drum sample library included
Access to exclusive samples online
Envelope and tone shaping
Powerful sample browser and converter
Undo capabilities

Isotope Ozone3

The process of mastering ranges from correcting mistakes made in the mix to preparing a recording for target listening environments. Like a final coat of polish, mastering makes the difference between a good sounding mix and a professional sounding master. When you're ready to master, Ozone is all you need.
Ozone 4 combines seven essential mastering processors into one complete system, letting you give your mixes a finished, full and professional sound. Ozone's critically acclaimed IRC™ Loudness Maximizer gives you commercial volume and fullness without distorting or coloring your mix. An eight band Paragraphic EQ combines linear phase precision with the warmth and character of analog equalizers and even lets you intelligently match your mix to reference tracks. Innovative Multiband Dynamics, Harmonic Exciter and Stereo Imaging tools add depth and polish to your music.
All of these modules are combined into a single, powerful interface, making the mastering process more efficient and intuitive than ever before. Whether you're a seasoned professional or simply ready to take your productions to the next level, Ozone is the complete solution you need. Your mix isn't finished until you put it through Ozone.

AutoTune Evo Pitch Correction

Hailed as a "holy grail of recording," by Recording magazine (and adopted worldwide as the largest-selling audio plug-in of all time), Auto-Tune corrects intonation problems in vocals or solo instruments, in real time, without distortion or artifacts, while preserving all of the expressive nuance of the original performance - with audio quality so pristine that the only difference between what goes in and what comes out is the intonation. All with a user-interface that is a model of clarity, speed and ease-of-use. For most common pitch problems, Auto-Tune Evo's Automatic Mode instantaneously detects the pitch of the input, identifies the closest pitch in a user-specified scale (including minor, major, chromatic and 26 historical and microtonal scales), and corrects the input pitch to match the scale pitch. A Retune Speed control lets you match the retune rate to virtually any performance style. For meticulous tweaking, the Graphical Mode displays the performance's detected pitch envelope and allows you to specify the desired pitch using a variety of graphics tools. This mode gives complete control over the correction or modification of the most elaborate expressive gestures. Auto-Tune is used daily by thousands of audio professionals around the world. Whether to save studio and editing time, ease the frustration of endless retakes, to save that otherwise once-in-a-lifetime performance, or to create striking special effects, Auto-Tune Evo is the tool of choice. Prepare to be amazed.

sE2200a
The sE2200A studio condenser mic draws on and improves the incredible specifications that won the original sE2200 so many awards around the world.
Utilising the much acclaimed sE 1” gold vacuum plated diaphragm, the electronics are all new and much improved offering low self generating noise and therefore a better signal to noise ratio.

Z3300a
The Z3300A is our most versatile FET microphone and utilises a large 1.07” twin diaphragm, which gives the engineer a choice of three polar patterns, omni, cardioid and figure of eight.
Couple this with a 100Hz low cut filter and new ultra clean, ultra quiet Z range electronics and the Z3300A is the ultimate solid state microphone for almost all recording applications, from vocals, to pianos and acoustic instruments.

SM58 Vocal Microphone
The Shure SM58® unidirectional (cardioid) dynamic vocal microphone is designed for professional vocal use in live performance, sound reinforcement,and studio recording. It has a tailored vocal response for a sound which is a world standard for singing or speech. A highly effective, built-in sphericalfilter minimizes wind and breath "pop" noise. A cardioid pickup pattern isolates the main sound source while minimizing unwanted background noise.

Rugged construction, a proven shock-mount system, and a steel mesh grille ensure that even with rough handling, the SM58 will perform consistently,outdoors or indoors.

I could go on & on but hopefully in time you will sew for yourself what we can do.

All the best

Aku Studios Southport