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+VE studio isn’t a traditional recording studio. It’s not full of instruments and outboard equipment.

It is a spatial sound room with eight speakers capable of any format from mono to ambisonic that you have 24 hour access to.

It’s a special place with natural daylight, in 1.75 acres of woodland garden, on the fringe of the ancient Caledonian rainforest. The adjacent estates - Carsaig, Tayvallich and Ardnackaig, are all the focus of re wilding projects. and nearby Taynish is an internationally important nature reserve.

 

The space is designed to inspire and take you off into new avenues to expand your artistic discipline in exciting new directions. It is for you to use as you wish.

 

If its an interest to you, you’re encouraged to experiment with ambisonic field recording with my equipment and assistance, in carefully selected locations not far from the studio. You might want to edit them to make something new or use them for ambiences in your music or other artistic practice. As well as being able to listen to your recordings in three dimensional sound in the studio you will be able to take them home to use and enjoy in any format including binaural which is a faithful representation of ambisonic playback if listened to in standard headphones or ear buds . You can also experiment with ambisonic performance recording in the studio.

 

We will use a special Sennheiser ambisonic mic and a Zoom F8 field recorder in the field and for underwater a stereo pair of Jez Riley French hydrophones . There is also a special Jez Riley probe contact microphone to record in the soil or tree bark for insects or other interesting sounds. 

 

There are also some condenser and dynamic mics for you to use as well if you wish as well. Instruments available are a keyboard with a suite of Arturia vintage plugins as well as many others, a Roland Gaia synthesiser and a few guitars and bits of percussion. 

 

One of the great things about ambisonic recording is you can record tracks in the traditional way and then introduce either mono or stereo signals and move them around within the 360 degree sound field. There are many permutations to experiment with using a full suite of GRM ambisonic plugins.

 

If you are already experienced in using spatial sound you can use the recording/listening space freely or if you would like assistance, I will be happy to be on hand to run your session.

There is an iMac computer with DAWs, Reaper Cubase Pro and Logic and a lot of plugins both ambisonic and stereo for you to use or you are welcome to plug your laptop into the system and use that if you prefer.

 

The eight speakers are Genelecs and the overall space is 35 square meters

 

 

There are dark skies here with stunning starscapes and by and large, you will experience a soundscape completely free of any human interference. Most days we get one or two planes passing very high above and a car or two trundling by during the daytime 

 When I first moved here I found the silence quite overpowering, meditative and very magical. 

It is the perfect place for deep listening as the silence slowly reveals the tiniest of sounds to you.

 

Accomodation

 

 The accommodation for one to three with a double room and a sofa bed in the living space is just a few yards away in a large 1960’s caravan upgraded for modern living with comfy beds, shower, full cooking facilities and the internet. It’s accessed by a flight of steps from the studio and there’s a private garden around the caravan too.

 

 

The garden is regularly visited by red squirrels, badgers and very specially there is a family of pine martens living here which can be seen at dusk. This is also the time to see otters at Carsaig Bay down the track and also beavers in the Knapdale Forest.

 

If the time is right you might see pods of dolphins in the Sound of Jura.

 

In the summer there are many dragon flies and a large variety of songbirds flying through the trees. Sea eagles are a fairly common sight, as they nest at nearby Crinan and on the Isle of Jura.  At night some of the UK’s rarest moths fill the sky, alongside owls and bats.

 

There are many excellent locations for field recording nearby as the area has so many different habitats. There are sights of special scientific interest, including a vast, rare bogland called Moine Mhor  (Big Moss) fringed by tidal flats, salt marsh, fen, alder and ancient oak woodland. This transition of habitats encourages a rich diversity of wildlife. There are also beautiful coastlines with secluded and mostly deserted beaches and Taynish, an internationally important nature reserve

 

We have several areas of archeological interest within Kilmartin Glen, just 10 miles away. 

Kilmartin has the most important concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in mainland Scotland, with more than 800 ancient monuments within a six-mile radius of the village of Kilmartin, with 150 monuments being prehistoric. Monuments include standing stones, a henge monument, numerous cists, and a "linear cemetery" comprising five burial cairns. Several of these, as well as many natural rocks, are decorated with cup and ring marks.

 

I want this special space to be inspirational for artists of any discipline and I’m especially interested in you experiencing and if you’d like to, creating three dimensional soundscapes, which are much more realistic than the horizontal Dolby Atmos or regular 5:1 systems that you might already be familiar with. 

 

We are 2 and a half hours from Glasgow, a beautiful drive past Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, before reaching more spectacular scenery at Loch Fyne until you reach us in Tayvallich.

 

It takes about the same time to drive as it does to take the bus from Glasgow. The bus is a comfortable coach with toilet facilities and is highly recommended. The journey includes a 10 minute stop in the picturesque town of Inverary.  The bus drops you at Lochgilphead, our nearest town 8 miles away.  I’m happy to pick you up from the bus stop free of charge. 

There is a small shop/cafe in Tayvallich, as well as an excellent restaurant/pub, all a 30 minute walk from the studio.

 

Lochgilphead has a large Coop and a small Tesco both open until 10pm.