Miles
Showell

Mastering Engineer

Miles
Showell

Mastering Engineer

Brought up on a varied musical diet, thanks to a record shop owning family, Miles began his career at Utopia Studios in 1984, where he learned the fine arts of disc cutting and tape copying, as mastering used to be termed.

After a spell at Copymasters/Masterpiece he moved to Metropolis Mastering where he became well-known for his attention to detail and his determination to improve the vinyl format. Miles brought all that experience to Abbey Road when he joined us in 2013.

Using a mix of both vintage analogue and digital technologies, Miles is skilled in mastering all genres including dance, ethnic, folk, pure pop, guitar-based indie or crossover classical. He's worked his magic on many of the world's best-known artists, including Underworld, The Beatles, Disclosure, Iggy Azalea, Queen, Gareth Malone, Dido, ZHU, Eric Clapton, Faithless, The Staves, CeeLo Green, The Who, Lana Del Rey, The Rolling Stones, Gallant and The Sugababes.

Miles is an expert in half-speed mastering which he refers to as the holy grail of vinyl cutting By cutting at half speed you give the cutting stylus as well as the whole system twice as long to record the mechanical groove, which hugely improves the quality.

He's also in demand for his live direct-to-disc work. In 2014, he demonstrated this technique in front of an audience with Gorgon City and Underworld performing live in Studio One as their music was simultaneously cut onto a 12" 45 all live.

With his attitude in all things of good enough is not good enough; Miles has continued to push not only mastering, but the vinyl format further when he acquired his very own Neumann VMS 80 lathe. Typical of him he had it extensively restored, customised and rewired with the finest cable before he would use it. He describes it as the greatest sounding vinyl disc cutting system of his career - and he has used some very good ones in the past.

Highlights:

Dido - Life For Rent

The Beatles - Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (50th anniversary edition)

Above and Beyond - Acoustic and Acoustic II

Portishead - Dummy

ABBA - Arrival (40th anniversary remaster and half speed mastered vinyl)

Gallant - Ology

The Police - Ghost In The Machine (remaster and half speed mastered vinyl)

Amy Winehouse - Back To Black (10th anniversary restoration, re-master and half speed mastered vinyl

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (remaster and half speed mastered vinyl)

Iggy Azalea - The New Classic

Phil Collins - entire solo catalogue re-mastered

ZHU - Generationwhy

Pete Townshend - entire solo catalogue re-mastered

Queen - The Studio Collection (half speed mastered vinyl box set)

Discography

All Juiced Up Pt.2 - INXS
Band On the Run (50th Anniversary Edition) - Paul McCartney & Wings
A Kiss in the Dreamhouse - Siouxsie and the Banshees
Angel’s Egg (50th Anniversary Edition) - Gong
BBC Broadcasts - Genesis
Britten: War Requiem - Benjamin Britten, The Bach Choir, London Symphony Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra
City To City (Remaster, Half-Speed Cut) - Gerry Rafferty
Closing Time (50th Anniversary Half Speed Master) - Tom Waits
Dazzle Ships (40th Anniversary Reissue) - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Empty Glass - Pete Townshend
Greatest Hits (Half-Speed Remaster) - The Police
Hana - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Índia (50th Anniversary Edition) - Gal Costa
Invitation - Michele Stodart
Last Splash (30th Anniversary Edition) - The Breeders
Mamouna (2023 Reissue) - Bryan Ferry
Mantaray (15th Anniversary Half Speed Master) - Siouxsie Sioux
Now And Then - The Beatles
Red Rose Speedway (50th Anniversary Edition) - Paul McCartney
Ring Ring (50th Anniversary Half Speed Master) - ABBA
Rough Mix (Half-Speed Master) - Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane
Show (30th Anniversary Edition) - The Cure
Star Fleet Sessions - Brian May + Friends
The Beatles 1962–1966 (2023 Edition) - The Beatles
The Beatles 1967–1970 (2023 Edition) - The Beatles
The Hurting (Half Speed Master) - Tears For Fears
The Lexicon of Love (40th Anniversary Reissue) - ABC
The Little Mermaid - Alan Menken
The Ship (2023 Reissue) - Brian Eno
The Visitors - ABBA
The Who with Orchestra Live at Wembley - The Who
Tubular Bells (50th Anniversary Edition) - Mike Oldfield
Who's Next (50th Anniversary Half Speed Master) - The Who
You've Come a Long Way Baby (National Album Day Reissue) - Fatboy Slim
All Souls - Siouxsie and the Banshees
At The Royal Albert Hall - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Boven Jan - Jan Smit
Burn The Empire - The Snuts
Creatures Of The Night 40 - Kiss
Cyrano  - Bryce Dessner & Aaron Dessner
Kitchen Disco – Live at The London Palladium - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Lost Wishes (Limited Edition Reissue) - The Cure
Manifesto (Half-Speed Master) - Roxy Music
Morningrise (Half-Speed Remaster) - Opeth
My Arms, Your Hearse (Half-Speed Remaster) - Opeth
Orchid (Half-Speed Remaster) - Opeth
Revolver (Special Edition) - The Beatles
Shabooh Shoobah – Live At The US Festival, 1983 - INXS
Siren (Half-Speed Master) - Roxy Music
Space Man - Sam Ryder
The Complete Albums Collection - Alan Parsons Project
The Platinum Collection - Queen
The Who Sell Out (Half-Speed Master) - The Who
Tommy (Half-Speed Master) - The Who
Wagner's Ring Cycle - Sir Georg Solti
Wish (30th Anniversary Edition) - The Cure
Anymore for Anymore - Ronnie Lane
Architecture & Morality (The Singles) - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Brother in Arms (Half-Speed Master) - Dire Straits
Destroyer (45th Anniversary Edition) - Kiss
Ghost Town [40th Anniversary Half-Speed Master] - The Specials
Hi - Texas
Japanese Whispers - The Cure
Local Hero (Half-Speed Master) - Mark Knopfler
Modra Rijeka (Half-Speed Master) - Indexi
Nightmare on Elmfield Road - CLOVES
RAM (Half-Speed Remastered) - Paul & Linda McCartney
The Who Sell Out - The Who
Cosmo's Factory - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Cosmo's Factory - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Everything But The Girl  - Temperamental
Flaming Pie - Paul McCartney
Frank [Half-Speed] - Amy Winehouse
Goats Head Soup 2020 - The Rolling Stones
Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs - Derek & the Dominoes
Live at Wembley Arena - Abba
Mardi Gras - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Meet Me By The Gates - The Penelopes
More Specials  - The Specials
Pendulum - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Super Trouper - ABBA
The Penelopes - Dream Baby Dream
This Far - Sade
Blind Faith (Half-Speed Remaster) - Blind Faith
Electricity - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Goddess In The Doorway - Mick Jagger
Primitive Cool - Mick Jagger
Scissor Sisters (Half-Speed Remaster) - Scissor Sisters
She's The Boss - Mick Jagger
Still On My Mind - Dido
Wandering Spirit - Mick Jagger
Y - The Pop Group
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (45th Anniversary Edition) - Genesis
Disraeli Gears (Half-Speed Remaster) - Cream
Exile On Main Street (Half-Speed Remaster) - The Rolling Stones
Fire And Water (Half-Speed Remaster) - Free
Ghost In The Machine (Half-Speed Remaster) - The Police
New Gold Dream (Half-Speed Remaster) - Simple Minds
Solid Air (Half-Speed Remaster) - John Martyn
A Chord Too Far - Tony Banks
Songs from The Falling - Tracey Thorn
The Fine Art Of Hanging On - The Leisure Society
Truancy The Best of Pete Townshend - Pete Townshend
Acoustic - Above & Beyond
Alias - The Magic Numbers
Faded - Zhu
Reclassified - Iggy Azalea
The New Classic - Iggy Azalea
Wanderlust - Sophie Ellis Bextor
Dead & Born & Grown - The Staves
Girl Who Got Away - Dido
Greatest Hits - Dido
I See Fire - Ed Sheeran
The Weight Of Your Love - Editors
Baby The Stars Shine Bright...Plus - Everything But The Girl
Company - Andy Burrows
Isles Of Wonder: Music for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics - Various Artists
One Day I'm Going To Soar - Dexys
Slowhand - Eric Clapton
The Snowman And The Snowdog - Ilan Eshkeri & Andy Burrows
The Studio Albums - The Who
Tinsel and Lights - Tracey Thorn