What do you need in order to start recording in a home studio? Abbey Road takes you through seven essential pieces of studio equipment required to get you up and running.

Following our #ProductionHub blogs from the last few days, we spoke to our engineers to give you some creative and technical tips for creation in self-isolation. Paul Pritchard, an Abbey Road recording engineer who has worked on projects with Bastille, Dave and Paul McCartney takes us through the basics of a home recording set-up alongside engineers Andrew Dudman, Chris Bolster and Gordon Davidson.

Many of you out there are likely singers, musicians and producers who for the first time, are beginning to record your own vocals whilst at home and aren’t quite sure where to begin.



Recording the perfect vocal is not a perfect science. It can be extremely subjective and often depends on the sound you’re looking for on your track. It can also be more difficult than you might expect when you haven’t done it before, so head to our blog to learn more about the basics of recording and processing vocals at home from the Abbey Road Team.

The drum kit can be one of the most time-consuming instruments to record, so it's worth taking a structured approach. Abbey Road Senior Recordist Matt Jones provides some useful pointers and guidance on how to record drums effectively with the resources available.

A great kick drum sound is, of course, the foundation of any modern drum kit recording. Getting it right will help give your track the right feel, whether you’re after a downtempo groove or a hard-hitting, driving beat. Abbey Road engineer Chris Bolster continues our #ProductionHub recording series with advice and tips on how to record and process the backbone of the beat: the kick drum.

When you’re new to the recording studio environment, some common issues may present themselves. Nerves during recording sessions are an extremely common issue amongst both beginners and professionals alike. Abbey Road engineer John Barrett discusses some of the most faced problems he comes across when recording artists and musicians, along with the steps he takes to help them overcome it.

Abbey Road's John Barrett and Lewis Jones demystify the recording process from an engineer's perspective in this brand-new Q&A. Covering everything from technical setup and venue choice, to understanding an artist’s vision even if they have no classical training.

Get your questions answered by the Abbey Road engineers! If you’ve ever wanted to have a specific recording, mixing or mastering query answered by our engineering team, now is your chance. You can pose your questions to senior recording engineer Andrew Dudman, assistant engineer Andy Maxwell and mastering engineers Alex Gordon and Oli Morgan.

Abbey Road's Technical Engineer, Ian Taylor, takes us through the central nervous system of each of our studios' control and live rooms, and the latest patching underway for Room Seven's TG Transfer Console.

You asked, and we listened! Today marks the release of an exciting new update for our Topline songwriting app on IOS, bringing a whole host of new functionality to the App. New features include the ability to add reverb to your tracks, an updated mixer panel and Bluetooth connectivity.

Which Compressor Plugin Should I Choose for my Mix? Compression is hugely important when producing and engineering music, both for dynamics control and sound colouration.

When mixing or producing a track, you can use distortion and saturation in subtle ways to mimic other processing chains, achieving more musical results overall and without making the track sound clipped. Below are three tips using our Waves Audio / Abbey Road Saturator and J37 tape plugin.

Layering your lead vocal with doubles can add thickness, colour and lift to the most important element of any song; the lyrics and melody. We explore numerous ways you can achieve that rich vocal sound in your mix with the Abbey Road / Waves Reel ADT, a technique originally developed by former Technical Engineer and Managing Director, Ken Townsend.

Do you ever find your mix sounds great on one section of your track, but overcrowded or muddy on another part once more textures come in? If so, you may want to try using sidechaining. Abbey Road Recordist Matt Jones explains what sidechaining is, how to use it and his tips on how to achieve the best results with it.

If you’re a producer, there’s a strong possibility you either use sidechain compression or have heard of it. For those who are unfamiliar, sidechaining means using the output of one track, such as a kick drum, to alter the compression on another track, such as a bassline. In simple terms, it’s a way to set up your mix so that when one sound comes in, another one quiets down.

Other than the fact that it’s an effective tool for mixing, sidechain compression is a way to innovate because it allows you to turn non-instrument sounds into music.

Having done your best to capture a high–quality recording of your vocals, how do you go about processing them so they work in your mix? Head over to the Abbey Road #ProductionHub to find out from our engineer Lewis Jones how he processes vocal tracks to make them sit well in a mix.

Watch mixing engineer Dave Darlington (Avicii, Sting) as he goes through the Abbey Road Vinyl plugin step by step and shows how he uses it to add the unique sonic qualities of a vinyl record—punch, warmth, cohesion—to a digitally recorded song.

The kick drum plays a vital part in most genres. Sometimes you have to make it sound aggressive and punchy, other times, wide and fat. Our Head of Audio Products, Mirek Stiles, takes us through how to give a kick drum more power and definition. From EQ and dynamics to transient design, low-end enhancement and sample augmentation.

Making critical mix decisions on the centre content of a stereo image is amongst the hardest things to achieve when working with headphones. Our Head of Audio Products, Mirek Stiles, explains why this is so important and how the Waves Abbey Road Studio 3 plugin can help.

A great kick drum sound is, of course, the foundation of any modern drum kit recording. Getting it right will help give your track the right feel, whether you’re after a downtempo groove or a hard-hitting, driving beat. Abbey Road engineer Chris Bolster continues our #ProductionHub recording series with advice and tips on how to record and process the backbone of the beat: the kick drum.

“By keeping the mids and low end centered, you make sure that the mix stays punchy and mono-compatible. This works particularly well with stereo reverbs, delays, backing vocals and anything that is panned wide.”

Head over to our #ProductionHub to watch how you can get a wider vocal in your mix using the Abbey Road RS56 EQ plugin for mid/side EQ with producer Billy Bush (Garbage, Jake Bugg).

How can you get heavy crunch guitars to sit properly in the mix, while still allowing the vocals, drums and bass to cut through? Learn how, using EQ plus the Waves Audio / Abbey Road EMI TG12345 console plugin and its unique “Spread” feature.

When mixing or producing a track, you can use distortion and saturation in subtle ways to mimic other processing chains, achieving more musical results overall and without making the track sound clipped. Below are three tips using our Waves Audio / Abbey Road Saturator and J37 tape plugin.

Does your mix suffer from a lack of definition? Is it too flat and upfront, or has so much depth that it's an indistinct wash of sound? If so, chances are you’re misusing or overusing reverb. In our latest Production Hub article, we’ll take a look at six vital pointers for working with reverb in your mix, and how the Abbey Road Waves Audio Chambers and Reverb Plates can help!

Drum overhead recordings are sometimes poorly recorded and can lack the excitement, energy and brightness to drive a mix forward. However, they can be easy to fix with the right processing techniques! On our #ProductionHub, we look at how you can create exuberant overheads for your mix using transient shapers, EQ, reverb, and saturation plugins from Waves Audio and Abbey Road.

The ability to add natural depth to instruments is crucial for producers who are limited by the acoustic space of their home studios. Watch how Grammy-winning mixer Guy Massey (The Beatles, Ed Sheeran) uses Abbey Road Chambers to achieve natural depth on drums.

Last month, Yusuf / Cat Stevens' 1967 debut album 'Matthew & Son' and the swift follow up which appeared the same year, 'New Masters,' were reissued on vinyl for the first time since 1982. Abbey Road’s James Clarke has breathed new life into the original masters with the reissues making use of his unique De-mix technology.

Is there a point at which you can say "this mix is finished” and how do you decide when that is? One of the hardest things when starting out is to determine when a mix is finished. Abbey Road engineer John Barrett, who has worked at the studios for over 14 years and mixed projects that include Jonny Greenwood’s 'Phantom Thread' and The Rolling Stones’ ‘On Air’, gives us his take on the elusive mixing question.

Reverb is one of the most versatile effects in mixing as it's applicable as a utility and creative tool. It can glue your mixes together and help add depth and dimension, but if you don’t know what you’re doing it can quickly turn them into a muddy mess. Abbey Road Studios' recordist Matt Jones discusses how he uses reverb when mixing and details some of his go-to reverb plugins, including the Waves Audio Abbey Road Plates.

‘60s recordings were limited by the technology available, however the sound is still adored by producers and music fans alike. See how you can emulate the warmth and character of those classic records when mixing in the box with Waves Audio's nine tips.

What exactly is it about tape that gives it that 'magic'? Technically, tape distorts and can degrade the audio. Regardless, it remains a highly sought-after sound, providing the vibe and character, or the sweet-sounding saturation, that digital can’t replicate. Our Abbey Road / Waves Audio J37 tape emulation plugins are an easy and relatively inexpensive way to apply a close simulation of the sound of tape to your mixes.

Creating lo-fi music in the digital realm is all about inducing the flavour of analogue imperfections, tape machine modulations and the colourations caused by worn equipment and mechanical artifacts. From adding more wow and tape flutter effects with our Waves Audio J37 plugin, to adding vintage vinyl noise and crackle with the Abbey Road vinyl plugin, here are a few tricks to add analogue imperfections and that warm nostalgic vibe to your sound.

Reverb became one of the fundamental pillars for the music of the ‘60s, defining the sound of vintage recordings: in particular, the Echo Chambers and the Plate Reverbs. Learn what makes Abbey Road’s Plate and Chamber Reverb so unique, and how to use them effectively in your music with Waves Audio.

Multi-platinum producer / engineer Lu Diaz shares ten vital tips for getting loud, clean and dynamic mixes, and preparing your mix for the final mastering stage with the Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain.

This August, Abbey Road Institute will host their inaugural Song Production Masterclass in Studio Three, a four day experience which will take you through the full recording process.

Guitar pedals are more popular and more plentiful than ever before. Large pedal boards are becoming ever-present and the need to fill them with pedals is no financial triviality. Therefore there is no better time to consider building your own guitar pedal! Abbey Road’s Deputy Head of Technical Services Matt Kingdon gives a step-by-step guide to assembling your first guitar pedal.

In music production, mastering is the final step in the creative process but in order to get there, it’s crucial to prepare your music for the ‘master’ to create an extra layer of magic on your creation. So, time for the elusive question. What exactly is mastering and why is it important? To explain more, we spoke to our award-winning engineering team who carry with them a wealth of experience, passion and expertise.

Discover what online mastering and mixing is and what the differences are between these two vital stages of music production.

Discover what Dolby Atmos music mastering is and why Abbey Road is the right choice for immersive audio mastering. If you’re a musician or a music fan, chances are that at some point in the past few years, you’ll have heard something about immersive audio and Dolby Atmos music mastering.

Learn more about online mastering and discover how you can get your music mastered at Abbey Road Studios by our expert engineers.

Ever wondered how a record is cut-to-vinyl at half-speed? Step inside award-winning mastering engineer Miles Showell’s mastering suite at Abbey Road Studios as he takes you through the process and explains more about the “holy grail of vinyl cutting” - half-speed mastering.

Discover what remastering music is and what the differences are between it and traditional mastering.

If you’ve poured everything you have into creating a piece of music that you care passionately about, it can be incredibly tough to get it over the finishing line.

So, you've recorded, arranged and mixed your project, but you're not finished yet. If you decide to send your mix to be professionally mastered, our mastering engineers have included some essential tips to check first.

We sat down and spoke with our own Oli Morgan, who specialises in stem mastering here at Abbey Road, to answer these questions and more, along with demonstrating his workflow for a stem mastering session.

Abbey Road engineer Christian Wright explains the benefits of online mastering and what he’s learned in his career at the world-famous studio.

Abbey Road engineer Oli Morgan on what it’s like to work at Abbey Road and why online mastering is so important.

Abbey Road engineer Alex Wharton talks us through his life in music and explains how all musicians can take advantage of online mastering.

Mastering engineer Geoff Pesche on why it’s a dream to work at Abbey Road and why online mastering is more important than ever

Whether mastering with outboard or in-the-box, you’ll still want a great EQ, compressor and limiter. Abbey Road mastering engineer Christian Wright advises on a few of the software mastering plugins he would recommend, and we take a look at Abbey Road’s range of mastering plugins in partnership with Waves Audio.

With platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok incorporating music into their services, aspiring artists and musicians can now distribute you’re their music to these platforms and earn royalties each time your their music is used in content. To get your music on any of these platforms, independent artists need to upload their music via a distribution service. That’s where a service like Spinnup comes in.

Get your music published to Spotify, Apple Music & Shazam for absolutely free with 100% rights retention using Spinnup & Abbey Road.

While music has always been part of her life, Dion entered artist management relatively recently, but the impressive success of her artist and son, Novelist, has shown that she has a natural talent for this work. Joining the music industry as a manager after previous roles as a key worker, helping homeless women in London, Dion is a mother of four and balances managing a family with managing Novelist. She is a regular guest on Novelist’s popular BBC 1Xtra show and has now branched out with her own show on Balamii radio, spreading positive vibes with her sharp and uplifting selections.

We are delighted to that our team of runners have been nominated for the ‘Unsung Heros’ award at this year’s MPG Awards. The MPG Awards celebrate the very best British talent working behind the scenes in the music industry and we truly believe these words align with our brilliant team of runners here at Abbey Road.

Runners are the beating heart within the Abbey Road body - they are the muscle at the very centre of the system ensuring all is flowing efficiently and well. However, like the heart, runners are not often seen, and like the award suggests, are typically behind the scenes. This makes the award all the more special to us at Abbey Road as their dedication and hard work are receiving the spotlight they deserve.

In spirit of the award, we interviewed two of our runners to gain some insight into their feelings towards the award and their role here.

How can you start to carve your career as a producer or engineer? As part of our 90th-anniversary #Amplify event, Abbey Road Institute hosted an award-winning producer and engineer panel, who discussed their different routes into the industry.

Hosted by Abbey Road Institute lecturer Charlie Thomas, the panel was composed of mix and mastering engineer Manon Grandjean, producer, engineer and writer Aamir Yaqub and engineer and producer Ricky Damian.

How can musicians and artists identify the best team for success? From the importance of relationships to understanding the core principles of monetising your music, Association of Independent Music's Ben Wynter hosted a panel at our 90th anniversary #Amplify festival to discuss these points and much more with Slam Dunk Records Sally Bryant, Whitney Boateng from WME and intellectual property expert from Simkins LLP, Nick Eziefula.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, attended sessions for our mastering engineers are still not permitted. So how can we allow artists and bands to be part of the final process in the production chain? Well, when Chilean band Bintage got in touch with our mastering engineer Oli Morgan looking to stem-master their latest LP, Oli found an innovative solution thanks to our newly acquired start-up company, Audiomovers.

“With an admirable portfolio of audio plugins and production tools, as well as years of experience developing start-ups, we felt that Abbey Road Studios is the natural home for our business. We built Audiomovers for those who need audio excellence, which is exactly what Abbey Road is all about. We have an ambitious and innovative roadmap and, powered by the Abbey Road team, we can become the global choice for remote audio collaboration.” – Audiomovers founders, Igor Maxymenko and Yuriy Shevyrov ⁣

Through our innovation arm Abbey Road Red, we're delighted to announce the acquisition of Audiomovers. Audiomovers is a tech start-up reinventing the remote production experience, allowing music professionals to stream, listen to and record high resolution multichannel remote audio in real time, with multiple collaborators, anywhere in the world.