Since the score for Raiders of the Lost Ark was recorded at the studios in 1980, Abbey Road Studios has become one of the world’s premier locations for movie scoring. To expand its film services Abbey Road has built a Mix Stage suitable for all post production film sound mixing (without sacrificing too much of the beloved garden). The plan was five years in the making and opened for business in March of this year.
The Mix Stage features a custom built, hybrid mixing console, a 4k projector and houses an impressive 44 Dynaudio speakers providing Dolby Atmos and IMAX mixing capability. Adjacent are three cutting rooms with full connectivity to the stage. There are eight fixed plus four additional custom made cinema seats for viewing in total comfort and our in house caterers are always on hand to provide the drinks and nibbles when required!
While we are already working on the final mix for some impressive film projects, the stage is also getting a lot of attention from our music clients. Giles Martin and Chris Jenkins, together with Abbey Road engineer Sam Okell, mixed The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper in Dolby Atmos for theatrical release to celebrate the groundbreaking album’s 50th anniversary. And more recently David Gilmour returned to Abbey Road for an Atmos mix of his Pompeii Live In Concert DVD. Abbey Road Studios is now the only facility in the UK where clients can score and mix their films, allowing music and film to seamlessly collide all under one roof.
The Mix Stage team is managed by Studios Manager Fiona Gillott who oversaw the launch of the Mix Stage from initial concept. She was joined at the beginning of the year by Ishbel Beeson whose background in audio scheduling, large client contact base and passion for all things film contributes to the smooth daily operation of the stage. Kobi Quist and Jack Cheetham both worked together previously at a leading post production facility in Soho and joined the team as Mix Technicians.
Read more about the Mix Stage here.