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{{Short description|Recording studio in London, England}}
'''Sarm East Studios''' is a [[recording studio]] that was located on Osborne street at the southern end of [[Brick Lane]] in east London.<ref>http://sarmmusicvillage.com/our-history/</ref>
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
|name = Sarm Studios
|image = SARM-Studios-Logo.jpg
|image_size = 150px
|location = [[Notting Hill]], London, England
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|coordinates = {{coord|51.5163|-0.0700|display=inline,title}}
|owner = SPZ Group
|affiliations = Companies within the building: {{plainlist|
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* [[ZTT Records]]
* [[Stiff Records]]
* [[Perfect Songs]]
* Unforgettable Songs
* Blacklist Entertainment
* TCP International
}}
|website = {{URL|sarmstudios.com}}
}}


'''Sarm Studios''' is an independent [[recording studio]] in [[London]]. Originally founded in east London in 1973, the studio's original location was renamed '''Sarm East Studios''' in 1982 when [[Jill Sinclair]] and [[Trevor Horn]] purchased [[Basing Street Studios]] from [[Island Records]] and renamed it '''Sarm West Studios'''. Sarm Studios original locations were eventually succeeded by the '''Sarm Music Village''' complex.
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== History ==


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==History==
The studio was established by [[Jill Sinclair]] and her brother John Sinclair <ref>{{discogs artist |artist=115913-John-Sinclair |name=John Sinclair}}</ref> with the help of engineers [[Mike Stone (record producer)|Mike Stone]] and Gary Lyons in 1973. It was previously called '''The City of London Recording Studios'''.<ref>http://sarmmusicvillage.com/our-history/</ref>


===Sarm East (1973–2001)===
The studio was at one time one of the foremost and famous recording Studios in London and has played host to artists such as [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]], [[the Clash]], [[Depeche Mode]], [[Rush (band)|Rush]], [[Yes (band)|Yes]], [[ABC (band)|ABC]], [[INXS]], [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]], [[Seal (musician)|Seal]] and [[the Hoosiers]].
Sarm Studios was founded at 9-13 Osborn Street in Aldgate, in the building formerly occupied by '''the City of London Recording Studios''',<ref name="oh">{{cite web |title=Our History |url=http://sarmmusicvillage.com/our-history/ |website=SARM Music Village |accessdate=9 October 2019}}</ref> which recorded radio programs and narration for newsreels from 1960 until going out of business in 1972. Shortly thereafter, Gary Lyons and Barry Ainsworth, two [[Audio engineer|recording engineers]] who had been operating a tape copying service called Sound and Recording Mobiles, purchased the facility with financial backing from businessman David Sinclair and named it using an acronym of their business name, opening SARM in July 1973. Ainsworth left the business in 1975, replaced by ex-Trident Studios engineer [[Mike Stone (record producer)|Mike Stone]].<ref name="Massey">{{cite book |last1=Massey |first1=Howard |title=The Great British Recording Studios |date=2015 |publisher=Hal Leonard Books |location=Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US |isbn=978-1-4584-2197-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ERqbCwAAQBAJ&dq=sinclair+Sound+and+Recording+%22Mobiles%22&pg=PT398 |access-date=23 November 2021}}</ref> David Sinclair's son and daughter, John<ref>{{discogs artist |artist=115913-John-Sinclair |name=John Sinclair}}</ref> and [[Jill Sinclair|Jill]], later became co-directors at the studio.


In 1975, [[Queen (band)|Queen]] recorded sections of "[[Bohemian Rhapsody]]" and "[[The Prophet's Song]]" at Sarm Studios, and filmed the video for "[[Somebody to Love (Queen song)|Somebody to Love]]" at the studio the following year.<ref name="John Bennett 2009">{{cite book |last= Bennett |first= John G |date= 2009 |title= A Journey Through Whitechapel and Spitalfields |url= http://www.inpressbooks.co.uk/media/downloads/309/Five%20Leaves%20-%20Journey%20through%20Whitechapel.pdf |location= Nottingham |publisher= Five Leaves Publications |page= 45 |isbn= 978-1905512546 |access-date= 28 November 2014 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141220103936/http://www.inpressbooks.co.uk/media/downloads/309/Five%20Leaves%20-%20Journey%20through%20Whitechapel.pdf |archive-date= 20 December 2014 }}</ref> The band returned to Sarm Studios in summer 1977 to record portions of their album ''[[News of the World (album)|News of the World]]'', including the hit song "[[We Are the Champions]]."<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.mercuryparadise.com/hyper/BC_BR.html|title=Mercury Paradise Audio Files|website=Mercuryparadise.com}}</ref>
SARM East was later owned by SPZ Group, a holding company belonging to Jill Sinclair and her husband, a prolific music producer [[Trevor Horn]], but was closed down in the late 1990s. Sarm Music Village belonging to SPZ group continues its legacy.


In the mid 1970s, Sarm was one of the first 24-track recording studios in England; it later became the first with 48-track facilities.<ref name="Musicradar Oct 2014">{{cite web |url= http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/trevor-horn-talks-frankie-sarm-and-synths-609065/2|title= Trevor Horn talks Frankie, SARM and synths |last=Sefton|first=Jamie|date=20 October 2014 |website=Musicradar.com | access-date=28 November 2014}}</ref> Sarm's outboard equipment included an [[Eventide, Inc.#H910 Harmonizer|Eventide H910 Harmonizer]], [[Lexicon (company)|Lexicon]] 224 digital reverb, [[1176 Peak Limiter|UREI 1176]] compressors, and AMS digital delay.<ref name=Massey/>
==Equipment==
The studio had an early Solid State Logic (SSL) 4000E mixing console and was one of the first studios in London to install one. The SSL replaced an earlier Trident console with Allison automation.


In 1978, Sarm Studios suffered extensive water damage and underwent a major renovation, including a control room redesign and the largest Trident TSM console built to date, with Allison automation system. At the same time, the 3M and MCI multitrack tape machines were replaced by a pair of [[Studer]] A80s (to be replaced later by Studer A800 Mk IIIs) with [[Dolby A]]. In 1982, Sarm's East London studio was one of the first in London to install an early [[Solid State Logic]] [[Solid State Logic SL 4000|4000E]] mixing console.<ref name=Massey/>
Multitracks were twin Studer A80s (to be replaced later by Studer A800 Mk IIIs) with Dolby A and mixdown machine was a Studer A80 with a 1/2" headblock and Dolby A. Outboard gear included:


Producer [[Trevor Horn]] became a frequent client at Sarm Studios, and he and Sinclair married in 1980. In 1982, Sinclair and Horn founded [[ZTT Records]] and purchased [[Island Studios]] on Basing Street, rebranding it Sarm West and the original Sarm Studio as Sarm East.
* Eventide H910 Harmonizer
* Survival Projects panner
* Lexicon 224 digital reverb
* UREI 1176 compressors
* AMS digital delay


Sarm East closed in 2001.<ref name=Massey/> In 1981, Sarm opened Sarm West Coast, a residential studio in [[Bel Air, Los Angeles]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Filcman |first=Debra |date=11 December 2017 |title=Trevor Horn's studio burned to the ground in California wildfires |work=Ultimate Classic Rock |url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/sarm-west-coast-studio-fire/}}</ref>
==Past clients/artists==
{{sources|section|date=December 2017}}
* [[ABC (band)|ABC]]
* [[Alison Moyet]]
* [[Art of Noise]]
* [[Brian May]]
* [[Bros]]
⚫
* [[The Buggles]]
* [[The Clash]]
* [[Dina Carroll]]
* [[Dollar (band)|Dollar]]
* [[Flintlock (musical group)|Flintlock]]
* [[Frankie Goes To Hollywood]]
* [[Grace Jones]]
* [[It Bites]]
* [[Malcolm McLaren]]
* [[Nik Kershaw]]
* [[Propaganda (band)|Propaganda]]
* [[Queen (band)|Queen]]
* [[Rush (band)|Rush]]
* [[Rik Mayall]]
* [[Stephen Duffy]]
* [[Yes (band)|Yes]]


===Sarm West (1982–2013)===
==See also==
*[[Sarm West Studios]]
{{See also|Basing Street Studios}}
In 1982, Horn and Sinclair bought Island Records' Basing Street Studios in West London, renaming Sarm's original East London location Sarm East and their new West London acquisition Sarm West. Horn and Sinclair also established offices at Sarm West's Basing Street location for the [[ZTT Records]] and [[Stiff Records]] labels,<ref name="Music Week May 2011" /> as well as the [[Perfect Songs]] and Unforgettable Songs publishing companies.

In November 1984, Studio 1 at Sarm West was the venue for the recording of "[[Do They Know It's Christmas]]" by the members of [[Band Aid (band)|Band Aid]] in support of relief efforts for the [[1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia]], and in November 2014, the studios were used to record the [[Band Aid 30]] [[charity record|charity single]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Denham |first= Jess |date= 13 November 2014 |title= Band Aid 30 song and music video to premiere on The X Factor results show this Sunday |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/band-aid-30-song-and-music-video-to-premiere-on-the-x-factor-results-show-this-sunday-9859540.html |newspaper=[[The Independent]]|location=London |access-date=14 November 2014 }}</ref>

In 1987, the studio's cathedral organ was recorded for [[George Michael]]'s album ''[[Faith (George Michael album)|Faith]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fox6now.com/2016/12/25/ex-wham-singer-george-michael-has-passed-away-at-the-age-of-53/|title=Ex-Wham singer George Michael has passed away at the age of 53|date=2016-12-25|website=FOX6Now.com|access-date=2017-01-26}}</ref>

In May 2011, two new studios and music business offices were added. The redesign also included living accommodation, to facilitate a return to the studios' 1970s policy of long-term bookings.<ref name="Music Week May 2011">{{cite web |url= http://www.musicweek.com/news/read/sarm-studios-set-for-major-revamp/045740|title= Sarm Studios set for major revamp|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=19 May 2011 |website=Musicweek.com |access-date=28 November 2014}}</ref> The studios became part of ''SPZ Group'',<ref name="Sarm West home">{{cite web |url= http://www.sarmstudios.com/|title= Sarm Studios - Home | website=Sarmstudios.com | access-date=28 November 2014}}</ref> a holding company belonging to Sinclair and Horn.

===Sarm Music Village (2013–present)===
In 2013, SPZ Group opened the Sarm Music Village 6-studio complex in [[Ladbroke Grove]] before closing the Sarm West Studios on Basing Street.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Duff |first1=Simon |title=Sarm Music Village: 'We really have gone from strength to strength' |url=https://www.prosoundnetwork.com/international/sarm-music-village-has-established-itself-as-one-of-europes-leading-recording-complexes |website=prosoundnetwork.com |publisher=ProSound News |access-date=24 November 2021}}</ref>

Sarm closed the Sarm West Studios on Basing Street in 2013, and the former church building that housed the studios was converted into luxury [[Flat (housing)|flats]] in 2018.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} In late 2017, Sarm West Coast in Bel Air was destroyed in the [[Skirball Fire]].<ref name=":0" />

On July 12, 2022, it was announced that Sarm Music Village Inc. was acquired by Three Six Zero for an estimated $5.3m USD.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sarm Music Village Company Profile: Valuation, Investors, Acquisition |url=https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/501404-59#overview |website=pitchbook.com |publisher=PitchBook |access-date=21 August 2023}}</ref> Three Six Zero CEO Mark Gillespie also founded the label Three Six Zero Recording, now headquartered at Sarm Studios.<ref>{{cite web|title=Three Six Zero acquires London's SARM Studios from producer Trevor Horn |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/three-six-zero-acquires-londons-sarm-studios-from-producer-trevor-horn/ |website=musicbusinessworldwide.com |publisher=Music Business Worldwide News | access-date=12 July 2022}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* [http://sarmmusicvillage.com/our-history/ Sarm Music Village - Our History] {{Dead link|date=April 2024}}
*[http://www.spz.com/ SPZ Group]
*[http://www.queenconcerts.com/london.html Queen - recording locations in London]
* [http://www.recordproduction.com/sarm_west.htm RecordProduction.com]
*[http://ottsonic.com/index.php?page=studios Ottsonic Studio listsing]
* [http://www.queenconcerts.com/london.html Queen - recording locations in London]


{{Authority control}}
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{{coords|51.5163|-0.0700|display=title}}


[[Category:Recording studios in London]]
[[Category:Recording studios in London]]


{{recording-studio-stub}}

Latest revision as of 15:54, 5 May 2024

Sarm Studios
Location
Coordinates51°30′59″N 0°04′12″W / 51.5163°N 0.0700°W / 51.5163; -0.0700
OwnerSPZ Group
AffiliationsCompanies within the building:
Websitesarmstudios.com

Sarm Studios is an independent recording studio in London. Originally founded in east London in 1973, the studio's original location was renamed Sarm East Studios in 1982 when Jill Sinclair and Trevor Horn purchased Basing Street Studios from Island Records and renamed it Sarm West Studios. Sarm Studios original locations were eventually succeeded by the Sarm Music Village complex.

History[edit]

Sarm East (1973–2001)[edit]

Sarm Studios was founded at 9-13 Osborn Street in Aldgate, in the building formerly occupied by the City of London Recording Studios,[1] which recorded radio programs and narration for newsreels from 1960 until going out of business in 1972. Shortly thereafter, Gary Lyons and Barry Ainsworth, two recording engineers who had been operating a tape copying service called Sound and Recording Mobiles, purchased the facility with financial backing from businessman David Sinclair and named it using an acronym of their business name, opening SARM in July 1973. Ainsworth left the business in 1975, replaced by ex-Trident Studios engineer Mike Stone.[2] David Sinclair's son and daughter, John[3] and Jill, later became co-directors at the studio.

In 1975, Queen recorded sections of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "The Prophet's Song" at Sarm Studios, and filmed the video for "Somebody to Love" at the studio the following year.[4] The band returned to Sarm Studios in summer 1977 to record portions of their album News of the World, including the hit song "We Are the Champions."[5]

In the mid 1970s, Sarm was one of the first 24-track recording studios in England; it later became the first with 48-track facilities.[6] Sarm's outboard equipment included an Eventide H910 Harmonizer, Lexicon 224 digital reverb, UREI 1176 compressors, and AMS digital delay.[2]

In 1978, Sarm Studios suffered extensive water damage and underwent a major renovation, including a control room redesign and the largest Trident TSM console built to date, with Allison automation system. At the same time, the 3M and MCI multitrack tape machines were replaced by a pair of Studer A80s (to be replaced later by Studer A800 Mk IIIs) with Dolby A. In 1982, Sarm's East London studio was one of the first in London to install an early Solid State Logic 4000E mixing console.[2]

Producer Trevor Horn became a frequent client at Sarm Studios, and he and Sinclair married in 1980. In 1982, Sinclair and Horn founded ZTT Records and purchased Island Studios on Basing Street, rebranding it Sarm West and the original Sarm Studio as Sarm East.

Sarm East closed in 2001.[2] In 1981, Sarm opened Sarm West Coast, a residential studio in Bel Air, Los Angeles.[7]

Sarm West (1982–2013)[edit]

See also: Basing Street Studios

In 1982, Horn and Sinclair bought Island Records' Basing Street Studios in West London, renaming Sarm's original East London location Sarm East and their new West London acquisition Sarm West. Horn and Sinclair also established offices at Sarm West's Basing Street location for the ZTT Records and Stiff Records labels,[8] as well as the Perfect Songs and Unforgettable Songs publishing companies.

In November 1984, Studio 1 at Sarm West was the venue for the recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas" by the members of Band Aid in support of relief efforts for the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia, and in November 2014, the studios were used to record the Band Aid 30 charity single.[9]

In 1987, the studio's cathedral organ was recorded for George Michael's album Faith.[10]

In May 2011, two new studios and music business offices were added. The redesign also included living accommodation, to facilitate a return to the studios' 1970s policy of long-term bookings.[8] The studios became part of SPZ Group,[11] a holding company belonging to Sinclair and Horn.

Sarm Music Village (2013–present)[edit]

In 2013, SPZ Group opened the Sarm Music Village 6-studio complex in Ladbroke Grove before closing the Sarm West Studios on Basing Street.[12]

Sarm closed the Sarm West Studios on Basing Street in 2013, and the former church building that housed the studios was converted into luxury flats in 2018.[citation needed] In late 2017, Sarm West Coast in Bel Air was destroyed in the Skirball Fire.[7]

On July 12, 2022, it was announced that Sarm Music Village Inc. was acquired by Three Six Zero for an estimated $5.3m USD.[13] Three Six Zero CEO Mark Gillespie also founded the label Three Six Zero Recording, now headquartered at Sarm Studios.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Our History". SARM Music Village. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Massey, Howard (2015). The Great British Recording Studios. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US: Hal Leonard Books. ISBN 978-1-4584-2197-5. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  3. ^ John Sinclair discography at Discogs
  4. ^ Bennett, John G (2009). A Journey Through Whitechapel and Spitalfields (PDF). Nottingham: Five Leaves Publications. p. 45. ISBN 978-1905512546. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Mercury Paradise Audio Files". Mercuryparadise.com.
  6. ^ Sefton, Jamie (20 October 2014). "Trevor Horn talks Frankie, SARM and synths". Musicradar.com. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  7. ^ a b Filcman, Debra (11 December 2017). "Trevor Horn's studio burned to the ground in California wildfires". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  8. ^ a b "Sarm Studios set for major revamp". Musicweek.com. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  9. ^ Denham, Jess (13 November 2014). "Band Aid 30 song and music video to premiere on The X Factor results show this Sunday". The Independent. London. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  10. ^ "Ex-Wham singer George Michael has passed away at the age of 53". FOX6Now.com. 25 December 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  11. ^ "Sarm Studios - Home". Sarmstudios.com. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  12. ^ Duff, Simon. "Sarm Music Village: 'We really have gone from strength to strength'". prosoundnetwork.com. ProSound News. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Sarm Music Village Company Profile: Valuation, Investors, Acquisition". pitchbook.com. PitchBook. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Three Six Zero acquires London's SARM Studios from producer Trevor Horn". musicbusinessworldwide.com. Music Business Worldwide News. Retrieved 12 July 2022.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sarm_Studios&oldid=1222361824"