Anvil Recording Studio - Edinburgh - Newbridge

C Thomas

Just back from recording for 2 days with Terry at Anvil with my band The Letting Go and I really wanted to write a review. Apologies but its a long one....

Firstly - the basics :
- Anvil is in the village of Ratho, very accessible from Edinburgh and the M8. Loads of parking right by the studio and a decent pub/restaurant on your doorstep where you can go for lunch (real ale, Sky Sports) plus a canal to walk along and clear your head after laying down your tracks
- Studio is in a stand alone building so you can play as loud as your band likes
- Great facilities, endless tea, coffee and biscuits
- Good value for money and a sound investment
- There is a dedicated drum booth and vocal booth and a big room for recording other instruments.

The process
- We are a 6 piece indie band and recorded drums/3 guitar tracks, bass, keys, brass and vocals all to 16 track tape, with space to spare.
- Band are all in their 50's so particularly attracted to recording to 16 track tape and half speed mastering. But - younger bands will also get a modern day sound from Anvil.
- we recorded the spine of the band (drums/bass/guitar 1/guide vocal) as a live band. Once we and Terry were happy with the take , we then layered up the other instruments one at a time.
- over the course of 2 days we recorded songs on day 1 (all instruments and vocals) and then dedicated day 2 to working with Terry on the production, edit, and final mixdown of two songs which we are delighted with. Song 3 will be finished at the next session! We have both .wav and MP3 filed which are suitable for sharing with your pals right up to putting on spotify or pressing to vinyl.

Terry
- Terry has decades of music industry experience and is a very useful guy to chat through your career plans with - even if you are just recording some songs for posterity or to share with your mates. Our goal is to come back to Anvil and record 10 - 12 tracks for an album and we've hatched a plan to do this, based on our experiences with Terry.
- The equipment is second to none and Terry has a 'machine' for every purpose (for example a dedicated compressor and reverb just for the snare drum). The geeks out there will like the reel to reel tape machines and top of the range hi-fi as well.
- We worked pretty quickly but have a range of musical experience. Terry was supportive to both the experienced and inexperienced amongst the group. Everyone can get nervous when the red light comes on, but you'll get a lot of guidance from behind the desk if you need it.
- Terry advised us to split the weekend into (day 1) record all instruments and vocals (2) work on the overall sound, edit and mixdown. And to focus on getting 2 great recordings down, rather than try and blast through 4 songs and go for quantity over quality. This was great advice. A lot of care was taken on the EQ and overall final mix. For example you get to hear your song on up to 5 different sets of speakers so you get the feel for what it will sound like on a top notch hi-fi right down the a speaker in a supermarket. This is also so you can spot anything that doesn't sound 'right' on a mix.
- Finally , Terry is a really sound (no pun intended) guy, very positive and enthusiastic and makes you feel at home from the first contact with him. For example, we swapped half a dozen emails about what we wanted to achieve from our recording, and also met up for a cuppa and a chat in the studio before we committed to recording there.

Conclusion:
The best testimonial is that we will be returning to Anvil soon and feel like we are in very safe hands with Terry!

Lorimer Macandrew

I had the absolute pleasure of recording bass and trumpet tracks for a friend today at Anvil Recording Studio! Terry (the owner) is welcoming, friendly, and above all a true, experienced professional who knows his equipment very well - even going so far as to build any custom pieces of kit he requires! In our case, he was able to move nimbly between efficiently handling the recording side of the operation, logistics (including time management), whilst also coaching us musically and providing welcome advice for the best possible sound and feel. He is a talented producer, technician, and coach, and it is clear that he loves his craft. We had great fun!

The studio is welcoming and peaceful, situated in Ratho which is perfect for both Edinburgh and Glasgow based musicians. It is incredibly unique, kitted out with absolutely top-notch analogue equipment which provides a warmth and polish to a track which would be very difficult/impossible to match in anything but an extremely high-end digital environment.

I would recommend this studio to any band, singer-songwriter (Terry has a network of session musicians which he is able to call on), or choir, and I look forward to returning soon! Thanks Terry!

David Paul

Just back from a weekend recording at Anvil so wanted to write a review while it's still fresh in my mind.

Have recorded in a number of studios over the years and have no hesitation in saying my experience here was by far the best.

This is the endangered species of the recording world; an all analogue studio. You want autotuned or your stuff snapped to a grid with sterile drums? Anvil isn't for you. You want to record the same way as the greatest records from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to The Clash to The Smiths to early Oasis with a warm professional sound and a band feel? Go to Anvil.

Have to say when you go there, you're not getting an engineer who will just record your stuff and make it sound good. Terry is more than that. He's a producer too. He'll help you shape your songs with helpful and friendly suggestions and do it so that he's working with you. His people management skills are only matched by his wizardry behind the desk. Some of the gear you will use was made by the man himself. He knows how to get the very best out of it and you.

Oh and he serves great coffee and Ratho has a great vibe.

I'll be be back. Again and again. You should go too.

Mitchell Cashmore

Fantastic studio! Was my first time recording analogue, and Terry made us feel very welcome. His enthusiasm for music, his knowledge about the industry, music, and analogue recording, mixed with his guidance, made it easy for us to record our instruments. A must for anybody who would prefer the analogue studio compared to a digital one. He made a 4 piece rock band sound very big but yet with a lot of clarity coming through. It was an enjoyable and worthwhile experience, and that's just for the coffee alone. Terry made it the best recording experience that I ever had.

Puppet Midnight

Had an ace time recording my second EP here. Lovely Analogue/Tape studio full of lots of fantastic vintage equipment. Terry who runs the place has even made some of the gear himself! The studio offers a relaxed and friendly environment where there is plenty of tea to drink to keep you going throughout the recording session. I rather enjoyed recording with Terry. He has great ears, was very patient and enthusiastic and helped me get some terrific warm sounds for my songs. The bass in particular sounded lovely and mega recorded to tape.

So if you're looking for great warm sound for your next musical project and a great person to work with, then look no further! Cheers again Terry!

Stephen Armour

I have just recorded at Anvil Studio and can say that I had a fantastic experience working with Terry and Dave.

Dave (session drummer) brought a great deal of life to my songs and it was incredible hearing the transformation. Terry was also more than happy to lend his keyboarding skills to a few tracks and provide endless cups of tea and biscuits.

What was also nice was the change made to the tracks once put onto tape. Can only describe the sound as taking on a Fleetwood Mac vibe, which is never a bad thing.

Really happy with the recordings ?.

Matthew Riddell

I recently completed my self funded 10 track album at Anvil analogue recording studio situated in a quiet village called Ratho.

Terry Stevens (owner) is an intelligent man who strives to get the very best sound results for the artist.
Being the wizard he is, any technical problems that propped up were quickly solved.
As well as mixing and mastering the whole project he also played superb piano/keys parts on my songs. Which gave them a huge lift.
Alongside us on those sessions was ace session drummer Dave Major who played brilliantly too.

Overall I had a blast and I'm extremely pleased with the results.

Go and check it out for yourself folks!

Cheers

Matt

Chris

An excellent audio Mastering service.

Project Overview:
We are a two-piece Pop band using mainly electronic instruments, we had a set of 12 pre-recorded & mixed tracks for our second release. Our project required a final pass on the mix with a fresh set of ears & audio Mastering for Vinyl to bring the tracks up to industry standard for our planned physical release.
We booked 3 days in the studio with Terry to review the tracks for minor edits to prep all tracks for Vinyl Mastering and booked the bulk-discount Mastering for multiple tracks (Up to 12 Tracks).

Studio:
Great facilities. We were working directly from our own system on Logic Pro connected directly into the studios hardware (all mixing edits done on our own system). Terry was an excellent engineer & sounding board for the mixes able to review the tracks critically to get the best out of each. Utilising the analogue equipment (EQ and compressors etc.) he was able to sharpen the vocals and brighten the tracks along with taming the low-end bass and kit sounds while maintaining the punch and depth. The studios playback options were also of the highest quality allowing for full review to pick up on any flaws or issues.
Mastering remains a dark art & I cannot comment on how the great work is achieved.
I do advise if you take this approach to bring all connectors for your own equipment possible just as a precaution.

Completed Work:
Brilliant audio quality. Due to the limitations of vinyl, we were only able to successfully complete 10 of the 12 tracks to full vinyl Mastering industry quality (adhering to the time limitations per side.). We are both very impressed by Terry’s work & the final product. The tracks have been improved greatly and exceeded our expectations.

To be certain we would highly recommend the studio & Terry’s expertise for a project of this type.