Challow Park Studios – Countryside Paradise

Just a few miles outside Wantage village hides an extraordinary gem of audio recording technology, music performance and human achievement. Built on the grounds of a victorian house, Challow Park Studios is a massive concrete paradise for musicians and engineers alike featuring the best hybrid of traditional performance and recording approach with the latest in audio technology and infrastructure.

Conceived, designed and built by the incredible Will Biggs, Challow Park is a true testament to what, with the right companionship and support from a partner in crime, Amy Blyth, one talented person can do when armed with a CAD software, power tools, heavy machinery, love for music, passion for recording and an unimaginable amount of motivation.

The facility features two control room and three dedicated recording spaces one of which is a glorious hall capable of holding a 45-piece orchestra! It is also home to a very special organ (more on which in next posts) and an exquisite Fazioli 228 grand piano.

All the rooms are tie lined with ample analogue lines but also Ethernet for the great Dante-based Focusrite RedNet system which allows (amongst other things) positioning the preamps and converters in the live room near the instruments which increases the quality of the recording and flexibility of the whole setup.

A rack of RedNet gear can be wheeled over to any position in the building, allowing fast and high quality recording straight to Pro Tools but also multicast over the Dante network to musician’s personalised cue system, redundant backup recording device, and more.

Although it is still in [late stages] of construction, it is already a working studio with regular recordings and performances happening every week. These photos are just a little introduction with more details and photos to follow next year. For more details on Challow Park please visit www.challowpark.co.uk