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44
According to Tom Aitkenhead,
it’s the music that matters;
and few could disagree.
PAUL HOLMES uncovers both
musicality and a market-savvy
approach at the recently opened
Milk Studios.
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will always be people who want to make
music, and there will always be people consider life
less rich without it. Tom Aitkenhead’s Milk Studios
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in London’s East End is covering both the creative
imperative and the fiscal pressure by ensuring that both
established and unsigned acts can afford time in the studio
to project their music to the masses.
Aitkenhead has played in many
bands, and in his current role as
producer and engineer he still
contributes to many of the mixes he
works on. His musical background
gave him valuable insight into
how bands work, and planted the
seed that would later lead him to a
full-time career in producing and
engineering. His first step was a joint
venture with the owner of a studio
space in Bermondsey who shared
similar aspirations. Aitkenhead
provided the equipment and the two
of them shared the set-up for half a
week each. The experience quickly turned hobby into
career, and it wasn’t long before he founded Oilville
Studios where he produced the first Ben and Jason album,
Hello. That was about fourteen years ago, and his new
studio on London’s Commercial Road, custom built for
his requirements, distils his experiences both in front of
and behind the glass.
Spatial Awareness
Acoustically, Milk Studios is a big step up from what
Aitkenhead describes as the ‘grotty’ yet character-full
Oilville. He scoured suitable venues for three months
before finding an empty warehouse that suited his
specs. After pacing out the general dimensions and
laying down the square footage with gaffer tape, he
proceeded to build his vision from scratch. With some
major architectural adjustments, the result reflects
Aitkenhead’s intimate appreciation of band dynamics
and interaction, with a strong respect for the lines of sight
essential for supporting group performances during live
recording sessions.
The studio itself consists of a 22x16 ft live room, a 16x15
ft control room, and an 8x6 ft vocal booth, all treated
by Primacoustic. As well as adding an aesthetically
professional feel to the studio, which had suffered from a
slightly clinical, sterile finish, Aitkenhead enthused about
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AUDIO MEDIA MAY 2009
how efficiently the Primacoustic installation improved
the overall acoustics. Not desiring a totally dead sound
from the rooms, he wanted to exact a balance between
generating some life while maintaining a degree of
neutrality. Aware of the exorbitant construction fees
required to incorporate odd angles into a studio, the
design philosophy demonstrates a realistic approach to
cost per square foot and expected revenue.
And he’s delighted with the result. Unable
to hold himself back, he’d set up a drum
kit in the still untreated live room during
the studio’s early development. After a
host of musician friends had come over
for a bash, he admitted to being a little
disappointed with some detrimental
flutter echoes and reflections. Once the
space had been treated with Primacoustic
products however, he noted that, “…in
exactly the same room, with exactly the
same drum kit, after the installation, it was
literally transformed.”
With the studio design sorted,
Aitkenhead was able to focus on producing and
engineering. His approach is far from a dogmatic
one, with a philosophy that unites artist and
producer as joint-collaborators in the overall sound.
He avoids tarnishing the diverse spectrum of musicians
he encounters with a ‘signature sound,’ preferring
instead to focus on bringing out individual personalities.
His young, hip, and trendy list of predominantly Indie
artists reflects his musical background, while his choice
of gear blends classic analogue and modern digital
technology. Aitkenhead relates, “My concern is with
the signal paths going in, the converters, the mic pres,
the microphone, the mic placement… my interest is in
how to capture something.”
His search has led him to Focusrite mic preamps,
particularly the ISAs, which he favours for their impressive
ability to record harmonically complex signals with detail
and warmth whilst imbuing a musical quality.
All Plugged Up
Simply ensuring that he captures the nuances of
performance is not the end of the story though, and the
generous array of plug-ins that augments his Pro Tools
HD3 set up reflects this. Aitkenhead’s particular favourites
include Bomb Factory’s 1176 compressor, Pulltech EQs,
Waves UltraVerb, and the Waves Renaissance bundle.
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