Lucy Launder, Geoff Pesche and Miles Showell, three sound engineers from London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios, recently visited the Bertelsmann Marketing Services company Sonopress in Gütersloh, Germany, to learn more about one of the most important innovations in LP production in recent decades: the company’s new eco- friendly “Eco Record.”
Along with Sun Studios in Memphis, Motown Records Studios in Detroit and Hansa Studios in Berlin, Abbey Road Studios in London is one of the most famous recording studios in the world. Located in London’s Westminster district, the studios owe their legendary reputation above all to the Beatles, who recorded some of their most successful LPs there together with their producer George Martin. This included their eleventh album, “Abbey Road,” which features the famous crosswalk in front of the studios on its cover. However, Abbey Road Studios owes its fame not only to the Fab Four, but also to many other stars of the international music scene who have produced some iconic albums there. These include Pink Floyd (“The Dark Side of the Moon”), Queen (“A Night at the Opera”), Adele (“21”), and Coldplay, who recorded an entire concert live at the studios.
There are many reasons why so many international stars continue to come to Westminster to record new songs: the recording technology meets the very highest standards, the equipment, especially the stock of musical instruments, is unique, and the sound engineers, who are among the best in their field, have always been highly innovative. So it was no surprise that three of these experts made their way to Gütersloh in mid-May.
Praise for the sound and product quality
The delegation from London was welcomed by Sonopress Managing Director Sven Deutschmann and Head of Sales Jörg Pollmeyer, and then toured the various departments to learn about the individual steps of the new LP production process. In the recording studios of the DC1 department, the focus was on recording technologies and the processing of the audio files supplied; in the DMM department, the guests were introduced to the intricacies of direct metal mastering; and in the production hall, the focus was on the large injection molding machine, which produces “Eco Records” in any desired color from the recyclable raw material polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at high speeds and with a contact pressure of up to 300 tons.
“The three visitors from the UK were not only impressed by the entire production process, but also by the very high sound and product quality of the ‘Eco Records’ we produce,” said Sven Deutschmann. “I’m therefore very optimistic that it won’t be long before we can produce an album recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios as an eco-friendly sustainable LP here in Gütersloh.”
