Q and A about Studio Production

Please Note: Questions may be edited and please be patient if your question requires a direct answer from Pete Waterman as these will take a little more time.

Q: "Could you please tell me what sort of equipment PWL uses in its studios? As a budding musician, I'd love to know a little bit about the technical side of the Hit Factory!"

A: Please Note That The reply To This Question Refers To PWL's Former Borough High Street Premises:
This question gets posed to me quite a lot, and thanks to the hard work of Jane at PWL, I can now answer it! I only hope that the musicians out there understand what it all means! PWL has two main recording studios. Details for them will be given separately:

LIBRA ROOM

Keyboards Roland VA - 7, Roland JP 8000, KORG Triton, KORG Trinity, Yamaha CS 6x

Modules : Quasimidi, Kurzweil K2000, 2x MTP AV, AKAI S6000, EMU Planet Phatt, Novation Supanova, EMU 4XT, Yamaha TG 500, Roland VP 9000, KORG M1, Roland JV 1080, Roland MKS 50, 2x ACCESS Virus

SSL ROOM

Kurzweil K 2500, Roland JV 1080, KORG TR Rack, Apple Power PC G3, Lacie CD Rom, Mediaspec HD, ZIP Drive 100MB, AKAI S3200, Digidesign 882, 2x Virtualizer, emagic unitor 8, Yamaha G 50

BOTH STUDIOS

are powered by a massive central computer which is housed in the basement of the PWL buildings. Helen Dann informs us that a very skilled and a very loyal technician is kept very busy! One only has to look at the vast array of cables, leads and casings to realise just how complicated this set up is!

Q: "It's always been my dream to come and record a track at PWL. Could you please give me details as to how much it would cost for me to hire out a studio for the day, also who do I contact?"

A: PWL no longer hires out its studios for private use. Instead they are used exclusively for PWL-related projects; sorry!

Q: "What does Pete feel about the producers today who try and copy the PWL formula?"

A: "You know, many people said that what I did as part of Stock Aitken Waterman was easy; however if it was so easy how come nobody has yet managed to re-create our success? We were very disciplined; all three of us had a total respect, love and understanding of over 40 years of songwriting...we didn't just love one particular style or try to write in one particular genre. The only way you'll get a new Stock Aitken Waterman song today is to go to Stock and Aitken, or myself, and get us to write it (laugh)!"

Q: "Can you please explain what each of the Frampton brothers did at PWL - do they both write, produce and mix?"

A: Andrew Frampton is a talented song writer and producer. Dan Frampton is a technical wizard; he's a very busy studio engineer. My that was easy!

Q: "What does the name EBUL stand for on the sleeves of STEPS records?"

A: EBUL is a combination of Pete Waterman's Eastern Bloc and Unity labels: Eastern Bloc Unity Label; hence EBUL!

Q: "In the old days, PWL used to mention the Calrec Soundfield microphone and Linn drum machines a lot in the credit notes of their hit singles - however they aren't mentioned anymore; does PWL still use this equipment today?"

A; Like much of the equipment that used to be used at PWL, the Linn drum machine is now but a distant memory. PWL does however still occasionally use the Carlec microphone.

Q: "What studio equipment did Pete use back in the early days of PWL?"

A: Quite hard to say. Everyone knows that PWL relied heavily on Linn drum machines for their percussion sounds and drum loops/patterns (although it is fair to say that many people who were not involved in music did not realise that the credited 'A. Linn' on the back of the PWL singles was in fact a mechanical device and not a real person!) PWL used a range of outboard equipment - many of which were used a few times, then changed; sadly I am unable to provide you with a detailed list of these items. It is interesting to note however that PWL were using digital recording methods as far back as 1985 (they used the Mitsubishi X800 - a 32 track digital system - for much of their work back then.) PWL also provided Mushroom Records with studio engineer Mike Duffy in order to help them learn how to use their range of SSL decks. Mike went on to produce Kylie's first hit, 'The Locomotion' whilst there...and the rest is history!

Q: "Can I visit PWL studios?"

A: In the past PWL has been proud to show fans around its studios, however due to limited resources (both in terms of time and staff) it is no longer possible to arrange a personal visit to our studios. We greatly regret this current situation but would kindly ask you not to contact us regarding this matter as refusal often upsets or offends. We hope that you understand and respect our wishes. Many thanks.

You can SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO questions@pwl-empire.com NOW!