Quay West Studios is an independent recording studio built inside a Gothic church on the south coast of the UK.

At the heart of the studio is our purpose built control room, centred around an API 1608 console, a collection of outboard and PMC monitoring.

For recording, we have two very different spaces. The live room gives us a tighter, more controlled sound, while the huge church nave can be used in all sorts of ways, from surprisingly dry and focused through to massive, open and full of natural ambience.

Drum recording is a huge part of what Quay West has become known for. The space gives us a massive amount of control over the sound, from tight and punchy through to huge, cinematic room sounds, and everything in between. The nave is not just there to add reverb, it becomes part of the sound itself and gives us options that are difficult to recreate in a conventional studio.

The same applies to piano, strings, brass, vocals and anything else where the room can add something to the recording. We also have two pianos in the studio, including an 80s Yamaha U3 upright and a grand piano which lives out in the nave.

More than anything, Quay West is a great place to make records. It is relaxed, full of character and built around getting great sounds rather than following a set formula.