Yesterday I was happy to revisit one of our favourite recording studios - MBJ  in Bermondsey to record some violin / viola duos for the quartet website, and some violin parts for a songwriter from Copenhagen.

It was a productive day, with the session running from 10am until 10pm - at which point I staggered out of the studio in a rather exhausted state.

On the way back home, I was reflecting about how hard the engineer (Ben Jones) had also worked and how a good engineer / producer can make all the difference to a track, probably moreso than the actual studio set up itself. Bens production skills are remarkable and he’s got such a good natural ear, he always manages to achieve a warm and powerful sound from the strings.

Stringsection record in lots of different venues - everywhere from converted churches to very high tech, plush recording studios at the top of the price bracket, and I do think that wherever we’re recording, it’s a good engineer who makes all the difference!