George Shilling and the RecordProduction.com crew visited Cenzo's Decoy Studios in Suffolk, UK, to capture a flavour of his working methods, some insight in to his working methods and took a sneek look around the studios.
We've known Cenzo for years and know the studio well but getting a video tour of Decoy Studios has taken awhile. Getting a tour around the outboard equipment and looking at the mix chains etc has taken a long time to set up, mostly because Cenzo is just so busy working on a multitude of top level mixes.
Cenzo Townshend at Decoy Sound in 2015
Cenzo is well known for his brilliant mix work with artists as diverse as Sophie Ellis-Bextor to Kaiser Chiefs, Editors to The Specials. Maybe the best thing is to take a look at Cenzo's website with credits - there are a lot of them!
Just over one hour outside of London in rural countryside Decoy Studios mixes a 'boutique vibe', high end design and some seriously top end equipment.
Designed by world renowned studio builders White Mark (The Hit Factory, Air Studios), Decoy offers two large control rooms, a booth, live room and vast array of esoteric equipment, microphones and instruments to inspire both musicians and engineers alike.
With an impressive list of artists having already visited including The Maccabees, George Ezra, Rat Boy, Ed Sheeran, Jamie T, Tom O’Dell, Skaters, The Vaccines, Passenger, Sivu, The Family Rain, and Kodaline, Decoy Studios is fast becoming one of the UKs most prestigious new recording facilities.
Decoy Studios consists of four main rooms. The live room is a large open space situated in the centre of the building, unlike most live spaces its full of light and has a stunning lake view, couple this with the great acoustics and you’ve got the ultimate recording space. The room also features a large circular ‘log diffuser’ which is as practical as it is pretty.
The Library, so called due to the wall of books. Primarily a vocal booth however the space can be used to isolate guitars, record drums or do voiceovers. Not only is the library a versatile space, it also has great vibes and is the perfect place to chill out after a long days recording.
Control Room A serves as a central hub to the recording side of the building, its central feature is an Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition console. The room has viewing windows into both the Live Room and The Library, not to mention the stunning Suffolk country side.
The second half of the studio is a large Mix Room home to mixer Cenzo Townshend. Again boasting beautiful views over the surrounding country side and a relaxed working environment.
Video with Cenzo's cable designer of choice, Michael Whiteside from Studio Connections
