Riff Factory

recording studio

Riff Factory Recording Studio is conveniently situated in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, making it the perfect place for for bands from all across the midlands to get great quality recording.

The heart of Riff Factory Recording Studio is its large, specially designed, live room which has been carefully engineered and acoustically treated to enable the creation of truly exquisite sounds.

The studio features a control room centred around an analogue desk and digital setup which means when you record at the Riff Factory anything is possible.

The studio is run by Tom Carter; an experienced sound engineer with a degree in music technology. Tom will help you turn the sounds in your head into reality for the world to hear.

services

Tom can write, perform and record your music for you, or he can disappear into the background and simply facilitate your performance in the studio.

No matter what you imagine your next release will be like Tom has the experience, tools and expertise to make it happen.

Recording

Perform your music in the acoustically treated live room. Tom will work around you with his carefully selected collection of mics to capture the sound you can hear in the room. Working quickly and discretely, you’ll easily forget he’s there, enabling you to perform at your best.

Mixing

Using industry standard software, experienced engineer Tom will work with you to create the sounds you can hear in your imagination.

Mastering

If you have a finished mix which needs a final polish, or maybe just another pair of expert ears, just pass it to Tom with some examples of other masters you like. In no time at all you’ll have a professional sounding master.

Composition

Tom regularly works with clients who have no music, only lyrics and a melody (or just lyrics in the case of rappers). He combines his skills as a musician on real instruments, as well as programming MIDI instruments, to compose the perfect accompaniment to your vocals. If you play guitar or piano and have written a song, Tom can add a rhythm section to this, or even instrumentals such as guitar solos.

Restoration

Old worn out tapes, crackly vinyl, or that demo you recorded 10 years ago that needs bringing back to life. Any kind of audio manipulation is possible at Riff Factory.

Take a listen

Here at Riff Factory Recording Studio, we work with artists of all genres. Whether you’re a 7 piece technical metal band, or a solo singer songwriter, Tom will work with you to realise your musical potential.

Recorded at Riff Factory

ST PETER - An Overture to Modern Society

5:08

Metal

VULGORE - Soul Eater

5:00

PIPPIN - Moron Terror

2:30

Indie

MARMA - Far From Here (Official Music Video)

3:23

ABBEY SMITH - June

3:32

Pop

MILLINGTON - I am that

4:27

CAMERON PYE - You Said

3:22

JOSEPH HOWES - Back In The Game (Official Lyric Video)

4:14

Folk/Punk

HEADSTICKS - Naked

3:11

SONS Of CLOGGER - Siabost Beach

3:24

Rock

CHAINS Of FATE - Heartless (lyric video)

5:58

JULIA MOSLEY - Obsession at Night

5:45

Live Sessions

RETRO MODERN OMNIPHONIC

4:39

THE ROUGH KUTZ - ISOFEST 2

24:06

Tom is professional and friendly, he listens intently and offers advice and insights outside of the box. Tom is an all round excellent musician willing to engage in a variety of ways in the creation of innovative music. He encourages the very best performances in others. Tom is a very creative person with an array of methods in his work, I would recommend him to any new or established artist. The Julia Mosley Band are thrilled with his work on their debut album ‘Illuminate the Night’.”

Julia Mosley

the Julia Mosley Band

Studio Facilities

The large live room has a homely feel, while being spacious enough to give everyone room to move and properly perform. We can easily accommodate 6 performers in here at once.

You’ll have the choice of using the house drum kit and any of the studio’s guitar amps. Currently available in the studio are amps from Blackstar, Engl, Hughes & Kettner, Peavey, Marshall and more.

The control room is where Tom crafts the sounds. There’s a settee in here so that you can sit in and explain your sound to him.

Inside the studio you’ll find a well equipped kitchen and clean bathroom as well as a large live room. This is where you can spend hours marvelling over Tom’s massive collection of effects pedals, percussion, and other intriguing instruments

Everything you need for the perfect recording experience!

Large Live Room – Analogue Desk – Huge Effects Pedal Collection – House Drum kit and Amp Selection – Well Equipped Kitchen – Free Tea & Coffee – Handy Parking – Experienced Engineer

GEAR

32 channel analogue desk for zero latency monitoring | 24 channel audio interface (in & out) | Audio workstation with 2 x 16 core CPUs at 2.7GHz and over 200Gb RAM | Wide variety of mics including all the classics (SM7b, SM57, MD421 etc), ribbons, condensers, and some weird and vintage stuff | Over 100 effects pedals | Wide variety of amps and cabinets | House drum kit

Prices

Our price includes post-session mixing and mastering at no extra charge!

£300 per day

Our Recording Sessions

Our sessions last 8 hours and usually run from 9am – 5pm but we’re happy to be flexible if you need to start a bit earlier or want to come in a little later.

To help you get the most out of your time at the studio we always set up as much as possible in advance of your session so that we can get started as soon as you walk in the door.

Mixing & Mastering

After your recording session has finished your creation will be expertly mixed and you will receive the final results within a week.

The session price also includes mix revisions so you can be certain you’ll get the results you want.

Once you’re happy with the mix the final product will be fully mastered and available in any format you require.

What can you achieve in 8 hours?

A 4 piece rock band could record 1-2 songs to a radio-ready standard, providing they’re well rehearsed. A solo artist with minimal instruments might achieve 5 songs in the day.

Check out our FAQ’s below for more info.

How do I book a session?

To arrange your session (or if you just to have a chat about your ideas and get a quote) give Tom a call on 07967 088 317 or send us a message and we’ll get in touch.

We’ve got the tools for any job, whether that’s modern software, vintage equipment, musical instruments or even the ability to play them for you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Got more questions? We’re happy to help! Drop us a message or give us a ring!

HOW MUCH CAN I ACHIEVE IN A DAY?

It depends how well you’re rehearsed, and what’s involved. The examples below can be used as a guide, however if you want to get a clearer estimate please feel free to contact us to talk through your ideas.

A solo artist who’s well rehearsed with only one instrument and minor backing vocals could easily achieve 4 songs in a day. To add extra instruments takes more time, so to add drums, percussion, bass, keys, and any electronic instruments would take another day.

Some bands want to dedicate more time to each instrument; recording them in isolation to achieve polished perfection. This means spending more time on each track so a 4 piece rock band might take 2 full days to record 1 track this way.

Other bands like to record “live” all performing simultaneously, and while this limits the possible results, the potential for a well rehearsed band to achieve an energetic performance is often enhanced by this approach. A good example of this is Manchester blues band Bones Shake who recorded a full album in just under 6 hours. It took us two hours to get set up with a sound everyone liked, and the rest of the time was spent recording their performance.

WHAT DO I TAKE HOME?

Your songs in any format you like. Usually an mp3 or WAV file via the internet, but CDs are available. Ask for a quote for multiple CDs or artwork.

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING?

We have a good range of guitar and bass amps, pedals, percussion, full drum kit with snare and cymbals all available to use. If you have a sound you like, it’s always best to bring your usual set-up, although experimentation with our gear is always encouraged.

HOW FAR IN ADVANCE DO I NEED TO BOOK?

It depends on the calendar, but we usually need a few weeks notice to fit you in. It’s always good to give us an idea of what you’ll need for the session a couple of days before so that we can prepare. This will give you more time to record. For example, if you’d like to use the house-kit, we can have it ready mic’d when you arrive.

The studio is run by experienced sound engineer and multi-instrumentalist Tom Carter. Keep up with his latest creations on facebook and instagram or check out his website to read more about his process.

Our Location

Sutherland Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4HS

Tom Carter

Recording

07967 088 317

tom@rifffactory.co.uk