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Red Tape Studios


Guest Mjolnir

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Guest Mjolnir

Hi, I am currently undertaking an assignment in which I am studying the influence of music on Sheffield (from the 80s onwards), I came across a piece on the net that mentioned that the council set up Red Tape Studios in order to inspire young unemployed people and set about regenerating Sheffield financially.

I was wondering if anyone had any further information, or could point me in the direction of information on the studios, their influence and people and bands that used them? The Red Tape website isn't very helpful in this respect.

Any other information that you feel may be useful would also be very gratefully accepted.

Thanks in advance,

Mjolnir

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Yes.

Red tape was a council run recording studios and practice rooms when it was first set up. The building it is/was in, also has other commercial studios on the top floor. In the 1980s the Human League had a state of the art fully digital studio in the building and there was also Axis studios which was set up by members of the Comsat Angels, but used commercially by many famous recording artists and record companies.

I was briefly involved as I did some work for Axis in around 1988 wiring up some equipment, because I was a poly with the guy who fixed all the audio equipment for the whole block.

In the 1980s you could hire one of the downstairs rooms and amps for a rehearsal room for a few hours is was reasonable rates.

But what red tape were most famous for was they did courses for unemployed people who wanted to learn about being recording engineers. A mate of mine went on it and it was a great introduction in the days when we had to use old fashioned analogue studios with recording desks and 16 track reel to reel tape.

Nowadays recording is far cheaper and easier to do as you can use a £1000 Mac computer which will do what £40,000 of equipment would do in the 1980s, this makes it far easier to get good results and why traditional recording studios are now few and far between for local bands..

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