Cherry Pearce
- Om Namah Shivaya
Cherry Pearce - vocals, pump organ, shruti (harmonium), keys
Andrew Cox - monochord
Recorded and produced at Aerial Recording, Perth
THE MOON IS MY MACHINE
- More Than Why
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - instruments
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording, Perth
August 2024. Photo : Peter Spence
AUGUST 4, 2024
WINTER
is good and warm and noisy here.
Winter music projects at Aerial Recording -
Noongar Lullabies for the Community Arts Network, Sascha Ion & The Elements, Monotonic, High on People, Ruby Come Back, Andrew Cox, Cherry Pearce, Nathan Winterflood, The Moon is My Machine.
Studio Upgrades -
Added 8 more channels of inputs, upgraded converters and a stack of new microphones. Bought the complete set of Dr Alien Smith products ( Perth's very own microphone genius and all made just a few kms up the road in Mt Helena), a UAD Sphere DLX, Shure SM7B and another BU67 tube mic. Went ballistic on gooseneck attachments for mic stands and finally finally finally, after so many epic fails, found my favourite recording tambourine.
AUGUST 3, 2024
THE MOON IS MY MACHINE
- You Can't Be Broken Now
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - guitar, keys, bass, drums, saxophone
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording, Perth
(July 25, 2024
Photo : Guanhao Cheng
Courtesy of Midland Echo Newspaper)
Noongar Lullabies Project
Kaya !
About to finish tracking sessions for a really amazing Noongar Lullaby album project with the Moorditj Maaman men’s group and Community Arts Network. The album is a collection of touching original songs full of warmth and heart and soul and family and community, all performed in the Noongar language and accompanied by a rich combination of acoustic instruments from didgeridoo to string quartet.
Great to work with Kobi Arthur Morrison as musical director, and really appreciate that vocalist/instrumentalist Cyndy Moody has been doing her level best to teach me enough Noongar language for me to understand the meaning of all the words and songs.
THE MOON IS MY MACHINE
- Cliffs
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - prophet 5, piano, drums
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording, Perth
GONG
A really beautiful Winter project pictured here setting up for a recording of a huge collection of exotic instruments for Andrew and Servane from Treemendus Health. Monochord, crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, chimes, thumb piano, xylophones, ocean drum and this huge array of 6 mighty gongs (the largest being the enormous 38" Paiste Sun Gong) all set up in the big room.
I treated the gong array as a single giant instrument and used a series of 8 microphones, combining close and room sounds. Absolutely epic session. Can't wait for the recording to be released.
JUNE 6, 2024
THE MOON IS MY MACHINE
- The Gamblers
My grandfather was a bookmaker at the greyhound track. When asked for a tip he would always say the same thing -
"Put your hand in your pocket.
Take out all the money you have in there,
and then put it in your other pocket."
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - hammond, drums, bass, guitar, saxophone
Nelson Robles - additional lyrics
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording
MAY 7, 2024
THE MOON IS MY MACHINE
- Old Sunlight
Lens flare of the endless
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - keys, drums, typewriter, guitar
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording, Perth
(April 27, 2024 - Photo : Cherry )
Autumn
Always been my favourite season in Perth.
Some highlights -
* A couple of great cello-centric projects underway with Emily Williams and her duo Sonderlines with Rachel Morris.
* Monotonic's album of epic shoegazer-esque walls of sound is nearing completion.
* Langley Chambers' debut album is in the process of getting mastered by the legendary William Bowden. Expect some new stuff soon from this amazing record.
* Great fun having High On People back in the studio doing some final tracking and mixing after hiatus. Getting to work with my old Seahorse Radio bandmate Nathan "Floodsy" Winterflood on drums has been especially cool.
* Recorded a beautiful song for QLD group Ruby Come Back and some blitzing rock for Colton, Rhys and Shane.
* The Moon is My Machine continues it's one song per moon release schedule. Next up is the psychadelic waves of "Old Sunlight".
New projects started with Cherry, Matt Walsh and Alexandra Staiger.
About to begin work on the Community Arts Network’s Noongar Lullabies 2024 album and book project working with musical director Kobi Morrison.
Some cool studio improvements. Tape echo machines have all been brought back to original spec and a 1969 Ampex 4 track with my genius tech Sean Standen who now has his own site for his keyboards and tape machine sales and repair business and impeccable professional restoration work of audio equipment.
Highly recommended and endorsed.
Also have a new intern Peter Spence about to start working with me and he took it in his stride that after many years of audio training that the very first lesson here was in how to make good coffee...
THE MOON IS MY MACHINE
- Shakespeare Sonnet 120
William Shakespeare - lyrics
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - bass, drums, keys, saxophone
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording, Perth
Footage from "Flesh and the Devil" (1927) starring the incandescent Greta Garbo.
MARCH 24, 2024
LANGLEY CHAMBERS
- Out of View
Very pleased to announce the first single from Langley Chambers' debut album and it's a great showcase of his colourful love-struck and quirky guitar pop, led by one of the smoothest voices that has ever graced the studio. Despite having numerous expensive tube mics, we recorded nearly all his vocals on a vintage Electro-Voice dynamic (also favoured by Bruce Springsteen) that just seemed to suit his music down to the ground as it takes an epic trip through vintage west coast vibes and soaring love songs.
Langley Chambers at Aerial. Photo Sean Standen
Langley Chambers - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums
Vinny the studio hound - percussion (expert collar shake at 1:10)
Recorded and mixed at Aerial Recording
Mastered by Dan O'Connor at Encoder Sound
VERMISTROPOS
-Deathnetics for the Anti-Generation
The first album from Vermistropos is a wild mix of live improvised piano and digital noise . Their long form pieces are shot through with vintage noir cinematic vibes accompanied by live manipulation of pure data, including images, being made audible and somehow slightly on fire. The unusual combination works unbelievably well with the 2 players approaching it like a live jazz improv and features some very exceptional playing.
Xavier Douglas-Smith - Piano
Jacob Canet-Gibson - Pure Data
Recorded and produced at Aerial Recording
THE MOON IS MY MACHINE
- Fayenator
Ekadek [Greg Brice] - Korg MS20 and modifried Rhythm Ace drum machine. Ekadek Grampian reverb and tape echo.
The Moon is My Machine [Ronan Charles] - Prophet 5 and space echo
Recorded at Ekadek Sound (NZ) and Aerial Recording (AUS)
Mixed and Mastered at Aerial Recording
(Feb 26, 2024)
FEBRUARY 26, 2024
Don't Forget to Rewind
The studio seems to be filling up with tape machines these days. Thanks to the hunting and maintenance skills of Sean Standen, Aerial's Chief Tape Officer, we've wheeled in another 1969 AG440 tape machine for calibrating.
Ampex always were the warmest sounding machines but so very old school and slightly annoying to not even having the basic utility of a tape counter.
Some things are just worth the extra messing about required...
Last but not least - just arrived today is my new BeesNeez BM49 tube microphone. This is a recreation of one of my most favourite microphones. The microphone used by Miles Davis on Kind of Blue, John Coltrane's saxophone, Aretha Franklin's biggest hits, Billie Holiday, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, the list is endless.. Here he is, a heavy beast of a thing, ready to do his first day's work on a piano track for a new secret client. Huge and incredibly well-balanced sounding, he has already earned his position on the squad.
THE MOON IS MY MACHINE
- Where You Are
One of my most favourite recordings ever.
A simple love song made at night for a daytime world.
Keren Letheby - Vocals
Ronan Charles - Drums, Keys, Bass, Guitar
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording.
Available on all streaming platforms.
One new song released each moon this year.
(Jan 20, 2024)
Music Studio Black Out
Went from a fully booked week of sessions to completely cancelled by a sudden apocalyptic storm that swept the hills all "When the Levee Breaks" at max volume style with bushfires, hail, flash flooding, trees down everywhere, lightning and the final coup de grace, three days and nights without power.
For me, living in the 1870's for a while was actually just fine.
No distractions from phones or computers (or clients) and got so much stuff done around the studio.
The best bit was setting up this cool 2 track tape machine, restored to pristine factory spec by Aerial Recording's brilliant new offical tech, Sean Standen. It's got a nice warm feel and when they finally got the power back on Friday, I hastily re-booked a session and it sounded just lovely driving it hard on a bunch of vocal tracks.
The other tape machine here is a 1967 1" 8 track Ampex AG440, the same model used to record The Beatles "Hey Jude".
Now, the question is - What band in Perth / Boorloo is keen and up for the challenge to record an 8 track album on tape? Hit me up.
(Dec 10, 2023)
DECEMBER 10, 2023
Summer
Not quite over yet, but 2023 has been an absolute pearler at Aerial and, feeling in a very grateful expansive mood, I'd like to wish everyone, and very particularly all the musicians who’ve been through my doors this year, a happy and safe (and profitable?) holiday season. Thanks to you all for being so amazing and bringing your music that has been such a pleasure to work with.
Really pleased with how the studio is growing. So many good projects through this year, covering so many different genres and stylistic territories that I am always kept on my toes.
The new site seems to have helped introduce this place to a bunch of new clients, after running for most of the last 10 years almost entirely on word of mouth.
Perhaps it's success is all down to my good lookin' studio hound Vinny? - (Here handsome - have a biscuit)
Many plans for the season ahead. Three very cool indie albums to finish off, a blues album, a meditation album, an experimental noise project, a live rock album and then do a film score. After a year of studio refurb I think it may be time to start adding a few more to my already slightly bursting microphone locker :)
(Nov 11, 2023)
Big And Loud Drums
A quick pic from a very pleasant Saturday tracking drums and bass for Monotonic's new album.
November 19,
2023
For those wondering what that red blanket is doing in this shot, I have a second bass drum microphone at the end of a padded rack case to capture more boom and less clatter from the rest of the kit. Works great to combine with an internal microphone for punch, and in situations where there is no kick port.
Al's snare is the heaviest and loudest DW brass snare I've ever seen and is captured with a BeesNeez BU67 and Albini-designed Josephson E22S. Also, out of shot, there are a few room microphones 6m out from the kit. Can't wait for this record to be complete as the drums sound truly massive.
This week I remastered Rob Zielinski's grand retrospective album "The Day Dawn" for an international tour. Also a bunch more mixing for Langley Chambers' first album which is also getting really close to release.
(Oct 29, 2023)
OCTOBER 29, 2023
Spring
Been keeping busy this month with some great recording sessions including Rob Zielinski, Manuela Centanni, Langley Chambers, Monotonic and Matt Walsh. Plotting another album by Gus McKay and a video production for Rob Zielinski.
All Spring, with any spare moment I could find, I've been painting the old servo exterior. A small lake of paint later, she is now resplendant in ECM green and IMPULSE! orange, in tribute to two of my favourite record labels.
Marked the end of this year's renovation mission by finally putting a little sign up on the marquee and posting the studio to Google Maps.
Gus McKay releases Mojo Grande (From the Vault)
So pleased to hear from Gus that this EP is now available.
These are the remaining tracks from the 2017 sessions for the album "Talisman" and features a fine set of dusty Mad Max style Blues Rock.
Gus McKay's songs are soaked in a raw kind of Australian experience far from the inner city.
"Talisman" received a stack of enthusastic reviews for it's cinematic vibes and it's wide-ranging blues/jazz/folk/Australiana roots . Though recorded at the same time, the tracks from Mojo Grande never quite sat right in the lazy heat haze of that set, so it's fitting that that they finally get their own release.
It's the kind of rough, one take blues rock that would make a perfect sound track to a Kalgoorlie bar fight or sunset behind the wheel of a roadtrain. Gus tells me it's already receiving radio play in the UK.
MOJO GRANDE (From the Vault)
Gus McKay - Vocals, Guitar
Phil Waldron - Bass, Pedal Steel, Trumpet
Ronan Charles - Drums, Hammond Organ, Saxophone
Recorded and Mixed at Aerial Recording
Mastered at Abbey Road by Simon Gibson
Check it out on streaming platforms or
(Sep 29, 2023)
Spring Tuesday Sessions
$250 4 HOUR SESSION
* Special Rate for Tuesday Day or Night Sessions
Additional time at standard rate [$80/hr]
Aerial Recording is open for bookings 7 days a week.
Phil Waldron & Emily Green-Armytage record Dittersdorf's Bass Concerto
(Sep 10 2023)
Perth Session Musicians - Get in Touch
I have a bunch of interesting projects coming up and looking to expand my roster of experienced local musicians who are interested and available for session work.
Drop me an email and I'll be in touch.
Video by Francis Fenner
Community Chamber Collective Session
A crisp, bright Winter's day up here in the hills and just finished a great session with the Community Chamber Collective recording their arrangement of Palladio by Karl Jenkins for a video production. We captured an incredible, inspired performance.
Community Chamber Collective - Palladio (K. Jenkins) [Full Version]
In other news, my favourite synth from my collection, the one and only 1983 Prophet 5 (rev3.3) is back from a service from the genius electronics doctor Grant Ettrick (EAV) and sounds more thick and alive and better than ever. It's a synth from another era, the first ever synth to have an operating system and presets, and one which kind of quirkily cycles a buddhist mantra as it runs the code. Also features a picture of Buddha on the circuit board. They don't make 'em like that any more !
Rob Zielinski "Memories of Krakow" Mastered at Abbey Road
Rob Zielinski is one of the finest violinists that you'll ever have the pleasure to hear. He was traditionally mentor-trained in Irish fiddle and tours extensively. In addition, he is also a violin luthier of the highest standard. I've been recording Rob for 6 years now, documenting him with various groups, solo performances and the distinctive sound of each new instrument he makes.
"Memories of Krakow" is one of his own finest ballads, shot through with dark Polish folk vibes and I just got word it should be available soon. I'll post a link to it soon.
Thought I'd share an email I just got from him.
"Hey Ronan,
So I'm just back from Europe and managed to duck over to London and get this track mastered at Abbey Road with Andy Walter. He's one of the senior engineers there. Amazing experience. He loved the sound, mixing and everything . He said it didn't need anything and just put it through the software chain they use on everything pretty much."
Video by Elliot Ramsay
Sascha Ion & The Elements to release "Creature" EP on 24th August
Sascha Ion is an immensely talented musician and a great friend. We played and toured together in One Horse Town many years ago so it was a pleasure to work with her again and record her new band's EP at the tail end of Summer. It came together criminally easy.
"Creature" is on rotation on RTR-FM ahead of it's digital release on 24th August, followed by a launch concert at Clancy's Fremantle on the 1st September.
New site to celebrate Aerial's 10th Birthday
Welcome to the new Aerial Recording site. My daughter Neve took some of the photos and studio hound Vinny did his best to get in every shot. Thanks also to Elliot ("Elite") Ramsay for some great shots taken during the Sascha Ion sessions.
Studio has been busy lately and have also been doing a stack of renovations to the old joint. I built some new big and wide stairs to make it easier to lug in drums and amps without fear of killing yourself. New lights (yeah I'm addicted to fancy lights, I admit), new server room, new drum storage and installed the amazing Autotone Reverb Device in the main room to enhance the room sound. Next is to tackle my admittedly basic (some might even say primitive) kitchen.
Recent new recording projects have included the recording of Monotonic's new album, featuring ex-members of Header and Ammonia. Langley Chambers, a talented young singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist is working on his debut album. Also about to start work on mixing the mammoth Chagos Population album that kept me busy all 2022 recording dozens of great local players as guests.
Gus McKay is planning to release an EP from some of the previously unreleased "Talisman" sessions. btw: Hunt down a copy of his critically acclaimed and Aerial-recorded album "Talisman" on vinyl if you still can.
Nel Begley Quintet are making a video of one of the tracks she recorded here when she toured here from London over Summer and look forward to posting it here.
My own latest instrumental project Rain No Rain also has a new website with all the tracks from the 2022 live recording made here. Features the awesome Ricky Malet, Daniele Di Paola and Kate Pass.
RECENT CLIENTS.
- Keira Watson
- Community Arts Network
- Sascha Ion & The Elements
- Treemendus Health
- Cherry Pearce
- Emily Williams
- Alexandra Staiger
- Sonder Lines
- Ruby Come Back
- Tim Mitchell
- Rose Willow
- Colton, Shane & Rhys
- High On People
- Vermistropos
- The Moon is My Machine
- Rob Zielinski & Manuela Centanni
- Langley Chambers
- Monotonic
- Phil Waldron & Emily Armytage-Green
- Community Chamber Orchestra
- Matt Walsh
- Nel Begley Quintet
- Jean & Alex
- Chagos Population
- Rain No Rain
- Cam Avery
- Huge Magnet
- Radio Repairs
- Joe Leach
- Gus McKay
Nel Begley Quintet - Detour Ahead
London based jazz vocalist Nel Begley recorded this beautiful Billie Holiday song with the quintet live in the Big Room on her recent tour to Perth.
Nel Begley - vocals, Russell Holmes - piano, Luke Fowler - double bass, Joe Fowler - flute, Alex Reid - drums.
Radio Repairs - Big Tree
A live session with bass and piano in the Big Room and drums in the booth.
Ronan Charles - piano, Phil Waldron - double bass, Daniele Di Paola - drums
Gus McKay - Piawaning Suit
Blues legend Gus McKay recorded the critically acclaimed "Talisman" album at Aerial. Here is one of the tracks that always reminds me of chasing a greased pig. :)
GEAR.
Microphones
Wagner U47W
Josephson C700A
Josephson E22s x 2
Beesneez BM49
Beesneez BU67 x 2
Universal Audio Sphere DLX
Neumann TLM 102 x 2
BeyerDynamic M160 x 4
BeyerDynamic M201
BeyerDynamic M88
BeyerDynamic M69
DrAlienSmith Alien8
DrAlienSmith Capsule8
DrAlienSmith DirtMic-01
DrAlienSmith Wormhole
Studio Projects T3
Sennheiser MD441
Sennheiser MD21
Telefunken MD21
Line Audio CM4 x 2
Electro-Voice N/D 868
Electro-Voice N/D 468
Electro-Voice DS35 x 2
Electro-Voice 635A x 2
Electro-Voice RE11
Shure SM7b
Shure Unidyne 545 x 2
Shure Green Bullet
Shure SM58
Wasaphone MkII
Preamps
8 Channels Neve 538
(EKADEK CONSOLE)
Neve 1081 x 2
NPNG DMP-2NW x 2
Neve Portico 5012 x 2
Ampex 602 (Tube)
Aphex Tubessence x 2
Alctron MP73
EQ
Neve 1081 x 2
Chandler Tone Control x 2
Valley People Maxi-Q
Compressors
Ekadek Fat Lady Vari-Mu x 2
Drawmer 1968 x 2
Valley International Comander x 2
FX
Autotone (1920's Acoustic Reverb!)
Roland Space Echo
Roland Chorus Echo
Strymon Timeline
DrAlienSmith Dirt Box
Valley People Kepex II Noise Gate
Valley People DSP De-Esser
Elektron Octatrak
Console
Ekadek Klangenschmitt
Recorders
UAD Apollo X8P
UAD Apollo 16 (Blackface)
UAD Quad Satellite
Prism Orpheus
Ampex AG440B
(1969 1/2" 4 track tape machine)
Teac 22-2 tape machine
Monitors
Quested S8
Computer/Software
Mac Studio M1 | 64gb ram
UAD Luna
Ableton Live
Huge plug-in collection
INSTRUMENTS & AMPS.
Keyboards
Yamaha G5 Grand Piano
[1964 fully restored]
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 [1983 Rev3.3 w/ midi]
DSI Prophet 12
Moog Voyager
Nord Grand
Hammond A100 & Leslie [1963]
Hammond XK3 & Leslie
Rhodes MKI Piano
Rhodes MKII Piano
Rhodes Piano Bass
Roland RS-202 [1976]
Yamaha CP70 Electric Grand
Yamaha CP Reface
Yamaha CS Reface
Yamaha YC Reface
Korg Bass Synthe [1975]
Korg Delta [1979]
Solina String Ensemble [1974]
Piano Accordions
Mason & Hamlin Pump Organ [1897]
* Can locally source many other vintage keyboards on request
Instruments
Fender Jazzmaster [MIJ]
Hofner Violin Bass
Nagoya Harp
Modular Synth with 30+modules
Accordions x3
Pedals
Tech 21 Sansamp
Strymon Timeline
Big Muff
BeeGee Fuzz
Vox Wah
Crybaby Wah
Radial DI
Alctron Re-Amper
Sonicake ABY
Drums
Gretsch Round Badge Kit [20",16",13"][1960s]
Ludwig Black Beauty Snare
Slingerland Artist Series Snare [1966]
Ajax Bass Drum 28" [1930s]
Premier Bass Drum 20" [1960s]
Tama Bass Drum 22" [1970s]
Bosphorus, Istanbul, Zildjian & Meinl Cymbals
Hang Drum
Balinese Gong
Miscellaneous Percussion - shakers, tambourines
Elektron MachineDrum
Elektron Octatrack
Amps
Kay 30w "Widow Maker" [1950s]
Leslie 142 [1960s]
Leslie 2121
Fender PA100 [1970s]
Rex Bassking [1960s]
Playmaster PM116 [1960s]
Speakers
2 x 12” Celestions
1 x 15” Marshall
2 x 8" x 4 Fender
