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First available engineer from £85 per track

Not based in the UK? Need a faster turnaround? Unlock the expertise of our mastering engineers from anywhere via our online mastering service. This is a convenient, secure and cost-effective way to get your music finessed by one of our world-class engineers.

Online Mastering
Have a mastering project you want to discuss? Get in touch with our Mastering Engineer Manager Ellie!
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OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU

Metropolis Studios continues to adhere to the strictest Covid-19 precautionary measures.

Stuart Hawkes celebrates two BRIT Awards.

Stuart Hawkes is the man behind the mastering of two phenomenal BRIT Awards winners. His work saw success in the Best Male category, won by Stormzy and Mabel, recipient of the Best Female Award. Heavy Is The Head and High Expectations.

We’re exceptionally proud to have worked with so many of the nominated artists over the past year! 2020 was another big year of BRITs nominations for Metropolis. Our engineers Matt ColtonJohn Davis and Stuart Hawkes worked on a grand total of 10 nominated releases.⚡️

Metropolis Engineers won big at the MPG Awards!

Metropolis is thrilled that   won ‘  of the year’ at the 2020 MPG Awards. It is Matt’s 3rd time winning this prestigious title. Last year he mastered projects from Kano, Elbow, Michael Kiwanuka and Ellie Goulding. Matt is a world-renowned mastering engineer and half-speed cutting specialist.

Metropolis would also like to offer huge congratulations to   for recording Stormzy’s chart-topping hit ‘Vossi Bop’ which won the ‘ ‘ at the 2020 MPG Awards. Liam had previously won a Grammy Award for the recording of Adele –’25’, which is the world’s fastest-selling album of the century.

We are proud of our engineers who continue to cement their reputation as THE best in the business.

Stormzy HQ at Metropolis ⚡️

We are honoured to have been home to Stormzy and his team while he worked on his highly anticipated album HITH.

 

The production of “Heavy Is The Head” was assisted by our in house team including Harpaal Sanghera, Paul Norris and Alex Robinson. Head Engineer Liam Nolan recorded hit track ‘Vossi Bop’ with the album mastered by the one and only Stuart Hawkes.

⏯ Stream it now: https://stormzy.lnk.to/HITH

Metropolis Mastering Celebrates National Album Day 2019

The mastering engineers at Metropolis have worked on thousands of albums, from chart busting classics to underground gems and everything in between. To mark National Album Day, we spoke to our engineers about their most memorable album projects and their personal favourite records.

 

Matt Colton

What was your favourite album to master and why? 

Kano – Hoodies All Summer

This record has hooks for the radio, beats for the floor, a knowing and gifted lyricist with a voice that can be sweet as honey or raging. It’s a paean to London, to childhood, to teenage years. But it also looks forward, providing hope for, and a warning about the future. Without question one of the albums of the year, and one of the great UK hip hop albums; there isn’t a second of filler here, it’s all gold from start to end.

 

What album changed your life?

Nirvana – Nevermind

I saw Nirvana play Bristol Bierkeller in late ’91 with a couple of hundred other people and came away transformed. It is still one of the finest gigs I have ever been to. My parents bought me Nevermind for Christmas that year and the desire in my 17 year old mind to pursue a life in music became concrete. Nevermind isn’t the coolest record Nirvana made, but it is absolutely perfect. The singles have become ubiquitous, but the other tracks maintain the same quality and the same intoxicating blend of beauty and rage. Every song is genuinely stunning, but it’s the palpable energy that was captured in the recording of the album that takes your breath away. – Matt Colton

 

Tony Cousins

Why was this album so great to master?

Khalil Chahine – Opake

It’s an instrumental record. He is of Egyptian origin but naturalised French, a guitarist and composer. Great musicians inc Manu Katche, great tunes, very atmospheric.

 

What is one of your favourite albums EVER?

The Band – The Band

It’s just a classic. – Tony Cousins

 

John Davis

What is the biggest project you’ve worked on?

Led Zeppelin – Back Catalogue Remastering

The Led Zeppelin Catalogue Remastering. Worked on this over 5 years! An opportunity to work with Jimmy Page remastering all of the bands studio albums.The biggest thrill I got was when Jimmy was quoted to say that the remastered albums were “The best Led Zeppelin had ever sounded”

 

What is your FAVOURITE album to have worked on?

Lana Del Rey – Born To Die

I think this is my overall personal favourite album I’ve worked on since I came to Metropolis in 2008. Video Games became a massive hit and all of the tracks were amazing. I mastered the album in 2011 and I had just got the Antelope Atomic Clock and Avalon AD2077 Eq. The album sounds so lush and exotic. I still get work to this very day because of mastering it! – John Davis

 

Felix Davis

What album have you mastered that is special to you?

Public Access TV – Never Enough

This is one of the first albums I ever mastered. It harkens back to some of my favourite New York Art Rock bands like Television and The Strokes.

 

What is your ALL-TIME favourite album?

Bob Dylan – Blood On The Tracks

The lyrics are perfect. Dylan’s voice has never sounded better and the bitterness and pain cuts straight through me. The ultimate bitter divorce album, I can study the lyrics for months and months and still discover new favourites. – Felix Davis

 

Stuart Hawkes

What is the most special album you’ve mastered?

Amy Winehouse – Back To Black

I knew from the moment I heard the demos that this was going to be a very special album. One which I knew I wanted to be involved with. Albums are so important, we get to experience tracks that wouldn’t really work as singles. The album allows for greater experimentation and opens you up to the artists’ creativity.

 

 

What album was recommended to you and became an instant favourite?

Jeff Buckley – Grace

Someone told me if I listened to this album it would become my favourite album of all time, they weren’t wrong! – Stuart Hawkes

 

Mike Hillier

What makes this album your favourite to have mastered?

Cloud Castle Lake – The Meeting OST

It was experimental and compelling.

 

Who has a perfect album?

Jeff Buckley – Grace

It has to be Jeff Buckley – Grace, the 2014 remaster. It’s the greatest album ever recorded, from his voice to Andy Wallace’s perfect mix. – Mike Hillier

 

Andy ‘Hippy’ Baldwin

What makes this album your favourite to have mastered?

The Who – Live at Hull

One album that will always stick in my mind is The Who’s ‘Live at Hull’. The Who’s ‘Live at Leeds’ is the band’s more famous record but it was never intended to be that way. Due to technical issues at the Hull gig the recordings were incomplete and the back up recording of the Leeds show became one of the bands biggest releases. However with the advent of modern restoration techniques the Hull recordings were revisited by Pete Townsend and notably the bass guitar which was lost in the first six songs of the concert. This was restored and then the whole set was remixed and sent over for mastering.The mastering was attended by Bob Pridden who was the bands sound engineer since 1969, he knew exactly how to approach the session to get the sound he wanted to hear. We had 2 days of stories, tea drinking and listening to a concert that had only ever been heard by those who attended it, we literally had history belting out of the speakers. The masters felt as fresh in a new century as they did back when The Who recorded it. I was very humbled to have been involved with this project.

 

 

What album influenced you?

The Cure – Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me

When it comes to choosing an album that has influenced me over the years again there are so many it’s so hard to choose one. I suppose if pushed I would have to go with The Cure’s “Kiss me kiss me kiss me” It was the 1st album I went out and bought after borrowing a moody cassette copy from an older friend at school, it was the first time I’d ever really heard an artist swear in angst (and probably the only record Robert Smith swore on). Profanities aside it is an incredible album with the perfect blend of Pop(ish) tracks such as “just like heaven” and “why can’t I be you” and darker tracks such as “The kiss”, “How beautiful you are” and “Torture” At the tender age of 15 this was the record that opened my eyes to alternative culture and led me into a whole new world of music that at that time, mostly infuriated my parents 🙂 – Andy ‘Hippy’ Baldwin

 

Read more about our Mastering Engineers, National Album Day or book a mastering session online.

Metropolis Dominated The 2019 BRIT Awards

We’re exceptionally proud to have worked with so many of the nominated artists over the past year! 2018 was another big year of BRITs nominations.

John Davis &  Stuart Hawkes worked on a grand total of 24 nominated releases (over 50% of all) from the likes of Anne-Marie, Florence + The Machine, Lily Allen, Craig David, Gorillaz, Clean Bandit, Dua Lipa, Rudimental, and Rita Ora.

[CLASH LIVE 28/02] Isaac Waddington & Mauwe

Clash Live with Isaac Waddington and Mauwe.

Having packed out Studio A to the rafters for January’s show, Clash Live returns to Metropolis Studios this month on Thursday 28th February with Isaac Waddington and Mauwe centre stage.

Thursday 28th February… keep it free!

Grab your free tickets here

 

Isaac Waddington occupies his own world. A supremely gifted songwriter, the south coast native was musical from a young age, desperate to explore fresh sounds and new realms. Somehow, he has gathered this all into one vision, matching digital pop nous to a jazz-tinged rhythmic flexibility. Comparisons could be made to similar digital auteurs such as Tom Misch, but really Isaac Waddington is out there on his own.

Mauwe

Grab your free tickets here

Samplethon – Digging The Bruton Vaults

Universal Production Music, the world’s leading production
music company, today announced the vinyl release of ‘Samplethon – Digging The Bruton
Vaults’ (BR651), a unique collection of tracks that samples music from the widely-acclaimed
Bruton Vaults.

For the release, Universal Production Music worked with WhoSampled, the world’s leading
online destination for fans of sampled music, cover songs and remixes. With their assistance,
some of the most sought-after samples were pulled from the Vaults and given to twenty up-and-
coming producers at ‘Samplethon,’ an exclusive event at Metropolis where producers compete to create new
music based on the archive materials. The result is a limited edition 10″ vinyl which showcases
tracks created using samples from the Bruton Vaults, putting a new and innovative spin on
these classic recordings.

Bruton Music has long been a name synonymous with high-quality production music, with its
vast catalogue spanning over 40 years of tracks. Originally aimed at Film, Television and Radio,
the catalogue is frequently used by producers, crate-diggers and DJs alike, taking on a life of its
own outside of the production music sphere.
Bruton samples have also been used in a variety of well-known tracks. Artists including
Kaytranada, Gang Starr, Erykah Badu have all sampled music from this diverse collection,
recognising the quality and adapting it to great effect. Many records from the catalogue have
since become collector’s items for well-respected DJs and other musicians.

The Bruton Samplethon vinyl is sold by BBE Records at £10 each. Distribution is within the UK
and the product is available for purchase at the BBE store and online worldwide: https://www.facebook.com/thebbestore/

 

Samplethon – Digging The Bruton Vaults tracklist:

  1. ‘DNGR’ – Bigg Kid
  2. ‘Been There Done That’ – Sup Nasa
  3. ‘Feels Right’ – Chris Read & Pugs Atomz
  4. ‘Bold’ – Mr. Thing
  5. ‘Jack The Ripper (Vocal) – Soundsci
  6. ‘Jack The Ripper (Instrumental)’ – Soundsci
  7. ‘Robotik’ – Mark Rae
  8. ‘Dark Approach’ – Danny Drive Through

Matt Colton joins Metropolis Mastering

Metropolis Mastering celebrates its Jubilee and announces the addition of Matt Colton  to it’s impressive roster of Mastering engineers.

2019 marks Metropolis Mastering entering its 25th year of audio excellence. Across the year the world renowned studio will be celebrating with a number of special anniversary events.

Kicking off the celebrations is the announcement that Matt Colton will be joining Metropolis Mastering. Matt joins from Alchemy. Matt alongside Tim Young, Tony Cousins, John Davis, Stuart Hawkes and Andy ‘Hippy’ Baldwin form a formidable line-up of world class Mastering talent.

Matt said of his new appointment:

“Metropolis has long been the pre-eminent name in Mastering in the UK, and has a global reputation that is second to none. The opportunity to work here, in one of the world’s great facilities and alongside some of the finest mastering engineers working today, was simply too good to refuse.”

Richard Connell, CEO of Metropolis said:

“Matt has a proven track record, working with incredible artists that made his appointment a number one priority for us here at Metropolis. His talent, enthusiasm, professionalism and energy are a signal that Metropolis is not standing still and will remain at the forefront of mastering for the next 25 years.”

 

About Matt Colton

Matt Colton was awarded the Music Producers Guild Mastering Engineer of the Year award in 2018 and 2013. A mastering engineer since 1997, Matt worked at  Alchemy as a director in 2012 having previously worked at AIR Studios, Alchemy Soho, Optimum and Porky’s Mastering. Matt has worked with many of the world’s biggest and greatest artists including Coldplay, Muse, James Blake, George Michael, Peter Gabriel, Manic Street Preachers, Arctic Monkeys, Thom Yorke, and on Flume’s 2017 Grammy award winning ” Skin ” album.

The Age Of L.U.N.A & Paigey Cakey to play Clash Live…

London’s very own The Age of L.U.N.A are heading to Metropolis Studios for Clash Live!

Catch them blend the traditional with technology and their four unique music loving personalities. Another London staple Paigey Cakey will join them with her fire-bars and fire-flow. It’s going to be a good one and it’s all free.

Thursday 23rd August… keep it free!

Grab your free tickets here

The Age Of L.U.N.A

Paigey Cakey

Grab your free tickets here