Editing Real World Studios

{{Short description|Recording studio, founded in 1989 by Peter Gabriel}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Coord|51.4189|N|2.2525|W|display=title}}
{{Infobox company
| name                = Real World Studios
| logo                = REALWORLD-box-logo-small-2.jpg
| logo_caption        = 
| logo_alt            = Real World Records Logo
| type                = [[Recording studio]]
| industry            = [[Music industry|Music]]
| predecessor         = 
| foundation          = {{Start date and age|1989}} in [[Box, Wiltshire]], England
| founder             = [[Peter Gabriel]]
| defunct             = <!-- {{End date|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->
| fate                = 
| successor           = <!-- or: | successors = -->
| hq_location         = Box Mill, Mill Lane, Box, Wiltshire SN13 8PL
| hq_location_city    = [[Box, Wiltshire|Box]]
| hq_location_country = [[England]]
| area_served         = <!-- or: | areas_served = -->
| key_people          = 
| products            = 
| owner               = <!-- or: | owners = -->
| num_employees       = 
| num_employees_year  = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->
| parent              = 
| website             = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''Real World Studios''' is a residential [[recording studio]] complex founded by [[Peter Gabriel]] and situated in the old Box [[Mill (grinding)|Mill]] building in the village of [[Box, Wiltshire|Box]], [[Wiltshire]], [[England]], near to the city of [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]]. It is closely associated with the [[Real World Records]] [[record label]], Real World Publishing, and the [[World of Music, Arts and Dance|WOMAD Festival]], whose offices are also based at the complex.

==Destinations==
[[File:Real World Studios 7.jpg|thumb|350px|Real World Studios]]
[[File:Real World Studios.jpg|thumb|350px|"The Big Room" in the Real World Studios]]
Its aim is to provide excellent working opportunities for many musicians, as well as the wider dissemination of [[world music]]. It is intended to serve as a springboard for musicians from all over the world to bring their music to areas and cultures they cannot tap into themselves, especially in the [[United States|USA]] where music from [[Africa]], [[Asia]] and [[Latin America]] is rarely broadcast on mainstream stations.

{{Main|Real World Records}}
The Real World music label has introduced musicians such as [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]], [[Papa Wemba]] and [[Youssou N'Dour]] to Western culture. Peter Gabriel has released all his own albums under this label since 1989, and its influence helps sell other artists' world music. Especially his album [[Passion (Peter Gabriel album)|Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ]] has helped world music to enter [[pop music]]. Besides Peter Gabriel, the studio has been most commercially successful with the band [[Afro Celt Sound System]], which fuses [[Music of Africa|African]] and [[Celtic music|Celtic rhythms and melodies]].

==Facility==
The largest recording space, appropriately referred to as the Big Room, is a 2,000 square foot combination live room and control room with a custom wraparound 72-channel [[Solid State Logic|SSL]] 9000 XL K Series [[mixing console]] at its centre, with large windows offering expansive views of the adjacent millpond and gardens. Although the Big Room has a separate machine room and two isolation booths, it is designed as one large collaborative recording space with no dividing walls. Alternately, the Big Room also functions as a [[Dolby Surround 7.1]]-certified film mixing room.<ref name="timespace">{{cite web|title=Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios clean up with iZotope's RX|url=http://www.timespace.com/features/3811/peter-gabriel's-real-world-studios-clean-up-with-izotope's-rx.html|website=Timespace.com|date=2015-05-21|access-date=2015-10-11}}</ref>

Adjoining the Big Room and within the former mill building is the Wood Room. This room utilizes a 24-channel SSL AWS 924 console, and features a more lively acoustic character, mezzanine floor and movable acoustic screens, as well as its own isolation booth. The Big Room and The Wood Room can be booked together for a larger recording space, or individually for smaller or lower-budget projects.<ref name=timespace/> Also available is the Rehearsal Room—a 49 foot by 16 foot space for rehearsals or pre-production.

The Red Room is a dedicated mixing and production room well-suited for [[post-production]], [[Dubbing (filmmaking)|ADR recording]], and mixing for television and film, while a [[Foley (filmmaking)|Foley]] stage facilitates recording Foley.

The studio also has the Writing Room and the Work Room, which are Gabriel's own private workspaces.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Touzeau|first=Jeff|title=Real World Studios: A behind the scenes tour|url=https://tapeop.com/interviews/48/real-world-studios/|magazine=Tape Op|date=July 2005|access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref>

A residential studio complex designed as an artist's retreat, Real World offers living accommodations. The House offers six double bedrooms, a living room, dining room, and laundry facilities. The Cottage is a separate building with living room, bedroom, bathroom, and mobile recording rig. Real World's kitchen offers continental breakfast, lunch, and two-course evening dinner prepared by an in-house chef.

==History==
In 1986, following the success of his album ''[[So (album)|So]]'', [[Peter Gabriel]] decided to pursue a permanent recording facility. Knowing that he wanted to remain in the same area as the [[Ashcombe House, Somerset|Ashcombe House]] that he had been renting, and that he wanted the new location to be close to running water, Gabriel looked at several sites, mostly old mills, near [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]].<ref name="BiegerH">{{cite web|last=Bieger|first=Hannes|title=Real World Studios, Bath|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/real-world-studios-bath|website=soundonsound.com|publisher=Sound On Sound|date=May 2017|access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref> A 13-acre site in the village of [[Box, Wiltshire|Box]] featured the [[Bybrook River|By Brook]] and several existing buildings, including [[Bybrook River#Mills|Box Mill]], a 200-year-old water mill that had been converted to offices in the 1950s. Gabriel purchased the site and its buildings from [[Spafax]] in 1987.<ref name=timespace/>

Gabriel's vision for the new studio was a unified space where everyone could work together, where musicians aren't separated from the engineer or producer. Additionally, he wanted these creative spaces to have elements of light, air, and water.<ref name=BiegerH/> Working with architectural design firm [[Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios|FCBStudios]], the existing buildings were converted and a new building ('The Big Room') was added. The new complex provided both recording studio facilities and residential accommodations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://fcbstudios.com/work/view/real-world-studios|title=FeildenCleggBradleyStudios: Real World Studios|website=FCBStudios.com|access-date=25 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thespaces.com/2015/05/02/striking-a-chord-recording-studios-that-sync-design-and-function/ |title=Striking a Chord: Recording Studios That Sync Design and Function |website=thespaces.com|access-date=2017-04-10 |archive-date=2017-04-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170411055403/https://thespaces.com/2015/05/02/striking-a-chord-recording-studios-that-sync-design-and-function/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Clients==
Notable clients of Real World Studios include<ref name=RWS-Clients>{{Cite web |url=http://realworldstudios.com/clients/ |title=Clients |work= realworldstudios.com |date= 2 May 2016|access-date=2023-03-25 |language=en-GB}}</ref> [[A-ha]], [[Alicia Keys]], [[Amy Winehouse]], [[Beyoncé]], [[Björk]], [[Black Grape]], [[Blue October]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Chris de Burgh]], [[Coldplay]], [[Daniel Lanois]], [[Deep Purple]], [[Foals (band)|Foals]], [[Goldfrapp]], [[Harry Styles]], [[Idles]], [[Indigo Girls]], James, [[James Morrison (singer)|James Morrison]], [[Jay-Z]], [[Joseph Arthur]], [[Kanye West]], [[Kasabian]], [[Katie Melua]], [[King Crimson]], [[Kylie Minogue]], [[Laura Marling]], [[Loreena McKennitt]], [[Maggie Rogers]], [[Marillion]], [[Melanie C]], [[Mumford & Sons]], [[Natalie Duncan]], [[New Order (band)|New Order]], [[Paloma Faith]], [[Paolo Nutini]], [[Papa Wemba]], [[Paul Simon]], [[Periphery (band)|Periphery]], [[Pixies (band)|Pixies]], [[Placebo (band)|Placebo]], [[The Pretenders]], [[Rag'n'Bone Man]], [[Reef (band)|Reef]], [[Robert Plant]], [[Roger Waters]], [[Sade Adu|Sade]], [[Seal (musician)|Seal]], [[Sia]], [[Squid (band)|Squid]], [[Stereophonics]], [[Suzi Quatro]], [[Take That]], [[Therapy?]], [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]], [[Toto (band)|Toto]], [[Ultravox]], [[Van Morrison]], [[The Vamps (British band)|The Vamps]], [[Wet Wet Wet]], and [[The 1975]].

Real World Studios has been host to film and TV projects including ''[[Quantum of Solace]]'', ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]'', ''[[Green Zone (film)|Green Zone]]'' and ''[[The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (TV series)|The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency]].''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website}} (retrieved on 25 March 2023)
*[http://realworldrecords.com/ Real World Records] (retrieved on 25 March 2023)
*[http://www.soundonsound.com/people/sos-visits-real-world-studios Video Feature: SOS visits Real World Studios] (retrieved on 25 March 2023)
*[https://fcbstudios.com/work/view/real-world-studios FeildenCleggBradleyStudios – Real World Studios] (retrieved on 25 March 2023)

{{Peter Gabriel}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1989 establishments in England]]
[[Category:Recording studios in England]]
[[Category:World music]]
[[Category:Multimedia]]
[[Category:Peter Gabriel]]
[[Category:Real World Records albums]]
[[Category:Box, Wiltshire]]
[[Category:Companies based in Wiltshire]]