This week we're thrilled to welcome multi-talented engineer and musician Stefano Civetta, with an impressive career spanning from playing the organ at the Vatican to engineering for some of the biggest films including Avengers: End Game and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

We begin with Stef’s musical roots from growing up in a small Alpine village surrounded by music, his summer gig playing organ at the Vatican, and his leap to the UK for the Tonmeister course. From there he shares his 6 years at Abbey Road - climbing from studio runner to trusted engineer, working 42-day stints, and learning from some of the best in the business, before a bold new chapter converting a 17th-century barn into School Farm Studios alongside Audio Network’s Andrew Sunnucks!

Having spent countless sessions with Stef, we’ve seen his incredible ability to multitask in the control room when engineering, running the session, and catching the slightest squeak or wrong note. We ask how he does it, what he listens for, and what makes a session work well.

Stef also shares his invaluable tips for composers preparing for recording sessions, reveals why Tom Waits tops his music bucket list, and tells us the story of the time he pissed off John Powell…

Chapters

0:00 Intro

3:43 Stef’s musical background

13:55 Playing organ at the Vatican

17:34 Working at Abbey Road

22:22 Turning a 17th-century barn into School Farm Studios

30:44 Multitasking in the control room

37:49 Navigating complex sessions

41:04 Advice when preparing for a recording session

45:55 Stef’s musical bucket list

54:53 Engineering for John Powell

#abbeyroad #abbeyroadstudios #engineer #recordingengineer #composer #vatican #organist #organ #recoringsession #recordingsesstionstories

In this episode, we’re honoured to welcome 80s pop icon Nik Kershaw, whose four-decade career spans chart-topping hits like “Wouldn’t It Be Good” and the massive number-one single “The One And Only” which he wrote for Chesney Hawkes.

We explore Nik’s upbringing in a musically rich family, channeling teenage angst into dramatic lyrics, and journeying through prog-fusion and jazz bands before launching his solo career with agent Micky Modern.

Nik reflects on his whirlwind rise to fame, culminating in his iconic Live Aid performance alongside legends like Queen and David Bowie, sharing the nerves, out-of-body moments and the one artist who left him starstruck…

But fame wasn’t the end of Nik’s story! Beyond the 80’s spotlight, we discuss his pivot into a sought-after songwriter for icons like Elton John, writing tracks for commercials, TV and Film, and how imposter syndrome and creative hunger still fuels him today.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:27 Nik’s musical background
09:09 Early songwriting
19:53 Joining bands
24:32 Becoming a solo artist
33:00 Performing at Live Aid
40:50 Writing ‘The One and Only’ for Chesney Hawkes
50:41 Writing music for Film, TV and Adverts
57:09 Collaborating with Elton John
1:04:19 What’s next for Nik?

#nikkershaw #80spop #80smusic #liveaid #eltonjohn #chesneyhawkes #composer #songwriting

We’re taking you behind the scenes of our recent trip to Nashville, where we recorded an album of sizzling soul grooves designed for use in Film & TV.

This time, we’re skipping the writing process to focus on the recording sessions at the iconic Sound Emporium Studios, complete with it’s rich musical history and quirky tiki-bar studio charm!

From a horn section with lips of steel to the slightly humbling moment the rhythm section rewrote all our charts using the Nashville Number System, we share the stories, surprises and lessons from the sessions. We also look at how recording in different cities across the world can shape the feel of the music, comparing London’s precision with Nashville’s soulful behind-the-beat groove.

This episode is perfect for composers, soul music enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the world of production music!

You can listen to the finished album here (and it will be available on streaming platforms soon!) - https://www.audionetwork.com/browse/m/album/soul-control_4829

Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:21 The brief

5:06 Sound Emporium Studios

8:45 The recording process

10:47 The Nashville Number System

15:27 The way brass and rhythm players interact

19:00 Recording styles across different cities

24:25 How we record - linear vs in chunks

26:56 Our thoughts on Nashville

29:17 How did it turn out?

#nashvillemusic #recordingsession #composer #tvcomposer #soulmusic