Pye Studios

Recording and mastering studios in London and affiliated with Pye Records. Originally located at 10a Chandos Street, the studios moved in 1960 into the ATV House, Great Cumberland Place (with the studio entrance in Bryanston Street), just off Marble Arch. Note: The names [u]Pye Studios Marble Arch[/u] or [u]Marble Arch Studios[/u] can also be found on releases but are one and the same studios and all such entries since 1960 also belong here. The studio consisted of two recording studios with control rooms, a vocal booth for voice-over work, two remix rooms, three lacquer cutting rooms, two tape copying rooms, three echo chambers, and at some point in the 1970s, an 8-track mastering room. Vinyl cuts can be identified by the specific run-out patterns, which were generally stamped (up to 1976) and hand-etched afterwards (although etched ones can be found earlier, too). The pattern consists of the matrix number (generally the same as the catalogue number), with a suffixed side identifier 'A' or a 'B', followed by a hyphen and a single number (usually '1'), followed by a symbol for the cutting room/ lathe, and an engineer's initial or scribe. The following symbols were used to identify the cutting room/ lathe: △ (triangle) - until 1968 identifying a Westrex/Scully lathe, then a Neumann VMS66 lathe, ♢ (diamond) - until 1970 identifying a Westrex/Scully lathe, then a Neumann VMS70 lathe, ✳ (star) - until 1974 identifying a Westrex Scully lathe. The following initials/ scribes were used by the cutting engineers: BJ = Bob Jones (6) with the △, ♢ and ✳ prefixes. F = Bill Foster with the △, ♢ and ✳ prefixes. G = Gordon Vicary with the △, ♢ and ✳ prefixes. H = Howard Barrow with the △, ♢ and ✳ prefixes. J = Geoff Calver with the △ prefix. M = Derek Moore (3) with the △, ♢ and ✳ prefixes until 1966. M = Malcolm Davies with the △, ♢ and ✳ prefixes since 1967. MB = Mike Brown (3) with the △ and ♢ prefixes. N - so far unknown, with the △ prefix R - so far unknown, with the △ and ✳ prefixes. S = Derek Sticklen with the △, ♢ and ✳ prefixes. T = Tony Bridge with the △, ♢ and ✳ prefixes. W = Derek Sticklen (Derek W Sticklen) with the △ and ♢ prefixes. X = [a264258] with the △, ♢ and ✳ prefixes. noel or NS = Noel Summerville. tone = Tony Bridge from 1978 onwards. Another cutting engineer known to have worked here is Melvyn Hiser. The π (Pi symbol) indicates a cut at Pye Studios. Another, early, identifier for Pye Studios is "WSC" found in the runouts (likely standing for a Westrex/Scully lathe). The pressing plant later added one or two letters (e.g. A) at nine o'clock, and a number at three o'clock (e.g. 1 - appearing as I), standing for the mother and stamper numbers. When the rights to the name Pye expired, the label changed its name to PRT (PRT Records) in September 1980 and subsequently, the studio changed its name to PRT Studios. Recording engineers known to have worked here: - Bob Auger - Alan McKenzie - Alan O'Duffy - Ray Prickett - Eddie Kramer - Barry Ainsworth - Alan Florence - Brian Humphries - David Hunt (3) - Mike Brown (3) - Vic Maile - Howard Barrow - Terry Evennett - Geoff Calver - Kenny Denton - Larry Bartlett - Kim Maxwell - Alan Perkins - Mike Wilson (5) - Ray Hendriksen Tape operator known to have worked here: - Richard Goldblatt Maintenance engineers known to have worked here: - John Timms - Phil Newell - Ian Sylvester - Ken Atwood - Noel Jesuadian - Peter Duncan