The Ironworks recording studio is based in a warehouse building off Brighton's Trafalgar Street in the vibrant North Laine, two minutes from the station and ten minutes from the sea. This part of town is known for the bars, cafes, restaurants, boutiques and venues that are rooted in Brighton's famously laid-back and expressive way of life. 

The studio is on the first floor of the building on the far side of the Loopmasters' office - the company who distribute Mike Pelanconi's Drumdrops sample library. You enter the studio through one corner of the live room. This spacious recording area measures 50 square meters, so there's plenty of room for bands to spread out and feel right at home. Surrounding the large central floor space is a drum riser to your right, and Mike's awesome collection of vintage keyboards, guitars and amps on the far walls. There is also a 3-seater sofa and a window letting in plenty of sunlight. There is a maintenance room located to the left side of the entrance where Mike's in-house tech guy works to ensure everything is in tip-top condition, and is available 24 hours.

The sonic design of the room has been masterminded by the ex-Olympic and Chalk Farm Studios tech Mike Craig, who has brought to the project 40 years experience in acoustic design and hi grade audio electronics. He has created a room with a range of top-quality acoustics for you to play with. The room has been especially optimised for drum recording; you have all sorts of choices from dry sounds to big 60s ambience. Brass and string recordings also sound particularly impressive in this multi-purpose live space.

There is a small walkthrough between the live room and control room, which can be used as an isolation booth for vocals and amps. The control room measures 40 square meters and also benefits from a skylight. In the centre of the room is the Custom 28 Channel Vintage BBC Class A Console dating back to the late 70s. It is accompanied by Tannoy Golds and Yamaha NS10s, which are powered by a BBC-modded quad. Combine this great-sounding monitor combo with the room's flat-even frequency response and you have everything you need to achieve a supremely accurate mix.

To the left of the desk is the outboard rack containing a load of great sonic toys. There's a range of units from hi-end studio classics to more weird and wonderful gadgets. Amongst them are Mike's many vintage spring reverbs and echoes. Recording is done on the Ampex M1200 16 track 2" which sits beside the outboard. This is the ultimate American multitrack. It has an unrivalled bottom end and we guarantee the results will sound incredible - a true gem in The Ironworks spec...

The atmosphere Mike has instilled in the room is chilled and full of character. You're invited in by two black leather sofas sat behind the desk and beneath Mike's hefty collection of vinyl - browse through his pool of diverse influences... There's a balance of soft and dim lighting to settle the mood, and all sorts of personal touches from model smurfs to framed photos of Mike's musical idols. In every corner of The Ironworks there's an abundance of vibe and inspiration that you're bound to feed off on sessions...