Surrey Sound Studios

Surrey Sound Studios was a recording studio at 70 Kingston Road in Leatherhead, Surrey. It was founded by engineer & producer Nigel Gray (1947-2016), who worked part-time as a doctor but eventually dropped his medical career to work as an engineer/producer. Artists by the likes of The Police, Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Lotus Eaters and Godley & Creme recorded at Surrey Sound.

The Police recorded and mixed their first two albums at Surrey Sound (Outlandos D'Amour and Reggatta De Blanc), which helped the studio (and Nigel) gain considerable recognition and reputation in the music world. Stewart Copeland also worked on his Klark Kent records there.

The studio began in 1974/75, when Nigel and Gray set up the studio with 4-track equipment at a disused village hall, mainly for demos & rehearsal purposes. The stage became the control room and the auditorium the main recording space for bands (maximum capacity of 40 musicians). However, to attract more customers and expand beyond being an amateur demo/rehearsal studio, they decided to upgrade the studio to 16-track. Thus with an £8000 loan and profits from selling the 4-track equipment, they bought an Ampex MM1000 and an Alice mixing desk (modified to 16 channels - originally eight) in late 1976, and continued amassing gear over the next 18 months. Around June 1978, with sufficient funds the studio was upgraded to 24-track, with new MCI equipment including an automated mixing console. Further major upgrades took place in 1984, with a new Harrison MR-4 console and Otari tape machines.

In 1987, Nigel Gray sold Surrey Sound to a new owner and retired from the music business.

Equipment (1976-early 1978)

 * Alice 20/16 AM Series mixing desk (modified from 8 channels)
 * Audio & Design (Recording) Ltd. compressors/limiters/expanders/noise gates/ADT
 * Dbx compressors
 * EMT stereo plate
 * Ampex AG440B 2-/4-track
 * Ampex MM-1000 16-track or 8-track
 * Master Room MR3 reverb - put up for sale in early 1978
 * Tannoy Reds monitors

Studio instruments:
 * Fender guitars
 * Gibson guitars
 * drums
 * Broadwood grand piano

Microphones (as of 1976):
 * Neumann U87's
 * AKG's

Sources:, Beat Instrumental Songwriting & Recording Issues 120-122 book (1976) page 59, Studio Sound, March 1978 (Master Room private sale listing on page 90)

Microphones

 * AKG (various)
 * Beyerdynamic (various)
 * Neumann (various)
 * Shure - not listed in adverts

Outboard gear

 * AMS DMX 15-80 programmable digital delay
 * AMS DM 2.20 Tape Phase Simulator phaser/flanger
 * Audio & Design (Recording) Ltd. Compex compressor/limiter/expander
 * Audio & Design (Recording) Ltd. SCAMP rack modules:
 * S01 Compressor/Limiter
 * F300 Expander Noise Gate(s)
 * S24 ADT flanger(s)
 * S100 Dual Gates(?)
 * Dbx 162 stereo compressor
 * Dolby A noise reduction
 * Eventide H910 Harmonizer
 * EMT 140 stereo reverb plate
 * Rebis RA402 parametric EQ

Noise reduction:
 * Dolby A
 * Dbx 216 24-channel

Tape machines & recorders

 * Revox A77 Mk. III (x2)
 * MCI JH-114/24 2" 24-track with Autolocator
 * Ampex AG440B 2/4-track mastering machine
 * Nakamichi 2-head cassette deck

Misc. studio equipment

 * MCI JH-428B 28-input mixing console /w JH-400 automation
 * Electrovoice Sentry III monitors or Tannoy Reds monitors in Lockwood cabinets
 * Broadwood Grand Piano

External links & further information

 * Studio Sound, July 1981 (pages 42 & 44)
 * Philsbook website (archived)