Benefits of Residential Recording

There are many advantages of choosing a residential recording studio over a non-residential studio. Cost is a major factor:

• It usually works out far less expensive to record at a residential studio than for a band (and sometimes producer, engineer, etc.) to stay at a hotel nearby to the studio
• There are no travel expenses or wasted travelling time getting to and from the studio and hotel each day
• A residential studio can accommodate a band's meal requirements and the cost is usually included in the price of hiring out the residence
• A residential recording studio can provide a more homely, relaxed and private atmosphere than staying in a city hotel
• Many residential recording studios are set in rural surroundings, which allows the band to concentrate on their music, writing and recording without the distractions of a big city on their doorstep.

Why Choose Monnow Valley Studio as Your UK Recording Studio

1. Pedigree

Formerly part of the first residential recording studios in the world, Monnow Valley Studio has been chosen by many famous bands, producers, and artists over the last four decades. Recent clients include The Pigeon Detectives, The View and The Enemy.

2. Location

The studio is set amongst 400 acres of green rolling hillside located two miles outside of Monmouth, Wales, which is a lovely picturesque market town with several pubs, three supermarkets, etc. It has great access with the rest of the UK as Monmouth is right on the England-Wales border and is about a two-and-a-half hour drive from London.

The nearest international airports (Bristol and Cardiff) are within 45 minutes drive from the studio. Abergavenny train station is only 10 miles away. A map of the location is on our contact page.

3. Equipment

Of course, Monnow Valley Studio has the some of the best professional recording equipment available including many producer's preferred gear such as Pro Tools and SSL 4064G+.

At 1200 sq ft, the live room is one of the biggest of any professional recording studios in the UK and has variable acoustics which makes it easier to achieve the optimal sound a producer is looking for. It has been described as the best drum room in the world by producers and drummers alike.

4. Leisure Facilities

When the bands are not recording, there are plenty of leisure facilities to enjoy in and around the studio. Our games room has pool and table tennis tables and a dartboard. The band can relax in the lounge with its sumptuous leather sofas, widescreen TV, SKY TV complete with all movie and sports channels, and surf the internet with the studio PC. The entire facility also has wireless business broadband internet access for bands to use their laptops.

Monnow Valley Studio offers fantastic coarse fishing with its own mile of private fishing rights on the beautiful river Monnow. Depending on the season, chub, grayling and salmon can be caught here.

There are many scenic walks around the countryside, which can also be used for jogs and mountain biking if the band are feeling more energetic!

Golfers have several superb courses to play: The Rolls of Monmouth is four-minutes drive from the studio; Monmouth Golf Club, "arguably the prettiest golf course in Wales", is within five miles; and seven miles away are the two Forest of Dean courses and driving range. Favourable rates for all the courses can be attained through the Studio.

Should the band wish to venture into Monmouth, there are several lively pubs with many a tale to be told of previous rock bands visiting the pubs over the last four decades.

5. Food

At Monnow Valley Studio, all food is home-cooked and prepared in-house, so it can provide all types of catering to suit a band's individual palates. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided as well as snacks and coffee. A self-catering option is also available should the band wish to prepare their own food, which can be purchased from any of Monmouth's three supermarkets, grocers, butchers and shops.

6. 24-Hour Staff

In the studio, we have our engineer, Tom Manning. Tom has been part of the Monnow Valley team for over a year and knows the equipment inside out. Tom came to us from LIPA and has an extensive musical knowledge. He has recently produced tracks for Switch Blade, Kick Box Riot, The Autopilots and Electric Skies.

Tom has assisted and/or engineered for many top producers such as:

Jim Lowe (Stereophonics, Glen Matlock, The Charlatans)
Bob Marlette (Toni Iommi, Rob Halford, Tracy Chapman)
Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight, The Enemy)
Ian Caple (Tindersticks, Simple Minds, My Bloody Valentine)
Richard Jackson (The Automatic, Future Of The Left)
Dan Turner (Bullet For My Valentine, Cradle Of Filth)
Head (PJ Harvey, Massive Attack)

Working hours are flexible so if the band wants to work from 9 to 5 or 3pm to 7am... Monnow Valley Studio can accommodate your requirements. Since taking over in 2006, the studio has never had to stop a recording session due to technical problems as any problems have been able to be fixed immediately. The equipment is regularly maintained and serviced by Richard Griffiths, an SSL specialist previously of Olympic Studios in London.

Recording Studio News

July 2011 - The production powerhouse team that is Gil Norton and Dan Austin has finished tracks with the anthemic Tiger Please. Transgressive Management's award winning producer Paul Savage has been tracking an album with the wonderful band, Strike The Colours. The band cooled off between sessions playing with inflatables in the River Monnow.

June 2011 - Ken Nelson (famous for his work with Coldplay, Gomez, Badly Drawn Boy) has been in the studio producing American rockers Deadbeat Darling. As well as being a great producer, we've discovered Ken has hidden talents at pub quizzes and bingo while we're sure Deadbeat's efforts to twin New York with Monmouth haven't gone unnoticed by the locals!

April 2011 - Ex-Hope Of The States guitarist Anthony Theaker has been producing a new single at Monnow Valley with The Last Republic.

March 2011 - Fearne Cotton favourites and winners of the Rockfield Country Music Festival Battle Of The Bands, CC Smugglers, use their studio time prize to record their debut album.

New York producer Steve Greenwell comes to Monnow Valley to work with Yes Sir Boss and label owner Joss Stone. Joss recorded some amazing vocals for her new album and then cooked everyone dinner. Is their no end to this young woman's talents?

We've been to SXSW! The studio's been involoved in a technology project, Play Air Guitar which won an award in the SXSW Accellerator 2011 competition

February 2011 - No sooner had we'd recovered from our hangovers thanks to Sam our assistant's 21st birthday, we welcomed Ed Zealous into the studio with producer Richard Jackson.

Monnow Valley has had a long association with the Manchester music scene (Oasis, The Charlatans, The Stone Roses, etc.) thsi month the city's newest prodigies, Hanky Park, have been workin on their new album with ex-Stone Roses drummer turned producer Robbie Maddix

January 2011 - Working through the snow, our old friend Si Connelly was at Monnow Valley with producer Chris Potter. Up and coming Welsh band, The Undivided, have been working on their EP assisted by copious amounts of vino

It's been great to have some girls in the studio for a change - Fever Fever have been in working with Rob Ellis ahead of their appearance at SXSW

December 2010 - Over the last couple of months the studio has taken an international feel with Riverman Management's Australian clients, Expatriate, making an album with Andy Savours

October 2010 - A couple of exciting projects have happened this month including Tape The Radio and Future Of The Left

September 2010 - The studio's been rocking out to the sounds of Funeral For A Friend's new album currently being tracked by Romesh Dodandoga

Richard Jackson has been busy at Monnow Valley finishing off the Chapman Family's album. While he was here, Richard also started working on Young Legionnaire. The session will recommence once bassist Gordon (from Bloc Party) finishes his paternity leave. We wish Gordon all the best for his impending sleepless nights!

August 2010 - Our old friends Heaven & Hell have been in the studio for rehearsals ahead of their live tribute show to Ronnie James Dio with Glenn Hughes and Jorne Lande stepping in on vocals. It was moving to hear all the band's anecdotes about Ronnie.

US producer Andrew Schepps took up residency at Monnow Valley making an album with Swiss stars Favez

Our summer has been complimented by a very different project this month in the shape of jazz band Led Bib. The Mercury Music Prize nominated band have been working with producer Head

News Archive...

History of Monnow Valley Residential Recording Studio

Monnow Valley Studio was originally the rehearsal facility of the world's first residential recording studio, Rockfield Studios, created by brothers Charles and Kingsley Ward. When the brothers went their separate ways in the 1980s, Charles took over Monnow Valley and turned it into an independent recording studio.

In 2006, Monnow Valley Studio was taken over by Jo and James Hunt and has undergone substantial reinvestment including an acoustically engineered control room, new recording equipment, redecoration and improved leisure facilities for the clients, making it one of the best recording studios in the UK.

Jo started her career in distribution in the late 80s working as a label manager at what is now Vital Distribution before venturing into production management at (amongst others) Mushroom Records. In 1995, she went on to handle distribution for key labels at BMG, before being headhunted to Richard Branson’s newly formed V2 Records in 1996 and moving into PR – ultimately being one of the key team members behind the Stereophonics’ success for the label. In 2000, Jo was asked to run an arm of a charity helping young Welsh musicians get into the industry. In this role, she helped develop the careers of many bands including The Lost Prophets, Funeral For A Friend and Bullet For My Valentine – to date, these bands have sold over 10 million albums between them. Jo set up her own management company in 2003 signing Jarcrew to Gut Records and People In Planes to Wind Up Records in New York. In 2004 she won the award for export at the Music Manager’s Forum British Music Roll Of Honour. In 2006, Jo (along with her brother, James) bought Monnow Valley, saving this historical studio from the property developers. As well as running the studio, Jo is chairman of local charity Monmouth Festival which promotes 9 nights of free live music every summer to over 40,000 people. She has recently gone back into management, working with 'Road To V 2009' winners, The Last Republic.

Over the decades, many of the musical world's biggest artists have used Monnow Valley for writing, rehearsing, or recording, including Led Zeppelin, Queen, Oasis, Stereophonics, Black Sabbath, and many more. The recent book, Rock Legends At Rockfield by Jeff Collins, documents the history of bands staying at both Rockfield and Monnow Valley Studio.