The Motor Museum

The Motor Museum studio is based in a large and beautifully designed warehouse, which over the years has existed as both a public transport repair depot and the 'Lark Lane Motor Museum', before being converted into a recording studio temporarily known as 'The Pink Museum'. Over the last twenty years it has played a pivotal role in the music industry of Liverpool and the North West, and was hugely influential in the birth of bands such as Oasis, The La's, Arctic Monkeys and The Coral.  More recently, it has launched the careers of some of the hottest UK artists including Ben Howard, Jake Bugg, The 1975, Bring Me The Horizon and Tribes.

It is no surprise that The Motor Museum is now considered the premier recording studio in Liverpool. Its unique design and very original layout has created a cool and inspiring environment to work in, and the studio boasts a world-class specification of both analogue and digital gear including some stunning vintage backline. Not only that, but the buzzing strip of Lark Lane - which is lined with popular bars, pubs and restaurants - is on the studio's doorstep for clients to fully enjoy. The Motor Museum's rich history is associated with some of the most iconic British bands and producers who have helped put the studio firmly on the map of Liverpool's world-famous music culture.

The warehouse measures a vast 240 sq meters and is flooded by natural light through the many large skylights in the roof of the building. Beneath them in the centre of the space is the studio itself, which has been built within a selection of expertly designed cabin-like rooms that yield a fantastic range of sounds and provide plenty of space for bands to spread out in. There are four main areas of the studio: the control room, live room, stone room and booth.

The control room is housed at the rear of the facility and measures 38 sq meters. At the centre of the room is a Solid State Logic Duality Delta SE 48 channel console with incredible provenance. It is complemented by a comprehensive selection of monitors including a whole host of terrific speakers and amps, amongst them Yamaha NS-10Ms, Genelec 8351B, and ATC T16 Active monitors. The range of outboard on offer is also exceptional with an exhaustive choice of the finest compressors, eqs and processors. There is an Apple Mac Pro with 24 cores and 48 gig of Ram, four expanded Digidesign 192 interfaces and a Burl B2 ADC converter. A very powerful top-of-the-range Protools HDX rig is housed in a machine room to the left of the console.

Through a large set of sliding glass doors is the main live room measuring 26 sq meters. The room was refitted in 2008 to give it a new look and enhance its immense sound, and features customised absorbers which provide a wide variety of acoustics. It leads into a breathtaking 16 sq meter stone room which provides further great-sounding options, and also a good size isolation booth. Clients who come to track will of course love getting their teeth stuck into The Motor Museum's hugely impressive array of amps, drums and backline. There is a vast collection of guitar amps by the likes of Dr Z, BadCat, and Ampeg, keyboards such as Minimoogs and Roland synths, plus sought after vintage drums from Ludwig, Tama and Premier.

Outside the studio area on a raised mezzanine level is The Motor Museum's rec room. This light and spacious hang-out comprises an open-plan kitchen and lounge featuring some comfortable sofas and a large TV, and is the perfect spot for taking a break from a day's work. Adjoined to the lounge and running down the side of the warehouse is a gallery overlooking the studio area, which is lined by some fantastic orange and lemon trees growing in the natural sunlight. Throw in a number of other beautiful tropical plants, a terrific collection of graffiti-themed artwork along with platinum discs of past successes, and you might well have just discovered the most originally themed and enticingly cool studio around..!