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Howl 3:350:00/3:35
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Shimmer 5:110:00/5:11
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Wychfynder 2:300:00/2:30
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Hooden Horse 3:290:00/3:29
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Tubular Bells (Cover) 25:370:00/25:37
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2019 Mix Demo 9:260:00/9:26
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0:00/6:26
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Cobblers Hornpipe 4:080:00/4:08
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Penny's Farm 2:500:00/2:50
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Space Oddity 5:100:00/5:10
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Summerfly 4:520:00/4:52
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The Liberty Bell 3:430:00/3:43
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Boston City 3:200:00/3:20
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An English Love Song 5:030:00/5:03
About Us
TALKING CAT RECORDINGS
Situated in the beautiful village of Ripponden, Talking Cat Recordings is an independent record company and studio specialising in acoustic music.
With over 20 years professional recording experience, Talking Cat consistently produces recordings of the highest standard. It has always been our aim to become the first choice for vocal and acoustic instrumental musicians.
We record through a 40 channel Midas digital mixing console using a range of mics including Neumann, AKG, Audio Technica, Beyer, GA and others.
This particular microphone is a Neumann TLM103 previously owned by the legendary fiddle player Dave Swarbrick.
RECORD LABEL
Talking Cat Recordings works with artists in a wide variety of genres although we specialise in predominantly acoustic music such as singer songwriters, traditional and world musicians, jazz and classical musicians, choirs, and chamber ensembles. Basically, any music that requires detailed and sensitive capture of acoustic sound.
Over the years, Talking Cat has grown to be more than just a simple recording studio. We can help with every stage of the creative process from the first note right through to marketing, press and publicity. We can offer traditional "record deal" arrangements if we feel an artist has something special to offer.
SERVICES
RECORDING
Selection & placement of mics, EQ, gain staging & compression, we monitor every note you play aiming for a warm, full sound from the very beginning of the project.
EDITING
From simple comping of multiple takes to in-depth razor edits, de-breathing, de-essing or surgical removal of bum notes, our editing skills are second to none.
MIXING
Rather than a flat, static mix, we aim to keep dynamic interest in your music, riding channels to bring different aspects forward or back in the mix as required.
PRODUCTION
This is where we add the magic fairy dust: Specialist compression techniques, reverbs, EQs & sundry other effects that lift your sound to its full potential.
MASTERING
Making the final product, balancing all tracks together, embedded PQ encoding, ISRC codes, & a final gloss of EQ and compression to bring it all to life.
ARRANGEMENT
As classically trained composers & arrangers, We can quickly and easily create additional parts to add colour & interest to your songs, be it strings, keys, backing vocals or something more exotic.
SESSION MUSICIANS
In addition to our in-house team, we work regularly with some truly exceptional specialist musicians who have made amazing contributions to many of our previous projects.
ART & DESIGN
We can produce all visual aspects of your product, no matter how complex, on body printing, jewel case booklets or Digipak, vinyl and associated media such as flyers & posters as required.
PHYSICAL DUPLICATION
From short runs to commercial pressing, we can organise all your physical product duplication to the highest standard, bar coded & shrink wrapped.
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION
We can help get your music out there. Our Digital service uploads your music to 200+ digital distributors while retaining your rights as authors & owners.
LICENSING
Whether your own work or cover versions, we can help you ensure that your album is legal, registering mechanical royalties correctly so that everyone receives their fair share.
ADD A BAND
Send us your home recordings. We add a little studio gloss & return them to you fully fleshed out with multiple instruments in a wide variety of arrangement styles.
AUDIO RESTORATION
From saving an old recording to full forensic audio, we have the knowledge & technical resources to significantly improve virtually any damaged audio materials.
REMIXING & REWORKING
Not happy with a production? Need a radio edit? Whether it be a subtle change or a major rework, simply send us the stems and we will give it the full service.
SOUND DESIGN & COMPOSITION
Custom work available for the film, TV, multimedia and games industries. Everything from V/O and foley work to full picture synched orchestral composition.
AESTHETICS
Retro Inspiration
The warmth and feel of classic recordings
Nostalgia aside, The 1970's were an extraordinary time for innovation, seeing the evolution of the earliest sixteen and twenty-four track tape systems, the Lexicon digital delay, vocoders, mu-trons, talkboxes, Synclaviers and Fairlights, the Walkman, the Portastudio, the Compact Disc, even a design for (essentially) an iPod.
It was a time of extraordinary musical change, that produced an incredible quantity of superb records as the industry reached a peak of technical and artistic achievement.
Of course, at this time only the most exceptional musicians (or engineers) ever got to set foot in a studio. Recording equipment was prohibitively expensive, but superbly well built, and most importantly, sounded amazing.
At Talking Cat, we use superb modern replicas of vintage equipment that capture all the sound, vibe, and 'mojo' of the period, without the reliability issues of original pieces approaching half a century old.
By integrating modern technology with selected equipment and technical practices of the time, we apply the 1970's best qualities to our recordings.
Hybrid Engineering
Digital Precision - Analogue Warmth
Modern digital systems make editing simple; we can do things in seconds that would take hours on tape – But to get the true warmth, depth, and presence of a great recording requires analogue circuitry. We take a hybrid approach; A fully digital recording system with analogue pre-amps and high end outboard compressors offers the best of both worlds.
"My band has recorded two albums with Jon acting as recording engineer, studio manager, mixing engineer, and mastering engineer. On the second album, we added "producer" to the roles as he's so damn good at it, gently and kindly teasing the best performance out of each person. Jon's stunningly good at fixing fluffs in takes, too... I'll never believe anything I hear on a recording again - in a good way!"
Peter Crowther
"Working with Jon at Talking Cat studios is always a pleasure. Besides having the right gear and the right attitude, Jon has the best ear and strongest musical imagination I've worked with. He brings out the most in every recording."
Tom Kitching
“The whole thing, the music, the album, the recording, the sequence, the artwork and design. It's perfect, it's beautiful. It's what it was always meant to be, and we got there. Thank you xx”
Scott Marshall
TALKING CAT RECORDINGS
5, Elland Road,
Ripponden,
HALIFAX
West Yorkshire.
HX6 4DB
CONTACTS
Phone: +44 (0) 1422 822992
Mobile: +44 (0) 7867 485724
LINKS
REQUEST A QUOTE
To help us provide you with an accurate and detailed quote, please provide as much information as possible about your project, including budget, timescale and physical media requirements. We will do our best to reply quickly with an individual package tailored to your requirements.