STUDIO PROFILE: GROUSE LODGE

The natural light and wood of the live room creates a cosy 70’s feel

GROUSE LODGE

Fancy a great escape and a pint? The Grouse Lodge is a cosy bolt hole with a storied history

How long have you been running and why was your space set up?

Set on a 300-year-old farmstead in the middle of Ireland, Grouse Lodge Recording Studios opened in 2002. It was designed to fill the much needed requirement for a world-class residential recording studio, of which there were previously none in Ireland. Before Grouse Lodge opened its doors, there was no recording studio of its kind in Ireland.

Who helped you build, tune or upgrade your space?

Owner and co-founder Paddy Dunning sought the expertise of renowned acoustician Andy Munroe and his team to design the studio. They utilised some of the existing structures on the farm, while also extending it with purpose-built rooms. This has made for a blend of ancient stone walls along with surfaces made from modern materials - a blend of old and new.

What artists, presenters or other creators pass through your doors?

Many well-known artists and producers have crossed the threshold at Grouse Lodge and have recorded some fabulous and best-selling number 1 albums here. Some artists include: Snow Patrol, REM, Bonnie Rait, Will-i-am, Westlife, Little Simz, Tom Jones, Dame Shirley Bassey, and Oscar-winning artist Glen Hansard.

More recent artists who have worked here include Dermot Kennedy, Paolo Nutini and Sam Fender, who recorded his critically-acclaimed album ‘Seventeen Going Under’ here.

Producers who have worked here include InFlo, William Orbit, Jacknife Lee, Ryan Hewitt, Ethan Johns, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Ken Nelson, Mike Crossey, Rich Costey, and ten time Grammy winning producer Joe Chiccarelli.

We’ve had clients work on movie projects here, for films ranging from Spider Man, to Oscar-nominated Irish animation Wolfwakers. We have facilitated orchestras, classical ensembles and Irish traditional music recording sessions.

What’s your USP as a studio based on feedback from artists and completed sessions?

Grouse Lodge is in the middle of the Irish countryside, and is just over an hour drive from Dublin airport.

On top of the world-class recording studio, we have a spa, which includes a jacuzzi, sauna, and swimming pool. A gym is available for use on site. If clients are looking for activities, we offer horse riding, table tennis, nature walks, archery and more. We have a cinema room with a projector for watching TV and movies.

Last but not least we have an on-site bar with Guinness and Carlsberg taps. The Guinness has been confirmed as one of the best pints of Guinness in the world by members of the Guiness family who live nearby!

Claire, our chef, is passionate about making meals with locally sourced and organic ingredients. When she’s not in the kitchen, you can usually find her in her veggie garden, digging up potatoes, planting seedlings, and trussing tomato plants. Her “field to fork” ethos is seen

on the dining room table - the salad greens are usually grown metres away from the table, and the eggs at breakfast are laid by the chickens who roam the yard. What can’t be grown on site, is usually organic and locally sourced.

We pride ourselves in the atmosphere and the vibe that we can cultivate here. It’s conducive to creativity, and helps artists to relax and perform at their best. Spiritual gurus have even confirmed that the recording studio is situated on several ley lines and positive energy lanes...

Who’s on the team?

Paddy and Claire Dunning who found the facility in 1999 and refurbished the 300 year old estate to high standards.

Alex Borwick is our head engineer. Originally from New Zealand, Alex is a producer and multi-instrumentalist. He has been a musician his entire life, playing in a variety of genres and touring the world in various bands, which lends a strong sense of musicality in his studio work. Alex fell in love with music production and engineering after relocating to Ireland, and hasn’t looked back since. He has worked with artists such as George Clinton, Sam Fender, Ellie Goulding, Catfish & The Bottlemen, James Vincent McMorrow, and Martin Hayes. Our other engineer is Thomas Donoghue, who has a blossoming career in live sound. Thomas is the front of house engineer for Villagers, and has worked with other Irish artists such as The Coronas, Gavin James, and The Academic.

Eavan Crowe is our studio manager who coordinates all the recording sessions. She has been with us for the past 17 years or so and continues to love working in Grouse and the music industry!

Hospitality heads include AnneMarie who’s been with us a long time also, she runs a tight ship and enjoys the banter with the bands! We also have Maxine who maintains the high standards which Grouse Lodge has become known for. Their down to earth approach makes the bands feel at home and at ease from first arrival.

GROUSE LODGE STUDIO SPECS

OUTBOARD • VK Audio Neve 1076 x 2 • API 3124+ • Empirical Labs

Distressor EL8-X

Matched Pair • GML 8200 Stereo EQ • Manley Variable MU

Stereo Compressor • Tubetech LCA2B

Stereo Valve

Compressor/Limiter • Universal Audio 1176 • Urei 1176 Blackface

Compressor/Limiter • Summit TLA100A Valve

Compressor/Limiter • Oram Sonicomp 2

Stereo Compressor • DBX 160SL x 2 • DBX 160X x 2 • Roland Space Echo

RE-201 • TC Electronics System 6000 • Yamaha SPX 900 • BEL BD80 Delay • Lexicon PCM80 • TC Electronics M5000 • Roland SDD-3000 • Roland JV-1080 • HHB CDR-850

PLUGINS • Avid • Waves • Soundtoys • Celemony Melodyne • Antares Autotune • ValhallaDSP • Fabfilter BACKLINE • Ampeg SVT-VR with

SVT810 • Fender Twin Reverb • Vox AC-30 • Peavey Classic 30

Head, Peavey 212 Cab • Trace Elliot Brat • Yamaha Grand Piano • Challen Upright Piano • Hammond Organ K

Series (Similar to BC) • Leslie 147 Speaker • DW Collectors Edition

Maple Specialty Satin • Kick 22×20 • Rack Toms 10”, 12”, 14” • Floor Tom 16” • Yamaha Birch Custom

Absolute 14″ Snare • Gibraltar Hardware

Boom Stands x 6 • Kick Pedal x 1 • Tom Clamps

DI • BSS AR116 x2 • Radial J48 x 4 • Demeter VTDB-2B

Tube DI • Radial X-Amp Reamp box • IMG Stage Line DIB-100 x 2 • 4 x Triton Audio

Fethead • Cue Systems • Mytek Private Q (5)

MICROPHONES • AKG C12 (vintage) • AKG C414 x2 • AKG c3000 • AKG D112 x2 • AKG D1200E • AKG Solidtube x2 • Barkley Infinity Gen2 x2 • Beyerdynamic m380 • Beyerdynamic M69 • Beyerdynamic M88 • Brauner VM1 Valve x2 • Calrec CB21 • Coles 4038 x2 • Electro Voice RE-20 • Lomo 82A-5M X 2 • Neumann FET 47 x2 • Neumann U87ai x2 • Neumann KM 84 x2 • Neumann TLM 170 x2 • Neumann TLM 193 x2 • Octava MK-012 x2 • PZM Realistic • Reslosound Ribbon x2 • Rode k2 • Royer R121 x2 • Sennheiser 421 x4 • Shure Beta 52 • Shure SM 7b • Shure SM 57 x7 • Shure SM 58 x2 • Unidyne III S45 SD • Yamaha NS10 Driver x2

MONITORS • Dynaudio M4S Main

Monitor System (Monroe Design) • Genelec 1031A • MC2/Dynaudio Amps,

XTA Processors • Yamaha NS10 • Auratone Mixcubes

HEADPHONES • Sennheiser HD 25’s • Audio Technica

ATH-M50’s • Sennheiser Hd 280

PRO’s • Ultrasone PRO 550’s

HD RECORDERS • 2019 Mac Pro • 12-core 3.3GHz processor, 48GB RAM • Pro Tools Ultimate • Pro Tools HDX (48 In / 56 Out) • Antelope Audio Orion 32HD x 2

ROOMS The main studio is purpose built integrating the existing 275 year old stone structure and features a huge control room (900sq.ft) with lots of natural daylight and two large live rooms with superb acoustics. The extensive use of local cut stone gives the space a unique feel and sound. Studio One features a giant Neve VR60 mixing console with flying faders, and its large live room, booths and control room has been host to A-list of international and Irish acts over the years.

• Live room 35ft x 32ft • Stone room 25.5ft x 13.5ft • Control room 28ft x 28ft