Member Article

New Cramlington recording studio set to open following £20k funding

A new state-of-the-art community recording studio is set to open its doors at Manor Walks in Cramlington next month, after securing £20k in funding.

The upcoming launch of Studio 3 follows significant investment from Northumberland County Councillors, Digital Community Youth and its director Michael Harland, with support from Manor Walks Shopping and Leisure and Hammerson UK.

The recording studio will offer a suite of professional music production equipment and instruments, available for budding musicians to record single vocal tracks, whole albums, voice overs, narrations, storytelling, backing tracks, and live band recording with party packages available for all ages.

Ian Armstrong, 19, from Cramlington, events manager at the Level 3 complex, said: “Digital Community Youth aims to provide a diverse range of activities to interest young people, through workshops, activities, training sessions and events.

“Thanks to the continuous support from Manor Walks and Hammerson, and funding from the Northumberland County Councillors, Digital Community Youth and Michael, the launch of Studio 3 brings a unique offering for young people to the local area, allowing them to pursue their musical passions.

“The studio will provide an ideal space for anyone who is interested in music to experience what it’s like to be in a professional recording studio.”

The studio has been completely transformed from a former storage area and will offer everything from music production and recording, with a live lounge featuring guitars, microphones and a drum kit, a vocal booth and control room, to music video production and album artwork design.

Manor Walks’ general manager Bruno Coppola said: “It’s great to see Digital Community Youth expand its offering for young people in the area, with the launch of its new community recording studio, Studio 3.

“At Manor Walks we are thrilled to be able to support such an innovative organisation and will continue to do this as it strives to engage with and entertain young people in Cramlington.

“The recording studio is a welcome addition to our exciting and different retail offering and is a fantastic state-of-the-art facility for music lovers of all ages to experience.”