Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
Midge Ure
Artists “We're all fragile little creatures. You sit down, lick your wounds and think - is there any point in going through this whole process again?”: We speak to Midge Ure
holy holy
Artists “David didn’t seem happy about it”: Tony Visconti reveals Bowie's reaction to Holy Holy
Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee work that '80s style as they perform live with Rush in 1984.
Artists Geddy Lee on the making of Rush’s 1984 classic Grace Under Pressure
Peep Show
Artists "When he tried turning it off, he literally couldn’t”: 5 things Peep Show taught us about music production
jasper tygner
Artists "There's something about it that you just don't get with soft synths": Jasper Tygner on why he loves his Moog Grandmother
timbre wolf
Tech "Boy, do people hate it": 10 of the most divisive products in music tech history, from iLok to the Akai Timbre Wolf
A pair of Focal Shape 65 studio monitors on stands in a studio
Studio Monitors Best studio monitors 2026: Studio speakers for musicians and producers on any budget
roger sanchez
Artists "Steve Lukather said: ‘I can’t stand it.’ He got 90% of the publishing rights, so he can’t have been that mad!": How Roger Sanchez turned an '80s Toto ballad into a 2001 dance anthem
deadmau5
Synths “I have severe Gear Acquisition Syndrome”: Deadmau5 shows off his insane synth collection
flying lotus
Artists “All I hear is ‘Auto-Tune sucks’ and 'drum machines have no soul'”: Flying Lotus on the backlash against AI music
BBC Radiophonic Workshop
Artists Back in 1983, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop put a modernised musical spin on Dante’s Inferno
A pair of Kali Audio LP-6 V2 studio monitors on a studio desk
Studio Monitors Best budget studio monitors 2026: Make your mixes sing with these wallet-friendly home studio speakers
An SSL BiG SiX mixer in a studio
Recording Best home studio mixers 2026: analogue and digital mixing desks for all budgets
Alan Braxe & Fred Falke in 2025
Tech How Alan Braxe and Fred Falke made an all-time house classic with just a sampler and a bass guitar
A pair of KRK GoAux studio monitors on a studio desk
Studio Monitors Best small studio monitors 2026: Compact studio speakers
More
  • Sly and Survivor
  • In My Life
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • One chord Diamond
  1. Tech
  2. Recording
  3. Studios

Me in my studio: Paul Hardcastle

News
By Chris Barker published 7 September 2012

Tour his studio

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Intro

Intro

Hi, I'm Paul Hardcastle and this is my studio, it's been up and running since 1987 and it's mostly used by me, my daughter Maxine and my son Paul Jnr.

Paul Jnr is a sax player and has been working on tracks for Pacha as has Maxine, in fact we all have, my Pacha album came out just last month, Perceptions Of Pacha 8. I recorded the Sound track to the spice girls movie Spice world, for which I won best score award. What's nice is that it has a great view over the fields of Essex, and is not just 4 walls - well the Vocal room is but hey I'm not a vocalist so I don't go in there much!

Lately I have recorded all of my New album '19 Below Zero' in the Studio, which I have done for Universal Music, released on October 15th, it took around a year to put together and used the equipment as seen in the following pictures.

What was amazing was that in the loft while looking for some Midi leads, I came across an old 24 track master which I thought had been misplaced for good, it had an alternative version on 19 that I did at the same time as the original, so I bounced to Aiff files, remixed and added new sounds to it. It's called 19 Below Zero and is the last track on the Album, this Mix has ever been heard before, Rob da Bank also recorded a mix of 19 for the new album.

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
DDA. AMR 36 Console

DDA. AMR 36 Console

I still use this analogue desk occasionally when I'm using the outboard synths in the racks. Also had this since 1986, This has been used for all my Jazzmasters and Hardcastle series albums, for which I have won several awards.

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Racks

Racks

Rack one and two contain lots of synth modules. Sometimes I switch it all on or if I'm feeling lazy I just use lots of plug-ins.

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Moog Voyager

Moog Voyager

You can't beat a Mini Moog for bass and mellow lead sounds. I did have an original mini moog but I upgraded when they introduced this a while back.

I still use this quite a lot still especially on my chilltype stuff.

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Prophet 5

Prophet 5

I used this on all my 80s hits including 19, Rainforest, The Wizard etc. Not switched it on for years but it still worked ok last time I used it.

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Synclavier

Synclavier

This is my Synclavier which I have had since 1986 and was the worlds first total digital system i.e. no tape at all!

The first track I ever recorded on this was the Wizard The Top of the pops theme. There were not many of these around as the cost was astronomical. I was lucky to have just had the biggest selling single internationally and blew a lot of my royalties on it. Around £200.000 but now you can do the same thing and much more on an Apple Mac Pro for £2000!

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Synclavier rack

Synclavier rack

It has a separate Machine room to house the Synclavier as it’s really noisy, it has 16 fans and sounds like a 747 jet when it’s on.

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Jukebox

Jukebox

My prize possession in the corner of the studio is a Juke box, which was given to me as a present from the great late Phil Lynott, I worked with Phil just a few weeks before he passed away.

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Chris Barker
Read more
mj cole
Tech “I didn’t know garage very well, so I made a slightly skewed version of this sound”: MJ Cole on the making of UKG classic Sincere
 
 
deadmau5
Synths “I have severe Gear Acquisition Syndrome”: Deadmau5 shows off his insane synth collection
 
 
graham
Artists “It was fantastic to have Paul come in every day, and we hung out with him quite a lot as well. The studio was absolutely crammed with our gear and his”: 10cc's Graham Gouldman on working with Paul McCartney at Strawberry Studios
 
 
Justin Hawkins opening a school recording studio
Bands “I wish we’d had something like this at my school”: Justin Hawkins opens studio at Hereford Cathedral School
 
 
Blue May home studio
Artists We visit the LA house where Lily Allen made West End Girl, and explore the home studio of Blue May
 
 
abbey road
Studios "It's like being in a toy shop": How Abbey Road is reinventing itself
 
 
Latest in Studios
abbey road
Studios "It's like being in a toy shop": How Abbey Road is reinventing itself
 
 
, CA - December 09: John Mayer (right) and McG aka Joseph McGinty Nichol owners of Henson Studios give a tour of their recording and film studios on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 in , CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Studios “I know just enough to let the other people do their jobs": John Mayer explains why he’s bought Henson studios
 
 
IK Multimedia iLoud Micro monitor
Studio Monitors IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor $120 off at Sweetwater this Cyber Weekend
 
 
Kraftwerk, German electronic band, during a concert, September 16, 1978. (Photo by Christian Rose/Roger Viollet via Getty Images)
Tech I went to the Kraftwerk auction to buy their chairs, but came back with a studio's worth of gear instead
 
 
Echotown Studios Main Room
Studios Echotown Studio: A world class recording studio in the stunning Dorset countryside
 
 
subterra
Studios Music studio complex opens in former nuclear bunker in The Hague
 
 
Latest in News
A close-up of James Gadson playing drums
Drummers “The beat goes on, but the pocket will never be the same": Stars pay tribute to James Gadson
 
 
christopher cross
Samples SampleRadar: 142 free yacht rock samples
 
 
John Oates and Michael Jackson
Artists John Oates agrees with Daryl Hall that I Can’t Go For That was the inspiration for Billie Jean
 
 
Dio, 1983: Ronnie James Dio, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain, Viv Campbell
Drummers "We were just having a great time”: Vinny Appice remembers his time with Ronnie James Dio
 
 
Thundercat performs at Aviva Studios on March 27, 2026 in Manchester, England
Singles And Albums “Mac’s death was a traumatic experience for me”: Thundercat on how losing Mac Miller made him change his life
 
 
session cards
Music Theory And Songwriting Can this $149 deck of cards help you write better songs?
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...