CHRIS KIMSEY IS NAMED AS SPHERE'S FIRST TENANT

Internationally acclaimed producer Chris Kimsey is moving to Sphere Studios where he is setting up a digital project studio in one of the facility's six new White Rooms.

Best known for his classic work with the Rolling Stones, Chris Kimsey has produced albums for a wide variety of artists including Johnny Hallyday, Killing Joke, Ash, The Chieftains, Soul Asylum and INXS. As Sphere's first White Room tenant, Kimsey now has the perfect base for all future recording projects. His ground floor suite at the front of the building will be ready by mid-November and will be equipped with Kimsey's own Pro Tools 24 Mix Plus hard disk system and 48-channel Sony DMXR100 digital console.

Currently under construction in Battersea, South London, Sphere is set to rival London's finest recording studios when it officially opens as a fully commercial three-studio facility in 2001. The complex will incorporate three main control rooms dedicated to track-laying, stereo mixing and 5.1 surround mixing, plus the six White Rooms that are available for hire by artists and independent producers. Each control room will be equipped with the latest state of the art technology and will also feature 'future-proof' wiring and extensive ISDN facilities.

The main partners behind Sphere are musician and producer Francesco Cameli and Malcolm Atkin, formerly general manager of Air Lyndhurst.

"I'm delighted to have Chris on board as our first White Room tenant," Atkin says. "His reputation as a producer is beyond doubt and we consider it a great honour that he has chosen to endorse Sphere by siting his own studio under our roof."

Getting involved with Sphere at such an early stage has given Chris Kimsey the opportunity to incorporate his own ideas into the room as it is built. "Not only has it enabled him to fully customise his room but he has also had input on other facilities we are installing," Atkin adds.

For his part, Chris Kimsey says he decided to go with Sphere because he was so impressed by the scope of the project.

"I haven't been so excited since I landed my first job at Olympic," he explains. "Establishing my own studio within Sphere gives me access to a much wider range of facilities than I could ever achieve at home. The fact that my room will be tie-lined to Sphere's main studios and broad band communications systems has great advantages as I will be able to transfer projects to a larger control room should the need arise."

Kimsey adds that easy access to acoustically correct live rooms and overdub booths, not to mention the support of top notch maintenance and administrative staff, were more good reasons for aligning himself with Sphere. "I can't wait to get started and I'm convinced Sphere will be a great success. As Fred Astair once said, let's tap into the future!"