is a deluxe recording studio in the beautiful Perth Hills, mixing warm vintage aesthetics, big room acoustics and modern tech.
Equipped with a custom Ekadek console, grand piano, isolation booth, high end microphones and a stack of esoteric musical equipment, Aerial Recording also sports one of the largest collections of classic keyboards from the 60's to 80's in Perth studios.
The sound of the high-ceilinged main room especially suits the recording of acoustic instruments, foley and vocals and there is plenty of naturally lit space for large groups to track live performances.
Always happy to meet keen musicians so please get in touch to schedule a studio visit for a coffee and a look around.
Nathan 'Floodsy' Winterflood - April 29, 2024
The best way to record a song written on a couch | Feb 2024
Vermistropos - piano and dystopian glitch session | Jan 2024
Andrew Lippiatt watches for the cue
Yep that's the take
Ricky Malet's trumpet FTW
Summer of the Guitar | Feb 2024
Tech Hound
Dan Di Paola digs deep
Ekadek metering is the coolest
Kate Pass dreams loudly
Cherry & Andrew - Raga Session - May 11, 2024
Vocals - Keren Letheby
Instruments - Ronan Charles
A song inspired by the Motown sound. Simply recorded with old 1960s Electrovoice dynamic microphones. 
Never a dull moment and the music coming through the studio has been as unpredictable as the recent Perth weather.
Very pleased to announce that the new Noongar Lullabies album and book project is set to launch on Saturday 2nd November at Mandoon Estate. It was a beautiful heart-felt project and really enjoyed the sessions with the Maaman Weitj men's group, the musical director Kobi Arthur Morrison and musician and language facilitator Cyndy Moody and of course the lovely Elly Jones from Community Arts Network who co-ordinated it all and kept everything on track.
A new Sascha Ion & The Elements EP of her driving grunge rock is done and should be released very soon. Monotonic's psych-rock album is in last tweaks mode. The Moon is My Machine is about to release an almost Motown inspired song next month (recorded minimally with just a couple of old 60s era ElectroVoice dynamic microphones). Cherry Pearce's next song is moving towards release.
Started new projects with Keira Watson (album of beautifully sad love songs ), Georgina Dacheff (so great to record her set of songs driven by her wonderful piano playing) and Mickey Montella (dark wave exotic power ballad specialist !). Had some great fun recording the Kalamunda Performers children's choir with a track for their latest concert. My talented intern Pete Spence also brought in Shift Report for some tracking.
About to start work on a cool new indie project with Arthur Hawkes and also smash out a hip hop album .
It's a cold night at the start of Spring and it seems the perfect time to release this very small and improbable instrumental piece.
Prophet 12 and ride cymbal - Ronan Charles
Recorded and produced at Aerial Recording, Perth
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - instruments
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording, Perth
is good and warm and noisy here.
Winter music projects at Aerial Recording -
Noongar Lullabies for the Community Arts Network, Sascha Ion & The Elements, Monotonic, High on People, Ruby Come Back, Andrew Cox, Cherry Pearce, Nathan Winterflood, The Moon is My Machine.
Studio Upgrades -
Added 8 more channels of inputs, upgraded converters and a stack of new microphones. Bought the complete set of Dr Alien Smith products ( Perth's very own microphone genius and all made just a few kms up the road in Mt Helena), a UAD Sphere DLX, Shure SM7B and another BU67 tube mic. Went ballistic on gooseneck attachments for mic stands and finally finally finally, after so many epic fails, found my favourite recording tambourine.
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - guitar, keys, bass, drums, saxophone
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording, Perth
Kaya !
About to finish tracking sessions for a really amazing Noongar Lullaby album project with the Moorditj Maaman men’s group and Community Arts Network. The album is a collection of touching original songs full of warmth and heart and soul and family and community, all performed in the Noongar language and accompanied by a rich combination of acoustic instruments from didgeridoo to string quartet.
Great to work with Kobi Arthur Morrison as musical director, and really appreciate that vocalist/instrumentalist Cyndy Moody has been doing her level best to teach me enough Noongar language for me to understand the meaning of all the words and songs.
A really beautiful Winter project pictured here setting up for a recording of a huge collection of exotic instruments for Andrew and Servane from Treemendus Health. Monochord, crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, chimes, thumb piano, xylophones, ocean drum and this huge array of 6 mighty gongs (the largest being the enormous 38" Paiste Sun Gong) all set up in the big room.
I treated the gong array as a single giant instrument and used a series of 8 microphones, combining close and room sounds. Absolutely epic session. Can't wait for the recording to be released.
My grandfather was a bookmaker at the greyhound track. When asked for a tip he would always say the same thing -
"Put your hand in your pocket.
Take out all the money you have in there,
and then put it in your other pocket."
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - hammond, drums, bass, guitar, saxophone
Nelson Robles - additional lyrics
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording
Lens flare of the endless
Keren Letheby - vocals
Ronan Charles - keys, drums, typewriter, guitar
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording, Perth
Always been my favourite season in Perth.
Some highlights -
* A couple of great cello-centric projects underway with Emily Williams and her duo Sonderlines with Rachel Morris.
* Monotonic's album of epic shoegazer-esque walls of sound is nearing completion.
* Langley Chambers' debut album is in the process of getting mastered by the legendary William Bowden. Expect some new stuff soon from this amazing record.
* Great fun having High On People back in the studio doing some final tracking and mixing after hiatus. Getting to work with my old Seahorse Radio bandmate Nathan "Floodsy" Winterflood on drums has been especially cool.
* Recorded a beautiful song for QLD group Ruby Come Back and some blitzing rock for Colton, Rhys and Shane.
* The Moon is My Machine continues it's one song per moon release schedule. Next up is the psychadelic waves of "Old Sunlight".
New projects started with Cherry, Matt Walsh and Alexandra Staiger.
About to begin work on the Community Arts Network’s Noongar Lullabies 2024 album and book project working with musical director Kobi Morrison.
Some cool studio improvements. Tape echo machines have all been brought back to original spec and a 1969 Ampex 4 track with my genius tech Sean Standen who now has his own site for his keyboards and tape machine sales and repair business and impeccable professional restoration work of audio equipment.
Highly recommended and endorsed.
Also have a new intern Peter Spence about to start working with me and he took it in his stride that after many years of audio training that the very first lesson here was in how to make good coffee...
Very pleased to announce the first single from Langley Chambers' debut album and it's a great showcase of his colourful love-struck and quirky guitar pop, led by one of the smoothest voices that has ever graced the studio. Despite having numerous expensive tube mics, we recorded nearly all his vocals on a vintage Electro-Voice dynamic (also favoured by Bruce Springsteen) that just seemed to suit his music down to the ground as it takes an epic trip through vintage west coast vibes and soaring love songs.
Langley Chambers at Aerial. Photo Sean Standen
Langley Chambers - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums
Vinny the studio hound - percussion (expert collar shake at 1:10)
Recorded and mixed at Aerial Recording
Mastered by Dan O'Connor at Encoder Sound
The first album from Vermistropos is a wild mix of live improvised piano and digital noise . Their long form pieces are shot through with vintage noir cinematic vibes accompanied by live manipulation of pure data, including images, being made audible and somehow slightly on fire. The unusual combination works unbelievably well with the 2 players approaching it like a live jazz improv and features some very exceptional playing.
Xavier Douglas-Smith - Piano
Jacob Canet-Gibson - Pure Data
Recorded and produced at Aerial Recording
The studio seems to be filling up with tape machines these days. Thanks to the hunting and maintenance skills of Sean Standen, Aerial's Chief Tape Officer, we've wheeled in another 1969 AG440 tape machine for calibrating.
Ampex always were the warmest sounding machines but so very old school and slightly annoying to not even having the basic utility of a tape counter.
Some things are just worth the extra messing about required...
Last but not least - just arrived today is my new BeesNeez BM49 tube microphone. This is a recreation of one of my most favourite microphones. The microphone used by Miles Davis on Kind of Blue, John Coltrane's saxophone, Aretha Franklin's biggest hits, Billie Holiday, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, the list is endless.. Here he is, a heavy beast of a thing, ready to do his first day's work on a piano track for a new secret client. Huge and incredibly well-balanced sounding, he has already earned his position on the squad.
One of my most favourite recordings ever.
A simple love song made at night for a daytime world.
Keren Letheby - Vocals
Ronan Charles - Drums, Keys, Bass, Guitar
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Aerial Recording.
Available on all streaming platforms.
One new song released each moon this year.
Not quite over yet, but 2023 has been an absolute pearler at Aerial and, feeling in a very grateful expansive mood, I'd like to wish everyone, and very particularly all the musicians who’ve been through my doors this year, a happy and safe (and profitable?) holiday season. Thanks to you all for being so amazing and bringing your music that has been such a pleasure to work with.
Really pleased with how the studio is growing. So many good projects through this year, covering so many different genres and stylistic territories that I am always kept on my toes.
The new site seems to have helped introduce this place to a bunch of new clients, after running for most of the last 10 years almost entirely on word of mouth.
Perhaps it's success is all down to my good lookin' studio hound Vinny? - (Here handsome - have a biscuit)
Many plans for the season ahead. Three very cool indie albums to finish off, a blues album, a meditation album, an experimental noise project, a live rock album and then do a film score. After a year of studio refurb I think it may be time to start adding a few more to my already slightly bursting microphone locker :)
A quick pic from a very pleasant Saturday tracking drums and bass for Monotonic's new album.
November 19,
2023
For those wondering what that red blanket is doing in this shot, I have a second bass drum microphone at the end of a padded rack case to capture more boom and less clatter from the rest of the kit. Works great to combine with an internal microphone for punch, and in situations where there is no kick port.
Al's snare is the heaviest and loudest DW brass snare I've ever seen and is captured with a BeesNeez BU67 and Albini-designed Josephson E22S. Also, out of shot, there are a few room microphones 6m out from the kit. Can't wait for this record to be complete as the drums sound truly massive.
This week I remastered Rob Zielinski's grand retrospective album "The Day Dawn" for an international tour. Also a bunch more mixing for Langley Chambers' first album which is also getting really close to release.
Been keeping busy this month with some great recording sessions including Rob Zielinski, Manuela Centanni, Langley Chambers, Monotonic and Matt Walsh. Plotting another album by Gus McKay and a video production for Rob Zielinski.
All Spring, with any spare moment I could find, I've been painting the old servo exterior. A small lake of paint later, she is now resplendant in ECM green and IMPULSE! orange, in tribute to two of my favourite record labels.
Marked the end of this year's renovation mission by finally putting a little sign up on the marquee and posting the studio to Google Maps.
So pleased to hear from Gus that this EP is now available.
These are the remaining tracks from the 2017 sessions for the album "Talisman" and features a fine set of dusty Mad Max style Blues Rock.
Gus McKay's songs are soaked in a raw kind of Australian experience far from the inner city.
"Talisman" received a stack of enthusastic reviews for it's cinematic vibes and it's wide-ranging blues/jazz/folk/Australiana roots . Though recorded at the same time, the tracks from Mojo Grande never quite sat right in the lazy heat haze of that set, so it's fitting that that they finally get their own release.
It's the kind of rough, one take blues rock that would make a perfect sound track to a Kalgoorlie bar fight or sunset behind the wheel of a roadtrain. Gus tells me it's already receiving radio play in the UK.
MOJO GRANDE (From the Vault)
Gus McKay - Vocals, Guitar
Phil Waldron - Bass, Pedal Steel, Trumpet
Ronan Charles - Drums, Hammond Organ, Saxophone
Recorded and Mixed at Aerial Recording
Mastered at Abbey Road by Simon Gibson
Check it out on streaming platforms or
* Special Rate for Tuesday Day or Night Sessions
Additional time at standard rate [$80/hr]
Aerial Recording is open for bookings 7 days a week.
I have a bunch of interesting projects coming up and looking to expand my roster of experienced local musicians who are interested and available for session work.
Drop me an email and I'll be in touch.
A crisp, bright Winter's day up here in the hills and just finished a great session with the Community Chamber Collective recording their arrangement of Palladio by Karl Jenkins for a video production. We captured an incredible, inspired performance.
Community Chamber Collective - Palladio (K. Jenkins) [Full Version]
In other news, my favourite synth from my collection, the one and only 1983 Prophet 5 (rev3.3) is back from a service from the genius electronics doctor Grant Ettrick (EAV) and sounds more thick and alive and better than ever. It's a synth from another era, the first ever synth to have an operating system and presets, and one which kind of quirkily cycles a buddhist mantra as it runs the code. Also features a picture of Buddha on the circuit board. They don't make 'em like that any more !
Rob Zielinski is one of the finest violinists that you'll ever have the pleasure to hear. He was traditionally mentor-trained in Irish fiddle and tours extensively. In addition, he is also a violin luthier of the highest standard. I've been recording Rob for 6 years now, documenting him with various groups, solo performances and the distinctive sound of each new instrument he makes.
"Memories of Krakow" is one of his own finest ballads, shot through with dark Polish folk vibes and I just got word it should be available soon. I'll post a link to it soon.
Thought I'd share an email I just got from him.
"Hey Ronan,
So I'm just back from Europe and managed to duck over to London and get this track mastered at Abbey Road with Andy Walter. He's one of the senior engineers there. Amazing experience. He loved the sound, mixing and everything . He said it didn't need anything and just put it through the software chain they use on everything pretty much."
Sascha Ion is an immensely talented musician and a great friend. We played and toured together in One Horse Town many years ago so it was a pleasure to work with her again and record her new band's EP at the tail end of Summer. It came together criminally easy.
"Creature" is on rotation on RTR-FM ahead of it's digital release on 24th August, followed by a launch concert at Clancy's Fremantle on the 1st September.
Welcome to the new Aerial Recording site. My daughter Neve took some of the photos and studio hound Vinny did his best to get in every shot. Thanks also to Elliot ("Elite") Ramsay for some great shots taken during the Sascha Ion sessions.
Studio has been busy lately and have also been doing a stack of renovations to the old joint. I built some new big and wide stairs to make it easier to lug in drums and amps without fear of killing yourself. New lights (yeah I'm addicted to fancy lights, I admit), new server room, new drum storage and installed the amazing Autotone Reverb Device in the main room to enhance the room sound. Next is to tackle my admittedly basic (some might even say primitive) kitchen.
Recent new recording projects have included the recording of Monotonic's new album, featuring ex-members of Header and Ammonia. Langley Chambers, a talented young singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist is working on his debut album. Also about to start work on mixing the mammoth Chagos Population album that kept me busy all 2022 recording dozens of great local players as guests.
Gus McKay is planning to release an EP from some of the previously unreleased "Talisman" sessions. btw: Hunt down a copy of his critically acclaimed and Aerial-recorded album "Talisman" on vinyl if you still can.
Nel Begley Quintet are making a video of one of the tracks she recorded here when she toured here from London over Summer and look forward to posting it here.
My own latest instrumental project Rain No Rain also has a new website with all the tracks from the 2022 live recording made here. Features the awesome Ricky Malet, Daniele Di Paola and Kate Pass.
London based jazz vocalist Nel Begley recorded this beautiful Billie Holiday song with the quintet live in the Big Room on her recent tour to Perth.
Nel Begley - vocals, Russell Holmes - piano, Luke Fowler - double bass, Joe Fowler - flute, Alex Reid - drums.
A live session with bass and piano in the Big Room and drums in the booth.
Ronan Charles - piano, Phil Waldron - double bass, Daniele Di Paola - drums
Blues legend Gus McKay recorded the critically acclaimed "Talisman" album at Aerial. Here is one of the tracks that always reminds me of chasing a greased pig. :)
Wagner U47W
Josephson C700A
Josephson E22s x 2
Beesneez BM49
Beesneez BU67 x 2
Neumann TLM 102 x 2
Universal Audio Sphere DLX
Universal Audio SP1 x 2
Universal Audio SD3
Universal Audio SD5
BeyerDynamic M160 x 4
BeyerDynamic M201
BeyerDynamic M88
BeyerDynamic M69
DrAlienSmith Alien8
DrAlienSmith Capsule8
DrAlienSmith DirtMic-01
DrAlienSmith Wormhole
Audix D6
Studio Projects T3
Sennheiser MD441
Sennheiser MD21
Telefunken MD21
Line Audio CM4 x 2
Electro-Voice N/D 868
Electro-Voice N/D 468
Electro-Voice DS35 x 2
Electro-Voice 635A x 2
Electro-Voice RE11
Shure SM7B
Shure Unidyne 545 x 2
Shure Green Bullet
Shure SM58
MOV LV4-O
Wasaphone MkII
8 Channels Neve 538
(EKADEK CONSOLE)
Neve 1081 x 2
NPNG DMP-2NW x 2
Neve Portico 5012 x 2
Ampex 602 (Tube)
Aphex Tubessence x 2
Alctron MP73
Neve 1081 x 2
Chandler Tone Control x 2
Valley People Maxi-Q
Ekadek Fat Lady Vari-Mu x 2
Drawmer 1968 x 2
Valley International Comander x 2
Autotone (1920's Acoustic Reverb!)
Roland Space Echo
Roland Chorus Echo
Strymon Timeline
DrAlienSmith Dirt Box
Valley People Kepex II Noise Gate
Valley People DSP De-Esser
Elektron Octatrak
Ekadek Klangenschmitt
UAD Apollo X8P
UAD Apollo 16 (Blackface)
UAD Quad Satellite
Prism Orpheus
Ampex AG440B
(1969 1/2" 4 track tape machine)
Teac 22-2 tape machine
Quested S8
Mac Studio M1 | 64gb ram
UAD Luna
Ableton Live
Huge plug-in collection
Yamaha G5 Grand Piano
[1964 fully restored]
Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 [1983 Rev3.3 w/ midi]
DSI Prophet 12
Moog Voyager
Nord Grand
Hammond A100 & Leslie [1963]
Hammond XK3 & Leslie
Rhodes MKI Piano
Rhodes MKII Piano
Rhodes Piano Bass
Roland RS-202 [1976]
Yamaha CP70 Electric Grand
Yamaha CP Reface
Yamaha CS Reface
Yamaha YC Reface
Korg Bass Synthe [1975]
Korg Delta [1979]
Solina String Ensemble [1974]
Piano Accordions
Mason & Hamlin Pump Organ [1897]
* Can locally source many other vintage keyboards on request
Fender Jazzmaster [MIJ]
Hofner Violin Bass
Nagoya Harp
Modular Synth with 30+modules
Accordions x3
Tech 21 Sansamp
Strymon Timeline
Big Muff
BeeGee Fuzz
Vox Wah
Crybaby Wah
Radial DI
Alctron Re-Amper
Sonicake ABY
Gretsch Round Badge Kit [20",16",13"][1960s]
Ludwig Black Beauty Snare
Slingerland Artist Series Snare [1966]
Ajax Bass Drum 28" [1930s]
Premier Bass Drum 20" [1960s]
Tama Bass Drum 22" [1970s]
Bosphorus, Istanbul, Zildjian & Meinl Cymbals
Hang Drum
Balinese Gong
Miscellaneous Percussion - shakers, tambourines
Elektron MachineDrum
Elektron Octatrack
Kay 30w "Widow Maker" [1950s]
Leslie 142 [1960s]
Leslie 2121
Fender PA100 [1970s]
Rex Bassking [1960s]
Playmaster PM116 [1960s]
2 x 12” Celestions
1 x 15” Marshall
2 x 8" x 4 Fender
The main recording room has an intimate hall sound but this stupidly heavy, old 1920s Autotone pianola soundboard has become my favourite natural reverb enhancer for drums, vocals, guitars. Offers a beautiful natural zingy reverb that no plugin comes close to.
Probably two of the finest microphones ever made and get used on everything I record. On the left is the extremely rare Wagner U47W, made from original Neumann parts and favoured by all singers for somehow giving back more than you put in. Beside it is the pristine dual capsule Josephson C700A, immensely capable of stunning realism.
Often use them as a pair on almost any source for a blend of tone and detail.
This is the electric pulsing heart of the studio. It has been running virtually non-stop since 2009 without a single issue. Commisioned as the first ever custom console build from the now incredibly world famous Ekadek and equipped with classic 80s series Neve preamps, I have always loved the steampunk meets Abbey Road TG desk styling. A beautiful sounding desk that is a pleasure to use every day. So practical and a genuine audio swiss army knife. Mass loads of gain and beautiful fat sound.
Though I've lately returned to tracking more drums in the Big Room, the Dead Room booth is great for getting tight punchy drum sounds or any instrument that benefits from being completely isolated from other live musicians. Spooky green fx here courtesy of led strips embedded in the floor.
Aerial Recording is owned and operated by Ronan Charles. I've played in various bands since the 90s, worked as a session musician, and have been obsessed with recording music since I bought my first 4 track tape machine in 1989.
Always happy to contribute to your recording with parts or ideas but also know when to shut up and work the controls. :)
Vinny - Assistant Engineer/ Good BoyVinny has spent his entire working life at Aerial and ranks musos very fairly on the quality of their friendliness and snacks. He is ultra-respectful of instruments and cables but will totally eat your lunch if you leave it on the table while you record your guitar solo.
At the end of the day, good music is about people, their ideas and emotions and raw performing talent, not gear.
Using good gear, in a comfortable studio and working with an experienced engineer/producer never seems to hurt though :)
Clients will often bring in tracks that they've started on their own rigs, knowing they've got a great idea, but wanting to rework it with more clarity and character, and finally capture a definitive performance.
Aerial Recording is well equipped to work at breakneck pace or to take your time and really dig deep. I can also arrange Perth's best session musicians to perform any overdubs you may want.
Get in touch and we can organise a time to visit and have a chat about your project.
