Longcroft Recording

18/05/2024

05/04/2024

my new EP “burnout baby” is out now everywhere 💙

these six little songs have been about a year in the making. just over a year ago i went and recorded for a week on a rural island in a lighthouse with a bunch of my friends and then I spent months learning how to mix them alongside lisa murphy who has been an amazing mentor. I’ve been pushing myself with a bigger and bolder sound that has allowed me to express so much emotion, honesty and vulnerability into this music. even though the songs are about the total depletion and emptiness you feel when you hit rock bottom, I hope that they also serve as some sort of guide to a sense of relief in a world of chaos. I hope this EP tells a story you can relate to and that it makes you feel something. DON’T BURNOUT BABY!

thank u to everyone who made it possible :)

listen to "burnout baby" EP now
https://ffm.to/mb-burnoutbaby

14/02/2024

It’s out, my heart and soul in a song. 💔

This song is about love. It is about my love for music, my love for my family, for our life and truly living it.

Have a listen, share with your friends, and come and see me play at an upcoming show!

Big love. X

Listen here - https://slinky.to/NeverUsedToCry

13/02/2024

‘Never Used To Cry’ is out tomorrow and I’m equal parts nervous and excited. I really really really hope you guys like it as much as I do.🧡

📷 Ollie Jones

12/02/2024

30/01/2024

29/01/2024

Big love to BBC Music Introducing in the CI for playing Never Used To Cry over the weekend, beyond grateful to have their support. ❤️

Listen again here;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0h3x2km

Photo: Ollie Jones

29/01/2024

Thanks so much to for selecting Let Love Find You for airplay on this week. Tune is around 8.20am Tues and 10.50am Wednesday to hear my new single , out next week 😀

20/01/2024

Very excited to announce that I'm finally releasing NEW MUSIC!

'Never Used To Cry' will be out in the world on 14th Feb, and I can't wait to share this song with you. This is my love letter to what matters most in life. ❤️

(Below is the pre-save link and please please do save/add it, it may just help this song get a little further and reach a few more people)
https://presave.to/mFDDB5

Photo: Ollie Jones

06/01/2024

Handcrafted Labs

For a few years now, I’ve favoured real hardware compressors over any plugin alternative. This is still the case today despite having paid hundreds of pounds of hard earned cash on compressor…

27/11/2023

Interview with Audient on our new Studio 2 setup

The upgraded Studio 2 at BNU with its array of outboard and Audient ASP8024-HE is "fully booked all the time" according to senior lecturer, Peter Waterman. 🔥🙌

Full article 🔗👉 https://bit.ly/3QWyC5C

11/05/2023

Last time out. Mics by Soyuz and AEA, Preamps by UA and Summit, Retro Sta Level and Lisson Grove AR1 compression. Can’t wait to finish mixing this record!

02/04/2023

07/01/2023

First recording week of the year finished!

01/11/2022

John Hardy 990 op amp upgrade for my Summit!

11/10/2022

10/09/2022

Reamp Electronics 176: A hand built legend made in the UK by a master

The sound quality of the Reamp 176, faithful to the original 176 circuit design, is a truly remarkable outboard compressor priced extremely well. There is something magical about ordering a piece o…

08/09/2022

Universal Audio 610: A heavily opinionated preamp that you either love or hate

I’m that guy. The one that loves a 610 pretty much all the time. I’d take one on any source, on any mic, whatever you throw at me I’d happily select a 610 over nearly anything els…

08/09/2022

04/09/2022

03/09/2022

Testing the Serrano 84 microphones this week with Jack Cookson, review below 🙂 Soyuz Microphones

August 2022, I saw a YouTube video by one of my favourites, Josh at Seawell Studios, all about the new Serrano Vintage 84 microphone. I’ve never really been a fan of small diaphragm condenser…

31/08/2022

Just gonna start blogging about gear a bit more. Here’s a little bit of love for the 4-710D. Cheers!

In October 2018, I was looking to start expanding my preamp options over ADAT during my second attempt at a mobile studio equipment upgrade. I purchased a 2nd hand Focusrite ISA 428 (without t…

26/08/2022

Had a great time at a writing retreat in South Yorkshire this week with Daisy Chute, Hannah Brine, Rachel Oates, Melinda Ortner, Ed Blunt and Joel Gardner. Looking forward to doing it again soon! Thanks Rachel for the picture :)

10/08/2022

Did some interesting testing last week with this 33609 and very surprised at the results…

05/07/2022

Had a nice time with Mike today trying out preamps and ADAT solutions. Let’s just say the preamps with the tubes and transformers won every time…

02/07/2022

Mobile Rack 1…

29/06/2022

Retro Instruments, Inc.

Summit Audio

28/06/2022

A 176 was always on my list and although I love Retro, there is something special about the Reamp build. Using original UTC input transformers, it’s the most faithful recreation of the original 176 on the market today.

It resembles so much of an 1176 but Bill Putnam got his limiting amplifier perfect at the 176 stage. On fast attack, it brightens transients rather than dulling them, it’s never too grabby, it’s smooth even when the release is quick and it has so much headroom that it never craps out no matter what source you put it through. As for noise, it’s the quietest unit I’ve ever heard, you can turn it all the way up and there’s not a jot of audible noise. Truly remarkable build and I absolutely love it. Purchased especially for female vocals and guitar tracking.

20/06/2022

This is a big one. The Retro Sta-level has got to be one of the most popular compressors among the greatest mixing and recording engineers around, so it’s a privilege to say I have one as part of Longcroft Recording’s mobile setup! Look at the size of those transformers on the back.. I was also lucky enough to find a very good condition General Electric 6386 tube to add to the stock and make it a touch more authentic to the originals. That makes it 9 tubes overall!

The 6386 is a very famous tube for it was used extensively in the Fairchild 660 and 670 compressors. I find the difference using the 6BA6 as an alternative very minimal. In fact, the biggest difference when taking the 6BA6 tubes out and running solely with the 6386 means the Sta-level runs a bit cooler because those tubes are centrally placed inside the unit and hidden away!

The Sta-level, originally built by Gates and released in 1956, was a staple in American radio broadcasting throughout the 1960’s. This modern recreation by Retro is unbelievable on any sound source you put through it. I’ve been using it on mixes for the last couple of weeks and it’s just like cheating. One of the best purchases I’ve been lucky enough to make over the years.

Retro Instruments, Inc.