Defunct UK recording/mixing (and, from 1982, mastering) studios based in London, England, UK; name derived from parent company Cine-Tele Sound Studios Ltd.
For the Canadian mastering studio, please use CTS Mastering (2).
Also known as:
· C.T.S.
· C.T.S. Studios
· C.T.S. Studios, England
· C-T-S Studios
· CTS
· CTS-Lansdowne
· CTS Lansdowne
· CTS Limited
· CTS Recording Studios
· C.T.S. Ltd., Wembley
· CTS Studios Wembley
· CTS Music Centre
· Wembley Music Center London
· Wembley Studios, London, UK
· Wembley Sound Studios
Inaugurated in 1956 (incorporated 6 June 1958) by a consortium that included Johnny Johnston, Peter Kay (3) and John Elliott. Originally located at 49-53 Kensington Gardens Square in London's Bayswater district. It was very famous for recording movie and TV scores at first but was later also used for other recordings.
Toward the end of 1972, studio management were informed that a property development company had acquired the Bayswater building and a search was immediately begun for suitable new premises. (As it turned out, the supposedly imminent demolition of the original CTS location in Kensington Gardens never happened. The Space was taken over by Marcus Recording Studios in late 1980.) The solution came in the form of a fortuitous merger between CTS Studios Ltd. and De Lane Lea Music Ltd. Subsequently, CTS relocated to De Lane Lea's location at The Music Centre near the Wembley arena in late 1972/early 1973, see The Music Centre, Wembley. It was -at least on paper- a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. There was an immediate clash of cultures between the CTS people, who were classicaly oriented and trained to do film work, and the De Lane Lea staffers, who were, by and large, into rock music and had little or no experience in recording music for picture. Ultimately, it would be the lucrative film work that would win out. The Music Centre had essentially become CTS Studios part 2, in all but the name. This was rectified in 1982, when the name of the facility was officially changed to CTS Studios Ltd., better known as CTS Wembley. At the time, it was the state of the art studio for both rock, TV, film, and orchestral/string overdubbing. In 1985, Studio 1 became the world's first all-digital studio following the installation of a Neve DSP-1 console and Sony 3324 digital 24-track recorders. Studio 4, a keyboard studio for film music, opened in September 1985.
Adrian Kerridge, owner of Lansdowne Studios acquired CTS Wembley in February 1987 and from now on CTS traded as CTS Lansdowne.
On 24 June 2000 the complex closed having been sold by Kerridge to make way for the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium and its surrounding area. The CTS team, including engineer Dick Lewzey, relocated to the Watford Colosseum in 2000. It is noteworthy, that the plans for Wembley Stadium fell through, which led to foundation of Phoenix Sound Studios by Peter Fielder.
However, on 24 May 2010 CTS Lansdowne closed down (the company CTS - Lansdowne Ltd. was dissolved on 10 July 2012).
Records cut here are identifiable by an etched "CTS" or "MC" (alone or combined with "Wembley" or "Music Centre" in the runouts).
Please, use Lacquer Cut At when crediting the studio. For records cut before May 1982, please use The Music Centre, Wembley.
If runout etchings (between May 1982 and mid-1988) include '420W', please use:
Lacquer Cut At: CTS Studios
Pressed By: PRS Ltd.
Timeline:
CTS Studios (1956-1972)
Relocation to The Music Centre, Wembley premises in 1973 (active under that name 1971-1981 (or probably April 1982))
Official name change to CTS Studios Ltd. in (probably after April) 1982 (1982-1987)
CTS Lansdowne (1987-2010)
Recording/mixing engineers:
David Hunt (3)
Eric Tomlinson (chief)
John Richards
Martin Ley (tape op. at Bayswater; assistant at Studio 4 at Wembley)
Jeremy Murphy
Dick Lewzey
Jack Clegg
Paul Hume
Pete Wandless
Sean Cotter
Steve Price (6)
Kenny Denton
Tim Pennington (chief at Studio 4)
Mastering/lacquer cutting engineers:
Bob Jones (6)
Melvyn Abrahams
Martin Giles
Mike Brown (3)
Phil Pigram (until ca. 1986)
John Timms
Maintenance engineers:
John Timms
