The Music Centre, Wembley

De Lane Lea Music Centre -or The Music Centre, as it came to be known- was a British studio complex. It contained 3 recording studios, 2 mix/remix rooms (that later were combined and became Studio 4 that opened in September 1985), 2 disc cutting rooms, and 1 film editing room. To be used for recordings between Autumn 1971 and April 1982. For May 1982 onwards recordings, please use CTS Studios. Please, consider also De Lane Lea Music Centre if stated that way on the release. Not to be confused with the 1960s active The Music Centre (2) (acetates). Despite the Kingsway studio being enormously profitable, De Lane Lea Studios was forced to relinquish the space in the late 1960s. Fortunately, its parent company, BET, owned Wembley Stadium and some adjacent land that had been used as a parking garage. The decision was made to construct a multi-room studio complex there, directly above what had once been an ornament boating lake. The studio was conceptualized and designed by (formerly at Kingsway Studios) studio manager Dave Siddle. Construction took two years, and in 1971 The Music Centre was formally opened by Princess Margaret Rose. It was the first purpose built recording studio in the UK (built from scratch, not in a converted building), constructed to such a size that it would be able to handle work from rock bands up to the largest orchestras for film scores. Toward the end of 1972, CTS Studios management were informed that a property development company had acquired the Bayswater building with the intention of repurposing it. A search was immediatly begun for suitable new premises. The solution came in the form of a fortuitous merger between CTS and De Lane Lea Music. In 1973, the two companies concluded a complicated series of negotiations and CTS was purchased by De Lane Lea and relocated to Wembley. In 1982, the name of the facility was officially changed to CTS Studios Ltd., better known as CTS, Wembley. [u]Note[/u]: Sometimes it was still called 'CTS...' after the merge and before 1982, as on "A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night". Records cut here are identifiable by an etched "The Music Centre" or "MC" in whatever variation in the runouts. Please use [u]Lacquer Cut At[/u] when crediting the studio. (For "De Lane Lea" or "DLL" in whatever variation etchings, please use De Lane Lea Music Centre). For records cut after April 1982, please use CTS Studios. If runout etchings (between Autumn 1971 and April 1982) include '420W', please use: Lacquer Cut At: The Music Centre, Wembley Pressed By: PRS Ltd. [u]Timeline[/u] July 1965-Autumn 1971: De Lane Lea Studios Autumn 1971-1981 (or probably April 1982): De Lane Lea Music Centre/The Music Centre, Wembley (Probably after April) 1982-February 1987: CTS Studios Name variations found on releases include: - C.T.S. The Music Centre, Wembley, Middlessex - CTS, The Music Centre, Wembley, Middlessex - CTS, The Music Centre, Wembley, London - Music Centre, Wembley - Music Centre, Wembley, England - Music Centre, UK - The Music Centre - The Music Centre, London - The Music Centre (Wembley) - The Music Centre, Wembley, England - The Music Centre, Wembley, London - Music Centre Recording Studio - The Music Centre Studio, London - Music Centre Studio, Wembley, London - Music Centre Studios, Wembley - Music Center - The Music Center - The Music Center, Webley - Music Center, London - Music Center UK - Music Center Studio, London - Music Center Studios, Wembley, London - Music Center Sound Studio, Wembley , England - Music Center, Wimbley, London - Wembley Music Center - Wembley Studios Known engineers: - Terry Johnson (2) - Dick Plant - Dick Lewzey - John Richards - David Hunt (3) - John Acock - Rafe McKenna - Anthony Duggan - Kenny Denton (joined in 1971) - David Strickland - Keith Dickens - Paul Hume - Richard Goldblatt - Bob Zimbler - Pete Wandless - Mike Pela - George Sloan - Kevin Metcalfe (mastering, 1975-1979) - Bob Jones (6) (mastering) Maintenance engineer: - Dave Siddle