Thank you to everyone for leaving us great reviews year upon year.

Paul Midcalf

Owner, Audio Sorcery Recording Studios

Testimonials

Displaying 1 to 20 of 3704 testimonials

Fantastic experience again. Paul is awesome, great job. Thanks so much.

Harriet

from Cranbrook, Singer Silver Plus, 25th November 2023

What a nice way to spend a few hours, while magic is worked on the sound.

John

from Dartford, Player Gold, 23rd November 2023

Very friendly and helpful, talked me through the whole experience and really made me feel calm and I enjoyed the whole experience.

Reece

from Erith, Player Gold, 21st November 2023

What an amazing experience for any young budding musician. Brought this to celebrate my son's 13th birthday and it was everything and more than what they expected. The whole band haven't stopped beaming from ear to ear. Thank you Paul for all your hard work today. They absolutely loved it!

Chapter 5

from Haywards Heath, Band Silver, 19th November 2023

Lovely experience and very professional service. Paul was very informative and welcoming. Would highly recommend.

Jack

from Bromley, Singer Silver, 18th November 2023

I've had an absolute blast today. Wasn't sure what to expect but Paul put me at ease and guided me through it. Would 100% do it again.

Ben

from Plumpton, Singer Gold, 18th November 2023

Very professional! Friendly. Great quality recordings. Will come again! Made to feel very comfortable and at ease. great fun!

Pierce

from Rochester, Player Gold, 15th November 2023

Thank you Paul. Our daughter Nancy has learning difficulties - she had the time of her life thanks to your kindness, help and professionalism. Not to mention your sense of humour. We all really enjoyed it immensely.

Nancy

from Worthing, Singer Silver Plus, 9th November 2023

Had a great time. Paul was very patient. I would highly recommend session with him.

Peter

from Maidstone, Singer Gold, 9th November 2023

Great to be back 10 years later, very simple and easy process, feels great to just loose yourself in the music.

Lotte

from Eastbourne, Singer Silver Plus, 7th November 2023

It was wonderful - the girls had a brilliant experience!

The Boba T's

from Tunbridge Wells, Pop Star Party Platinum, 4th November 2023

Paul is such a lovely man, so friendly and helpful. Have been many times and will keep coming. Amazing experience. Thank you 🙂

Kayla & Libby

from Sidcup, Singer Silver, 4th November 2023

Fantastic experience. Very professional studio - we both enjoyed it!

Alison & Rob

from Littlehampton, Singer Silver Plus, 4th November 2023

Absolutely incredible. The girls loved it and was the best party ever!!

Little Six

from Pembury, Pop Star Party Gold, 1st November 2023

A very pleasant and relaxing recording environment create by studio maestro Paul working his magic on the sliders!! Thanks Paul.

John

from Lincolnshire, Player Silver, 30th October 2023

Darcey had a great experience and Paul was really encouraging and positive as usual.

Darcey & Lydia

from Smarden, Singer Gold, 30th October 2023

I had an amazing time! Was so nervous at first but as soon as I started singing all the worry was gone. Very very lovely time. Such a lovely, kind person and sounds amazing!

Erin

from Grays, Singer Silver Plus, 28th October 2023

Absolutely amazing and professional experience for this group of budding pop stars!They loved every second. Thank you so much Paul.

The Dream Crushers

from Tonbridge, Singer Silver Plus, 28th October 2023

Had an amazing time recording a few songs. The experience was wholesome! Thanks Paul for the lovely work 🙂

Ana-Clara

from Gerrards Cross, Player Platinum, 26th October 2023

A session at Audio Sorcery is better than retail therapy!

Dehlia

from Horsham, Singer Platinum, 24th October 2023

Read more testimonials

Do you really need a voice to cut your own CD? Yes, Helen Lederer discovers, but not necessarily a good one. Woman and Home Magazine

Well, I’ve done it in the bath, with a hairbrush and in the car - but I haven't done it in public - and call me a prude, but I haven‘t done it in front of two strangers either. I mention this in order to explain the slightly raised blood pressure I felt when stepping out on to a sweet little Kent station to be met by Paul - a singing maestro who was going to make my school girl fantasy come true. He was going to get me to sing a song, record it and send me home with a personal CD. Calm, moi?

Although Paul reassured me that all sorts come to sing their own CDs with him: “Grandparents, teens, five-year-olds." I noticed he hadn't included the tone deaf, the shy or singer-phobic, which was worrying. You see, I was avoiding something that, sooner or later, we were all going to have to confront. In spite of my closet hope (now firmly out of the bag) that I, too, could sound like Dido, Madonna and Celine rolled into one, could I actually do it?

My biggest fear was that when I opened my mouth, I'd either be mute or sound like a baby starling or parrot. After all, I'd been chucked out of the school choir and I only sing in church if I’m next to a loud person, or in a group situation if drunk. But at least I was prepared. When I first spoke to Paul on the phone, he suggested I peruse some 2,700 titles on his website or even come up with one of my own, “to practice”. He would make sure I‘d be sent the lyrics beforehand. In the event, I chose Yesterday by Paul (the other one) because I felt it would be easier to tackle than Nessun Dorma and more engaging than Needles & Pins. 

We drew up outside a pretty house set in a fantastic valley with great views and various buildings dotted about. John (my second maestro/singer/teacher) was waiting for us with a twinkle in his eye, a smile and a cup of coffee. So far, so very good. Next, I was standing in a warm, wood-panelled studio with a microphone stand, a music holder thing and OMIGOD - earphones! Once those were on, I knew there would be no going back.

John suggested breathing out to empty my lungs in order to fill up nicely. I felt like a pair of fireside bellows - all very cosy and at home and not at all self-conscious. In fact, it was only when I heard those famous guitar chords spilling into my cans that the panic set in. I was to sing the words to Yesterday over Paul McCartney’s guitar backing. It felt ghostly and awe-inspiring at the same time.

I tried to get a grip and adopt a “Kylie-Minogue-being-filmed-for-comic-relief,” type of stance, but I wasn’t very convincing. Suddenly, I heard Paul’s cheery voice in my cans say “Here we go, after four bars
”

I struck out into my first yodel of Yesterday. This was fine. but then I got ïŹxated about whether I should go up or down on the words “far away,” which were still in the first line.

This took some sorting out. Then it got better, especially when the power of the famous music took over. In fact, there were bits of the song that really made the whiskers stand up on the back of my neck and beyond.

After several “takes,” I went into Paul's section to recover and watch him twiddle knobs. This was where he was going to make the song sound less like a hamster solo and more like, well, a CD.

When I first heard myself back. I did the decent thing - I screamed. "I sound like I'm 10!" John agreed that singing was like releasing the inner child. Trouble was, I wasn't sure I was ready to share mine with the rest of the world, so I said, “Can‘t you do something to alter it, Paul?” Paul replied. “I have already." Luckily, he had a sense of humour and resumed knob twiddling until my inner child sounded less Brownie pack and more womanly.

Meanwhile, John was strumming his guitar to a tune I'd become inspired to tell him about. It felt glorious. Here I was strumming, humming and jamming with real musicians! But finally, I had to tear myself away, clutching my CD, as well as one of John's band, The Varlies.

My family were amazed that it sounded so “real”. Their reactions were wide-eyed and open-mouthed in the main with only a tiny amount of laughing. In fact, I‘ve taken to keeping it in my handbag in case anyone has a portable. And, I have to say, that while I've grown fond of The Varlies - I've grown even fonder of the sound of my own voice.

If you’d like to record your own CD, call Paul Midcalf at Recording Experience Gifts on 0800 567 7197, or visit www.recording.gifts. Sessions cost between £119 and £569. W&H

Re-produced with kind permission from Anouschka Meredith, features editor.

Visit Helen Lederer's website

Request a free colour brochure and price list from Recording Experience Gifts

Request our free brochure

Found your perfect gift? Our brochure is perfect for leaving around the house. All you'll need to do is hint to others and occasionally point at it.

Includes a separate price list (subject to change).