Photo Credit, Mark Kenyon - Editor
This is the story of four lucky individual’s, all avid Genesis fans and how they got to visit The Farm Studios and listen to some 5.1 surround sound remixes….
I received an email about a week before the Genesis convention of 2006, the email was from Nick Davis, to say that a guy called Steve Puddick would be in touch with me soon about a charity raffle/auction for four lucky winners to visit The Farm Studios and for them to listen to some of the 5.1 remixes.
Steve did contact me, a phone call later revealed lots more information about a charity event put on at the Farnham Maltings with Genesis In The Cage performing and a prize being offered and won. Sadly the prize could not be taken up and so the winner offered the prize back to the charity.
Steve and Nick asked if the Genesis convention would be interested in hosting the prize and the charity, I pointed Steve in the direction of Doug Melbourne organiser of the 2006 Genesis Convention who gladly agreed that he would be happy for Steve to be there and raise money for a good cause.
On Saturday 27th May, the first day of the convention Steve and I met, where he proceeded to sell raffle tickets for a prize a trip of a lifetime. The prize being a trip to visit The Farm Studios and to listen to some remixes in 5.1 surround sound.
On Sunday 28th May with the raffle closed the four winners were announced and were each handed a letter explaining the prize and the conditions and how to contact Steve.
The lucky winners were,
Dave Parmenter from Essex
Peter Faulkner from Hertford
Paul Brewster from Kent
Trevor Garrad from Kent
The lucky winners listen attentively. (Photo Credit, Mark Kenyon - Editor)
Roll on the morning of, Monday June 12th 2006 I left Coventry at an ungodly hour and I headed for the picture postcard village of Chiddingfold. It was there in the car park of The Crown Inn we waited for Steve Puddick. We got inside his people carrier and then we made our way to The Farm.
On arriving at the Farm Nick Davis was slightly delayed due to other commitments, though Dale Newman was able to greet the lucky winners. Dale instantly recognised me and we got chatting, I explained to him who the lucky winners were and the purpose of the visit to The Farm. At this point Nick Davis arrived and was introduced to the four winners and Steve.
Dale proceeded to give the winners and the organiser Steve Puddick a guided tour of the studio reception room and control room home to the big SSL desk where upon he explained the history of the studio and how it came to be, taking the winners into each room and explaining its function and why it was built.
The winning four smile in delight at being shown around the control room (Photo Credit, Mark Kenyon - Editor)
Dale was asked a number of questions some of which he simply couldn’t answer, although he was able to show the lucky winners the soundboard tapes, and to explain the process that they have to undergo. He also mentioned that without Alan Hewitt’s gig guide he would have had a nightmare of a job trying to work out which show occurred on which date at said venue etc.
Dale shows the soundboard tapes (Photo Credit, Mark Kenyon - Editor)