A quick tour of Nemo Studios

Vangelis’ studio was divided into two areas. The smaller of the two was the control room, which was approximately 430 square feet. It housed Vangelis’ synthesiser set-up, mixing desk, tape recorders and audio equipment. The second area was larger, and this was designated as the live room. This area looked more like a lounge than an acoustic recording room. It contained elegant seating areas, video display equipment, a variety of musical instruments and a screen projection area.

A view of Nemo Studios’ control room, in 1979, after recording the ‘China’ album. The hung monitors were the older Tannoy HPD, which were later replaced with a pair of powerful Tannoy Dreadnought monitors. Vangelis’ CS-80 synthesiser is barely visible between the Roland System-100 synthesiser and the grand piano. The studio’s recording equipment and mixing console had just been upgraded the previous year.

Vangelis’ CS-80 synthesiser and the Roland System-100 synthesiser.

Nemo Studios’ Quad/Eight Pacifica, a 36-channel inline mixing desk. Also seen is a Steinway Concert Grand.

Control Room - 1979

The shape of the control room was unusual, because of the external architectural constraints of the historic building. The wall behind the synthesiser set-up was sloped at an angle, and it also did not form a perpendicular side with the room’s other three sides. The wall’s odd shape was governed by the roof of the building. The sloping wall was artistically covered with rows of Vangelis’ gold and platinum records, which looked like a mosaic made of shiny award discs.

Another wall in the control room had a hollow opening situated 7 feet above, and this could be accessed by climbing a vertical ladder that was fixed to the wall. The opening was shaped by the stairwell, from the staircase underneath. This open space was filled with a mattress and cushions, which created a cosy relaxation area, although it was rarely used. The control room also incorporated a small kitchen in one corner.

As you can imagine, the control room felt extremely overcrowded with all the instruments and equipment, and during busy periods you had to be extra careful around all the expensive equipment.

In-depth article

Portrait of a studio

Yamaha CS-80

One of the most recognisable instruments in Vangelis’ music is the Yamaha CS-80 analogue synthesiser. Vangelis first spotted the Yamaha CS-80 at a music fair show in London in 1977, where upon he decided to try one out. It was the first polyphonic synthesiser with true performance features, such as after-touch and velocity-sensitive capabilities, and both of these features appealed to Vangelis.

At this time the CS-80 had not been officially introduced to the UK market, and there was already a six month waiting list for the instrument. Vangelis managed to get one on loan for a couple of weeks before deciding whether he wanted to buy one or not. He used the borrowed CS-80 to record the album ‘Spiral’ and the instrument was featured on the majority of his compositions onwards.

To avoid the six month waiting list, Vangelis' first CS-80 synthesiser was purchased from Japan and train-ferried all the way across Russia to the UK. When the CS-80 first arrived in London it needed the usual internal circuit alterations, so that its voltage was compatible with the UK’s.

When Vangelis got his first great analogue synthesizer he realised it could produce sounds at frequencies below human audible levels, with its sliding pitch ribbon controller. Such sub-sonic audio levels often stretched the limits of the mixing console. Initially the cones of the Tannoy HPD monitors got damaged and had to be replaced a number of times. Vangelis held the instrument in very high regard saying years later:

This is the most important synthesiser in my career, and for me the best analogue synthesiser design there has ever been. It was a brilliant instrument, though unfortunately not a very successful one. It needs a lot of practice, if you want to be able to play it properly. That's because it's the only synthesiser I could describe as being a real instrument, mainly because of the way the keyboard is built, and what you can do with it.

Vangelis: Taking lessons in an instrument is something that is opposite to what I believe. Every instrument is able to talk to you – if you want it to of course. And you can have a conversation with it – it is like making love if you like. When you take lessons in an instrument, you are taught how to play, so you lose any personal contact. You play the way someone else has shown you to.

…

Once you get to know each instrument, there is really no limit to the possibilities. The first step is to learn the range and capabilities of all the instruments used in a symphony orchestra. Once you've mastered that, you can start to do things with the keyboards. The only real problem is that you've only got two hands.

Vangelis is a virtuoso on the CS-80 with his agile performances and unique manipulations. It made the composer instantly identifiable on his recordings.

Vangelis’ CS-80