Bring back my turntables so I can cue up a disc again
It seems weird sometimes. The things I say in the little room pictured on the right can be heard by about two million people each morning. But it’s not any old room; it’s a radio studio. Nothing flash, not by today’s standards, but it’s my little haven, where for me, the magic happens each morning.
I have to look after this studio though. She’s no spring chicken and unlike the modern studios you might find elsewhere, she has no neon lights, flashy monitors or touch screen faders.
No, this wonderful studio is proper old-school. A traditional radio desk; analogue not digital. Think Boeing 747 versus Airbus A380 or an E-Type Jaguar versus a Tesla.
Enough of the mechanical terminology and down to brass tacks.
For me, I love this little desk. It’s where I communicate with my listeners and they communicate back. This desk helps me put it all together.
Today’s modern radio studios are very high tech. You can configure them in any way you wish, even control them remotely.
This old desk you have to operate yourself, but if it goes wrong you can take a bit of it out and replace it. Not something you can do with a touch screen.
Digital desks either work or they don’t. The other morning, one fader on mine was only working in one channel, so I gave it a gentle tap and it worked again!
This is the original Wave 105 desk from when the station began broadcasting in 1998. I also used the same type of desk previously at 2CR-FM in Bournemouth and Isle of Wight Radio.
The system that plays out the music may well be computerised these days, but this old desk would have been connected to CD players and turntables back in the day.
FM has warmth, DAB sounds too cold. It’s the same with digital sound. How I long to have turntables reinstalled to the studio and have that wonderful theatre of cueing up a record again.
Technology does make things easier and more accessible, but it lacks the charm and physical enjoyment of the good old days.