The Archers studio
29 January 2009

A longer version of this article appears in the latest edition of Ambridge Voice, the magazine of the official fan club Archers Addicts. More pictures of the studio and its sound effects equipment can be found in our behind-the-scenes photo gallery.



While the Mailbox boasts some impressive technology, like their new Studer Vista mixing desk, the studio itself is the cornerstone for all Archers audio. But how do the rolling hills of Lower Loxley, the high-ceilinged pack house and Susan Carter's kitchen all fit into one Tardis-like space in Birmingham?

The live area of the studio (above) is an uncluttered space that creates the audio acoustic of a large room. Ambient noise from the BBC sound effects library is added to the dialogue recorded here, to suggest spacious locations like the Village Hall, Ambridge Organics, and Jaxx Café.

Domestic bliss!




Acoustic panels divide the soft area into the kitchen, hallway and living room. The kitchen features a sink, cupboards, cooker, Aga, and a tiled area that can also be used for bathroom scenes. The hard reflective surfaces in this space are perfect for reproducing a kitchen acoustic.

The hall is narrow and gives a small, boxy sound - a good backdrop for gossip in the corridors. The living room is full of soft furnishings and thick velvet curtains which absorb sound and help the listener recognise a familiar cosy interior acoustic.

Dead Good

Actors do not end up six feet under when they enter the morbidly named dead room!

The dead room is so called because it creates a 'dead' acoustic, producing a clean audio recording that can then be backed with pre-recorded sound effects to suggest a variety of locations.

Car scenes are recorded here too, with the hard side of an acoustic panel placed in front of the actors to reflect their voices against a 'windscreen' (or in Tom and Helen's case, to reflect the gasps and groans of a hit and run drama).

The dead room culminates in the snail, which is a corridor that narrows gradually, fading the voice as an actor moves down it. The snail is perfect for long approaches and departures - just imagine Ruth heading across a field shouting "Tea Deavid?"

Essential Extras




This staircase goes nowhere but features a variety of surfaces; it could be in Grey Gables, a Borsetshire department store, or a plush-carpeted Home Farm.
We asked some of the cast for their most memorable moments when acting and sound effects came together...

Tamsin Greig (Debbie Aldridge)
"Farty yoghurt squidged through clasped hands to make the sound of a lamb being born, then a heavy wet towel being dropped onto recording tape for the sound of the lamb dropping onto the lambing shed floor. Always makes me laugh, without fail!"

Tom Graham (Tom Archer)
"Travelling to Glastonbury to get the authentic sound of festival burgers sizzling away, to the backdrop of De La Soul rocking out on the Pyramid Stage was the best sound effects experience ever!"

Michael Lumsden (Alistair Lloyd)
"Playing Alec d'Urberville in a production of Tess of the d'Urbervilles. We rehearsed the scene where Alec tries to seduce Tess in the greenhouse by picking a rose for her and feeding her strawberries by hand.

"As I delivered the lines about the rose I turned to see the technician holding a pair of scissors and a carrot! I was then handed a saucer of soft banana to give to Tess; a perfect sound match for eating strawberries apparently… Finding the romantic frisson of the moment suddenly became a lot more difficult!"

Archers Addicts.

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