Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Beatles engineer offers music masterclass
‘From Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust: A Production Masterclass’ will run from Friday 3 to Sunday 5 June and again from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 June, at Leeds Beckett’s state-of-the-art Headingley Campus music studios. The masterclass costs £400 and is open to all.
Over three days, participants will be expertly guided by Ken in the art of music production, recording techniques and basic mixing as he puts an in-house band through its paces and completes a basic live recording. He will explain and demonstrate the methods and innovations developed during his time at the world famous Abbey Road and Trident studios.
Ken explained: “Modern technology seems to be changing every aspect of our lives, but is it making it better? Here is a chance for anyone, techie or fan, interested in how records were made during the golden age of British recording, the 60’s through to the 80’s, to watch and learn what it used to be like.”
Dr Steve Parker, Principal Lecturer in the School of Film, Music and Performing Arts at Leeds Beckett, added: “This course presents a unique opportunity to gain those ‘other skills’ that are required to produce a record. Nowadays the focus is on the recording and the tools whereas Ken's course will provide insight into the role of the producer and engineer and how they facilitate and work with an artist in order to produce a performance and not just a recording. We’ve used these skills for making records for many years and we will need them for many years to come; no matter how much the technology develops.”
The cost of the masterclass includes a signed copy of Ken’s book, ‘Abbey Road to Ziggy Stardust’.
Ken brings with him 52 years’ experience and a reputation as one of the best in the recording industry. He has been a major contributor to the sale of over 250 million LP/CD sales.
Beginning at the age of 16 working in the tape library at Abbey Road studios, Ken worked his way up to the position of assistant engineer in a short space of time, where his first session was on side two of the Beatles’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and eventually took over the helm as recording engineer on ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ and the ‘White’ album. He has worked with a host of other big names in popular music, including Jeff Beck, Pink Floyd, the Hollies, Procol Harum and many more.
After moving to Trident Studios he received three Grammy nominations for best engineered pop album, a Clio Award for ‘I’d like to buy the world a Coke’, and millions of record sales with artists such as Elton John, George Harrison, Harry Nilsson and America. Ken’s move into music production led him to have more artistic involvement in his work, leading to millions of sales worldwide and more Grammy nominations for artists like Supertramp.
Leeds Beckett University appointed Ken Scott as a Visiting Senior Lecturer in the School of Film, Music and Performing Arts in September 2015. He presented his first public talk at Leeds Beckett in December 2015, discussing his life and sharing his memories of working with some of the biggest names in rock and pop.