CD Creates has opened in Ashford

So, Podcasts are a thing. Well, they have been a thing for a fair few years actually and they aren't going away. In fact, they are multiplying, rapidly. The more niche, the more off the wall, the better, it seems. They can turn a dog walk into a science lesson, or a train ride into a comedy caper.

And perhaps it’s because of the more relaxed, longform nature of many podcasts, compared to say, a three minute segment on a live radio show, you often get to the deeper, juiciest thoughts of the subject behind the mic. But, for most people, knowing how to create the perfect podcast sound is beyond their usual skillset.

That’s where CD Creates (@cdcreatesstudio) comes in. Based at Ashford’s trendy Coachworks, it's an acoustically treated studio set up by Casey Dale - who some of you will know from his work on BBC Radio Kent as producer for the Dominic King Show and the BBC Introducing show.

His aim is to create a flexible space for people to create podcasts, record voice-related work, or even just a place to get a bit of work done in quiet serenity.

“CD Creates is mainly focused on being a podcast and voice studio. But it is basically whatever you want it to be,” explains Casey. “Podcasting is awesome. They are so big right now. There was a dedicated live show to podcasts in London this year for the first time because of how big they are.

“In here, I record my own, I record some others. It’s there for recording audiobooks and adverts commercials, and corporate voiceovers for videos, or walkthroughs, or installation guides, stuff like that.

“I've had a local filmmaker who rented the studio for three hours just to have an acoustically quiet space that they could bring a client into, watch the video in its truest form, you know, there's no outside distractions.

“So I've had some singers who want to record some stuff in here, I've had a couple of guitarists as well, where we just set up a mic and record it as live, you know.”

The CD Creates brand and decor is black and white to make it more malleable for clients to come in and put their own stamp on the space using the wall mounted TVs.

There are some neat touches when it comes to the equipment, too.

Firstly, it being an enclosed space, it can get warm, so Casey has brought in an aircon unit that can be controlled remotely so as to get the room to the perfect temperature long before any clients step in.

There are the height adjusted chairs and desk - perhaps you like doing your podcast while standing up - making it flexible for people to use the space how they wish.

Then you have the sound absorbing panels.

“When you talk, sound is multi-directional, exactly the same as light. So the panels are positioned to absorb it rather than bounce it back.”

The sound equipment is at broadcast quality, with Casey using it regularly for his own.

“It’s the industry standard for this kind of thing,” he says. “But I want to get across the accessibility of it. I've never wanted this place to be scary. I always wanted it to be something, a place to learn, a place to kind of just tell your story, say whatever it is, you’ve got to say. And you know, and say it in quality.”

With CD Creates, you also get the option of hiring the space with Casey alongside to give his knowledge and expertise on a session, but if he isn't needed, he is contactable by a CCTV unit to give guidance.

“Anyone who comes here, we'll meet with them first, just to make sure that they're happy, whether they pay for my service or not,” says Casey. “And also because some people might just need a bit of a hand to get them started. But for an extra £25 an hour, they then get me with it to make sure everything's recorded, right.

“But it’s all about accessibility and autonomy. I don't want people to feel like they've got this producer who's sat there watching them and judging them - if they want to come in and just plug in, that's absolutely fine.”

Casey also offers a service of cleaning up and editing recorded audio afterwards.

“It's all hourly rate, or day rate and bulk bookings at a discount,” Casey explains. “Then there's different tiers to it. So you can do the basic studio hire, which is you get the space. It's yours to do with whatever you want for that hour. But I know that sometimes people take a while to warm up. So if you book the studio from 10am to 11am, say, you get set up time beforehand, so that you're ready to record at 10am. There’s grace time either side so people ate not rushed or slammed with bookings every hour.

“If someone's telling you about their deepest, darkest secret on a podcast, you don't want to lose it, you've got time to let them say what they want to say.”

From £40 per hour for basic studio hire up to full production, editing and hosting services, CD Creates is working to offer a top level facility at an affordable price.

“You don't need to travel up to London. I want to offer Kent and I want to offer that to Ashford a proper broadcast quality studio,” Casey says.

“There aren't many spaces where you can make as much noise as you want, or as little noise as you want. Create your sound in complete quality.”

INFO: www.cdcreatesstudio.com

INSTA: @cdcreatesstudio