It was music to Mike Knight’s ears this past weekend when, during an open house for his new venture Apple Tree Recording Studio, one of the visitors asked to test out his custom-made vocal booth.
While he readily admitted the quaint studio, located at 2061 County Road 21, is a far cry from the famous Abbey Road Studios close to where he grew up in London, England, Knight said it gives Highlands-based performers somewhere local to jam and refine their music.
The studio opened in December with Knight hosting an open house June 6 to try and get the word out. So far, he said he’s had two artists schedule recordings, while he’s been working with various local musicians for two albums he hopes to release in the near future.
“This is where the magic happens,” Knight said, showing off vintage posters of hit bands like Queen, AC/DC, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Guns N’ Roses, which adorn the walls. On a shelf sit figurines of some of Knight’s most cherished artists – Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, Police drummer Stuart Copeland, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Ramones singer Joey Ramone and Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister.
The main room is a treasure trove of musical instruments, with a drum set, piano, countless guitars, a flute and various other percussion instruments. There’s a separate sound room, where Knight works, and, off that, a fully soundproofed vocal booth. The three spaces are connected with screens that show the main track and where overdubs will be dropped in, allowing everyone to follow along no matter where they are.
Knight said he recently worked production for County musician Jodi Timgren on her single ‘Masquerade’, which came out in March. There have been collaborations with Albert Saxby and members of the Haliburton County Folk Society, too.
Through his other musical company, Makk Sound, Knight is routinely contracted to run sound at various County concerts. Most recently, he worked with Jessica Pearson and the East Wind for their Haliburton concert.
His love affair with music stretches back more than 40 years. He started playing bass when he was 17, playing with several start up rock bands in the London area. While he never got his big break, Knight estimates he played about 500 gigs in his early years.
He was a sound engineer and road manager for various bands and went on to work in a prominent recording studio before relocating to Canada in 2012, after meeting his wife Kim. The couple moved to Haliburton County in 2022, with the studio a work in progress ever since.
One of the building’s most interesting features – and this is by design, Knight notes – is that there isn’t a straight line to be found on the interior. Outside, the structure is free-standing, meaning it isn’t bolted down or fixed into place.
“Theoretically, the whole thing is floating. That allows the building to flex and move… as soon as you put a screw in to hold something together, you’re allowing soundwaves to travel through that screw and up the wall, which impacts sound quality,” Knight said.
“It’s the same thinking on the inside… we want to make sure sound bounces. That’s why we have all these baffles up – it’s all about pushing low frequencies out into the room,” he added.
Currently open during the evenings and on weekends, Knight said the studio is his retirement plan. Bookings are $75 per hour, which includes all recording and producing. There may be some pointers in songwriting, too, with Knight finally dusting off an old notepad filled with about 50 original pieces penned during his heyday in the 80s.
“I’ve recorded some demos, but nothing has actually been released. That’s what I’m trying to do now, work with people who can sing just to give the songs a bit of life. That’s next on my to-do list,” Knight said.
For more information, visit www.makksound.com
