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Peter Leggett, Clearcut Sound Studios
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Peter Leggett founded Clearcut Sound Studios in 1993, the same year that Soundscape launched the SSHDR1. Ten years down the line, he reflects on the Clearcut story and tells us about his association with Soundscape, with which he has won numerous awards (four distinctions already for 2003, and this is only July! Business as usual…).
Peter, can you please tell us about the beginnings, how did you become an engineer?
My Dad wanted me to become an architect but I was a guitarist in a school band and had already been seduced by the music industry. I discovered the role of sound engineer and it seemed like a more stable profession than musician. I rang round the few studios in London at the time and ended up speaking to the tape op at a small studio in Denmark Street. He said he was leaving and suggested writing in. One interview later I got the job. Pure Luck.
 What were the first big breaks which helped you on your way to success?
One: Leaving the music industry and moving into Post Production.
Musicians were moving into their bedrooms big time, leaving less work for commercial studios. Meanwhile Post was starting to be done on multitrack and I had plenty of experience of that. Studio rates were higher and the clientele professional.
Two: Getting my wife, Carolyn, to join in with running Clearcut.
When Clearcut was a year old we could afford for her to become full time. She looked after running the business side of the company. That freed me up to concentrate on growing the facility. She still manages the financial side of things.
Now that you run a successful studio complex in the heart of London's Soho, are you still a "hands-on" kind of person?
Very much so. We have three studios and three other engineers but I still design the systems and engineer a lot of sessions.
When and how did you discover Soundscape, and why did you decide to make it your system of choice?
I started Clearcut as a freelance engineer. One of my clients asked me to produce a series of corporate audio programmes and I decided to find my own system.
I was used to Audiofile and the Lexicon Opus (remember that?), and I knew I wanted a non linear system. I had a demo of Soundscape and I instantly saw its potential. I would like to think I have contributed to its evolution over the years. It has kept pace with my requirements so far.
 What place does Soundscape have today in your company and working process?
It is the principal recorder and editor in all of our studios. It is at the centre of our operation.
How would you describe the system's performance in terms of editing?
It is the ultimate editor for our kind of work. It is intuitive, so we can work under pressure. It is flexible, so we can give clients as many alternatives as they want. It is reliable, so we won’t let them down.
Just how important is reliability to you?
Enormously! The last thing we want in a session is the system going down on us in front of a client. That would make us look like amateurs. In this respect Soundscape has been fantastic. Soundscape is the most stable programme on the computer and we haven't lost any audio in ten years we’ve been in business.
Do you mix internally or do you mostly use external mixing desks, and why?
We use the Soundcape mixer for plug ins, in conjunction with Yamaha DM2000 consoles.
Do you use any other recording systems, for instance reel-to-reel?
We only use Soundscape for recording. DAT, Betacam and WAV files for mastering. We are considering a copy of Nuendo so we could work on projects track layed by freelancers at home, but we would still use Soundscape/Mixpander as the PC interface. I used to be good at ¼” editing – razor blade, chinagraph, out takes draped round your neck –those were the days!
How about video? How do you integrate audio editing and synchronized video playback?
We use the DPS Reality card which slaves video playback off Soundscape. We digitise from Digi Beta and nobody spots the difference.
How do your clients react to Soundscape?
Our clients don’t know or care what we use. They form their opinions from how fast and reliable we are. Soundscape scores highest on both counts.
How easy (or difficult) is it to train new engineers to use Soundscape?
I would expect an experienced engineer to learn Soundscape in a couple of days. It has taken me 27 years to become and experienced engineer and I’m still learning.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
We have just finished the latest TV commercials from Aardman Animation for PG Tips and Dairylea.
Other projects include radio ads for Volkswagen, Specsavers and Nivea. Also TV commercials for Dell, Toilet Duck and Neutrogena.
Times have been tough for businesses everywhere. How is Clearcut doing?
The industry is definitely in a downturn at the moment. Clearcut is 10 years old this year so we have an established client base. We have also been very cautious so we are feeling fairly stable. I am very pleased Soundscape did not cost £100,000 per system.
How do you see the future for Clearcut Sound Studios?
Once the economy picks up we are in a good position for the future. Expansion is a possibility but it will have to be very well managed. There is no virtue in expansion for the sake of it, is there, Greg Mackie?
On the subject of Mackie, I am very pleased they are returning Soundscape to its rightful home. I am not a fan of big companies – they work best with high volume low maintenance products. There was no way they could have the right attitude for Soundscape.
Look at the forum: We are specialists with diverse requirements and we need intelligent support.
On the subject of Sydec, I wish them all the luck in the world and await new products with interest. Software-wise, I am especially interested in how the automation system will develop, and the addition of new plug ins. I would also love freelancers to come to me with projects for dubbing, so how about a native version for tracklaying?
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