The Team
Real World Studios is run by music lovers. The team strive to ensure the ‘anything is possible’ attitude that Real World is famous for remains at the forefront of everything we do. An assistant engineer is provided for every studio session to help make visiting engineers comfortable – they know the studio and equipment inside out. We also have experienced engineers who can be booked onto your session.
House Engineers
Katie May (Head Engineer)
Katie joined us in 2020 after completing an internship year on the Tonmeister course at Real World during 2018/2019. Hard-working and cheerful, she prides herself on her attention to detail and technical adaptability, always taking the time to ensure every client feels welcomed in the studio. Katie took over as the Head Engineer in April 2022.
Her engineering credits include: Gabrielle Aplin, Tom Jones, Peter Gabriel, The Breath, Tom Chaplin, John Smith, Wilkinson, Bab L’Bluz, Anne-Marie, Clive Deamer, Josienne Clarke, Headie One, Seafarers, Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita, Ferris & Sylvester, Blazin’ Fiddles, Martha Lewis, Some Bodies, Piglet.
Katie has worked on sessions for a number of artists and producers including: The 1975, Foals, Maggie Rogers, Elbow, Florence + The Machine, John Parish, J Hus, GoGo Penguin, Indigo Girls, The Comet Is Coming, Hannah Peel, Roger Waters, Cara Dillon, Ethan Johns, Liam Payne, Sub Focus, Tony Anderson, Erland Cooper, Alexis Ffrench, RIOPY, Marillion, Alan Power.
Bob Mackenzie (House Engineer)
In-house engineer Bob Mackenzie joined the Real World team in 2022 after working in-house at The Motor Museum, bringing a level of exuberance and inspiration that make his sessions wonderfully creative events.
With experience spanning pop, rock, indie and rap he is as versatile as he is talented. Bob’s warm and genuine personality makes him the perfect anchor to ensure recording sessions are exciting and productive.
Bob has worked on sessions for a number of artists and producers including: Daniel Caesar, Divorce, The Kooks, The 1975, Anne-Marie, King Krule, SAULT, Robert Plant, Guns N’ Roses, Tom Jones, Wilkinson, The Heavy, Nile Rodgers, New West, Strawberry Guy, The Mysterines, STONE, Luke Royalty, Michael Aldag, HAZEY, Eivør, The Luka State, Asgeir.
Fraser Latimer (House Engineer)
Fraser rejoined the Real World family at the end of 2023, five years after completing his intership year here. Fraser’s experience across a wide range of both studio and live engineering roles results in incredible flexibility on sessions and passion for his craft.
Fraser has worked on sessions for a number of artists and producers including: The 1975, Tom Jones, Stereophonics, YONAKA, Ida Mae, Peter Gabriel, China Bears and Neil Cowley.
Ben Koch (Assistant Engineer)
Ben joins us on his placement year from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Real World’s new relationship with LIPA goes alongside its long association with the University of Surrey; the Peter Gabriel team have been employing a placement student from there for around 10 years. The commercial studio only began taking placement students in 2016 and it is a tradition we hope to continue.
Past studio placements:
Louis Rogove (2022-23)
Frey Turner (2021-22)
Ioan Hazell (2020-21)
Dom Shaw (2019-20)
Katie May (2018-19)
Fraser Latimer (2017-18)
Oli Middleton (2016-17)
Associate Engineers
Patrick Phillips (Associate Engineer)
Patrick began his career in the recording studios of the North of England, before studying at the University of Surrey, where he graduated from the world-renowned Tonmeister Music and Sound Recording course. Recruited by Abbey Road Studios as an assistant, he spent two years working on large-scale orchestral recordings, before joining the Real World Studios team in 2011.
With his passion, creativity and ability to think outside the box, Patrick quickly garnered acclaim for his innovative approach to recording music in all genres.
Engineering and/or Mixing: The Breath, Nick Mulvey, Rag’n’Bone Man, Marina and the Diamonds, Peter Gabriel & OneRepublic, John Metcalfe, Thomas Bartlett, 9Bach, Chris De Burgh, Kairos 4Tet, The Smoke Fairies, Stealing Sheep, Blue Lab Beats
Assistant Engineer: 9Bach, The Gloaming, Alison Sudol, Elbow, John Metcalfe, Spiro, Ludovico Einaudi, Kate Bush, Susan Boyle, Tom Jones, Guy Garvey, Van Morrison, Lady Gaga, Bruno Major, Goldfrapp, Will Gregory Moog Ensemble, The Heavy, Taylor Swift, Mark Ronson, Anna Calvi, The Strypes, Pretty Vicious, The Courteeners, The Vamps.
Oli Jacobs (Associate Engineer)
Oli graduated from the Tonmeister Course at the University of Surrey in 2014 and worked at Real World Studios for 8 years, graduating to Head Engineer. In early 2022 he went freelance to pursue producing and mixing, but continues a close friendship with Real World as an associate engineer.
Oli engineered three tracks on Harry Styles’ third album ‘Harry’s House’ (for which he won two Grammy Awards) and engineered The 1975’s new album ‘Being Funny in a Foreign Language’. He continued his relationship with the 1975, mixing their live Vevo sessions and Madison Square Garden show (for Amazon Prime). Oli also mixed a single on Charli XCX’s ‘CRASH (deluxe)’, recorded the official sample library for The Royal Albert Hall’s organ and engineered/played on Peter Gabriel’s forthcoming album. He engineered on Taylor Swifts’ 1989 (Taylor’s version) and Lana Del Rey’s ‘Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard’.
Oli won the Recording Engineer of the Year award at the 2023 Music Producer Guild awards.
Oli has worked with producers including Jack Antonoff, Kid Harpoon, George Daniel, Ethan Johns, Hannah Peel, Markus Dravs and Tyler Johnson. Although he mainly works on pop records, he’s engineered or mixed for a diverse range of artists and orchestral film/tv projects with Aardman, Netflix, BBC, Sky and Channel 4.
Support Staff
Tim Oliver (Senior Consulting Engineer)
With over 35 years of recording experience and 20 years running his own small but successful studio, Tim is well qualified to ensure that Real World Studios maintains the standards expected of a world-class recording facility. He keeps a watchful eye on the quality of the rooms, equipment and engineering, supporting and balancing the youthful energy of the staff engineers.
Starting his career in Manchester, back in its heyday, Tim engineered for some of the city’s biggest names, including New Order, ACR, Stone Roses and Happy Mondays. With his own project studio now based on the Real World site, he’s recently worked with Robert Plant, Ludovico Einaudi, Sinead O’Connor and Brix Smith.
Lisa Murton (Studio Coordinator)
Bob Leadbeater (Studio Technician)