The Team

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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.

In 2025, she earned a GRAMMY Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, for her work on Peter Gabriel’s ‘i/o’, and was also named Recording Engineer of the Year at the MPG Awards.

Her engineering credits include: Gabrielle Aplin, Tom Jones, Peter Gabriel, The Breath, Tom Chaplin, John Smith, Wilkinson, Mary Chapin Carpenter, 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.

Xav Sinden (Engineer)

Xav joined the team in late 2024, after spending time honing his craft under the guidance of producer Scotty Hard at his studio in Brooklyn, NY. With a particular interest in alternative genres and a passion for using analogue gear and traditional recording techniques in a modern context, Xav brings his creativity and calm professionalism to any session.

Xav has worked on sessions for a number of artists and producers including: Scotty Hard, Crash Test Dummies, Gengahr and Punchlove. 

Maisy Preece (Assistant Engineer)

Maisy joined us on placement in 2024 after graduating in Sound Technology from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and is now a full-time member of the team. Originally from a background in art, she loves to combine creativity with technicality and is passionate about helping everyone involved in a project in any way she can. She’s hard to miss in her bright clothes, so when you see her don’t hesitate to ask for a beverage of any kind.

Past studio placements:
Ben Koch (2023-24)
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)

As former head engineer here at Real World Studios, Oli maintains a close relationship with Real World as an associate engineer while living in Los Angeles.
 
Oli has seven GRAMMY nominations to his name, with two wins to date, and received the MPG Recording Engineer of the Year award in 2023. His recent credits include engineering Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department; Sabrina Carpenter’s Short ‘n’ Sweet; Harry Styles’ Harry’s House; The 1975’s Being Funny in a Foreign Language; Peter Gabriel’s i/o; and Sam Fender’s upcoming album, People Watching.
 
Oli has also engineered and mixed records for a range of artists such as Beabadoobee, Charli XCX, The Japanese House, Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, Alexis Ffrench, Tom Misch, and Pale Waves.

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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)

Lisa has devoted her life to working at Real World, ensuring sessions are easy to book and run smoothly. Arriving fresh out of school and working her way up to the post of Studio Coordinator, she knows the Studios inside out and is on hand to cater to all session requirements.

James Kedwards (Studio Technician)

James joined the team in 2025, bringing a wealth of analogue audio expertise and a passion for designing and building discrete hardware. With his cheerful and reassuring presence, James expertly cares for our audio equipment and is also an experienced disc mastering engineer.