Not many people are lucky enough to pass beyond the gates of Abbey Road Studios — the popular studios that gained fame after the 1969 release of the Abbey Road album by the most iconic English rock band, The Beatles. Actually, the album’s famous cover shows the legendary members of the rock band famously striding on the crosswalk just outside the studios. The studio is closely connected to the band, it’s impossible to imagine one without the other, since almost all of their highly successful albums and singles were recorded there between 1962 – 1970. Besides the world-famous rock band, Pink Floyd and Michael Jackson recorded some of their most renowned songs and albums in the studios.
Despite being arguably the world’s most iconic sound atelier, very few people outside the music industry know what’s really inside – this might be due to the fact it is not open to public. But even though it isn’t accessible to some, things started looking better for the fans and thanks to the use of VR Technology we can now explore the world behind its famous doors.
This week’s #ThrowBrandThursday takes us on an interactive virtual tour of the studios where some of the most notable rock singles in the music history were made. Dubbed “Inside Abbey Road” and launched in 2015, this VR experience is narrated by Giles Martin, the son of the Beatles producer, George Martin, and describes the studios’ history that dates back from 1930s to present days.
Conducted with the help of “one of the world’s most diverse and awarded creative networks” Stink Studios and Internet giant Google, the VR guided tour allows virtual visitors to check the three most important rooms of the studios:
Studio One — which has served as the perfect spot to house cinematic orchestras, and attracted famous Hollywood productions like Star Wars, the Harry Potter series, or The Lord of The Rings trilogy.
Studio Two — the visit of which is narrated by the Head of Audio Products, Mirek Stiles, is the birthplace of modern music.
Finally, Studio Three — presented by Lauren Laverne, DJ and TV presenter — hosted The Beatles, Amy Winehouse, U2, Coldplay and Florence & the Machine while recording their albums. If you want to see the studio yourself in its full glory, you can visit the dedicated VR guided tour experience by Google here.
Apart from these iconic areas, the tourists can admire the Mastering Room, which is part of the very same tour. On bottom left, each room has a map, that makes the viewer able to see what his position in the room is, and what’s more there to discover.
Speaking about the project, Martin said “This collaboration with Google gives the outside world a great insight into the everyday workings of the studio and allows anyone to glimpse the magic that goes on inside the world’s most famous recording studio.”
Due to its success and with more than 2 million fans who wanted to explore the studios, the experience was conducted to a multi-sensorial level, using Google Cardboards and smartphones in March 2016.
The 360-degree experience is available both for iOS and Android – which can be downloaded for free — and allows visitors to go “where some of the most important rock singles in the music history were made.” Also, in September 2016 the British music journalism magazine, NME (New Musical Express) gave away thousands of Google Cardboards alongside the NME magazine, allowing users to relax themselves with a Street View-style VR experience.
Credits:
Digital Studio: Stink Studios