Trackdown Studios is an Australian success story that proves, when given the opportunity, our entertainment industry is first class.
Trackdown Studios mightn’t be the first name that pops into most people’s minds when asked about the world’s most iconic recording studios. Places like Abbey Road and Electric Lady Studios occupy our minds, alongside the records made in them by famous musicians, and of course, the resultant mythologizing.
However, much like the country where it resides, Trackdown Studios hasn’t built its reputation on self-aggrandising tall tales. They let their work speak for itself, which by the way, constitutes a mightily impressive portfolio.
Because while your average Aussie might not have heard of Trackdown Studios, they are almost certainly familiar with their work. Founded by Geoff Watson and Simon Leadley, the last two decades have seen the studio record, mix and master some of the most beloved soundtracks in modern cinema, television and video games. Craig and Elaine Beckett are at the helm of the studio’s technical and administrative side of the business, while Geoff Watson is the Managing Director.
Recent cinematic work ranges from Hollywood epics, such as this year’s Viking epic, The Northman (contributing to ADR), through to Australian gems like The Nightingale (where Trackdown worked on both ADR and music editing). Just to drop a few more names, they worked on music scores for Star Wars: Visions and Three Thousand Years of Longing.
They’ve worked with many of the greats, including legendary auteurs like George Miller – and the greatest endorsement of Trackdown Studios is that they keep coming back.
Outside of film, the studio has found a great deal of success and fulfillment in becoming an important cog in the Australian video game industry. Trackdown first began working on game audio around 2013, with it now accounting for almost half their total projects. Recent work includes fantastic video game soundtracks to World of Warcraft: Shadowlands and Digimon Survive.
We were fortunate enough to recently be invited by our friends at Sennheiser for a tour through Trackdown Studios, and our inner audiophiles swooned at their impressive combination of state-of-the-art equipment and well-thought-out recording suites.
Star Wars Visions is OUT!
It is my honour to compose music for the episode "The Village Bride".
I’ve attached a picture with full credits, but some highlights were working on home-soil at Trackdown Studios in Sydney, and with legendary Nier singer @emirevans! #StarWarsVisions pic.twitter.com/tG9BucHgEI
— Kevin Penkin (@kevinpenkin) September 22, 2021
Trackdown Studios is a world-class recording space, with warm and welcoming energy. And the fact that it’s one of our own, conveniently located in Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter, shouldn’t go uncelebrated. Just as the studio, with its competitive pricing, shouldn’t go unused.
For more information on Trackdown Studios, visit their website here.
