Ivor Taylor 1 posts 0 comments

Ivor has been immersed in the sound industry for the past 40 years. On leaving school at 18, his first industry break was working for Marshall Amplification and, from there, he went on to provide audio excellence to high profile venues, such as discotheque Tramps and the London Palladium.

In 1994, Ivor founded Grand Central Recording Studios (GCRS) with business partner Carole Humphrey and leading sound designer Raja Sehgal. He is actively involved in the day-to-running of the business as Finance and Technical Director and Co-Owner.

Career highlights include being in the studio, working for Virgin Records, when a teenage session musician – Mike Oldfield – asked, at the end of a long and fruitless recording session, if anyone wanted to listen to his homemade demo tape. The tape, which was the first recording of Tubular Bells, from start to finish, was unlike anything anyone in the room had ever heard before and it went on to be the first album released by Virgin Records.

Ivor has a long history of providing audio support and technology to the most talented musical artists of a generation, including having built a quadrophonic mixer for Pink Floyd’s legendary Dark Side of the Moon tour.

At GCRS, alongside business partner Carole Humphrey, Ivor has pioneered a new way of designing sound studios, so that, rather than being dreary dens, focused around technology, they are relaxing and timeless working environments, with light, airy décor, full sized windows and ample sight lines.

The best thing about his job is being given the opportunity to mentor and support young people from the moment they enter the industry and helping them to become the sound stars of tomorrow.

Alongside GCRS, his passions include travel, skiing, architecture, photography and cooking.