Interview with Emily Toner – Producer, Musician & Abbey Road Institute student
Recently we sat down with current Abbey Road Institute student Emily Toner and asked her some questions about her trip to London and what her experience was like walking the hallowed halls of the iconic Abbey Road Studios!
Emily is a self-taught singer and guitarist who was looking to understand the whole of the music industry. From recording techniques, to acoustics, to mixing, production, and live sound. She decided to begin her Sound Production studies at Abbey Road Institute. Straightaway, she dedicated a year to learning the production process from from start to finish. Emily will graduate in 2018 and is currently working on her own EP for release sometime next year.
What did you go over to the UK for?
I headed over to the UK for a few weeks for my best mate’s wedding. I had the honour of singing her down the aisle, and travelled home via London to check out Abbey Road Studios.
What was it like walking into ARS for the first time?
Walking through the gate while everyone else was taking photos from the street was pretty funny. I had my trusty travel guitar on my back and it was a pretty surreal feeling walking into a place where so many brilliant musicians and producers had walked before me.
How did you enjoy your time there?
I met some awesome staff and who showed me around the the London Abbey Road Institute, I sat in on a class, hung out on the rooftop and got to know some of the London students and even did some impromptu recording with them for fun.
How do you compare the London Institute to Melbourne’s?
The London campus was actually pretty similar to our institute here in Melbourne. It has all the same gear, and the classes are the same. The London campus was surprisingly a bit smaller than our space here in Melbourne, which made me realise how lucky we are. I guess space is a bit harder to come by in London! The London Institute had some pretty nice old school valve guitar amps set up in their studio though which I would have liked to test out! The only other main difference I noticed was the Neve Custom 75 desk in their studio versus our API 1608 console.
What was the class/students/lecturers like?
In essence, everyone was lovely and really welcoming. They all wanted to know what kind of music I was into making and shared with me their backgrounds and music interests. The London Institute has heaps of international students from all around Europe. They have all come to study at one of the most iconic studios in the world, which is pretty cool.
Any interesting takeaways/cool stories from the experience?
I ended up being invited to an industry party at a record label one night by a London student I’d met that day. Specifically, it was really fun to be out and about in a new place meeting people who also live and breathe music. All up, it was a really special few days.
Emily is looking forward to the graduation ceremony which takes place at Abbey Road Studios in London next year!
Find out more
To find out more about Emily’s journey, check out her Instagram @emtones
Listen to her releases on Spotify.
For more information about Abbey Road Institute, get in touch.
