Ridge Farm Studios
Ridge Farm Studios
Also known as: Ridge Farm Industries, Ridge Farm
UnclaimedRidge Farm Industries is a British pro-audio manufacturer that grew out of the residential Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, England. The company traces its origins to 1994–1995, when studio technical manager Richard Kirk and chief engineer Pierre-Olivier Margerand (POM) began designing valve outboard gear for in-house tracking sessions and later put their designs into small-batch production.
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Ridge Farm Industries is a British pro-audio manufacturer that grew out of the residential Ridge Farm Studio in Surrey, England. The company traces its origins to 1994–1995, when studio technical manager Richard Kirk and chief engineer Pierre-Olivier Margerand (POM) began designing valve outboard gear for in-house tracking sessions and later put their designs into small-batch production.
The brand is best known for two outboard pieces aimed at engineers chasing colour and aggression rather than transparency. The Gas Cooker is a heavy, all-valve dual-channel microphone preamp and DI box built into a roadworthy steel chassis, often used for direct-injecting electric bass, electric guitar, Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer alongside its mic-pre duties. The Boiler is a two-channel VCA ultra-compressor housed in a 1U turquoise rack box, designed to be heard working — squashing and crunching drum buses, parallel kick and snare, bass and upfront guitars. A later Boiler MKII revision added features developed in consultation with mix engineers, including a Joe Barresi distortion stage, a Michael Brauer-style high-pass sidechain filter, variable attack and release, and a parallel mix control.
The gear has a small but devoted following in professional studios and is regularly traded through specialist dealers and the secondhand market. Richard Thompson is among the players who have used the Gas Cooker on stage and in the studio.
Ridge Farm Studios has 2 products cataloged on Equipboard, including Direct Boxes and Effects Processors. Their gear is featured by 3 artists, with the strongest followings in Electronic, Rock, and Pop. Notable users include Kevin Shields, Andy Gill, and Paul Turner.
Artists Who Use Ridge Farm Studios
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