About
Red Stereo is a division of music venture ELSWHR LTD, run by composer and bassist Douglas Whates. A graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly RSAMD), he is frequently engaged as a producer and recording engineer, with over twenty years of expertise in the studio and on location in varied genres, including classical, jazz, alternative, and folk.
2015 recording session with Jamie Akers, guitar, in the sublime acoustic of The Menuhin Hall, Surrey.
Industry veteran and three-time Grammy winner Bob Katz proclaimed Whates “a superb engineer”, while Gramophone lauded the James Akers album A Soldier’s Return (Resonus Classics, 2016) for having “all the warmth, colour and expressive richness one could hope for.” His recordings have been broadcast worldwide (BBC, ARD, NPR, Classic FM, Resonance FM) and critically acclaimed in traditional press (Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Classical Guitar) and key online publications. He is an advanced audio editor and is a fluent score reader.
From 2004–2011 Whates ran indie record label Natural Studio Records. Specialising in classical and acoustic music, NSR was responsible for debut releases from then-emerging artists, including Matthew McAllister, Aisling Agnew, James Akers, Samantha Whates, Blue Rose Code, Euan Stevenson, Mira Opalińksa, and Feargus Hetherington. The label also released albums from more established acts such as Allan Neave, Amanda Cook, Gordon McPherson, David Ward Maclean, Hebrides Ensemble, and the Scottish Flute Trio.
He has held teaching positions at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Stevenson College Edinburgh, has given masterclasses and lectures in the UK, Europe, and the USA, and currently lectures in Recording Techniques and the Creative Industries at the Academy of Music & Sound in Glasgow.
What's in a name?
“I was around 7 years old, and it was a 1980s cherry red Sanyo M-W24K radio/cassette recorder which sparked a lifelong interest in recording. In retrospect, this "red stereo" (as it was know in our household) was a surpisingly sophisticated device for an ostensibly commercial product, offering a mic input with adjustable level, bypassable graphic EQ, and even rudimetary overdubbing. God only knows the number of hours I spent recording random noises on this device, or making "radio shows" with my sister.
Fast-forward 30 years and I'm still recording random noises, but using slightly more advanced equipment. Red Stereo embodies a lifelong curiosity about recorded sound, passion for music, audio reproduction, and all things in between.
Douglas Whates
Red Stereo MD
