SOUND RECORDING
My lifetime’s work
Starting out as a recording engineer in the mid-1960s, Malcolm joined CBS Studios in 1966, moving to Trident Studios in 1968 when it opened.
The first studio in Europe to install an 8-track tape recorder, Trident attracted some of Britain’s major artists, giving him the opportunity to work on major projects of the period, including David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” album, several T-Rex albums, Joe Cocker, James Taylor’s first album, The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” on which he was the mixing engineer, and an album by Mary Hopkin produced by Paul McCartney, that spawned a huge hit single, (“Those Were the Days”).
Malcolm Toft at the ‘Hey Jude’ console at Trident Studios
Malcolm Toft, Tony Visconti and Marc Bolan
Trident Studios Mix Room with A range
Malcolm Toft in Japan with A Range 1974
The Beatles recorded ‘Hey Jude’ at Trident Studios
In 1970, Malcolm became studio manager at Trident and, with the studio having transitioned to 16-track and ready to move up to 24-track, began looking for a more fully featured mixing console. When a suitable console could not be found, he began designing and building what would become the legendary Trident ‘A Range’ console.
The Beatles, David Bowie, George Harrison, Elton John, Carly Simon, Mary Hopkins, Harry Nilsson, Queen, Supertramp and many more recorded at Trident Studios.
Trident Audio Developments Limited
As word of the project spread outside the studio, Malcolm convinced the management that they could start a company manufacturing mixing consoles and a spin-off company—Trident Audio Developments Ltd.—was created to begin manufacturing the consoles. At the age of 26 Malcolm was appointed Managing Director and over the following years the company grew to become a major supplier of recording consoles around the world and in particular to America.
In 1986 the company developed one of the industry’s first digitally controlled analog consoles, the Trident Di-An. The control surface layout that Malcolm designed is still much copied in to-day’s generation of digital work surfaces and mixing consoles. In 1988 Malcolm sold his interest in the company.
MTA Console
Trident A Range Console
Malcolm Toft Audio Design
Interest in one of the Trident consoles that Malcolm designed, the by now discontinued Series 80, led him to return to manufacturing in 1993 with an updated version, the Series 980, sold under the Malcolm Toft Associates (MTA) brand name. Owners of Series 980 consoles included: The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA), Radio Television Malaysia, Stock, Waterman and Aitken and Radiohead.
In 2002 Malcolm was approached by the Californian based PMI Audio Group and he was a design consultant for them until the beginning of 2013. During that time he designed the Toft Audio range of signal processors and highly successful ATB range of recording consoles.
Malcolm is still involved in designing and manufacturing professional audio equipment.
In November of 2008, Malcolm was made a Visiting Professor of Music Technology by Leeds College of Music in recognition of his unique contribution to both the artistic and manufacturing sectors of professional Audio.
