Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
abbey road
Studios "It's like being in a toy shop": How Abbey Road is reinventing itself
avalon emerson
Artists “Some people think writing songs is like drawing from a well. It’s more like a muscle you work out”: Avalon Emerson on Written Into Changes
Peep Show
Artists "When he tried turning it off, he literally couldn’t”: 5 things Peep Show taught us about music production
Alexis Main
Artists We catch up with Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor to discuss the making of his new solo record
A pair of AKG K712 Pro studio headphones on a Neumann KU 100 dummy head
Headphones Best studio headphones 2026: my pick of cans for mixing, mastering, and monitoring - tested by a working musician and producer
deadmau5
Synths “I have severe Gear Acquisition Syndrome”: Deadmau5 shows off his insane synth collection
A pair of Sennheiser in-ear monitors lying on a MIDI controller
Studio Monitors Best in-ear monitors 2026: IEMs for stage and studio
Man wearing black hat playing the Roland TD716 electronic drum set
Electronic Drums Best electronic drum sets in 2026: Top picks for every playing level and budget, tested by drummers – plus video and audio demos
Universal Audio Volt 876
Audio Interfaces Best audio interface 2026: For home recording, podcasting, and streaming - tested by experts
A pair of Focal Shape 65 studio monitors on stands in a studio
Studio Monitors Best studio monitors 2026: Studio speakers for musicians and producers on any budget
jim-e stack
Artists "It was literally plugged into Logitech computer speakers”: Jim-E Stack on the lo-fi production behind Bon Iver's Walk Home
A pair of Kali Audio LP-6 V2 studio monitors on a studio desk
Studio Monitors Best budget studio monitors 2026: Make your mixes sing with these wallet-friendly home studio speakers
A selection of PA systems in out testing studio
Speakers Best portable PA systems 2026: Lightweight and mobile PA solutions for musicians and events
A pair of Audio-Technica in-ear monitors on top of a carry case
Studio Monitors Best budget in-ear monitors 2026: My pick of cheap in-ears for every type of musician
Close up of a pair of Rode NTH-100 studio headphones
Headphones Best budget studio headphones 2026: Cheap headphones to tackle every studio task
More
  • Sly and Survivor
  • In My Life
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • One chord Diamond
  1. Tech
  2. Recording
  3. Studios

Me in my studio: Planas

News
By Chris Barker published 25 April 2012

The Gentleman's Dub Club member shows us around his studio

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Intro

Intro

"I'm Toby Davies; a producer, DJ and instrumentalist working out of a studio near Camden and at a houseboat studio in Canary Wharf.

"I go under the aliases Planas, Landlord and Seemore Productions. I also play bass, write and produce for Gentleman's Dub Club."

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Tannoy Gold monitors

Tannoy Gold monitors

"I first heard these at Prince Fatty's studio in Brighton when we were recording some Gentleman's Dub Club tracks. Harry "Evergreen", our sound engineer, immediately went and bought a pair.

"I absolutely love them - even though the high mids are pretty militant there's a nifty frequency rolloff option next to the cones which you screw and unscrew by hand. They are passive rather than active which makes a really nice change from most modern monitors, if only because you can't hear the 'beep bidip bidip bidip' of smartphone interference through them!

"I have to shout out my Mourdant-Short MS902 shelf speakers: I use them at home which is where I get a lot of my initial ideas. I've had them for just over 10 years now and they're still going strong - I don't think my neighbours like them too much though!"

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Neumann U87

Neumann U87

"Very clear, sensitive mic capable of getting some great takes. Sometimes I find it a little too sensitive, and for things like sax and trumpet I'll use something like a Shure SM-57 to stop the valve sounds and breath noises coming through as much.

"A pair of these make excellent drum overheads, if you can afford two!"

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Focusrite Saffire 6

Focusrite Saffire 6

"A great little interface for the money with good preamps and solid build."

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Bach Stradivarius Trumpet

Bach Stradivarius Trumpet

"I play a Bach Stradivarius, it's got a great tone and really slick valves.Instrument-wise I also use a Fender Telecaster and a Spectre Performer bass guitar."

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Roland Juno G

Roland Juno G

"Such a versatile synth, I got it dirt cheap, second hand and it's become a really important part of my studio. I've fit it with an extra memory card so I can use it as a sampler and use the Roland effects and sequencer on any of my samples.

"In my Planas live band I only need the Juno and a laptop as it can be split between a synth, sampler, and midi keyboard all at the same time. I use the Juno in Gentleman's Dub Club as well.I also have a Roland FP-2 keyboard which is great for writing and getting that live sound as it has weighted keys and some really realistic keyboard emulations."

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Blue Microphones Robbie pre

Blue Microphones Robbie pre

"Beautiful tube mic and instrument preamp with +36db of headroom. Designed to be used with the Kiwi Bluebottle which is a fantastic vocal mic, but is currently in Submotion Orchestra's studio as they're recording their second album at the moment."

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Houseboat

Houseboat

"Harry runs a studio out of his houseboat in Canary Wharf: it's one my favourite places to work, especially when it's sunny as you can take your breaks up on deck!

"He's got loads of amazing gear there including Adam S2.5a monitors, two SSL channel strips which he put together from parts, a Vermona spring reverb and a Distressor compression/distortion unit."

The new single, Breathtaking by Planasfeaturing Ed Thomas is out now

Planas on iTunes
Planas onFacebook

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Chris Barker
Read more
asg
Artists “I have a little bit of a love-hate relationship with my Prophet ’08”: Art School Girlfriend on new project Lean In
 
 
A pair of KRK GoAux studio monitors on a studio desk
Studio Monitors Best small studio monitors 2026: Compact studio speakers
 
 
A pair of Focal Shape 65 studio monitors on stands in a studio
Studio Monitors Best studio monitors 2026: Studio speakers for musicians and producers on any budget
 
 
asg
Artists “I use it on absolutely everything": Art School Girlfriend on the second-hand mic that shaped the "intimate" sound of new album Lean In
 
 
mj cole
Tech “I didn’t know garage very well, so I made a slightly skewed version of this sound”: MJ Cole on the making of UKG classic Sincere
 
 
Blue May home studio
Artists We visit the LA house where Lily Allen made West End Girl, and explore the home studio of Blue May
 
 
Latest in Studios
abbey road
Studios "It's like being in a toy shop": How Abbey Road is reinventing itself
 
 
, CA - December 09: John Mayer (right) and McG aka Joseph McGinty Nichol owners of Henson Studios give a tour of their recording and film studios on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 in , CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Studios “I know just enough to let the other people do their jobs": John Mayer explains why he’s bought Henson studios
 
 
IK Multimedia iLoud Micro monitor
Studio Monitors IK Multimedia iLoud Micro Monitor $120 off at Sweetwater this Cyber Weekend
 
 
Kraftwerk, German electronic band, during a concert, September 16, 1978. (Photo by Christian Rose/Roger Viollet via Getty Images)
Tech I went to the Kraftwerk auction to buy their chairs, but came back with a studio's worth of gear instead
 
 
Echotown Studios Main Room
Studios Echotown Studio: A world class recording studio in the stunning Dorset countryside
 
 
subterra
Studios Music studio complex opens in former nuclear bunker in The Hague
 
 
Latest in News
Teddi Mellencamp presents the iHeartRadio Icon Award to honoree John Mellencamp onstage during the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Award
Singers & Songwriters “He saved my life”: Teddi Mellencamp pays tribute to her dad at iHeart Radio Awards
 
 
suno
Tech Suno takes another step into music production with AI step sequencer MILO-1080
 
 
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 26: Olivia Dean performs onstage during the 2026 MOBO Awards at Co-op Live on March 26, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/Getty Images for MOBO)
Artists Olivia Dean cleans up at the Mobo Awards, as Pharrell Williams accepts a special prize for songwriting
 
 
Sam Fender performs onstage during day two of the Syd For Solen Festival at Valbyparken on August 08, 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmar
Singers & Songwriters “Projects like these are so important”: Sam Fender has raised £50,000 for youth music charity
 
 
Anderson .Paak
Drummers “That thing’s got great breaks”: Anderson .Paak rides through LA… playing a drum kit on wheels
 
 
Deals of the week logo
Tech MusicRadar deals of the week: We've found over £1,000 off a PRS, $200 off the Akai Pro MPC Key 37, and so much more
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...