In 1992 Hugh Padgham was voted one of the world’s Top Ten Most Influential Producers in the Mix magazine Era -XTC, Phil Collins, The Police, Genesis, Hall & Oates, Sting and Melissa Etheridge.

This was followed by a Tec Award in 1993 for Outstanding Creative Achievement and a Billboard Tribute in 1997. Previously Hugh received four Grammy Awards for producing and engineering, two Brit Award Nominations for Best Producer, a Brit Award for Best Single and a Music Week Award for Best Producer.

The other artists he produced, engineered and/or mixed included David Bowie, The Fixx, Kim Richey, The Human League, Howard Jones, Adam Ant, Joan Armatrading, Paul Young, David Lanz, Youssou N’Dour, Vinnie Colaiuta, Paul McCartney, Julia Fordham, Suzanne Vega, Clannad, Split Enz, Brian Wilson, 311, Mummy Calls, Dominic Miller, Bee Gees, Frida, Mansun and lately McFly and numerous others.

Hugh was responsible for installing the first SSL console in Studio 2 at The Townhouse. He helped develop the SSL on which he created the now famous Hugh Padgham “gated drum sound” for Phil Collins on Peter Gabriel’s third solo album. This led to Phil’s first album “Face Value” and Hugh’s “drum sound” on Phil’s enduring hit “In the Air Tonight”.

Where did this creative genius come from? Hugh’s father was a musicologist and as a teenager Hugh couldn’t stop himself from experimenting with tape recorders and fiddling with the bass. Instead of going to university, he was driven to work in a recording studio. He started at Advision, then Lansdowne before moving on to become Chief Engineer at The Townhouse.

“Face Value” gave Hugh his first producer credit “Produced by Phil Collins, Assisted by Hugh Padgham”! And he didn’t stop there. Monumental albums followed usually as the artist wanted them to sound.

Hugh was always on the look out for new artists. Sheryl Crow gave her demo tape to Hugh in LA. Hugh really liked the demos and took them to David Anderley at A&M Records. David immediately signed Sheryl and she became an international star thanks to Hugh’s A&R sense.

Hugh’s other passion is motor racing. He learnt to drive a single seater; he drives fast cars fast using the brakes sparingly and worked closely in Group C Prototype Sportscars with his dear friend Richard Lloyd until his untimely death last year.

Hugh is one of the few producer names known to the public no doubt after working with such a diverse list of artists. He was responsible for delivering records and managing large recording budgets which takes both creative and business skills. Moreover, Hugh maintained authority in the studio often against impossible odds which he achieved with his “relaxed and disarming personality” so appreciated by artists and labels as the hits piled up.

Hugh has sold well over 250 million records worldwide. He is one of the greatest producer/engineers and mixers of the 20th and 21st centuries. His professional influence continues at his Sofa Sound studio in London and he thoroughly deserves a Gold Badge Award.

Sarah Rodgers, Chairman of the British Academy of Composers, Songwriters and Authors, says:
“BASCA is delighted to be hosting the Gold Badge Awards and recognising the depth and diversity of talent across the music industry.   Some of this year’s recipients are well-known to the public, and some have spent their whole working lives behind the scenes; this unique occasion places a well-deserved spotlight on some talented individuals whose vital role is otherwise sometimes lost or overlooked.  The awards allow BASCA’s members to say thank you to those people for their contribution”.

Considering his outstanding contribution to music, it is no surprise that Hugh is set to receive a Gold Badge of Honour as one of the most successful music producers in contemporary rock and pop, best known for his extended collaborations with Phil Collins, Sting, Genesis and The Police.

Padgham’s career began during the early ’80s, at which time he served as a recording engineer on high-profile projects including Peter Gabriel’s third solo LP (“I Don’t Remember,” “Biko” and “Games Without Frontiers”), XTC’s Black Sea and Yes’ Drama. In 1981, Padgham produced and mixed The Police’s triple platinum Ghost in the Machine (“Spirits in the Material World,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and “Invisible Sun”) and Phil Collins’ 5x platinum Face Value (“In The Air Tonight” and “I Missed Again”) while recording Genesis’ double platinum Abacab (“No Reply at All”, “Abacab,” “Me and Sarah Jane” and “Man on the Corner”) as well. Ten million units sold in one year!

He went on to work with Split Enz, Hall & Oates, David Bowie, The Human League, Adam & The Ants, Paul McCartney, Howard Jones, Chaka Khan, Julia Fordham, Brian Wilson, Julian Cope as well as maintaining long-term working relationships with Sting and Phil Collins.  More recently, Hugh has worked with McFly on their chart-topping albums ‘Room on the 3rd Floor’ and ‘Wonderland’.

Padgham has won 4 Grammy Awards including Producer of the Year, Album of the Year and Record of the Year as well as a Brit Award for Best Single (Phil Collins’ “Another Day In Paradise”), a Music Week Award for Best British Producer, a TEC Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement and Mix Magazine’s Top Ten Influential Producers of the Mix Magazine Era.

The man credited with greating the ‘gated drum sound’ has now inspired a new generation of studio equipment, the Pop Compressor, to be released by music impressarios Airwindows.

The brains at Airwindows explain that:

“I was listening to Mama and other songs off the eponymous Genesis album, and couldn’t believe how overwhelming Hugh Padgham had Phil Collin” vocal sounding. It reached out and grabbed and defined every detail so aggressively – I needed to make a special compressor that could deliver a sound like that, because nothing I had was  designed for such aggressive behaviour”.

We’re sure Hugh is very pleased to be making music history!

To find out more about Hugh’s colourful music career, check out our range of exclusive interviews here on t5m where Hugh talks about everything from starting off in the industry to working with XTC and Peter Gabriel.

What do you think about the use of effects in pop music?

This famous effect is created by adding a large amount of heavily compressed room ambience to the drum sound, and then feeding the reverb through a device known as a ‘noise gate’…not complicated at all then? But, it definately works, resulting in the famed ‘gated reverb’ or ‘gated drum’ effect, where the reverberation cuts off abruptly, rather than fading away.

We recommend listening to explanation several times – just to check you understand!

For more interviews with Hugh Padgham, check out his channel on t5m.

For more interviews with Hugh Padgham, check out his channel on t5m.

For more exclusive interviews check out Hugh Padgham’s channel on t5m

Check out Hugh Padgham’s channel for more exclusive interviews.

Not only this, but we learn about the first studio he worked in, Advision – a studio made famous by bands such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

For more exclusive interviews with Hugh Padgham, check out his channel on t5m.

For more exclusive interviews check out Hugh Padgham’s channel here on t5m.