LOGIC .sx Sue Sillitoe visits Milan .sx Logic Recording Studios is located on the outskirts of Milan .sx It is to this 48-track digital facility , owned by brothers Michelangelo and Carmelo La Bionda , that people like Beautiful South , Depeche Mode and Robert Palmer have been flocking , despite the fact that there are plenty of similar studios much closer to home .sx Some may argue that UK-based bands would be better off using UK-based studios , if only to avoid language barriers but Logic has a strong multilingual policy in force - everyone who works there speaks English and some of the staff speak German , French and Spanish as well .sx However , this still doesn't explain why Logic has been attracting so much business from the UK , nor why it is perceived as a success when many other studios are finding times very tough indeed .sx In Logic's case the answer is obvious :sx they succeed because they have the right attitude .sx They manage to combine an efficient and businesslike manner with style , friendliness and a sense of humour - how could they fail ?sx I was shown around the facility by the funniest pair of engineers I've ever met - Pino Pischetola and Antonio Baglio .sx They were like a comedy double act , interrupting each other in their excitement to point out every little thing about the studio and finishing each other's sentences when their English - which was pretty good as far as I could tell - ran out on them .sx The recording studio , which is housed on the first floor of a large modern building , was initially built by Italian record company CDG back in the early '70s .sx CDG constructed the studio separately inside the main building so that although it has no natural daylight , it does have total isolation .sx When the record company got into financial trouble it sold the studio to the La Bionda brothers - former Italian pop stars who had moved into music production , publishing and running their own record label .sx The brothers have been running the studio as a commercial facility for about five years .sx Michelangelo is the business brain behind the operation while Carmelo provides the artistic content , composing music for advertising and developing Logic's audio-for-video post-production skills .sx Over the last five years they have totally revamped the studio and ancillary services and have built up its reputation as a major international recording facility .sx Soon after they took over , Michelangelo and Carmelo called in studio designer Andy Munro to redesign the control room and check out the acoustics in the recording area .sx A lot of work had to be done in the control room to bring it up to scratch including the installation of a 56-channel SSL SL 4056 console , new Quested monitors and new tape machines .sx But Munro's advice regarding the studio area was to leave it alone - it sounded fine and therefore why change it ?sx The studio area is rather unusual .sx Firstly , it is huge - easily big enough for full orchestral scores which do occasionally form part of its workload .sx And , secondly , there's the acoustic treatment , which really is unusual .sx It consists of a system of large cylinders covering every wall , which revolve at the touch of a button to give a live or dead atmosphere depending on what the client needs .sx Also very interesting are the light fittings , which hang like the underbelly of the Starship Enterprise from the ridiculously high ceiling .sx As part of the redesign Michelangelo talked about ripping the lights out .sx But he was persuaded to leave them in because they are so unusual .sx The engineers say :sx " We find bands really like this studio because they can set up all their gear and still have room to move around .sx Often they use one half of it as a recreation area - they hang around in there rather than in the control room because there is so much space .sx " It is a shame that there is no natural light but because of its size it doesn't feel claustrophobic .sx Its sic !sx very rock and roll - the finishes are not fine wood and delicate things , so a bit of mess is OK .sx We have installed tie lines everywhere and we have also got an extra wide lift so bringing machines up from the ground floor is not a problem .sx " .sx One reason for Logic's international success is Michelangelo and Carmelo's attitude towards equipment .sx They happily admit that they like to stay one step ahead of the competition , which is why they were the first studio in Italy to install an SSL desk , the first to upgrade it with a G series computer and the first to go 48-track digital .sx The studio is equipped with a Sony PCM-3348 digital tape machine and also has two Studer A800 mkIII 24-tracks with full Dolby SR .sx If clients prefer to use Mitsubishi digital machines Logic rents them in - usually from Hilton Sound in London .sx Pischetola and Baglio say :sx " Logic chose Sony rather than Mitsubishi because it felt it was a better machine and would eventually be the format most people would want to use .sx " Michelangelo likes to be the first to do things and he is prepared to take risks with new machines - the Sony was a risk because a lot of Italian studios have been getting Mitsubishi machines .sx But we think it's great .sx Not long after we got it two Japanese engineers turned up from Sony and changed over the heads because someone had reported a fault - we hadn't even realised there was a problem but they changed them anyway .sx " .sx Apart from the Quested main monitors , Logic has Yamaha NS10s for nearfield .sx Pischetola/Baglio add :sx " We also have a pair of Alphi speakers which cost pounds7 and have to be the worst speakers in the world .sx We play everything we do through them , working on the basis that if it sounds OK through them then it's going to sound OK anywhere !sx " .sx Logic's equipment is certainly very up-to-date but that alone isn't enough to stay ahead in this business so why are so many big name bands choosing to record here ?sx Surely it's not just the lure of Milan ?sx The engineering duo put it down to efficiency on an international scale .sx They said :sx " In Italy there are a lot of studios that are frankly awful .sx They have cheap desks , dreadful wiring and no proper acoustic treatment .sx They don't have proper maintenance either , whereas we have 24 hour maintenance because in order to run an efficient international studio you have to have your equipment 100% right .sx " Also our policy is to invest in new equipment .sx We have the usual range of outboard gear and we check with clients in advance to make sure we have everything they need .sx If we have not got something we will either buy or hire it .sx For example , when Robert Palmer was here for the first time he asked for a Lexicon 480 , which we didn't have .sx Michelangelo said :sx 'Why mess around hiring - let's just buy it .sx ' The same thing happened this year when Palmer wanted a Focusrite rack - we simply bought it .sx We want to show that we care .sx If we have to hire it's no problem .sx There are no hire companies in Italy so we have to bring equipment in from the UK but we have done this so often now that we have found a way through the customs red tape .sx " Another reason we do well with international artists is because we can help out with finances .sx If a band comes here and wants to use backing singers or specialist musicians they may have trouble financing payments .sx Because we have the back-up of a record label and a publishing company we can arrange temporary finance while money transfers are being sorted out .sx This is a vital point and comes with experience .sx You have to work with international bands over a long period of time to fully understand the problems they have when they are abroad and find ways you can help make the process as smooth as possible .sx " .sx These comments were reinforced by Michelangelo La Bionda :sx " One of our main selling points is the staff .sx We have 18 excellent people working here who all speak English .sx Also the studio is of a very high standard - we like to get new things in fast .sx " We are attracting a lot of international business because Milan is a great city .sx It's the centre of the fashion industry and the costs of recording here are comparable with recording in the UK .sx I think the main reason we get a lot of international work is historical .sx Carmelo and I started out in the music business over 20 years ago as artists and producers so we have built up a lot of contracts .sx Work comes here by word of mouth and once that happens the whole thing spreads .sx " I have always believed in being international - both as an artist and as a studio owner .sx I see myself as an internationalist , I'm married to a Swedish woman , I have lived and worked in London , in Munich and the US so I have gained a lot of experience .sx We try to make sure the studio has the right kind of ambience and we are constantly picking up new ideas , which we put into practice in the studio .sx It seems to be paying off .sx " .sx He adds that diversification and success go hand-in-hand at Logic .sx Apart from the recording studio , Logic also houses a copying room for cassette and DAT ; tape storage areas - they store all CBS Italy's masters ; a Sony 1630 editing room , which has recently been redesigned to make it more comfortable ; a cutting room ; a relaxation area for bands ; administrative offices and a digital audio/video post-production suite equipped with an AMS AudioFile .sx Logic are now moving more and more into post-production as a result of a joint venture it has recently undertaken with film company Zeus .sx The two companies have set up a new post - production facility in the centre of Milan , which is known as Logic West .sx Most of Logic's television and advertising agency work is being moved across to Logic West , leaving the existing AudioFile suite free for CD pre-mastering .sx La Bionda says :sx " The aim is to have everything we need in - house so that we can do all our own work here and also take in work from other companies .sx My investment in the studio must be aimed at getting top quality results .sx When we started we had very little - just one studio .sx But now we have opened out the business to cover lots of different areas so that if one side is down , due to usual market fluctuations , we are making a living with one of our other activities .sx Having a diverse client base is vital to our success .sx " .sx Apart from the existing facilities , the La Bionda brothers are in the process of building a second studio on the fifth floor of the complex .sx Once again they have called in Andy Munro to design the room , which will be equipped with a 36-channel Amek Angela , a Studer A800 and Dolby SR .sx Primarily this studio will be used by them for their own work , which involves a lot of composing for advertising .sx They had been finding it difficult to get into the main studio because it was so much in demand by clients .sx " The new studio upstairs will be geared towards the sort of work Carmelo and I do .sx It will have lots of keyboards and a Synclavier , which we are installing in the spring .sx " .sx There is so much to say about Logic Studios that one wonders where to start .sx But the overriding impression you get from visiting this facility is that it's the people that make the place so interesting .sx But why have they never put together a brochure or gone in for heavy advertising campaigns ?sx La Bionda's answer was simple and yet typical of Logic's attitude :sx " We have never bothered with a brochure because I think the best way to sell Logic is to get people over here to see it .sx If someone shows an interest in using the studio I will fly them out to visit us at my expense .sx