Inside Abbey Road

Anyone who has a love of rock and roll knows about Abbey Road.  Even if you are like myself and do not listen to some of the most famous bands (such as The Beatles) who famed the studio, it's a legendary studio producing some of the greatest music the world has to offer.  So how does one see what this studio is all about without forking over the $$$ for a plane ticket and tour?

Well, leave it to Google to innovate an interactive website that does the touring for you!  Say hello to "Inside Abbey Road".  YouTube recently launched a promo video to give folks a little taste of what they designed here.

To give people a quick background of the studio, it was established back in 1931 by the Gramophone Company (now known as EMI).  In 2012, EMI merged with Universal Music and was now the property of same.  To this day, Abbey Road Studios continues to be one of the most sought out studios in the world.  Some of the world's most famous artists have produced music here, including Mike Oldfield, Oasis, Nightwish, Fiona Apple, Coldplay, Alanis Morissette, Radiohead, Bush, Rush, Duran Duran, Pink Floyd, Cliff Richards, and of course The Beatles.   I had to cut off the list there as there are just too many to name!  You can check the rest of the list here.

So without taking too much away from the interactive experience, here is a few screen shots as you enter the front doors of the studio.  The website has it broken down into four main areas of attraction; Studios 1, 2, 3 and mastering.  As you enter into Studio 1, you almost feel as if you are watching a documentary as the lights on the ceiling turn on.

(Screenshots taken from Inside Abbey Road) 

Inside each of the studios you get the opportunity to watch special performances, information about large scale projects (such and movie compilations and orchestra arrangements), the ability to move the camera similar to street view, historical photos, and even zoom in on some of those gorgeous instruments!  Overall, the website will give you all the information needed to learn about this studio, and music studios in general.

(Screenshots taken from Inside Abbey Road)

(Screenshots taken from Inside Abbey Road)

The mixing/mastering room offers very similar interactions, but slightly changed to learn about the process of mixing/mastering, the invention of stereo, cutting vinyls, and much more!  You really get a feel how small the mixing/mastering room is in comparison to the other studio rooms.

(Screenshots taken from Inside Abbey Road)

Either way, I hope I have made a convincing case for you to at least see what this has to offer.  Who knows, maybe Google will make this into an interactive series and complete more studios (and famous music locations such as venues) where fans can get a hand-on feel without having to leave your keyboard.  This is taking street view to a whole new level!