Decca console

The Decca console was Peter Gabriel's first professional mixing console.

This console was built specifically for Decca Studios at Broadhurst Gardens, London in the mid-1970s. It was installed in Studio 3 of Decca Studios as a 30-input and 16-output desk, hosting a green coloured panel and four built-in Decca compressors. It would turn out to be the last of the Decca-built mixing desks; the studios closed in 1980 once the Decca Records company (who owned it) was sold to Polygram. After which Peter purchased the desk for use at his Ashcombe House studio.

Co-producer & engineer David Lord - who was involved with Peter's fourth album - remembered the desk was too 'customised' for Peter's use at the time, so lots of money and time were invested in upgrading the desk. This likely included expanding the number of channels (so it was compatible with Peter's 24-track machines), rebuilding parts of it and so on. But it turned out to be a disaster so it wasn't used for the time being.

After further repairs (at least), the console was used for some of Peter's 1983-84 projects, including Plays Live album (overdubs/mixing), B-sides, remixes and the Birdy soundtrack. On the Plays Live album especially, producer Pete Walsh recalls they were all manual mixes due to the Decca console as opposed to his later collaborations with Gabriel.

In early 1985, before making the So record, Peter upgraded to a more state-of-the-art SSL desk with automation, but the Decca compressors belonging to the console were retained.