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Miraval Studios is a
recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...
located in the Château de Miraval, a 900
hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
s estate located in Correns, in the Var department of
Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...
(
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
). Founded in 1977 by French jazz pianist
Jacques Loussier Jacques Loussier (26 October 1934 – 5 March 2019) was a French pianist and composer. He arranged jazz interpretations of many of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, such as the '' Goldberg Variations''. The Jacques Loussier Trio, founded in 1 ...
and sound engineer Patrice Quef, it was in operation under the name Studio Miraval until the mid-2000s, but sat unused after the acquisition of the estate by actors
Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
and
Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...
in 2011. Brad Pitt and French producer Damien Quintard reopened the fully restored and refurbished studios under the name Miraval Studios in October 2022.


Studio Miraval (1977–2000s)

For hundreds of years, the Miraval estate in the south of France has inspired artisans, vintners and musicians alike with its simple, otherworldly beauty. Surrounded by gardens, stone terraces, fountains and a forest of white oak and evergreen, the 900-acre property has produced wines and olives since the 13th century. In 1977, the estate's then-owner, French pianist and composer
Jacques Loussier Jacques Loussier (26 October 1934 – 5 March 2019) was a French pianist and composer. He arranged jazz interpretations of many of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, such as the '' Goldberg Variations''. The Jacques Loussier Trio, founded in 1 ...
, and sound engineer Patrice Quef built a state-of-the-art recording studio on the property, the Studio Miraval. Loussier began by recording his own work, mainly for films, and then started taking on French artists such as Maxime Le Forestier and Pierre Vassiliu. Miraval achieved fame thanks to
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
, who came there in 1979 to record part of their album '' The Wall''. Subsequently, equipped with one of the first SSL
mixing console A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for Audio mixing (recorded music), mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals fro ...
s in France, Miraval recorded
AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
,
Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...
, The Cranberries,
The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...
,
Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
,
Wham! Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981 consisting of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s, selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to ...
, Level 42,
David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan (band), Japan. During his time in Japan, Sylvia ...
(solo and with Rain Tree Crow),
Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is a British Rock music, rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist from Middlesbrough. Known for his distinctive voice and his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty-five studio albums, ...
, Sade,
the Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster (musician), Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only co ...
, Steve Winwood, Yes,
UB40 UB40 are an English reggae band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the Grammy ...
, Chris Braide,
Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the James Bond music, theme songs to three James Bond films - the only artist to officially perform more than o ...
, the Gipsy Kings, Shakatak,
Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...
, Fonky Family,
Kelly Family Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album), ''Kelly'' (Kelly Price album), 2011 * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album), ''Kelly'' (Andrea Faustini album) * Kelly (musical), ''Kelly'' (musical), by Mark Charlap, 1965 * Kell ...
, Blankass, Silmarils, Jimmy Barnes and many others. Later on, in the early and middle 2000s, Rammstein recorded the album '' Mutter'', and Courtney Love also spent a few weeks in the estate. In 2006,
Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...
recorded some tracks for '' Black Holes and Revelations'' In 1998, Loussier sold Miraval to businessman–turned–wine producer Tom Bove who resold it in 2011 to actors
Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
and
Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...
who decided not to operate the studio anymore.


Miraval Studios (2022–present)

On 10 October 2022, Brad Pitt, now separated from Angelina Jolie (who sold her shares in the Miraval estate), and French producer Damien Quintard officially reopened the completely redesigned and refurbished studios under the name Miraval Studios. One of the studio's first additions is a console with hybrid analog and
digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Businesses *Digital bank, a form of financial institution *Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company *Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...
capabilities, a Dolby Atmos system, and all the technology needed to pre-mix for film and television projects. Recording booths and workstations for sound and video editing are also included. Sade and her eponymous band were the first to record at the studios. Travis Scott used the studio for his 2023 album ''
Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', which describes a fictiona ...
''. Some of the 2024 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album '' Wild God'' was recorded at Miraval.


References


External links

*
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds recording ''Wild God'' at Miraval.
{{Authority control Recording studios in France 1977 establishments in France Buildings and structures in Var (department) Companies based in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur *