FROM 1983 - 1989

 

Come 1983, the team relocated once again—this time to Bondi Junction, setting up in a pair of small basement rooms beneath Hutchings Keyboards. It was here that Simon Leadley built Sydney’s first half-inch 16-track recording studio, using the Fostex B16, and where the business officially adopted the name Trackdown.

 

The studio quickly became known for its technical innovation, becoming the first in Australia to use Sony’s PCM701 digital 2-track system for final mastering. This period marked Trackdown’s first major step into audio post-production, beginning with dialogue recording for Yoram Gross Film Studios, on animated projects including Blinky Bill, Dot & the Kangaroo, and others.

 

Alongside its growing film work, the studio continued recording music for prominent and emerging Australian artists—including Paul Kelly’s 1987 release “Bradman”, which was the B-Side to the single “Leaps and Bounds”, “The Saints”, and a wave of indie bands carving out their place in Australia’s music scene.