You'll recognise Media in Motion Studios founder Jeff Kildare if you've ever had a night out on The Strand in Tauranga.

Among many things, the 35-year-old can usually be found plucking a bass and working the groove while you down your pint at one of the local watering holes.

Mount Maunganui's Media in Motion Studios founder Jeff Kildare. Photo: David Tauranga.

Based in Mount Maunganui, Media in Motion has been a 15-year journey for Jeff and the realisation of a lifelong dream.

Working alongside Jeff at Media in Motion is in-house producer and studio guru Evan Pope, with Bay of Plenty Polytechnic music tutor Damian Lunson offering his expertise and guidance.

But as he strolls down memory lane and recalls its beginnings, it is clear to see that it's the future of the studio sitting right at the forefront of his mind.

'I don't see any reason why Mount Maunganui couldn't be an attractive place for big artists to record an album over the summer if we make it a real positive experience for them,” says Jeff.

'We want to offer something they don't get anywhere else - a place that's professional but relaxed enough to make them feel at home. That whole personal touch is what I want to retain here and never lose.

'There's a lot of heart and soul in this place - everybody comments on the feeling. You walk in here and it's friendly. It's not pristine, it's a place that's here to be used, y'know?

'But at the same time, it's got great quality equipment, it sounds cool and the results we're getting out of the recording side of things is pretty awesome. We're really happy with how it's rolling.”

The studio currently consists of a large soundproof live room plus a control room, while in the near future Jeff's hoping to build a dedicated rehearsal space.

Jeff says when he originally found the building where the studio is situated, it had everything he needed. But there was one major drawback - the railway tracks.

But with a bit of nous, friends who worked as builders and plasterers, coupled with the will to see his dream be realised, he succeeded in building a studio on shoe-string budget.

'Not having a lot of money to start with, we really scoured TradeMe to get everything we needed as cheap as possible,” he explains.

'We've sound-proofed the walls using old carpet being thrown out from factories, while the main doors into the live room are fire-doors from a hospital in Dannevirke.”

Many hands have played a part in building Media in Motion, and from the bottom of his heart, Jeff thanks each and every one of those people.

He'd like to pay a special tribute to his friends Vic Blommerde and partner Estelle Withey, plus Tony Fox. Without them, Jeff insists 'this place wouldn't have happened”.

Media in Motion's Trident Series 70 28 x 16 console. Photo: Media in Motion

Every recording studio has its own nuances and sound, much like a fingerprint. Media in Motion is no different, and its sound is unlike any other studio in the Bay of Plenty.

Much of that uniqueness is down to the studio's equipment, with a preference for old equipment over newer versions and a desire for warm analogue sounds over cold, hard digital.

The definite jewel in Media in Motion's crown would be its Trident Series 70 28 x 16 console built in England during the 1980's.

Originally bought into Aotearoa by Radio Hauraki as its main production console, there's only a handful in the country and you'd struggle to find anything like it in the Bay.

'It's been shipped around the country and been owned by a few people,” adds Jeff. 'I know for a fact that it has recorded the likes of Bic Runga, Dave Dobbyn and Stella*, plus heaps of others.

'When you're talking about analogue circuitry there's a thing called ‘crosstalk', and between each channel there's a bit of a crossover so they kind of meld together.

'In the digital world, everything has a hard line between them, so it's not as easy to get them to sit together nicely. This console just knits things together perfectly.”

Jeff admits much of the equipment selected for the studio were selected by Damian.

'He plays chess with gear,” he says. 'Damian buys this piece to sell it, to buy that piece to swap it for that piece, which he originally wanted in the first place. He's always three steps ahead of himself.

'Damian's onto it, he's been in the game for a long time and knows so much. What I know is that whenever I put something into the rack it will sound awesome and it'll be something unique to us.”

There's whakataukii, or Maori proverb, that goes: ‘Whaaia te iti kahurangi – Ki te tuuohu koe, me he maunga teitei'.

Translated into English it means: ‘Pursue excellence – should you stumble, let it be to a lofty mountain'.

This whakataukii should ring very true for Jeff, as along with wanting to record great music at Media in Motion, he especially wants to nurture up-and-coming musicians.

'I get to see a lot of them now that I'm teaching at the Polytech,” he says. 'Many talented artists go through their studies then at the end they drop off the map - they walk off the cliff.

'What I want to do is fill the void and be there to catch them at that point. If they want to work more on their career they have a facility here to create really good quality media.

'We have artists coming to us because they have material they want to record that's personal to them. There's a sense of vulnerability around it so you need to respect and nurture it.

'It's important these musicians have everything they need in a creative space to get across what they need to, whatever message they are trying to convey.”

This May is NZ Music Month and Media in Motion is celebrating! For more information visit: www.mimstudios.co.nz or www.facebook.com/mimstudios

Media in Motion's in-house producer Evan Pope. Photo: Media in Motion