Inside the Home Studio of Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott

As far as rock legends go, few names resonate as deeply as Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott. Known for his iconic vocals and songwriting prowess, Elliott’s impact over the decades has been substantial. Joe’s home studio, ‘Joe’s Garage’ is where the magic is captured and perfected – and AMS Neve were lucky enough to get behind the scenes with Joe and Def Leppard’s long-standing and immensely talented Live/Studio Engineer, Ronan McHugh.

Established in 1988, “Joe’s Garage” was initially conceived as the intimate space for capturing the essence of Def Leppard’s “Adrenalize” album. Today, this studio stands as a testament to decades of musical evolution and, as Joe describes a “fun place”.

Joe offers a firsthand glimpse into the Def Leppard’s sound recording hub, adorned with gifts from rock legends such as Ronnie Wood and Gene Simmons, whilst sharing stories from the early days of Def Leppard and discussing the challenges faced when producing Hysteria, which went on to be one of the best-selling albums of all time.

With the Neve 8424 being the first analogue console since 1988, Ronan talks through the decision to go with not one but two 8424 consoles, the reasons why they shifted from working “in the box” back to working on an analogue console and shares his insight on the Def Leppard 8424 workflow.