Trevor Horn’s legendary studio mixing desk for sale

Trevor Horn’s legendary SSL mixing desk – the console behind hits for Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Seal, and George Michael – will feature in Propstore’s Music Memorabilia Live Auction on October 23–24, 2025. The sale, featuring more than 550 exceptional lots celebrating the world of music, is expected to realise over $4 million, with the desk alone estimated to fetch $132,000 – $264,000.

Installed at the iconic Sarm West Studio 2 in June 1983, Trevor Horn’s Solid State Logic (SSL) mixing desk became the beating heart of one of Britain’s most innovative recording spaces. Over the next two decades, it shaped the sound of the 1980s and 1990s, capturing an extraordinary era of creativity that pushed the boundaries of music production.

One of the first tracks recorded and mixed on the console was Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes in 1983. The single is often regarded as one of the first rock songs to merge live performance with cutting-edge computer technology. Horn later reflected, “When I get asked to name my best production work, two tracks come to mind: ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’ and ‘Slave to the Rhythm.’”

Grace Jones’s Slave to the Rhythm, also produced on this console, began life as a single before evolving into a full album — a sonic experiment in rhythm and frequency that remains a benchmark in production innovation. The record became an industry reference point for audio excellence and is still used by hi-fi manufacturers today to test the performance and range of their systems.

Sarm West Studio 2 and Horn’s SSL console were far ahead of their time. “People used to come and ask me, ‘How did you do this?’ or ‘How did you do that?’” Horn recalled. “They couldn’t figure out how it was all done.”

When not in use on Horn’s own projects, the studio and console were rented commercially and became a creative home for other major artists. WHAM!’s Careless Whisper was recorded and mixed on this console, and George Michael continued to use the room throughout his career. The desk also played a role in recordings by Coldplay, Shakira, Metallica, Rihanna, and many others.

Still fully operational today, the SSL mixing desk remains a working piece of music history and a symbol of studio craftsmanship. Now coming to market for the first time, it is the only studio console associated with Trevor Horn ever to be offered for sale. Horn held onto it for decades, explaining, “Because it’s lucky. A disproportionate number of hits were made with it.” Estimated between $132,000 – $264,000 at Propstore’s upcoming Music Memorabilia Live Auction, the desk represents a rare opportunity for collectors to own a defining piece of music history.

Among the many hits recorded or mixed on the console are:

– YES – Owner of a Lonely Heart (1983)
– FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD – Two Tribes (1984), The Power of Love (1984), Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984)
– GRACE JONES – Slave to the Rhythm (1985)
– BAND AID – Do They Know It’s Christmas? (12” Remix, 1984)
– ART OF NOISE – Who’s Afraid of the Art of Noise (album, 1984)
– SEAL – Crazy (1991), Kiss from a Rose (1994), Seal I (1991), Seal II (1994)
– PET SHOP BOYS – Left to My Own Devices (1988), Actually (album, 1987), Very (album, 1993)
– WHAM! – Careless Whisper (1984), Last Christmas (1984), Make It Big (album, 1984)
– GEORGE MICHAEL – Faith (1987), Freedom! (1990), Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (album, 1990), Older (album, 1996)
– GODLEY & CREME – Cry (1985)