January 2016 www.audiomediainternational.

com

ON THE FRONT FOOT

We visit the new home of
Foley specialist Feet First
Sound in Essex, UK p27

FEATURE
Exploring four key areas of the
commercial install market p18
FINAL CUT
The Ardmore Sound team on
telling the story of Room p23
REVIEW
Nigel Palmer puts EVEs
SC3010 to the test p32

01 AMI Jan 2016 FC_Final.indd 1 06/01/2016 17:05

 THE BEST SOUND, ALL AROUND

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In creating the X Series, we brought all of the experience gained in designing the K2 to bear on a new series of reference coaxials.
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distinct enclosures with format, bandwidth, SPL and coverage angles perfectly adapted to short throw rental or install applications, the
X Series offers studio monitor sound quality, compact design, consistent tonal balance, no minimum listening distance and exceptional
feedback rejection. www.l-acoustics.com

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24/11/2015 09:55:49
 www.audiomediainternational.com WELCOME

EDITOR
Adam Savage
asavage@nbmedia.com

MANAGING EDITOR
Experts in the issue RARING TO GO First of all, weve got timely articles
Jo Ruddock
jruddock@nbmedia.com on The Laundry, a new Foley studio thats
STAFF WRITER Lonnie Bedell just opened its doors over in Essex,
Colby Ramsey
cramsey@nbmedia.com
is the owner of UK and a Final Cut piece on Room, the
AVLifesavers, a Golden Globe-nominated film from
ADVERTISING MANAGER manufacturer of
Ryan ODonnell Frank director Lenny Abrahamson, which
rodonnell@nbmedia.com
specialised gadgets
for the live sound hits cinemas right as this edition lands.
ACCOUNT MANAGER industry. Keeping the feelgood factor going
Rian Zoll-Khan
rzoll-khan@nbmedia.com is our newly expanded Geo Focus
HEAD OF DESIGN feature, which this month sees us turn
Oliver Sahm
Jat Garcha
is director of our attention to the USA, and reveals
jgarcha@nbmedia.com

W
marketing application how levels of optimism are seemingly
DESIGNER design at Bosch e may only be a few high across the audio industry there at
Tom Carpenter
Security Systems.
tcarpenter@nbmedia.com days into 2016 at present, but that doesnt make it free of
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT the time of me writing challenges and potential pitfalls.
Warren Kelly
wkelly@nbmedia.com this anyway but Youll also find us investigating the
I dont think I can current state of the commercial install
CONTENT DIRECTOR Ganesh Singaram
James McKeown recall seeing as much positivity from market on Page 18, where we pick four
jmckeown@nbmedia.com
has been engineering
and producing records my industry peers as what Ive been key categories of application, and quiz
Press releases to: for ten years, having witnessing since returning to my desk a number of companies about recent
ukpressreleases@nbmedia.com
moved to London from this week following a cracking Crimbo. developments and trends.
Sydney, Australia. He
NewBay Media 2016. I dont know if its just me, but the Oh, and in case you didnt see our web
No part of this publication may be has spent time as an
reproduced in any form or by any in-house/freelance New Year messages Ive been receiving story on the first day back, were marking
means without prior permission of
the copyright owners. engineer, tutor and have seemed that little bit cheerier than a year since the launch of Audio Media
Audio Media International is published
studio owner, working usual not that they were ever delivered International by rolling out a reader
by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt with artists such as
House, 18-26 Essex Road, London drearily and I was encouraged to survey, allowing you to let us know your
N1 8LN, England. Pharrell Williams and
Kanye West. discover that I was far from the only one thoughts on our print and digital services.
Editorial tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6002
Sales tel: +44 (0)20 7354 6000 who, by the end of the festive period, Weve already had a great response so
actually found myself itching to get far, but if youd like to get involved and
Brad Watts
back into the hot seat here. I had a lovely be in with a chance of winning some
has been a freelance
Audio Media International writer for numerous Christmas break thank you, but there are Amazon vouchers then make sure you
ISSN number:
ISSN 2057-5165 (Print) audio magazines, has only so many leftover mince pies and TV take part before the closing date of 18
Circulation & Subscription enquiries
mastered and mixed boxsets one man can consume before January. Youll find details on our website.
Tel: +44 (0)1580 883848 various bands, and
email: the desire to actually use ones brain And finally, one more time: Happy
audiomedia.subscriptions@c-cms.com was deputy editor
1 Color - 100 White

of AudioTechnology again takes over. New Year!

Printed by Pensord Press Ltd
in Australia. He is So here we are then with brain re-
now digital content engaged and batteries charged, lets see Adam Savage
manager for Content
what our first issue of 2016 has in store Editor
and Technology.
for you, dear reader. Audio Media International

January 2016 3

03 AMI Jan 2016 Welcome_Final.indd 1 06/01/2016 17:09

 CONTENTS www.audiomediainternational.com

6 6
PRODUCT NEWS
Merging and Genelec plan immersive showcase at ISE
23
14
FEATURES
GEO FOCUS: USA
Despite positivity across the pro-audio spectrum,
pressure on margins remains a cause for concern
7 New AIMS IP Alliance formed
18 INSTALLED SOUND:
PEOPLE David Davies assesses the situation in four
key sectors of the commercial install market
10 OPINION
Jerry Ibbotson mulls over what would make the 23 FINAL CUT:
perfect piece of radio gear Instead of an action-packed feast for the senses,
Room provides a unique opportunity to tell a
12 Ganesh Singaram of Blue Box Studios on the story using sound. We catch up with the
psychological side of music production team responsible

42 INTERVIEW 27 STUDIO PROFILE:

Colby Ramsey talks to engineer Drew Bang about Adam Savage takes a trip to Essex to visit
his MPG nomination, the allure of Strongroom a recently opened Foley studio
and what 2016 has in store for him

TECHNOLOGY
30 HOW TO
Lonnie Bedell of AVLifesavers offers his top tips
for dealing with people not used to working with
a sound guy

42 ALSO INSIDE
32
34
32
REVIEWS
EVE Audio SC3010
Audio-Technica BP40
36 Radial Trim-Two
8 NAMM PREVIEW: 38 Presonus Studio 192
We look at whats set to be hot in California 40 Sonnox Envolution

4 January 2016

04 AMI Jan 2016 Contents_Final.indd 1 13/01/2016 10:00

 F1_evo_AMI_fullpage.pdf 1 06/07/2015 16:12

CM

MY

CY

CMY

Boom festival photo: esweb

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 PRODUCT NEWS
MERGING, GENELECS IMMERSIVE SHOWCASE
Merging Technologies and Genelec
have announced they are joining forces
to deliver a groundbreaking immersive
audio experience at ISE 2016 in
Amsterdam next month.
The companies are promising visitors
to the Merging stand (7-C160) a unique
opportunity to experience a solution
that signals the future of audio in
fixed installations.
The setup will combine Mergings
recently released Ovation 6 with
Genelecs pre-production Ravenna/
AES67 powered 4420 a new model
designed to bring the benefits of
Genelecs DSP system to the 4000
Series of loudspeakers for fixed
installations, as well as AoIP capability
in an 18-speaker array.
Ovation 6 grants the power of an
CADAC CDC SIX NOW SHIPPING
Cadac has announced details of a
clutch of initial key sales of the new
CDC six now that the console has
started shipping to customers across
Europe and Asia.
Since its launch at Prolight + Sound
in April 2015, the CDC six has received
interest from distributors in Benelux,
Denmark, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden
and the UK, as well as several Asian
territories, including China.
The latest development, however,
is in Poland, where Cadacs Polish
distributor Tommex has installed the
medium-format live sound console in
the Miejskie Centrum Kultury (MCK) in
Plonsk, as part of the modernisation of
the towns cultural centre. The Tommex
installation the first in Poland is
in MCKs Kalejdoskop Cinema, a
multipurpose hall.
The CDC six and two MegaCOMMS
connected CDC I/O 3216 stageboxes
were chosen by the MCK Plonsk
in a tender, providing a system
configuration that met the venues
objectives and exceeded the projects
technical design specification. The
6 January 2016
06-07 AMI Jan 2016 News_Final.indd 1
integrated 3D rendering engine, for use
with both replayed sounds and an almost
limitless number of live inputs.
Immersive audio and AoIP are the
spotlight and interest is really picking up
among systems integrators, commented
Chris Hollebone, sales and marketing
manager for Merging Technologies. For
that reason weve created an installation
that demonstrates how these two
trends can combine in a powerful,
captivating way.
Were delighted to partner with
Genelec on this, their reputation speaks
for itself, and Id urge any integrator
interested in the future of audio to visit
our stand at ISE.
www.merging.com
www.genelec.com
www.iseurope.org
Cadac system provides a number
of application possibilities for
productions and events, required by
both the centres own technical staff
and visiting sound engineers.
Due to the simple and transparent
interface, operation of the console
turned out to be trivially simple, said
Krzysztof Dembicki from MCK Plonsk.
Everything is logically arranged and Im
sure that none of the sound engineers
visiting our centre will have any
problem with its operation, and they
will also have the chance to listen to
just how fantastic it sounds.
www.cadac-sound.com
www.audiomediainternational.com
NEW DYNAMETER FROM
METERPLUGS
MeterPlugs has announced its new
Dynameter tool. The plug-in shows
a real-time display of the musics
dynamics, either beat by beat, or over a
whole song or album.
According to MeterPlugs, the plug-in
helps to achieve competitive dynamics
and consistent playback volume
across online streaming services,
measuring dynamics using PSR (Peak
to Short-Term Loudness Ratio), which
is based on the ITU loudness standard,
displaying it via a history graph and
allowing users to choose their own
dynamics target for their music.
Dynameter was designed by
mastering engineer Ian Shepherd, who
runs the Production Advice website
and founded Dynamic Range Day.
Ive found over the years that PSR
is a really great way of assessing the
dynamics of your music and helping
you find the perfect balance between
loudness and dynamics,
said Shepherd.
AKG UNVEILS K182 HEADPHONES
AKG has introduced the K182
foldable, closed-back professional
monitor headphones, which are
designed to provide sonic clarity,
comfort and portability for musicians
and engineers all at an affordable
price point.
The K182 drivers ensure high output
while the 10Hz-28kHz frequency
range provides a truly balanced mix.
The K182s high-sensitivity 50mm
transducers also ensure professional-
quality sound even with mobile
devices, the manufacturer says, while
the closed-back, over-ear design
provides great performance for every
instrumentalist and comfort during
long sessions.
Providing long-lasting durability,
People are telling us they love
Dynameter, added Ian Kerr of
MeterPlugs. Its very easy to use.
Just choose a PSR target and keep
the history graph from dipping below it.
You can compare your music to all
of your favourites, and it becomes
really addictive.
www.meterplugs.com
the K182 is built to endure the
inevitable drops and bumps that
happen during use and transport.
The 3D-axis professional folding
mechanism makes it easy to pack the
headphones into compact spaces,
and the detachable cable with
1/8in-1/4in screw-on adapter offers
easy connectivity with gear of all
kinds and, along with the replaceable
earpads, extends the longevity of the
customers investment.
While the K182 headphones are
the result of careful listening to the
needs of customers who work in
environments of all sizes and shapes,
we found a common thread in their
criteria for a must-have pair of
headphones excellent sound quality,
lasting comfort and built-to-last
reliability, said Karam Kaul,
marketing director at AKG.
With the K182 headphones, we
enable musicians and engineers
to truly take control of
their sound.
www.akg.com
06/01/2016 14:58
 PRODUCT NEWS
PMC PREVIEWS IB1S-AIII MONITOR
UK manufacturer PMC is using NAMM
to launch its IB1S-AIII activated
reference monitor, a high-resolution
three-way speaker that offers a flexible
plug-and-play design.
Designed for small to medium-sized
control rooms, the IB1S-AIII is suited
to a wide range of applications, from
recording and mixing to broadcast,
post production and mastering. It
will be on show at NAMM 2016,
Booth 6598 (Hall A).
The IB1S-AIII delivers unparalleled
levels of audio transparency and
accuracy, as well as a compression-free
flat response at all levels to ensure that
even the longest session remains fatigue
free and highly productive, PMC says.
Precision soft dome 27mm HF and
75mm MF drivers provide ultra-high
definition and an extremely wide, natural
dispersion creating a soundstage over a
vast listening area.
The low frequency is handled by PMCs
10in carbon fibre and Nomex LF piston
driver teamed with the companys ATL
(Advanced Transmission Line) bass-
loading technology, which provides an
unmatched response down to 25Hz with
AIMS IP ALLIANCE FORMED
A group of broadcast and media
industry suppliers including
Lawo, Grass Valley, Imagine
Communications, Snell Advanced
Media and Nevion have come
together to form the Alliance for IP
Media Solutions (AIMS).
The new, independent trade
associations mandate is to bring
IP solutions to market that offer
complete interoperability, are based
on open standards, and integrate
seamlessly into media workflow
environments to foster industry
innovation and efficiency.
Its efforts will be focused
on promoting the adoption,
standardisation, development and
refinement of open protocols for
media over IP, with an initial emphasis
on VSF TR-03 and TR-04, SMPTE
2022-6 and AES67.
As broadcasters and other
media companies look to use IP
workflows to speed and streamline
the movement and management of
increasingly complex content and
adapt their businesses to better
06-07 AMI Jan 2016 News_Final.indd 2
GB
Frankfurt am Main
DU: 05.12.2015
7 10. 4. 2016
61508-001_MM_Allgemein_Audio_Media_International_95x270_GB CD-Rom ISO 39 CMYK yi: 07.12 .15
identical dynamics and deep defined
bass at all monitoring levels.
It also benefits from a precision,
passive, hand-built, 24dB per octave
crossover network, which employs 31
components to divide the amplifiers
output signal into three frequency bands
for the individual drivers.
Power to the IB1S-AIII is supplied by
PMCs own 400W Class D amplification,
which offers maximum fidelity, high
damping and ultra-low distortion,
resulting in near-instantaneous
stop/start control over the entire
driver compliment.
www.pmc-speakers.com
Its my tune.
compete with other content options
such as over-the-top (OTT), open
standards are the key to protecting
current investments and ensuring
long-term interoperability.
Specifically, AIMS will prioritise
three key strategies:
Make sure youre here and make Musikmesse
Initiatives that facilitate the
education and adoption of 2016 your own event. Immerse yourself fully
open standards in the world of music, forge new contacts and
Facilitation of activities that meet the big names of the industry in person.
accelerate the development of
Above all, enjoy a uniquely diverse musical
solutions that support these
open standards experience!
Nurturing the creation of new
standards by supporting Find out more at:
standards bodies with
musikmesse.com
participation and testing in
real-world environments info@uk.messefrankfurt.com
AIMS provides specific guidance Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83
in its bylaws to its members and
to the media industry via the AIMS
Roadmap. The organisation endorses
an IP transition plan that includes
support for SMPTE 2022-6, AES67
and VSF recommendations TR-03
and TR-04.
www.aimsalliance.org
January 2016 7
06/01/2016 14:58
 SHOW NEWS: NAMM
FACING THE MUSIC
This years NAMM Show once again promises a global gathering of musical tribes, as
well as a number of new developments.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
A
s many of us finish
recovering from our
respective festive
blowouts, preparations
for NAMMs annual
winter trade show are well under way.
Visitors have had plenty of time to
prepare for their trip to California
on 21-24 January due to the earlier
registration opening, and NAMM 2016
is gearing up to be the biggest and
most dynamic show to date.
On arrival at the Anaheim
Convention Center this year,
attendees will notice some
construction work as part of a project
to expand the venue. The fruits of this
labour will be visible at the January
2018 NAMM Show.
Back to this year and, in addition
to welcoming companies from over
100 countries and territories eager to
showcase their latest products and
technology, attendees can once again
expect to see a number of special
events, educational sessions and
endless live music, as well as over
5,000 pro-audio and MI brands.
TEC Tracks, which debuted at
Summer NAMM 2015, replaces The
H.O.T Zone on the second floor of
the Convention Center. TEC Tracks
promises masterclasses, live
interviews and panel discussions on
8 January 2016
08 AMI Jan 2016 NAMM Preview_Final.indd 1
the most relevant topics for recording,
live sound, DJ, lighting, music business
and entertainment technology
professionals. As part of TEC Tracks,
A3E (Advanced Audio + Applications
Exchange) will produce and host the
Future of Audio, a full-day programme
exploring the impact of new products
and technology.
Collaboration seems to be the
buzzword for this years show, as
NAMM has also teamed up with the
International Music Software Trade
Association (IMSTA), a non-profit
association that represents the
interests of the music software
industry and aims to integrate
a community of music software
providers into the event.
Software.NAMM, The Music
Software Community, presented by
NAMM and IMSTA, will be staged
adjacent to the TEC Tracks education
area on the second floor. In addition
there will be international pavilions
featuring exhibitors from Argentina,
Brazil, China, Germany, South Korea,
Spain and the UK with more to
be announced.
The highly anticipated NAMM TEC
Awards will take place on 23 January,
recognising the individuals, companies
and technical innovations behind
todays top sound recordings, live
performances, films, television, video
games and other media.
ON THE SHOWFLOOR
JBL Professional is showcasing
the EON618S, an 18in, 1,000W
powered subwoofer that promises
to meet the demands of todays
musicians and sound providers in
the areas of flexibility, portability
and ease of use. Weighing in at 78
pounds, the subs design maximises
cabinet volume while maintaining
a highly transportable form
factor. DSP parameters, including
presets for EON600, EON200 and
other manufacturers full-range
loudspeakers can be controlled via a
Bluetooth app for iOS and Android,
while selectable crossover presets
are available through the EON
Connect app.
Crown Audio is bringing along its
XLS DriveCore 2 Series two-channel
power amps to the show. These now
offer a bandpass filter on each channel
in addition to the previous low and
high pass filters to achieve what the
company describes as, more precise
DSP crossover tuning, loudspeaker
matching and system EQ capability.
Radial Engineering will debut two
of its products at NAMM 2016. The
first is the Shotgun 2x4 Guitar Signal
www.audiomediainternational.com
Information
What? NAMM Show 2016
Where? Anaheim Convention Center
When? 21-24 January
Distro, which combines a signal driver
and isolator to allow the user to feed
four guitar amps in either mono or
stereo, as well as two inputs with
a switching jack on input B to auto
configure for stereo use.
Then there is the DiNET-DNT
Network direct box, a high-resolution
24-bit/96kHz stereo analogue-
to-digital converter with a Dante
connection, enabling direct interface
with networked audio systems via a
standard Ethernet connector.
Allen & Heath will be presenting
its flagship dLive digital mixing series,
including the new DX32 modular
I/O remote expansion rack. Also
on display will be the Qu Chrome
Edition compact digital range, which
adds major new features including
automatic mic mixing, a spectrogram
and additional monitor mixes. Also
making their debut will be several
brand new models from the ZED range
designed for recording/gigging
artists and AV rental and installation
companies including the new ZEDi
hybrid mixers.
New this year from Nugen Audio
will be the SEQ-ST, a linear phase
spline EQ with sonic sculpting and EQ
matching, stereo mid-side operation
and automated spectrum analysis.
SEQ-ST was developed in response
to fast-growing demand from the
companys professional music
production clients, and allows audio
to be massaged and corrected with
very high resolution. Also on display at
NAMM will be a new filter-morphing
feature that allows fluid morphing
between two sets of filter curves
under full user control.
www.namm.org
06/01/2016 11:07
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 OPINION
BUILDING THE PERFECT RADIO RECORDER
After an eventful two days reporting for the BBC on the recent floods in York, where he was faced with a number of
technical challenges, Jerry Ibbotson felt inspired to think up his own piece of kit that would excel in this environment.
JERRY IBBOTSON
I
f you live in the UK then in the lull
between Christmas and New Year,
where youre not entirely sure what
day it is, one news story will have
dominated all others. After heavy
rainfall (and a few issues with flood
defences) some parts of the UK found
themselves with water in places where
H2O is not meant to be. My hometown of
York faced the worst flooding since 1982
and, take it from me, its a city thats used
to rivers overflowing.
Thats why I found myself dragged,
temporarily, back to the bosom of the
BBC to help my local station (and former
employer) with its flood updates. Over
two days I spent 22 hours doing live
broadcasts from Silver Command.
Its not as grand as it sounds, just a
room at Police HQ full of people with
laptops co-ordinating the emergency
response. My task was to stand in a
corner and broadcast regular updates on
street closures and evacuations and do
interviews with those in charge.
It also gave me a chance to mull over
what I think would make a perfect bit of
radio gear. Ive written for Audio Media
International on several occasions on
the new generation of mobile-journalism
practises, centred around phones and
tablets. But I still tend to use a proper
recorder, a Roland R26, when Im reporting
because well Im like that. So how to
marry the two?
10 January 2016
10 AMI Jan 2016 Opinion 1_Final.indd 1
The Concept
Lets start with a blank sheet of paper.
What do we want our machine to do? It
must be as comfortable recording as it is
doing live broadcasting. It must be easy
to handle and move about and have a
decent battery life. And it must be easily
upgradeable and highly flexible.
The chassis first. At Silver Command
I was using an iPad with an iRig cable to
hook up an ENG mic and headphones. But
moving about with the iPad is a faff, both
from its shape and the long cable length. I
always feel like Mr Bean, struggling not
to drop everything.
Conversely, I love the R-26 because of
its half brick shape. Its easy to hold, even
if Roland is ridiculously parsimonious
in making you pay extra for a strap.
Really, Roland? Really?? So Id begin with
something this shape but with a shoulder
strap thrown in. (Bitter? Moi?)
Inputs next. I want two XLRs for audio
in and a dedicated headphone jack with
its own volume knob. Then a decent
touchscreen that covers as much of the
machines face as possible.
Connectivity? It needs to have a
3G/4G SIM and WiFi as a minimum, with
Bluetooth as a bonus. What happened
with the York floods couldnt have been
made up: after flooding the electrics
of part of the citys flood defences, the
waters then got into the citys telephone
exchange. This took out communications
of various kinds for around 48 hours. It
highlighted the need for having as many
connectivity options as possible; I even
saw police officers and army personnel
throwing their mobiles down in disgust.
For the record
Recording capabilities? Of course, with
WAV and compressed formats on offer.
But getting material to base is critical
so a full arsenal of uploading weapons is
needed, not just Dropbox. Being able to
save presets to filing straight into servers
is needed here uploading onto the BBCs
Radioman system for example. Even
email would be useful.
The recording facilities would tie in
with the live broadcasting part of the kit:
quick access to manual levels as well as
a fallback Auto Gain. Id use these both
when recording or when doing live inserts.
How about the operating system? It
would need to be upgradeable and able
to take in third-party software (such as
Luci) so Id go with a tweaked Android
build. I have to admit to not being much
of an Apple fan boy but as this is my own
www.audiomediainternational.com
machine iOS wouldnt be available to
me anyway.
How would my machine work? Take
the flood reporting as an example. Out in
the field Id use it to record material using
an external mic (though it would have a
built in capsule too). Using 4G Id send
this back to base while I headed to my OB
point at the Command Centre. Id then
hook up with the studio via something like
Luci Live on WiFi. This is where a strong
battery life is needed, along with the
ability to hook up to external power. USB
power input perhaps?
The touchscreen is vital here giving
access to apps and resources. And if
there isnt room for hardware dials on the
chassis, the level controls would be front
and centre. With proper phantom power, I
could hook up condenser mics if needed,
to make a mini-studio.
So there you go, all sketched out on a
piece of A4 in between radio broadcasts.
Copyright: Me.
Jerry Ibbotson
has worked in pro-audio for more than
20 years, first as a BBC radio journalist
and then as a sound designer in the
games industry. Hes now a freelance
audio producer and writer.
06/01/2016 14:06
Full Page Template.indd 1 6/17/2015 11:08:45 AM
 OPINION
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT OF RECORD MAKING
Ganesh Singaram, engineer at Blue Box Studios, on why music production is about more than just technical proficiency.
GANESH SINGARAM
D
uring the stages of record
making, the psychological
aspect of working with
an artist/band aimed
at capturing a great
performance is key to success.
This can be challenging at times, as
various circumstances require
different approaches.
Its one thing to know how to press
Record and mastering the equipment,
but getting the best out of your
musician/artist is a whole other ball
game. Its the things you say, the things
you dont say, as well as when and when
not to say them. It is also about creating
environments that can be calm or
stressful, while also paying attention to
what you do and what you dont do. All
these are factors that can have an
impact on capturing a performance,
which boils down to the raw nature of
people and how to nurture an emotion
that can be captivating.
Quincy Jones makes a reference to the
success of any good producer as having
a proficient understanding of music
theory and the ability to communicate
efficiently with numerous musicians
while playing the role of a psychologist
to reach the desired results from a
performance. Quincy says: You need to
be a psychologist in the studio so you
know when to tell the artist to take a
break or to keep pushing through. The
creative environment of a recording
studio is where inspiration needs to take
12 January 2016
12 AMI Jan 2016 Opinion 2_Final.indd 1
place in order for a performance to reach
its full potential.
These are areas that an experienced
producer/engineer can work with in
order to deliver what is needed. Quincy
discusses a scenario: Ive always tried
to create the right environment for the
artist to feel comfortable enough to give
his or her best performance. On Secret
Garden we had the lights almost all
the way off except for dim lights in the
control room just to create an ambience
that could match Barry Whites low, sexy
tone. I personally think this is key to any
session. I can be called to any session
and meet someone for the first time, yet
I need to make them feel like they are
comfortable and in good hands.
I always do the following: mood
lighting, water, a music stand with a
pencil, a stool for them to chill back
on when listening to takes, and having
all the technical elements on my side
sorted. Microphones and a headphone
mix all need to be tested and ready to
go, plus you need to look after them
when they arrive have a laugh, make
them feel settled and ask whether
they need anything.
The producer has to understand what
it takes to provide an atmosphere to
get the most out of the artist. Another
iconic producer, Tim Palmer (Pearl Jam,
Ozzy Osbourne, U2, Rancid and The Cure)
has discussed the many psychological
aspects of producing a record. They
include being the confidant and best
friend of the artist and resolving conflict
of interests to establish a creative
environment. He states: If a band likes
to record underwater eating bananas,
then thats probably your best plan. Dont
forget that being a producer is a bit like
being a juggler.
I need to give the artist
encouragement to keep them going
and realise that we will get there and it
will sound amazing. The artist who you
record through the glass can be very
timid, self conscious and reserved, which
can lead to a restricted performance. Its
my job to get them to focus on the song,
not on me. Positive re-enforcement is the
best option. Its a very diplomatic game
www.audiomediainternational.com
as music is so personal they may have
been living with these songs for years.
Confidence is key
Once a singer finishes the take, get them
pumped for the next one. You have to be
involved in the session, and make sure
that they know you are there every step
of the way.
The first few takes are usually the
artist warming up to the situation being
recorded, figuring you out, getting into
the vibe and so forth but thats not to
say the first take isnt the best. So always
press Record, it is the golden rule!
Another thing you need to remember
is nailing a good headphone mix
the better the mix, the better the
performance. If you give them a mix
they love, feel and vibe to, the better
the performance and emotion you can
capture. Its something thats taken for
granted, but is the main component for
getting the best results. We all need to
be motivated and inspired, so giving
them a killer sound to sing/play to is
always going to bring out the best in
the performance.
For example, if the headphone mix is
too loud for a singer then when they get
to a big section they naturally get louder.
What happens if they are too loud is
they naturally pull back as they are too
loud in the headphone mix. The result is
they come in slightly under in terms of
pitch. When they want to sing louder, it
becomes too loud in the headphones so
they are not singing at their natural level,
and vice versa. Singers tend to push
their pitch slightly higher to deal with
volume compensation so they can hear
themselves more in the headphones.
Another tip for vocalists having timing
issues is to try increasing the hi-hat levels.
These count the sub beats, which help
vocalists lock into timing more, rather
then the straight kick and snare pattern.
If tuning is an issue, try telling
the singer to take one ear off on the
headphones. This will allow them to hear
their voice naturally within the room in
order to adjust. Try not to drown things
out with reverb, as this masks a lot of
imperfections during the recording stage
that causes issues later. Another tip for
tuning troubles is slightly increasing
the bass level. It is an element that
is consistent for them to tune to, as
opposed to other elements that can
confuse them, such as distorted electric
guitars, synths and so forth.
These are just a few tricks Ive learnt
along the way. The main concept of
what youre trying to do is to capture a
performance, so lets try and capture
that performance that will move millions.
Ganesh Singaram
has been engineering and producing
records for ten years, having
moved to London from Sydney.
He has spent time as an in-house/
freelance engineer, tutor and studio
owner, working with artists such as
Pharrell Williams and Kanye West.
13/01/2016 10:01
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AMI_PRO_AUDIO_THEJANE_AD_JAN16.indd 1 06/01/2016 16:33
 GEO FOCUS: USA

STATE OF PLAY
As the deleterious shockwaves of the last recession dim into history
and market demands ebb and flow accordingly, competing in the
worlds largest national economy continues to present a number of
challenges for audio companies. Colby Ramsey investigates.

Population:
322 million

D
espite widely reported
downward pressure on
margins across the board,
some markets in the US
are clearly showing signs
of resurgence, signalling a return to
strength for many American
pro-audio businesses.
While increased competition from
European loudspeaker manufacturers
remains fierce, Rik Kirby, VP sales
and marketing at Renkus-Heinz,
believes this is indicative of the US
markets buoyancy compared to
other regions, and suggests that
persistent competition is resulting in
an exceptionally healthy market from a
domestic perspective.
Kirby says the loudspeaker market
has seen a huge shift in focus towards
sound quality and intelligibility over
the last 5-10 years, driven both by end-
user demand and the introduction of
new technologies.
In general the industry is doing a
much better job communicating with
end users and educating them in whats
possible with todays products, so it
makes sense that market demands
have changed accordingly, he says.
Dave Shadoan, president of rental
firm Sound Image, concurs with this
sentiment, describing the same
economic pressure and competitive
environment with regard to the
integration and touring markets in the
US: Both markets appear to be
strong, although in many ways
it feels as though we are still in
recovery mode, he explains. Audio
manufacturing technology has
improved significantly in the past 20
years and therefore, over the past
decade, off-the-shelf technology
has helped to level the technological
playing field in a lot of ways.
On the recording side, there may
have been a number of high- and
low-profile studio closures in recent
times, but John Storyk, architect and
principal at Walters-Storyk Design
Group, believes there are still reasons
for optimism in the studio and content
production market.
Studios are being created in many
new and varied locations, he says.
Virtually every project we see in
recent times has an acoustic issue
that needs to be addressed either
concerning isolation or internal room
acoustic performance, or both. Our
expectation for high-quality sound in
constructed environments has risen to
new levels of excellence.
Meanwhile, manufacturers
continue to feel the pressure
as competitors offer extremely
aggressive pricing in an attempt to
buy their way into the marketplace.
Shadoan explains that while anyone
can buy the equipment, its the people,
their skill set and the overall service,
that sets companies apart.
He goes on to say that while
manufacturers prices have increased,
the rental prices have not followed
suit, and he fears that the long-term
damage competing companies are
doing to the industry is much greater
than anyone can imagine.
John Monitto, director of technical
solutions at Meyer Sound, has a
similarly positive outlook to Storyk
when considering the economic health
of the integration and touring markets,
with some integrators turning work
down or scheduling it out due to an
abundance of business.

14 January 2016

14-16 AMI Jan 2016 Geo Focus_Final.indd 1 06/01/2016 15:55

 www.audiomediainternational.com GEO FOCUS: USA

How would you say the pro

Whats having the biggest negative effect on the
audio market in the US is
market at the moment?
currently faring?

Economic
uncertainty
n Good - possibly great.
n Very well. Not the glory days of old, Falling budgets
but getting stronger.

Slow payments

Goverment
legislation

Other

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

How do you expect your sector to perform

in 2016 compared with 2015?

Better

Worse

The same

10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Educating the market
While some pro-audio businesses
in the United States expand and
show solid growth against the
backdrop of economic downturn,
maintaining margins remains a
universal challenge for all.
Shadoan reflects on his earlier
comments about companies trying
to buy market share. To provide
modern equipment that is well
maintained while we strive to offer
top shelf service, a margin is required.
We continue to improve efficiencies
where we can, but this is not a trade
off for the imbalance that has
emerged, he explains. The
expectations are high and the budgets
are thin. It will not be sustainable over
the long run for our industry.
According to Kirby, the most crucial
factor to consider when overcoming
such challenges is to maintain a
strong focus on educating partners
and end users, clearly demonstrating
and explaining differences between
products to ensure that decisions are
made based on performance, rather
than just price or marketing.
Were forever at the mercy
of imitators, he says. However
sometimes it just isnt technically
possible to provide double the
features for less money while still
maintaining quality and results.
Education is also an ongoing
priority for the integration and touring
markets, as Monitto explains: Finding
good technicians in the field and
training them well to meet the growing
demand is important. Technicians
benefit from apprenticeships to hone
installation skills so they are working
efficiently and accurately.
Storyk on the other hand is cautious
of the webs boundless educational
capabilities, and warns that separating
the important from the voodoo will
become more difficult as information
becomes more readily accessible.
Despite this caginess, there are
positives to the internets influence
on the industry. Networked projects
across the board are becoming
commonplace, as more well-equipped
pro-audio businesses look to integrate
some element of networking into
their products, particularly in the
loudspeaker market.
Storyk is especially excited to
witness the emergence of improved
DSP-controlled audio, along with
better acoustic modelling and
prediction software. He explains that
in terms of new technologies, the
audio/acoustic industry in the US is a
small community and has few political
boundaries compared to other regions
and industries.
Furthermore, Art Noxon, acoustical
engineer and president of Acoustic
Sciences Corporation, is seeing a
significant shift in the home studio
space due to the breakthrough of
new technologies. He points out:
The reluctance of engineers to make
substantial investments into their own
home recording studios continues
to diminish while the interest and
opportunity for engineers to work and
make records at home instead of in
downtown studios is on the increase.
The technique for high-end home
recording studio environments has
been in the wings for over 20 years but
only recently has the need for high-end
home recording environments begun
to be felt in the industry, he adds.

January 2016 15

14-16 AMI Jan 2016 Geo Focus_Final.indd 2 06/01/2016 15:56

 GEO FOCUS: USA
Meanwhile, other sectors have been
attempting to streamline their offerings
in a number of ways. Shadoan asserts
the importance of vendors abilities
to respond to development trends, as
equipment packages become lighter,
smaller and more well-integrated with
personal devices.
When it comes to buying habits
around tailored loudspeaker systems,
Kirby says that Renkus-Heinz has
witnessed a tremendous growth in
steerable technology, allowing many
applications to achieve results that just
werent possible ten years ago.
Monitto observes that column arrays
are being looked at more and more for
airports, churches and other spaces
that are acoustically challenging with
long reverberation times. He reveals:
Designing systems with suitable
headroom to maintain linearity has been
discussed more and more. Audiences
and mixing engineers are looking to
systems that have lower distortion and
sufficient headroom so there is less
fatigue when listening to music.
Kirby backs up this testament, citing
the scale of the worship market in
particular as one of the unique aspects
of the US region at the moment.
Certainly, there are similar projects
worldwide, but we see the highest
density of these high-technology
projects in the US, he says. As
churches vie to attract new members,
their AV solution can be a big part of
the attraction.
The lie of the land
While the US pro-audio market as a
whole remains generally stable, certain
legislation and regulatory laws can
have ubiquitous effects on the industry,
causing some businesses to rethink
their strategies or not, as the case
may be.
Shadoan believes that there is a
growing awareness with regards to
regulation in the US. He explains: Our
industry has managed to police and
regulate itself in a fair way and we
have managed to keep the regulatory
commissions at bay. Organisations like
The Event Safety Alliance are doing
great things in this department and its
long overdue. He goes on to mention the
requirement of the audio system to be a
component of the life safety system as
16 January 2016
14-16 AMI Jan 2016 Geo Focus_Final.indd 3
a related legislative development in
the integration and installation sectors.
Within the loudspeaker arena,
Kirby describes updated legislation
concerning public places. NFPA72
focuses on spoken word intelligibility,
he explains. It aims to ensure that
safety messages can actually be
understood rather than simply be
loud enough.
On the other hand, Storyk describes
stronger state legislation as having a
particularly positive outcome on the
studio design and content production
market, and believes that it is creating a
developing trend that will continue.
We see more and more local building
codes adapting to sophisticated new
environmental noise regulations,
and more jurisdictions adapting
frequency-based and time-sensitive
community noise codes, he says. This
has led to improved acoustic isolation
performance demands for new
projects (specifically with respect to
noise and isolation).
Noxon adds that this may be a
contributory factor to the increased
investment into the wide gap between
expensive designer built studios and
economical DIY home built studios,
a gap that is being filled by a new
generation of high-end home
recording suites.
While the US market still seems to
be a leader both at technical and design
levels, which ties in with the countrys the summer where they receive strong audio sources and think that its the
status at the top of the economic guarantees, carry less equipment and norm. He goes on to predict that the
pile, there may still be untapped maintain a smaller crew. From what we live industry will see more and more
opportunities in other regions. Storyk understand, the ticket sales at many designs implemented where systems
says: Africa, China, the Middle East and of the European festivals are are providing good, clean audio with
Latin America are starting to develop dwindling due to the saturation in the effortless gain, low distortion and
their own robust market places and festival market. even venue coverage.
thus will begin to create their own Inevitably, technological So as businesses in the US remain
nations set of audio/acoustic advancements will continue to play optimistic across the board due to
consultants and manufacturers. a key role in the future of the robust exponential demand, it is difficult to
The audio/acoustic community has US market as offerings become more imagine a time when the juggernaut will
fewer political boundaries than other affordable, increasingly more capable begin to lose traction. While downward
industries, probably because we all and easier to implement. pressure on margins seems to pose the
share our love for music or at least Monitto is confident that we will see biggest test for small and large-sized
I hope so. more attention paid to good audio in players alike, it is a challenge that is
Additionally, from a touring the future: The industry will be looking arguably balanced out by the sheer
perspective, the US market remains more carefully at incorporating good, scale and momentum of the market
healthy and busy compared with that low-distortion source material and as a whole.
of Europe, which some believe has systems into venues to make sound www.acousticsciences.com
taken a hit due to the quantity of large- reinforcement or playback less harsh www.meyersound.com
scale festivals. As Shadoan explains: and fatiguing. www.renkus-heinz.com
It has become the standard for bands So much of the listening public are www.sound-image.com
to simply book the festival circuit in hearing over-compressed playback www.wsdg.com
06/01/2016 15:56
 KARAOKE

High Standing, Harding Road, Brinklow,

Milton Keynes, MK10 0DF United Kingdom
T: 01908 584666 E: sales@easykaraoke.com
See us at Toy Fair Olympia 2016 - Stand D19

EasyKaraokeFullPage_AMI.indd
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06/01/2016
06/01/2016 11:35
11:47:31
15/12/15 5:43 PM
 FEATURE: INSTALLED SOUND

GRANDSTAND
SOUND

The recent Bosch installation at the

Allianz Riviera Stadium in Nice is
indicative of a healthy stadium sector

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
As 2016 gets underway, AMI decided it was time to take the temperature of the commercial install market, looking at
the current challenges and opportunities in four key segments. David Davies spoke to leading vendors in each to see
how things stand at present and get an idea of their expectations for the year ahead.

M
ore fully integrated
control systems,
custom integrator-
friendly amplifiers
and loudspeakers, and
compact mixers are among the product
trends to have ensured that fixed
installation has become an increasingly
important contributor to pro-audio
manufacturers across the board. But
what are the emerging requirements
in some of the main install segments
as we enter 2016, and how are vendors
responding to them?
In a bid to more clearly define the
state of play in installed sound, Audio
Media International spoke to some
leading manufacturers about their
current activities in four key install
markets: large concert venues, sports
stadiums/arenas, educational facilities
and bars/restaurants
Large Concert Venues
With a decline in recording revenues
forcing more acts out on to the road
for ever-longer tours, and concert halls
consequently having fewer and fewer
gaps in their schedules, it stands to
reason that all stakeholders must be
increasingly cognisant of maintaining
quality in order to encourage repeat
visits by both acts and gig-goers.
Cdric Montrezor, director of
application, install at L-Acoustics,
highlights the fact that large concert
venues are working in a competitive
market always looking to book the
best, most attractive shows into their
venues. More and more Im seeing
that the venues are looking towards
a high-quality sound system to make
them stand out from the crowd so the
demand for higher and higher quality
is out there.

18 January 2016

18-20 AMI Jan 2016 Feature_Final.indd 1 06/01/2016 11:14

 www.audiomediainternational.com
////////////////////////////
But this goes beyond the specification
of suitable speaker systems, which in
L-Acoustics case includes the K2 line
array, with Panflex directivity control,
and the 2015-released X Series coaxial
products that include a reference stage
monitor, a live FOH monitor and coaxial
speakers that can be used in distributed
systems or as fills.
In addition to installing quality,
rider-friendly sound systems, venues
are looking beyond the speakers and
working with acousticians to ensure that
the acoustics of their venue are the best
they can be, says Montrezor. Weve detailed supervision and monitoring of
18-20 AMI Jan 2016 Feature_Final.indd 2
FEATURE: INSTALLED SOUND
Acoustics are becoming a bigger
consideration in concert venues
such as the Philharmonie de Paris
Picture: W Beaucardet
seen that in 2015, for example, with
the opening of the new Philharmonie
de Paris, where the room is treated
to be able to handle the acoustics of
both orchestral performances and
electric performances.
Indeed, the ability to handle as broad
a cross-section of event types is now
highly prized. For example, in Asia, Im
seeing a lot of large concert halls that
are built to be multipurpose, Montrezor
continues. In Singapore we installed K2
in the Star Performing Arts Center, which
hosts theatre and music during the week
and on the weekend serves as a mega-
church. In Europe and the US, the halls
are more dedicated to entertainment,
even if they host a diverse line-up of
entertainment acts. In some of the
bigger cities like New York or London,
concert halls are diversifying out to host
weddings or corporate events. In all of
these cases, the venues are looking for
a system that can handle everything
from spoken voice through to the most
dynamic music.
Oliver Sahm, director marketing
application design at Bosch Security
Systems, concurs about the heightened
expectations of high-quality audio for
speech and music. This is accompanied,
he says, by increased requirements for
athletics events, has traditionally
the systems and interaction with
media distribution.
Whatever system is eventually
chosen, it is evident that venue owners
and operators are now highly exacting
when it comes to specifying the right
system for the long term, taking the time
and trouble to tap suitable specialist
assistance. Unfortunately, it seems they
dont always optimise the project during
its final stages, suggests Montrezor.
In my experience, I see venue
management taking the time to really
evaluate their needs, to find the right
integrator to help them assess, choose
and install the system that is best for
them, he says. And then, at the end of
the project, they dont always take the
time to calibrate the system once its
hung. The systems these days are of
such quality that they sound great out of
the box but taking the time to
calibrate ensures that the venue is
getting the absolute best out of their
system. Its a too often overlooked step,
in my experience.
Sports Stadiums/Arenas
The permanent calendar of major global
sports events such as the Olympics and
the FIFA World Cup, as well as a busy
repeating programme of international
loudspeakers need to be exactly aligned
resulted in a steady stream of new
work for pro-audio manufacturers
and installers.
Sahm confirms the high-end
expectations of stadium clients, noting in
particular their desire to acquire remote
control options from various locations
throughout the stadium for different
users. This includes a comprehensive
approach and interfacing with life safety
relevant PA/VA systems.
Accordingly, Sahm highlights the
gradual shift towards combined
pro-audio and EVAC systems: Having
separate ProSound and EVAC systems
is only the second best solution; it
complicates handling and increases
the incidence of errors. Additionally,
venues such as stadiums and arenas
have long reverberation times and
challenging room acoustic conditions.
To achieve the speech intelligibility
values required by safety standards and
to prevent non-uniform sound quality,
installations require the use of ProSound
components. For this reason, a combined
ProSound and EVAC system the best
of both worlds is the solution for which
customers have long been waiting.
In terms of stadium design and
acoustics, Sahm remarks: To provide
flawless sound reinforcement the
January 2016 19
06/01/2016 11:14
 FEATURE: INSTALLED SOUND
and need to radiate freely. To be able
to achieve this, all roof fittings need to
be included in the construction plans
to avoid later problems with acoustic
shadows and reflections.
Highlighting a product range that
includes the 180-model Electro-Voice
EV Innovation range (designed with
the contractor in mind), and notable
recent installations such as the Allianz
Riviera Stadium in Nice, France, Sahm
underlines the continuing buoyant health
of this market sector.
Stadiums are a more or less constant
portion of the business as there are
always some national or international
events in the pipeline during the coming
years, he states. At the same time,
some older venues will undergo
modernisation and renovation. Each
individual project has a timeline of
several years and individual projects
will overlap. We see regional variations
depending on the location of events.
Globally, however, we are experiencing
a positive trend and contribution
to the business because of [the
aforementioned] quality requirements.
Educational Facilities
In distinct contrast to stadiums, where
budgets are generally substantial and
there is little difficulty scaling a high bar
for audio quality, educational facilities
will often have to contend with very
limited funds. Nonetheless, it is generally
felt that they are increasingly astute
when it comes to the specification of
new systems calling upon specialist
consultants and integrators whenever
possible to help ensure that they get
the best value for money.
Its no surprise to discover that, in
many cases, these systems must
be able to handle a wide variety of
activities from school meetings
to live performances and more. But
increasingly there is a call for more
extensive integration with other AV
equipment, as QSCs director of
sales EAME systems group,
Glen Harris, observes.
There is a need for sound systems to
fully integrate with video and control,
he explains. Being of a true Layer 3
design [QSCs networked audio and
control platform] Q-Sys can co-exist
on a converged network and therefore
offers the client the ability to integrate
20 January 2016
18-20 AMI Jan 2016 Feature_Final.indd 3
Funktion-One flying high in Beirut
High-quality audio and the need
to respect the proximity of
local residents were among the
primary factors that informed
the installation of Funktion-One
speaker systems at two new
rooftop restaurant/bars in Beirut,
named Iris and Caprice.
Installation at the venues both
of which are owned and operated
by Addmind was carried out
by Funktion-Ones distributor in
Lebanon, Audiotec Group.
The ability to deliver low level
background during the day, live
performances in the early evening
and louder club levels into the
night were priority considerations
for the installation at Iris, which
is located on top of the iconic al-
Nahar building and incorporates an
outdoor deck and wooden bar.
We also had to be conscious of
neighbours, says Funktion-One
design engineer Mike Igglesden,
who worked with Audiotec Group to
design the systems for both venues.
To deal with this, we designed a
twin four-point system of F101s
for the central area and stereo
F81s for the surrounding areas. By
doing this we were able to create a
digital audio with IP-based video and
control. Co-existing on the same network
reduces costs based around the network
cable infrastructure as there is no need
to run separate LAN. Our latest solutions
Stadiums are a more or less
constant portion of the business as
there are always some national or
international events in the pipeline
during the coming years.
Oliver Sahm,
Bosch Security Systems
are both hardware and software feature-
based, but all residing in a single DSP
Q-Sys processor; such as the media
stream receiver (software), built-in
media drive storage of up to 1,200 hours
of WAV, MP3 audio storage (internal
high intensity in the middle due to
the general close proximity of the
speakers. Despite there being 25
speakers, weve kept the number of
source locations to six.
The pair of F81s facing the
stage and the F101s either side are
on separate processing channels
so that the F81s can be turned
off or used for monitors and the
F101s level can be raised for
live performances. For the low
frequencies, we used BR218s in
the central area and BR118s for
the surrounding area. These are
ideal as they produce strong, deep
nearfield bass that doesnt travel
hardware) and a 128 multi-track
player (software).
Harris anticipates continued growth
for QSC in the educational market, not
least due to the arrival of new products
such as the Q-Sys Core 110f DSP
appliance. A total of 128 x 128 network
audio channels, 16 x 16 USB audio
channels, 24 channels of analogue I/O,
eight configurable flex channels, 16 x 16
GPIO Logic Ports and 16 channels of
routable AEC are among the features
of the new appliance.
Bars/Restaurants
Sound reinforcement pioneer Funktion-
One has been synonymous with high-end
leisure and entertainment installations
for nearly 25 years now, and director
Ann Andrews confirms the growing
expectations of quality throughout the
bar and restaurant sectors.
These days people expect more than
background music, and yet at the same
time they still wish to be comfortable
and able to converse, she says. The high-
too far, again helping us to localise
the sound.
Located on the Jal El Dib seaside
road, the Caprice venue also utilises
a host of different Funktion-One
products, including Resolution 2
speakers, F101s, F88s and BR218s.
Audiotec Group managing partner
Ralph Choueiri comments: Both
of these venues are excellent
references for Audiotec and for
Funktion-One. They show what can
be achieved with the compact range
of loudspeakers, together with a
creative approach designing the
best sound reinforcement for the
space in question.
quality sound delivered by Funktion-One
systems easily achieves this.
In terms of new products geared
towards these space-conscious
environments, Andrews points to the
MB210 low-profile bass [enclosure], while
with the rise in the number of outdoor
installations for beach bars we have had
to introduce products with weather-
resistant qualities. But more generally,
she remarks that all of Funktion-Ones
small systems sell particularly well into
this market with the associated low-
frequency products.
Taking stock geographically, Andrews
cites particular growth in the Middle
East and Ibiza, and in beach bars
generally, while foremost expectations
for 2016 include steady growth, along
with increasing awareness of the
importance of sound quality.
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 sponsored by
ROOM
SERVICE
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
This month sees the UK and Ireland cinema release of Room, which has already been drawing praise in the US for the
quality of acting on show. Adam Savage discovers why the work of the sound team also deserves recognition.
W
hen seeking out the
next subject for one
of our regular film
sound pieces, Im sure
you can understand
our tendency to be drawn towards
the latest big budget action-packed
blockbuster, sci-fi epic or disaster
thriller, requiring a sound design to keep
audiences on the edge of their seats, but
this time weve gone for something a bit
different, and youll see why.
Already nominated for a whole host
of awards including three Golden
Globes despite only just arriving in
UK cinemas this month, Room tells
the story of Jack, a five-year-old boy
who has spent his entire life confined
to a small, windowless, soundproofed
room along with his loving mother,
who does everything she can to make
the environment as comfortable and
23-25 AMI Jan 2016 Feature_Final.indd 1
stimulating as possible for her son, but
yearns for the chance to escape and at
last introduce him to the outside world.
A heartwrenching and emotional tale,
with some stellar performances from
the two leads, there was clearly no need
for booming effects or a thunderous
score here quite the opposite, in fact
but for sound designer and re-recording
mixer Steve Fanagan and supervising
sound editor and dialogue/ADR editor
Niall Brady, both based at Irelands
Ardmore Sound, the film provided ample
opportunity for the pair to do what
professionals in this area of the industry
often list as their favourite part of the
job storytelling through sound.
Ultimately the story was the most
important thing for us so we were
always thinking about what we could
do with the sound to aid the story
and help the audience have the most
FEATURE: FINAL CUT
experiential version of this story as
possible. Thats what we talked about a
lot, says Fanagan. One thing that was
really important is that youre always
experiencing the story through Jack
and so its his POV of the world, firstly
his experience of the room and then the
outside world in the latter point of the
movie. We had a very loose rule, which
was whats Jacks point of view at this
point, and are we reflecting that in terms
of what were doing with the sound?
That was our acid test for everything as
we were working through it.
A large part of it was being conscious
of the subjectivity and whose eyes
were seeing the world through so it was
important to have full control over all
the elements in the mix at any one time,
adds Brady.
What enabled the team to have more
control than perhaps they normally
would was the generous timeframe.
Whereas a lot of projects these days
can end up stretching sound experts
to the limit due to increasingly tight
turnovers, Fanagan and Brady didnt
suffer from this problem with Room.
For me it was the longest schedule
Ive ever been part of, recalls Fanagan.
Between March and August there
were maybe two weeks where I wasnt
on the job. Because weve worked with
Lenny [Abrahamson, director] and the
producers before and built up this
relationship it meant they could see
the value in what we were doing, and
how important sound was to the story,
so they gave us the resources that we
needed, which was amazing.
We started while they were still
cutting picture. They asked us to start
slightly earlier so they could deliver
some temp mixes, but we wanted to
January 2016 23
06/01/2016 17:32
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 sponsored by
Niall Brady
keep anything we did for those temp
mixes live throughout the sound edit
process so we werent spending a week
doing work on something, dumping it
and moving along.
One thing that was new for us
was this goal of keeping everything
live throughout. They gave us our
first turnover for a temp mix in the
middle of March and essentially we
kept iterations of that live all the way
through until we delivered the mix in
August. So one of the main objectives
was to nail the workflow and make it
work for the film and not get in the way.
As we were working in conjunction with
the cutting room it was very important
that they felt the results of that.
Moving on to that workflow then,
its hardly surprising that for a film
like this, clear dialogue was crucial,
but what presented the mixing team
also including re-recording mixer
Ken Galvin with one of their biggest
challenges was how to use sound to
amplify the intensely distressing feeling
of confinement within a soundproofed
space. It was a lot more complicated
than having just virtual silence behind
the main dialogue; the scenario was
instead seen as a chance to really get
creative, and there were a number of
tools that helped them along the way.
Tools of the trade
Niall spent a huge amount of time in his
edit exploring all the multitracks that
had been recorded on set and making
all the right microphone choices in his
dialogue edit, using tools like [iZotope]
RX to do some clean-up of any editorial
work that he was doing and because we
were in that perpetual temp mix mode
23-25 AMI Jan 2016 Feature_Final.indd 2
we had begun to start playing around
with reverbs and other acoustical
ideas for the final mix and just trying
to find something that was true to
the spaces and the reality of the film,
explains Fanagan.
As usual on the dialogue side there
was EdiCue [software for ADR cueing]
and the other thing weve been using a
lot more for a few projects has been the
FabFilter Pro-Q 2 [Equalizer Plug-In),
comments Brady.
For the most part Ken and I worked
with Altiverb for reverb and one of
the reasons for that was quite early
on we decided that wed try to record
and create our own impulse responses
because were in this soundproofed
room and it just wasnt going to sound
like anything else, Fanagan continues.
What about for the effects and music
mixing? What gear proved most useful
for that?
EQ-wise I was using a combination of
FabFilter and Flux Epure v3, we were all
working on Pro Tools 11 and I dont tend
to use a huge amount of compression
but occasionally we were doing some
light limiting here and there for the
louder moments, reveals Fanagan.
And so to complete the equipment
overview, what were the main
microphones deployed?
The majority of the ambient
recording was done using DPA 4060s
and that was something I picked up from
doing a workshop with [sound recordist]
Chris Watson a few years ago, and
that gave me a really nice atmospheric
spread. The spot effects and the
main part of the Foley wouldve been
recorded on a Sennheiser MKH-60 and
a variety of ambient mics, but our Foley
FEATURE: FINAL CUT
Steve Fanagan
crew also then used, for bassy stuff, an
AKG D112 bass drum microphone.
From time to time
Even though much of the film takes
place in just one setting with no aural
or visual indication of whats going
on externally, making it perceptually
difficult for the characters and audience
to recognise the passage of time, part
of the storytelling brief was to bring
in subtle audible changes as the tale
develops chronologically, particularly
when the narrative moves between
day and night.
Obviously youre in the space the
whole time but you have to tell the
audience that theres a time code
and a change in experience as time
passes. With Nathan Nugent the film
editor we figured out rules such as
nighttime sounding different to daytime,
so nighttime tended to be heavier
ambiences, we worked with more low
frequency and just a really subtle neutral
room tone. From Jacks point of view
Ma is his whole universe but at night
its a much darker place and the sound
hopefully on some subconscious level
is helping to tell that story. The reverbs
we were choosing and how we made and
used those impulse responses was very
much informing that idea.
The room is also a little bit rundown
and you can imagine that all the
facilities in there like the fridge, the air
conditioning, the lights have all degraded
over time and the character of a rattling
fan or a cistern overfilling became this
great texture for the storytelling within
those four walls. The outside world
doesnt get in so the absence of birds
singing outside, for example, is also part
of that story. It became very much about
tonality and the characteristics of those
things that were in the space.
Team players
Its not the first time that Fanagan and
Brady have partnered with Abrahamson
they were all involved in the making
of Frank, starring Michael Fassbender
while the pair have collaborated on
around a dozen projects in total. How
then does Room relate to their previous
jobs, if at all?
Weve done about 12 features over
the past four or five years together, but
over the last year and a half theres
been a feature animation, a futuristic
sci-fi and a horror story, so its very hard
to compare those things, explains
Brady. I think what we have now is a
very good shorthand between each
other, which helps.
One final advantage the crew did have
with Room and not to say this wasnt
the case with the other films theyve
worked on was that the performances
were top drawer, which undoubtedly
increased the enjoyment factor from
their perspective and proved to be an
efficient motivator.
We were in a brilliant position we had
this great cast and story and the film
had been brilliantly realised. Everything
we did was in response to the great
work that had already been done,
concludes Fanagan. Theres nothing
quite as inspiring as getting to work
on a film thats been so beautifully
acted and directed.
Room is released in the UK and Ireland
on 16 January 2016 via Studio Canal.
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January 2016 25
06/01/2016 17:33
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 www.audiomediainternational.com STUDIO PROFILE

THE FOLEY
WAY IS ESSEX
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Its not often we hear about the opening of a new dedicated Foley studio, but when Adam Savage discovered one
had popped up just a short drive away from AMI HQ, he had to go and take a look.

T
here comes a point in many
peoples lives whereby, after
years spent gaining
valuable expertise as an
employee of a company,
setting up a new business from scratch
and playing by your own rules becomes
a pretty attractive option if the
opportunity arises.
It might not be a possibility for
everyone whether due to financial
restrictions or simply the fact that,
lets be honest, it takes a fair amount
of bravery to take the plunge and go it
alone but one man who has this
month decided to do just that after
years of faithful service with a firm is
Barnaby Smyth, Foley artist, founder of
Feet First Sound and now owner of The
Laundry, a new dedicated Foley studio
located not in London or another major
city, but the rather quaint setting of
Coggeshall, Essex.
Upon meeting Smyth known for his
work on major films including Tinker,
Tailor, Soldier, Spy and We Need To Talk
About Kevin, as well as TV shows such
as Downton Abbey at the facility, it
became clear that this had been a plan
of his for some time.
Its always been a dream of mine.
My Dad used to have a studio in our
house he was a musician and inspired
me to get into sound and so Id had a bit
of experience with home studios. Ive
always thought it would be great to do
my own thing, Smyth explains.
I was at Videosonics [Cinema Sound]
for years and enjoyed being part of
a company, but as you grow more
experienced you want to gain more
control over the output of your work
and build a room where you have
control over the acoustics, the surfaces
and the equipment.
So why take on an ex-industrial
laundry building hence the name in
an old market town? It seems the choice
of location was made after a great deal
of deliberation, too.
I was looking down in Kent for a long
time and had a romantic image of it
being an old timber-clad barn but then
you realise the ramifications when it
comes to soundproofing, plus it would
probably be listed and therefore a bit of
a money pit, Smyth continues.
The good thing about this is that
its outside London, so its quiet, rent
is cheap and when youre looking for
something industrial youve either got
farm buildings where theres loads
of low-end noise going on or a unit on
an industrial estate where you might
have someone with a compressor
move in next door, but this had a good
warehouse space and a solid structure,
plus its quiet because they sealed all the
weak spots before the actual build.
Fully loaded
One of the first things youll notice when

January 2016 27

27-29 AMI Jan 2016 Studio Profile_Final.indd 1 06/01/2016 14:11

 Studio Sound Engineer
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familiarity of and experience in contemporary music production
techniques and practice
Experience of solo running recording, overdubbing and
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Have an understanding of the acoustics of musical instruments
and recording spaces
High level of proficiency in pro tools software
Knowledge of a wide range of microphones and
microphone techniques
Strong familiarity with analogue and digital audio hardware
And show the following competencies to a high level:
Personable with excellent communication and time keeping skills
Highly developed critical listening skills
Ability to multi-task under pressure whilst working to tight deadlines
Excellent organisational skills
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 www.audiomediainternational.com STUDIO PROFILE

you enter The Laundry is that its not

a bad place to be at all. Foley studios
arent always treated with as much
seriousness as perhaps they should,
especially those based in large facilities
that provide a variety of other services,
but Smyth has everything he could
possibly need on hand here, including
an impressive gear list featuring a new
Audient ASP4816 console and speakers
from JBL (3678 stereo pair and 4641
sub under the projector) and Genelec, as
well as Crown DSI 4000 and 1000 amps
to drive the JBLs.
We were looking for something
quiet that didnt need automation, just
a good analogue desk. We came across
the Audient, heard good things about it,
investigated and found it to have very
nice mic pres on it, a musical four-band
EQ and they sent us one to test at
the studio we were working at and it
sounded good. Were looking forward to
getting to grips with it, reports Smyth.
There are also six large 1.2sqm
[Foley] pits and as you come in youre As for the aesthetics, being in there is it as a profession; many often see it as Partridge adds: The Musketeers
walking on the original warehouse floor so nice compared to some other places a temporary part of their career path, was the most challenging for me. Its
the rest of it is raised. Its completely Foley studios tend to be a bit rundown, but not Smyth, who worked through probably the busiest thing Ive ever
solid concrete so I wanted to utilise a bit dirty. his fair share of other roles too before seen before in my life non-stop
that, as its completely dead. Ive left The finished article is pretty discovering that the Foley world was fighting, there was four of them and
that open so you can use that as a breathtaking for a Foley studio we where he wanted to be. theyre all dressed in leather and cloth
concrete surface, but you can lay other think. The size was one of the biggest When I started I did everything with swords.
surfaces on top. things really because there is a from recording ADR to working as an Youd finish it, sigh and say OK
All the immediately important stuff tendency to cram a Foley studio into an assistant dubbing mixer and assistant weve done that now, but then the next
is located in one area the console, old ADR booth so to have a room that editor, he recalls. I came across Foley one would come along and you have to
monitors, pits, surfaces and, as its is done in that size and shape for a later on and realised I really liked it a start it all over again. I found it really
a Foley studio, a larger footwear reason, with pits in a particular place, lot of people saw it as a stepping stone satisfying when we finally got through it.
collection than Victoria Beckham while is brilliant, really. towards doing sound effects, so people They were mental, but really good fun.
outside the main shell is the rest of the Having been in the industry for quite would do it for a year or so, get quite And despite the fact that the team
warehouse, which houses the machine some time, Smyth was able to build an good at it and move on but you really from Miloco Builds have only just
room, amplifiers and more than enough image in his head of exactly what he was need to dedicate your life to it as it is packed up their tools and left, the pair
space for the vast array of props Smyth after, and a lot of it came down to his a real art. have got no difficult opening period
is sure to accumulate over time. experience of other facilities. to deal with, where business is slow
Having it all in a nice homely Barnaby created his own studio with Looking Back due to reluctant clients waiting to see
atmosphere is certainly an added bonus, all the things that he liked and disliked Having done just that committing whether things are running smoothly
too. According to Foley engineer and about other studios in his mind, like that to a career in Foley to such an extent first before passing the work their way,
Smyths colleague Keith Partridge, surface wasnt big enough so well make that hes built his own base to carry it and thats largely because of the close
formerly of Hackenbacker, making the it bigger here etc, says Partridge. out how does Smyth evaluate his time relationships theyve developed over
space comfortable as well as There are also fundamental things in the industry so far? Does he have a the years with clients who are confident
technically and acoustically sound was like its just the one room rather than a favourite past project and which one theyll hit the ground running.
important, which makes even more split one, which is quite a big deal, down was the toughest? January and February are pretty
sense when you consider the degree of to little things like the surfaces. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was a much booked up. Weve got an ITV series
effort and man hours required to get really good one that we did. It was very called Dr. Thorne, which weve just done
the job done properly. Sticking with it naturalistic and had a great look to it. one episode of and a BBC series called
Foley is a case of shutting all the In the same way that there arent a great The Foley just had to sit there and wasnt Undercover, says Smyth. Keith and I
doors and spending most of the day in number of specialist Foley studios out in your face. Sometimes the best Foley have got a reputation now so they trust
there, so its a bit of a weird environment there at the moment at least in the is like that you dont even notice it. I that we know what were doing. Its
and just the two of us rather than a UK its not often that you come across think thats what we got good at in TV, mostly TV, but I bring in a couple of films
studio full of people, reveals Partridge. people who have chosen to stick with Smyth comments. each year, so its a nice balance.

January 2016 29

27-29 AMI Jan 2016 Studio Profile_Final.indd 2 06/01/2016 14:11

 TECHNOLOGY: HOW TO
INTERFACING WITH
INEXPERIENCED CLIENTS
Lonnie Bedell of AVLifesavers reveals how best to deal with people not used to working with a sound guy.
I
t must be nice to have started in a
huge FOH company with organised
job functions, learning the ropes
before moving up into the A1
position. For me, however, it was
a mixture of gospel music clients and
corporate events.
What they share in common is they
are both made up of regular people.
Even though they may have the best of
intentions, these people tend to make
last minute requests, unaware of the
nightmare they have just dropped in your
lap. Survival is the name of the game.
They cant teach this stuff in school, its
school of hard knocks all the way.
Handheld Mics Unless instructed
they will: hold it around their navel, hold
it against their tonsils or cup the back
of the grille (turning it into an omni). The
entire concept of closer = louder is lost
on the general public, even though they
see examples of it on TV all the time.
They will also be attracted to stand right
in front of a speaker. For this reason I
insist on doing jobs like this in stereo,
despite grumbling from the company I
am working for. It wasnt until one of that
companys main employees saw the pan
30 January 2016
30 AMI Jan 2016 How To_Final.indd 1
Lonnie Bedell
gyrations I had to go through to avoid
massive feedback that he realised why I
made that request.
Lav Mics You put the mic on them
without exception or they will end up
anywhere from the top of their head to
their belt buckle probably under a layer
of clothing and upside down as well.
Nobody wants to go to the bathroom
with a wireless mic on because theyve
seen that movie, so make sure they
are ready first.
Lock Wireless Mics On No
exceptions. People will try to be helpful
www.audiomediainternational.com
by turning it on, when they are in fact
turning it off. People asking questions
will turn it off when they are done with
their question. The vast majority will
forget to turn it on at all, and even if they
do, the delay in it coming on will cause
you to lose half of their first sentence.
Everybody looks silly if this happens.
Power Distribution Unless a known
fact, its safe to assume every AC outlet
in the room is on the same 20-amp
breaker. Churches are notorious for
doing this. Sourcing from multiple rooms
may become a necessity, only increasing
the possibility of a ground loop. Bring a
voltmeter and keep an eye on it during
the show. Ideally do an AC box tie-in and
have everybody on the same AC power.
Video Guys Not a client, but hired by
the same person writing your cheque,
so best to try to keep them happy. The
contempt video guys have for audio is
remarkably consistent across every
area of audio Ive ever worked in for 30
years. On one job, after setting up and
waiting for hours while the film guys
tweaked I asked for a 15-minute sound
check. They thought I was being difficult
to work with.
The end result of this is they will show
up last minute and start barking at you
for a feed. Most will not know what an
XLR is or know the difference between
mic and line levels. Just be patient and
do your best.
Be prepared
Smartphone DJ Its entirely likely
someone will suddenly want to play DJ
with their phone before, during, or
after the event. Having a 1/8in stereo
mini connection that you can get up
and running fairly quickly is always a
good idea.
House Sound Systems Systems
in hotels are designed to be used in
situations without a tech, so they usually
have a feedback eliminator in the circuit,
and it will be impossible to turn off. If
you use this system and try to ring out
the room, the silly thing will work against
you, so dont even bother. Just set the
EQ by ear.
Everyone will be late so you cant
be. Be well prepared with everybodys
phone number so you can start calling
when you have to. Be an advocate for
your own sanity.
Stairs Ideally do a site visit,
because nobody will think that stairs
are a problem.
A solid gear bag is the key to survival.
Consider bringing: Multitool, tweaker,
flashlight, basic adapters (1/4in to
RCA, RCA barrels, 1/4in barrels, XLR
barrels, XLR phase reverse adapter),
extra cables (stereo 1/8in mini to RCA
[computer audio/MP3 players], 1/4in to
1/4in, Y cables [of all kinds]), AC cube tap,
AC ground lifter, XLR audio pads, 1/8in
to 1/4in headphone adapter, XLR ground
lift adapter, multimeter, direct box.
Lonnie Bedell
is the owner of AVLifesavers,
a manufacturer of specialised
gadgets for the live sound industry.
06/01/2016 12:48
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 TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

EVE AUDIO SC3010

STUDIO MONITORS

Nigel Palmer gets to

grips with these massive
monitors from the
German firm.

L
oudspeaker design at any level
involves negotiating a set
of compromises and Roland
Stenz, EVE Audios founder
and chief designer, is skilled
at getting the best performance from a
given specification while also offering
value for money. Hes successfully
pursued this since the company started
in 2011, and for me there were signs of
things to come when I reviewed the
then flagship SC408 in 2014 (quoted
here where features are identical),
indicating what could be achieved on a
less restricted budget. It was around
that time I first heard of plans to release
two high-end additions to the top of the
range, the SC3010 and SC3012, aimed
at mastering suites and larger studios.
Although less audio gear than you might
think is truly mastering grade, EVEs
customary avoidance of hype suggested
they could deliver on that promise, and
I wanted to find out what this designer
might do when given a relatively free
hand at a higher price point.

Overview
Manufactured in the Far East with
final assembly and test in Germany,
the EVE Audio SC3010 is a three-way
main monitor measuring 17.13in (W) x
25.59in (H) x 19.29in (D) and weighing a
substantial 37kg/81.6lb, so its a good
idea to have a friend on hand to help with
placement. The low frequency driver is
a 10in unit with a glass fibre diaphragm,
the equivalent being 12in in the larger
SC3012, which otherwise has similar
components and performance but 4dB
more headroom. The SC3010s midrange
is handled by a newly developed 5in

32 January 2016

32-33 AMI Jan 2016 Lead Review_Final.indd 1 06/01/2016 10:45

 www.audiomediainternational.com
Key Features
Air Motion Transformer (AMT) tweeter
n in this important area.
for ultra-low frequencies
Three amplifiers: 800W (woofer), 250W
n A look around the back of the
(mid), 250W (tweeter)
Both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs
n switches to lock volume and EQ
Can be set up vertically or horizontally
n settings if required a sensible feature,
DSP engine supported by a Burr-Brown
n
A/D converter
RRP: (Per Pair) 5,499 (SC3010); 6,999 (SC3012)
www.eve-audio.com
driver employing glass fibre and foam
construction for its diaphragm, and
rounding off the transducer complement
is an Air Motion Transformer tweeter
(manufactured by EVE Audio in Berlin),
a new unit unique to the EVE main
monitors and considerably larger than
those the company has previously
used. This gives the advantage of being
able to work at lower frequencies than
before, resulting in an unusually low
crossover frequency of 1,800Hz (mid to
low is 240Hz) allowing the tweeter to
handle more of the ears most sensitive
frequency area.
The mid and high drivers are mounted
in a silver-coloured plate that can be
rotated 90 by undoing four screws,
so the monitor can be set up either
vertically or horizontally. Although during
the review period I used the vertical
option to put the tweeter at ear height,
frequency and polar plots supplied by
the manufacturer suggest there is little
difference in performance when placing
the monitor on its side. A feature of
the mounting plate is a push-and-turn
rotary encoder that performs a number
of functions: the default is as a volume
control with an 80dB range level
selection being indicated by a series of
LEDs around the encoder and a number
of filters are also available. First is a low
shelf affecting frequencies below 300Hz
in 0.5dB steps, with up to 3dB boost
and 5dB attenuation; this is partnered
by a 3kHz high shelf, also +3 and -5dB. In
addition there is a bell EQ, which behaves
differently depending on whether youre
cutting or boosting for the former it
acts as a narrow-band filter at 160Hz to
mitigate the effect of reflections from
consoles or other hard nearby surfaces,
and in the latter case it offers a broader
32-33 AMI Jan 2016 Lead Review_Final.indd 2
lift at 80Hz to punch up the lower
frequencies. At first sight the on-board
EQ doesnt appear to offer correction
in the midrange, however raising or
lowering both shelves together can help
loudspeaker reveals a set of DIP
especially in a facility with multiple
users and also set the overall operating
level. Audio inputs consist of analogue
balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA
phono connectors. The SC3010 is DSP-
controlled and converts incoming signals
to digits via a Burr-Brown analogue to
digital converter for precision control of
the crossovers and EQ, so the omission
of AES and/or SPDIF digital inputs
is at first a little surprising as their
presence could allow the user to
effectively remove a layer of signal
processing. That said, experience of
running speakers both ways tells me
there isnt a great deal of difference, so
this wasnt a problem in practice.
The loudspeaker has three amplifiers,
one per driver: an 800W unit for low
frequencies, 250W for the midrange
and another 250W for the tweeter
all are Class D, an efficient design
generating relatively little heat, in this
case protected by a limiter. Across the
rear of the cabinet opposite the tweeter
is a large reflex port helping to extend
the lows, with a rounded edge to reduce
port noise. Its worth noting that both the
SC3010 and SC3012 are suitable for use
either on stands or wall mounted, and in
the latter case foam inserts are available
to block the port and help optimise the
systems low frequency response.
In Use
Having been supplied with a pair of
SC3010s for review, I mounted them
on stands at a distance of about two
metres (the closest recommended), and
started listening to my usual blend of
reference material and work in progress.
The best monitor location in my room is
fairly close to the rear wall, and although
the rooms design compensates to an
extent for the bass lift you find in such a
half space, a 3dB cut with the SC3010s
built-in low shelf EQ brought the bass
frequencies into correct perspective. I
left the high adjustment at the factory
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
setting interesting to me as I find
many speakers natural treble response
a touch bright for my taste and I dont
believe Im the only one. To my ears the
EVEs tweeter had a rightness about
it without harshness or splashiness,
presenting voices with great clarity and
integrating into the whole so recordings
were effortlessly revealed with their
flaws as well as good points. Examples
of this would be the forward sound
on the 1977 Heavy Weather album
by Weather Report, also the (for me)
slightly overcooked top end of The
Uncolored and accurate
they may be, but theyre also
immensely involving and
musical
Nigel Palmer
Mavericks track Dance The Night Away,
combined with its well-balanced
sub thump.
Ahead of delivery the distributor told
me that the presentation of the SC3010
was neutral, so I half-expected the aural
equivalent of fluorescent lighting, as
heard in an older speaker brand still
popular in mastering studios of which a
user once said I turn the controls until
the pain goes away! However, not a bit
of that was present with these EVEs
uncolored and accurate they may be,
but theyre also immensely involving
and musical. Proof of this was shown by
a first listening session lasting several
hours, and I havent done that in a while
I felt I wanted to hear as much material
as possible via this fresh presentation,
and relished the speakers wide and
natural sound. I could hear deeply into
anything I played, and discovered noises
and musical parts in recordings I know
well that I hadnt noticed before, such as
the single-note guitar in the side channel
during the second verse of Michael
Jacksons The Way You Make Me Feel;
also the sustained bass notes in the
Steely Dan song Cousin Dupree low-
end resolution and timing of the system
are exemplary. One of the things I found
remarkable was the sheer bandwidth
and power available with 29Hz to 21kHz
-3dB points (25-21 for the SC3012) and no
sign of the system running out of steam
at any level I would want to work at.
In music with no extreme lows, for
example older rock material by bands
such as AC/DC (I auditioned Back In
Black) and ZZ Top (La Grange), none
were reproduced yet the songs energy
remained fully intact. This may seem
obvious, but its not uncommon to come
across large monitors with phantom
LF due to design shortcomings. On the
other hand, where low bass did exist, as
in electronic dance music, the system
made it clear when 808-style kick drums
and bass synths meshed effectively
and when not; and on other material
such as Donald Fagens Morph The
Cat with its tastefully extended
sound mastered by Darcy Proper,
the lowest octaves were faithfully
and pleasingly conveyed along with
the rest of the music. Overall, the audio
clarity and effortlessness where mono
sources appeared locked in place, stereo
imaging was among the best Ive heard
and there was no evidence of crossover
bumps, indicating a smooth phase and
frequency response combined with
negligible distortion.
Conclusion
I enjoyed my time with the EVE Audio
SC3010 listening to a wide range
of material, and would go so far as
to say that, because at this level of
performance were talking personal
preference rather than any relative
technical deficiency, the EVE could
probably go head-to-head with monitors
of double the cost and more. I suggest
an early audition whenever the goal
is resolution, accurate low frequency
extension and listenability, and would
find it hard to overstate the serious
bang-per-buck this new monitor
represents. Highly recommended.
The Reviewer
Nigel Palmer
has been a freelance sound engineer
and producer for over 20 years. He
runs his CD mastering business
Lowland Masters from rural Essex.
www.lowlandmasters.com
January 2016 33
06/01/2016 10:45
 TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
AUDIO-TECHNICA
BP40
Stephen Bennett pits the new broadcast mic against
some of the usual suspects in his chosen application
to see how it performs.
M
ost microphones are
designed as general-
purpose devices,
although many have
found a particular niche
as they have been discovered to excel at
certain tasks, such as the humble Shure
SM57 over a snare or the not-so-humble
Neumann U47 FET outside a bass drum.
Other microphones are designed for
use in specific applications although
with engineers being what they are, this
sometimes ends up not being the one
the manufacturers expect! In a radio or
voice-over studio, youre obviously likely
to encounter microphones designed
specifically to capture the human voice.
These usually feature fittings along
their mid-length for easy attachment
to floating boom stands, a construction
rugged enough to survive being abused
by members of a DJs posse, resistance
to plosives and a frequency response
suitable for recording and broadcasting
voices. The new Audio-Technica BP40
joins this relatively short list of
specialist microphones.
Designed in conjunction with French
design agency Arro, the BP40 appears
extremely well put together. At 632g
its just weighty enough to feel like it will
survive the travails of studio life without
being so porky that it will be continuously
drooping on a boom.
34 January 2016
34 AMI Jan 2016 Review 1_Final.indd 1
MICROPHONE
The BP40 comes in a cardboard box,
but Audio-Technica supplies a soft pouch
for storage. As this type of microphone
will spend the majority of its life on the
end of a boom in the studio, I dont see
the lack of a case as a problem. The
BP40 is a dynamic transducer with
a 37mm diaphragm that features a
patented floating-edge construction
with no flange where the membrane is
glued. Audio-Technica says this reduces
strain on the membrane, which can lead
to distortion and I have no doubt that
it is an effective construction the
microphone taking a whisper to a
scream in its stride.
The microphones hypercardioid
polar pattern is the most practical for
screening out other voices in a busy
studio environment and the 100Hz high-
pass filter should help control booming
voices and reduce the effect of passing
traffic. A multistage windscreen is
designed to provide protection against
plosives while a humbucking coil is
fitted to help against radio frequency
interference. Frequency response is a
useful 50-16,000Hz, so youre unlikely to
have sibilance issues, while sensitivity
is rated at 48dB (3.9 mV) re 1V at 1 Pa.
Audio-Technica helpfully provides polar
and frequency response graphs in its
documentation and the microphone
generated a healthy output level in
typical recording situations.
In Use
As luck would have it, The University of
East Anglia is building a new radio studio
and I have been involved in specifying
the technical equipment to be installed.
I was therefore able to compare the new
BP40 against two of the usual suspects
used for this application. The first thing
that became obvious is that the BP40
has excellently low noise levels the
university campus is a nightmare for
RF interference and the microphone
performed impeccably in this respect.
The BP40 worked perfectly as the main
presenters mic and handled both male
and female voices with ease, while
off-axis suppression was particularly
effective when multiple microphones
were in use. Mounted in a vocal booth
alongside my usual AKG 414 to provide a
voice-over for a short animated film, the
BP40 was noticeably and predictably
less open in the upper frequencies of recommendations in the future.
than the condenser. However, the
client preferred the recording from the
Audio-Technica microphone, claiming
it sounded more like Radio 4, which, I
think, is something of an accolade!
Finally, I pressed the BP40 into the
eager hands of a student who wanted to
record some interviews for a podcast.
Plugged directly into a Tascam DR100,
the mic produced audibly superior
results to the internal microphones of
the portable recorder although the
www.audiomediainternational.com
Key Features
Large-diameter diaphragm with
n
floating-edge construction
Humbucking coil
n
Switchable 100Hz high-pass filter
n
Multistage windscreen for superior
n
internal pop filtering
Optimised capsule placement for
n
commanding vocal presence
RRP: 290
www.audio-technica.com
BP40s shape, size and weight arent
really ideal for this type of use. Some
of the BP40s competitors have also
gained a decent reputation as vocal
microphones for singers, so I was keen
to try the A-T in this application. On
male vocals, the results were promising,
with the Audio-Technica coming across
as a kind of super SM58 a more
airy sound than Shures venerable
microphone, but with something of
the heft and weight that suits some
singers voices.
In the radio studio and voiceover
applications its designed for, the BP40
is an excellent performer, however, like
all good transducers, engineers will
find other uses for this microphone and
I can see it taking tom-tom and snare
duties in its stride. You can never have
too much microphone choice and Ill
definitely be adding the BP40 to my list
The Reviewer
Stephen Bennett
has been involved in music
production for over 30 years.
Based in Norwich he splits his time
between writing books and articles
on music technology, recording
and touring, and lecturing at the
University of East Anglia.
06/01/2016 10:47
Full Page Template.indd 1 1/6/2016 4:02:38 PM
 TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
RADIAL TRIM-TWO
Designed to simplify the use of laptops in live settings by providing a ready access volume control for on-the-fly
adjustments, this looks like a handy gadget on paper, but whats it like in the flesh? Over to Alistair McGhee
DI BOX
S
ometimes a new product is
really new and sometimes
its a refinement or an
extension of an existing
line. Both are new but the
second group tends to generate a little
less hullabaloo. Radials Trim-Two is
definitely in that slightly less glamorous
category as Radial already has a
spectrum of DIs that cover just about
every imaginable situation.
The Trim-Two is delivered in Radials
classic and hugely effective wraparound
book-style casing and would stop a
bullet for you without batting an eyelid.
But dont try it at home. The grey livery
is a little dull, it has to be said, but its a DI
not a fashion item. In the world of DIs the
transformer is king and so I have Radials
with Jensen transformers and Cable
Factory DIs with Lundahl transformers.
Radial designates products that feature
Jensen transformers with a J hence the
JDI however not all Radials have Jensen
transformers. I have a Radial PRO
AV2 and the AV2 comes with Eclipse
transformers, which Radial started
using when Jensen supply couldnt keep
up with demand. Eclipse and Jensen are
now both part of the Radial family and
Radial has invested in boosting Jensens
output. In any case the PRO AV2 is very
definitely in the Trim-Twos genealogy,
or at least at first sight.
They are both stereo devices; they
both offer inputs on quarter inch jack,
phonos and mini jack; they both have
Eclipse transformers; they both have
ground lift on the output and they both
have a way of altering the gain at the
input. So what is new?
Youre in control
Well, while the PRO AV2 has a fixed 15dB
pad option at the input the new Trim-Two
has a continuously variable pot. Now you
36 January 2016
36 AMI Jan 2016 Review 2_Final.indd 1
can set the input levels exactly where
you need them. Also, the Trim-Two
has a mono option to turn your stereo
source into a mono output and finally
and most importantly the Trim-Two
is a unity gain device (give or take the
inevitable insertion losses of life!) This is
a function of the choice of transformers
used in each device. The PRO AV2
features 12:1 transformers in mu-metal
cans and inserting it into your circuit
will reduce your signal level by about
20dB. The Faraday screening provided
by the mu-metal enclosures is required
because we might be dealing with small
signal levels.
The transformers in the PRO AV2 are
designed to handle signal levels from
-30dB up to negative ten or zero level
at a push and they are described as
input transformers. The Trim-Two on
the other hand is designed to deal with
higher signal levels from the get-go. The
transformers are not enclosed and with
a 1:1 ratio the Trim-Two expects higher
signal levels and is capable of accepting
a whopping +15dB at the input. The Trim-
Two features output transformers.
If your rig is stuffed with kit producing
www.audiomediainternational.com
full fat audio output keyboards, drum
machines or tablets and laptops then
the Trim-Two is the way to go. If you
might want to chuck a guitar into the mix
then the PRO AV2 will be a better choice.
And so on to the trim function of the
Trim-Two. Having a pot to alter the signal
gain works with higher output devices
as these usually have buffered outputs.
This is important because changing
the gain with a pot also changes the
impedance not a problem with a
buffered output, but with instrument
levels the change in impedance can
result in a significant change in tone.
The final feature to consider is
the mono switch the instruction
manual shows a recessed switch that
requires a screwdriver to operate. I was
looking forward to niggling about this
inconvenience. Sadly Radial has beaten
me to it and the production Trim-Two
has the same standard switch for mono
as it does for ground lift. Nice to see a
product where real-world factors are
taken into account in design. Having
a mono switch is jolly handy when you
need to save channels but at the risk
of being picky Id rather have a sliding
Key Features
Two Eclipse transformers to isolate and
n
balance the signal
Ultra linear response from 30Hz to 20kHz
n
Capable of handling up to +15dB signal levels
n
Easy access front panel volume control
n
Choice of RCA, 0.25in and 3.5mm connectors
n
RRP: $175
www.radialeng.com
switch. Sorry Radial, its just because
I think its clearer from a distance that
the mono function is engaged and it
is less likely to be bumped. I have no
reservations about the gain trim feature
the pot is positive in action, clearly
labelled and isnt going to be easily
nudged. And the flexibilty of setting the
levels at the input means you can get
your active gain structure just right
to minimise noise.
In Use
I plugged everything to hand into the
Trim-Two, from keyboards, laptops
and sound cards through SQN mixers,
ShortCuts and anything else lying
around. Everything was interfaced
without a problem. I dont think theres
a secret to Radials success they make
really good products for people happy
to pay a little more for exactly the right
tool. And the Trim-Two is another chip
off the Radial block.
The Reviewer
Alistair McGhee
began audio life in Hi-Fi before
joining the BBC as an audio engineer.
After 10 years in radio and TV,
he moved to production. When
BBC Choice started, he pioneered
personal digital production in
television. Most recently, Alistair
was assistant editor, BBC Radio
Wales and has been helping the UN
with broadcast operations in Juba.
06/01/2016 11:19
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NewBay Connect_v7.indd 1 23/09/2015 15:22

 TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
PRESONUS STUDIO 192
AUDIO INTERFACE
I
m generally a fan of PreSonus
audio offerings. I keep a set of the
companys preamps on hand the
now-discontinued DigiMax FS, simply
because I like the XMAX preamps. Its
true PreSonus leans towards the budget
end of the audio world with equipment
punching well above its weight in terms
of reproduction and capture, but this is
exactly the PreSonus ethos: top-shelf
results made affordable.
This philosophy continues with the
Studio 192 recording system. The Studio
192 will cater to sample rates of 192kHz
via the analogue inputs, and the unit
can be expanded using S/MUX-enabled
ADAT optical connections. I/O amounts
to 26 inputs and 32 outs, and the unit
achieves this via USB 3.0.
ALL IN ONE
Nowadays, it seems standard practice
to incorporate control room-style
monitoring into most interfaces. The
Studio 192 offers such features, including
the ability to switch between three sets
of monitors. Additional speakers must
be connected via the eight balanced TRS
output jacks. These can also be used for
monitor mixes, alongside the dedicated
TRS main monitor outputs. The front
panel provides a large main output level
control pot, and a single gain level control
flanked by left/right buttons. These
scroll through the eight preamp inputs. A
ninth C setting adjusts gain for the built-
in talkback mic. The internal mic can be
forfeited for a standard mic connected
via any of the mic preamps. The preamp
levels and individual 48V power for each
mic pre can be set from within your DAW
using MIDI controller information.
HANDS ON THE WHEEL
Four backlit buttons address 48V
38 January 2016
38 AMI Jan 2016 Review 3_Final.indd 1
Brad Watts test-drives this new USB 3.0 offering from the US manufacturer
to see what all the fuss is about
power to each preamp input, along
with talkback, mono monitoring and
output dimming/muting. The dim/
mute button provides dual operations.
Off to the right are two headphone
outputs with individual volume control
pots. To the left of the front panel are
the first two XLR mic inputs. Being
combo connectors these can accept
high impedance signals from guitars.
Out the back are the remaining six XLR
mic inputs, eight TRS balanced outputs,
BNC wordclock in and out, coaxial S/
PDIF I/O, the four ADAT ports and the
USB 3.0 connector.
DRIVE BY WIRE
Supplied alongside the Studio 192 is
a software control panel and mixer.
Dubbed UC Surface, the software is also
available as a free iPad application or as
a touch-responsive app for Windows 8
and Windows 10 touchscreen computers.
Like most mixer control panels, UC
Surface is designed for configuring
multiple mixes via the Studio 192s
additional outputs. Up to eight separate
stereo mixes can be configured. This is
rudimentary to any native DSP-based
interface, and historically has been
supplied to provide direct monitoring
from the interface, thus avoiding the
round trip time-lag associated with
native-based DAW applications.
The UC Surface software gives access
to the 192s DSP. The first 16 inputs of
the 192 offer PreSonus Fat Channel
processing. This DSP includes phase
reverse, a gate, a compressor, output
limiter, a full parametric four-band
equaliser and high-pass filter. This can
be printed to your DAW by flicking each
channel to post-send. There are also two
master effects: a reverb processor with
nine algorithms, along with delay effects
providing mono, stereo, filtered and ping-
pong delays. If your DAW of choice is
PreSonus Studio One, this is accessible
via the DAW itself. PreSonus provides
Studio One Artist with the Studio 192, so
you can kick off from square one with the
Studio 192 package.
The Fat Channel is a hybrid plug-in that
runs on both Studio One for playback
and the Studio 192 DSP for recording and
monitoring. So when youre recording,
youre using up to 16 instances of the
plug-in on the S192 DSP; when you play
back, the system seamlessly switches to
running up to 16 instances of the plug-in
in Studio One. The sound is identical
because the plug-ins are identical, just
running on different processors.
Its difficult to fault modern audio
interface fidelity, and the Studio 192
wont disappoint on this front. PreSonus
has utilised a Burr-Brown chipset for
audio conversion. The dynamic range
of both the A-D and D-A processing is
118dB (A-weighted) comparable with
interfaces costing four times the price.
THD+N figures dont stack up nearly
as well, however. At <0.005 across
all I/O, this doesnt come close to the
<0.000X figures touted by the big boys
in analogue conversion, such as the
flagship Apogee devices, RME and Prism
Sounds of this world. As things stand,
the Studio 192 competes favourably with
units such as the Apogee Ensemble and
the UAD Apollo units.
IN USE
In order to take the Studio 192 through a
bit of an audition I recorded a number of
live drum kit takes. Initially I kicked off
with my variation of a Glyn Johns-style
micing method with a couple of ribbon
mics on overheads. Everything tracked
perfectly at 44.1kHz and 88.2kHz. Then
www.audiomediainternational.com
Key Features
Ultra low latency, 24-bit, 192kHz USB 3.0
n
audio interface
8 XMAX remote controllable mic preamps
n
Fat Channel processing on every analogue
n
input and the first ADAT inputs
Total integration with Studio One; comes
n
bundled with Studio One Artist
Flawless analogue signal path with 118dB
n
digital conversion
RRP: $1,199.95
www.presonus.com
I indulged myself by going through and
micing up additional sections of the kit
hats, kick in, snare bottom, toms and
a room mic (another ribbon) covering
it with nine mics. Having my PreSonus
DigiMax FS on hand allowed me to open
an additional eight mic inputs, and again,
tracking proceeded happily at both
44.1 and 88.2kHz all via good old USB.
Suffice to mention, the onboard DSP
came in handy for this task, with the gate
processing proving invaluable.
Would I own one? Yes indeedy sir,
I would. Not only does the unit sound
very good, its expandable to 24 inputs.
Should you find yourself in this market,
the Studio 192 has a lot on offer at an
exceptional price.
The Reviewer
Brad Watts
has been a freelance writer for
numerous audio mags, has mastered
and mixed various bands, and was
deputy editor of AudioTechnology in
Australia. He is now digital content
manager for Content and Technology.
06/01/2016 11:21
Full Page Template.indd 1 12/16/2015 9:45:00 AM
 TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
SONNOX ENVOLUTION
PLUG-IN
Rich Tozzoli tells us why
he now calls this new
envelope shaping plug-in
the ass kicker.
S
onnox has just released a
brand new plug-in called
Oxford Envolution, which
is a frequency-dependent
envelope shaper. With full
disclosure, I was on the beta team for
this. Regardless, I use it on just about
every session not because of that,
but because its just such a useful
piece of software.
Ive certainly used other envelope
shapers before, including Sonnoxs own
Transient Modulator. But what makes
Envolution different is that there
are separate Transient and Sustain
sections with creative control over
each element. The Transient section
features independent control over
Attack, Hold, Release and Sensitivity
along with the large Transient level
control. It doesnt get much easier to
use to enhance the transients of the
waveform, turn the Transient knob up;
to reduce them, turn the knob down.
With the Sustain section, the same
approach applies turn the big Sustain
knob up to increase; turn it down to
decrease the amount. The Sustain
section also features Hold, Attack and
Release controls, and both Sustain and
Transient sections have independent
Bypass buttons to turn the effect on
and off as it is added per section.
The Center Panel can be assigned
three different views. Envelope Scope
shows the real-time amplitude of
the waveform in grey, the Transient
envelope in yellow and the Sustain
envelope in purple; use this to see the
sensitivity and shape of gain envelopes.
It operates in default as Scroll mode
(Slow/Medium or Fast), but can be
viewed as Sync with one or two bars
when working in mapped tempo mode.
40 January 2016
40 AMI Jan 2016 Review 4_Final.indd 1
The Scope display can also be frozen
by clicking inside the box, where a
blue border will be drawn around the
window. Simply click again to let it go.
By selecting the FREQ buttons, the
Spectral Shaping of each section is
shown, where EQ curves can be tilted
to alter the high and low frequencies
of effects.
The Output section features a
Master Fader and stereo meters, as
well as a Wet/Dry Mix control and
Warmth control (0 to 100%). When
pressed, the Diff button allows users
to hear the difference between the
original and processed signal, and
the Bypass button bypasses the
entire plug-in.
In Use
The first time I put this thing up (while
still in beta), I jokingly referred to it as
the ass kicker a name I still call it. As
I often use a wide variety of loops in my
TV productions, Im always looking for a
way to do something unique with them.
I placed Envolution across a standard
drum loop, turned up the Transients and
Sustain knobs, and heard, well, more
more attack on the initial transients of
www.audiomediainternational.com
each note (the kick in this instance), and
more ambience and sustain from the
rest (hi-hats, snares and cymbals). In
doing so, it also made the loop louder, so
I pulled the Master fader down, but also
experimented with the Mix Dry/Wet.
Another cool thing: cutting sustain
and ambience to the point where it
becomes an incredibly smooth gate.
I had a bunch of audio brothers
around me when I was doing it,
and we all gathered by the screen to
hear how powerful this tool is for
loop productions.
Then to really experiment, we left
the DIFF button pressed and just
started turning knobs. This whole new
sonic palette came out of the loop,
which not only lets you hear the
process of Envolution, but when you
leave that DIFF knob in, its like sound
design meets transient creativity. A
useful detail in Envolution is that you
can roll over any of the knobs, and a
small explanation box pops up telling
what it does.
Without question, Envolution is a
highly creative tool. I use it primarily
on loops, but also on percussion, snare
drums and so on. I will often automate
Key Features
Frequency-dependent control of Transients
n
and Sustain
Tilt/parametric targeting of frequencies
n
to process
DIFF button to solo the effect
n
Use in parallel without phase cancellation
n
Numerous presets to get the user started
n
RRP: $270 (Native) & $435 (AAX DSP)
www.sonnoxplugins.com
the large Transient and Sustain knobs
to increase and decrease as the music
flows, which lets you turn static loops
into something more musical and
special. I highly recommend taking this
plug-in for a spin.
The Reviewer
Rich Tozzoli
is a producer, mixer, engineer and
musician/composer with TV credits
including Duck Dynasty, History
Channels Pawn Stars, Harpo Studios
21-Day Meditation Challenge and more.
06/01/2016 11:24
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12/11/2015 17:22
 INTERVIEW
BANG TIDY
With an MPG nomination for Breakthrough Engineer now firmly under his belt, 2015 was a landmark year for
London-based Drew Bang. Colby Ramsey quizzes the pro-audio up-and-comer about his work with garage punk
duo Slaves and life at Strongroom Studios.
You initially started out in music as a
singer to what extent did that set you
up for a career in audio engineering
and recording?
Haha! Yeah that was such a long time
ago now. I guess with hindsight (which
is a beautiful thing I might add) Id say
that being able to remember how it felt
to be a performer and attempting to
translate something from within into a
tangible musical entity. That creative
drive for me was always what dictated
my personality on and off stage, my ego
and my aspirations. Being able to directly
empathise with those traits in others
makes working with artists from an
engineers perspective so much
more manageable.
You worked with punk duo Slaves on
their debut album last year. How did
that come about?
Just another day, another client booking
at the studio! All credit for that hook-up
goes to the producer Jolyon Thomas;
hed worked with Isaac (Holman, drums/
vocals) and Laurie (Vincent, guitar/
vocals) on a couple of singles already,
and brought the band to Strongroom,
42 January 2016
42 AMI Jan 2016 Back Page_Final.indd 1
whom I freelance for, to work on the
album. I guess I was the studios best-fit
in-house guy for the job, and the rest is
history. Since the album, weve stayed in
touch but are all seeing other people.
How did you approach the recording
and was there anything you feel you did
particularly differently?
From day one we all seemed to click, it
might have had something to do with us
starting and ending each day with bro-
hugs massively important! From that
point it was four guys in a room for three
weeks lets put it down and try and make
something great. Thats like the dream
in the studio everyone doing their job.
In that sense it was different, as I wasnt
having to do someone elses job for them,
just my own mics, acoustics, outboard,
desk, a cheeky half and home to bed.
What was your reaction to being
shortlisted for an MPG Award?
I was sat with my girlfriend in a tap room
in Bermondsey, on an all-day session
wed had a few double IPAs by this point
and when the email came in, I was half
listening to her, and half taking in the
news. I was completely dumbfounded,
burst into a happy cry and spent the next
15 minutes with my head in my hands,
trying to style my reaction to the room
full of people staring my way! As you can
imagine, I wasnt expecting to get
through to the final three. Im so very
humbled by that.
Could you tell us a little about your
method of working in general? Do you
have any particularly unique or unusual
methods/habits?
Im pretty methodical I guess. Ill have
prepped my session ahead of time
usually, and given enough information had
some time to work on pre-production etc.
All that stuff is just for me though I have
a pretty short attention span, so if Im
not organised, Ill get myself all confused.
Theres a clear signal flow in engineering.
I try to take the shortest route, but I think
good engineering is knowing the long
ways round, just in case. Once Im in the
zone, its just about letting things happen
in a way that brings out performances.
All of this is subject to a client that allows
you to work freely of course; otherwise I
do as Im told!
www.audiomediainternational.com
Youve also had some experience
working with the BBC. Do you feel your
wider knowledge of audio has helped
you become more accomplished in the
field of recording?
Yeah, I think this is great. Perspective is
a fantastic tool to have and complacency
can be a huge detriment to productivity;
knowing how others work can really
aid you in making the right decision for
you. That being said, none of that really
matters does it? Introspection also
breeds self-doubt and thats the real killer
when it comes to just getting on with it.
Could you tell us a little about
Strongroom, your base of operations
at present?
Sure. Ive been freelancing at Strongroom
for just over three years now. Its like no
other studio Ive been to. Its a 30-year-old
institution, has Jamie Reid (Sex Pistols)
artwork in every room, its own craft
beer bar and a beautiful congregation
of resident producers working out of
its studios a real creative hub. Phil and
Emma who manage the studio have been
great in supporting my career, sending
work my way which they know Ill love,
which is fantastic as Im unmanaged. Of
the three commercial rooms, Ill always
opt for Studio 1: the Neve VR room where
we tracked Slaves. If I could take that
console home, I would.
Whats next for you? Have you got any
big projects lined up that you could tell
us about?
Im working on an EP for a band called
Three Girl Rhumba on [record label] Im
Not From London, which Im having to do
in my spare time a labour of love really.
And yeah, I have a few potentially massive
sessions coming up in the New Year but
Im on NDA so I couldnt possibly hint at
what, or who. Im super excited about
2016, really wanting to get that diary
filled out with good energy sessions.
Still working on that bucket list though
dont suppose you know the guys
from DFA1979?
06/01/2016 14:15
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