MIX 547 - July 2022

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THE NEW HOME OF > Live Sound 2022: Industry Update > Living It Up Live With Dua Lipa > Solotech’s New Nashville HQ MUSIC PRODUCTION • LIVE SOUND • SOUND FOR PICTURE

REVIEWED • Vanguard Audio V13 Mic • L-Acoustics L-ISA Studio 2.4 • Flock Audio Patch LT

AIR EILISH

AFTER A TWO-YEAR DELAY, BILLIE EILISH’S WORLD TOUR TAKES FLIGHT

Photo by Matty Vogel

FEATURES

32 Billie Eilish Live: Back With a Vengeance

BY CLIVE YOUNG

36 Touring Update: Everyone on the Road, Challenges Linger

PHOTO: Mariano Regidor/Getty Images

BY STEVE HARVEY

07.22 Contents

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38 Sound for Everything Everywhere All at Once

BY JENNIFER WALDEN

Volume 46, Number 7

TECHNOLOGY

MUSIC

LIVE SOUND

42 New Products: Studio

12 Luke Steele Flies Solo

24 Tour Profile: Living It Up Live With Dua Lipa

and Live Sound

in Listen to the Water

BY LILY MOAYERI

16 T Bone Burnett Wants

to Reinvent the Record

BY CLIVE YOUNG

44 Review: L-Acoustics L-ISA Studio 2.4 Software, Part 1

BY STEVE LA CERRA

46 Review: Vanguard Audio Labs V13 gen 2 Mic

BY ROB TAVAGLIONE

48 Flock Audio Patch

LT: Digital Control of Analog Patching

BY MIKE LEVINE

18 Vinyl Pressing Boom

BY CLIVE YOUNG

20 Classic Tracks: “Year

of the Cat,” Al Stewart

PRESENTED BY

BY CLIVE YOUNG

28 News & Notes: Solotech’s New Nashville HQ; On The Road With Jazmine Sullivan, Melissa Etheridge; Broadway’s Mr. Saturday Night; Block Rockin’ Bats with Jack White

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BY MATT HURWITZ

DEPARTMENTS 8 From the Editor:

On The Road Again

10 View from the Top: Studium 33

On the Cover: After two years, Billie Eilish has returned to the stage in a big way with a worldwide tour that just finished in Europe and is heading to Australia. Drew Thornton is mixing FOH on an Allen & Heath S5000, while monitor engineer Salim Akram oversees an A&H S7000.

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images.

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BY TAMARA STARR

11 Current: TEC

Awards Winners

50 Open Channel: The

Subscription Kerfuffle

BY CRAIG ANDERTON

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Mix, Volume 46, Number 7 (ISSN 0164-9957) is published monthly by Future US, Inc., 130 West 42nd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10036. Periodical Postage Paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mix, PO Box 8518, Lowell, MA 01853. One-year (12 issues) subscription is $35. Canada is $40.

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Vol. 46 Number 7

July 2022

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Current From the Editor On The Road Again Back at the dawn of the pandemic, concert industry experts solemnly intoned that if everything fell into place—vaccines were developed fast enough and everybody masked up and the economy didn’t collapse and venues didn’t go bankrupt and we weren’t all wiped from the face of the Earth—then maybe, just maybe we’d have concerts back by 2021, but that the touring floodgates wouldn’t really open until 2022. At the time, it seemed unfathomable that it could possibly take that long—two years?! And yet here we are.

As with all prognostications, some of that came true and some aspects are still works in progress. Vaccinations and masking, after much Sturm und Drang, basically happened, if only for a while. Most large and mid-sized venues made it through, but every region had a few beloved clubs and theaters go under; in my neck of the woods, Revolution, which was home away from home for every death metal act ever, is ironically now a church. The economy didn’t collapse, but instead got schizophrenic, with the highest inflation rate in 40 years, but also roughly two job openings available for every unemployed person.

And those tours? This year’s summer tour season essentially started in February and hasn’t let up, as every artist, promoter and vendor looks to make up for lost time. The road back hasn’t been without potholes, however. Crowds are coming out, but there’s plenty of music fans who are (quite reasonably) still leery of shows, even if they’re masked and vaxxed to the max. Thanks to supply chain issues, there’s also gear and instrument shortages, and the War in Ukraine has caused worldwide gas shortages.

The biggest setback, however, has been the massive brain drain among tour personnel. Pros of every stripe, from audio guys to management to drivers and more, have left the industry over the last two years, taking with them seasoned skill sets and institutional knowledge that will take years to rebuild with new faces—if they come into the business…and opt to stay (again—two jobs open for every unemployed person).

There’s been mass migrations out of the touring sound business before, but not on this scale. Longtime pros will recall how the industry moved seemingly overnight to digital mixing consoles 20 years ago; that paradigm shift caused many tenured touring engineers who’d learned audio “on the job” to reassess their careers and skills. After decades of working with familiar, (usually) predictable analog audio gear, the prospect of entering the digital realm, diving through layers of menus and learning a whole new way of working just to get sound that wasn’t as good as analog (early digital had some growing pains…) was a challenge that some pros simply didn’t want to take up. Weighing what it was going to take to remain relevant and employable, and then adding it to the natural desire to eventually get off the road, led many to finally leave touring and

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take jobs at regional audio providers that still used gear they were familiar with.

Concurrently, audio schools began upping their game after years of being regarded skeptically by the industry, and became a pipeline that provided a steady stream of well-trained, well-informed grads—who still had to pay their dues, mind you, but who were starting with a greater base of knowledge, if not experience.

In the ensuing two decades, those grads became seasoned pros themselves, but faced with sporadic work at best for the last two years, many have opted to move on. Now audio vendors are scrambling to staff tours and events, and while audio school grads still have to start at the bottom, that dues-paying window of sweeping the shop forever before getting to hit the road is often narrowing out of necessity. Those who don’t bring their A Game will still get filtered out—the real world has a way of doing that—but for emerging audio pros who are on the ball and determined to make it in the industry long-term, the pandemic may have handed them one of the biggest, unexpected career opportunities ever.

Opportunities in pro audio right now aren’t only reserved for live sound.

Mix spent the first 10 days of June at back-to-back trade shows—NAMM and InfoComm—and on the manufacturing side, the industry is seizing every opportunity it can. NAMM, the annual convocation of musical instrument and pro audio manufacturers in Anaheim, Calif., took place for the first time since January 2020. Unmoored from its usual winter timeslot, and missing major manufacturers like Gibson, Fender and Avid, the show garnered roughly 47,000 attendees versus the usual 115,000, but most pro-audio exhibitors we spoke to were fine with that—anyone who came out was there to do business…and business was brisk.

From there, many exhibitors scrambled to Las Vegas to set up in time for InfoComm—a show that was exploding with people (nearly 20,000). When the pandemic took live sound off the road, many manufacturers turned hard into AV integration, and the bustling booths underlined what a strong part of their businesses that has become. Between both conventions, however, the sheer number of innovative products released and quietly previewed underlined that the industry is back and more than ready for what’s next. After two years, on all fronts, pro audio is unquestionably on the road again.

Clive Young Co-Editor

View from the Top Murat Aktar, President/ Partner, Studium 33

By Tamara Starr

T

he studio business has evolved considerably since the late Nineties, and so has the way facilities do business. Murat Aktar knows a bit about that, having spent the last 25 years as president/ partner of legendary mastering studio Sterling Sound. It’s also what led him to co-found studio administrative software company Studium 33 in 2017. As a result, that company’s offerings were created based on decades of hands-on, realworld experience running studios.

It’s a long way from his earliest days in the recording biz; starting out as a commercial leasing agent/broker in Southern California and Chicago, in 1990 Aktar co-founded Absolute Audio, a mastering facility located in the heart of New York City’s Times Square. Seven years later, he left to orchestrate a roll-up of the mastering business in New York. Forming a partnership with renowned mastering engineers Tom Coyne, Ted Jensen and Greg Calbi, they bought Sterling Sound and built a new, massive facility in Chelsea Market. While he had teamed with some of the best-known pros in the field, Aktar soon discovered that the studio’s administration needed to become just as top-tier.

“Mundane as it sounds, I love the elegance of really sharp administration and think it is way underestimated as a competitive edge,” said Aktar. “As ‘the business partner,’ my focus has always been the commercial side of Sterling’s operation: booking, administrative, facilities and financial. In 1998, all bookings were done on paper calendars, and session sheets were handwritten. Each booking manager did things slightly differently; there was no consistency in how the rates were applied, the correspondence, or the business terms. It was incredibly hard to grasp the business without meeting with each of the bookers and sifting through a blizzard of session sheets.”

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After multiple attempts to adapt existing commercial software to the studio’s operations, Aktar brought in software engineer Brian Lambert—who would later co-found Studium 33—to build an integrated scheduling system that included estimating, billing, file management and a communication platform specifically for Sterling Sound.

It was then that Aktar saw the true difference dedicated studio management software could make.

“It took two years, but the result was extraordinary,” he recalled.

“Overnight, our operations became sharper. The administrative work-load took 30 to 40 percent less effort, and our bookers were no longer ‘under siege’; they had time to speak with the clients. Response times for information requests dropped to almost instant. Invoices went out faster with far more detail, which improved cash flow. Internal communication of project details became instant and up to date.

For the first time, I felt like I was running the business instead of reacting to it.”

While the original in-house system was the backbone of Sterling for 13 years, eventually it became outdated and needed to be replaced with more modern cloud architecture. Sensing an opportunity to bring their experience and methods to a larger community, Aktar and Lambert teamed up to form Studium 33 and create a cloud version of the application that could be licensed to recording studios worldwide and mastering studios outside the United States (Sterling retains exclusive rights for a mastering house in the U.S.).

“We are a software company, but our value isn’t from technical wizardry,” said Aktar. “It’s

from domain expertise—the grinding work of sitting next to booking managers, profiling every step in their day, looking for repeatable transactions that we can automate and places we can eliminate keystrokes.” Ensuring that information is instantly accessible and onhand to provide context is crucial to studio efficiency, he noted: “Every time your six-figure studio manager is unavailable to take a new studio booking call because they are bogged down with manual admin, you as an owner are not deploying your resources efficiently.”

As a result, Studium 33 uniquely finds itself not up against competitors in the marketplace, but rather complacency and reluctance to change. “A lot of what we have been doing is raising the awareness of how to increase a studio’s administration efficiency and the direct link this has to profitability,” said Aktar.

“In fairness, the pandemic was devastating to studios, so many owners are just finding their footing and feeling more optimistic about the future—and Studium 33 can be a key component to helping to evolve and grow their business.” ■

TEC Awards Winners Announced at NAMM Anaheim, Calif. (June 6, 2022)—The 37th annual TEC Awards took place at the NAMM show on June 4, 2022, honoring achievements in technology sand the creative use of technology in sound applications.

Comedian Fred Armisen returned as host for the evening event. In all, there were 21 categories recognized. Grammy-winning producer Peter Asher delivered a heartfelt speech about his love for music in accepting the TEC Hall of Fame Award, He followed the speech with a surprise performance of “World Without Love,” his first hit as part of the duo Peter & Gordon in 1964. The song, he said, was given to him

by Paul McCartney. Legendary session bassist Carol Kaye was honored with this year’s Les Paul Innovation Award.

Meanwhile, the winners are: • Audio Apps & Hardware/Peripherals for Smartphones & Tablets Shure: Wireless Workbench 6.14.1 • Audio Education Technology PreSonus Audio: Electronics Sphere • Computer Audio Hardware Rupert Neve Designs: MBC: Dual Path A-D Converter & Limiter • DJ Production Technology (Hardware/Software PreSonus Audio Electronics: ATOM SQ • Headphone/Earpiece Technology Austrian Audio: Hi-X65 Professional Open-Back Over-Ear Headphones • Large Format Console Technology Neve: 8424 • Microphone Preamplifiers Audient: iD4 MKII • Microphones—Recording Telefunken Elektroakustik: TF11 FET • Microphones—Sound Reinforcement sE Electronics: V7 VE • Musical Instrument Amplification & Effects Universal Audio: UAFX Golden Reverberator • Musical Instrument Hardware Sequential: Prophet-5 • Musical Instrument Software EastWest Sounds: Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition • Production Essentials Genelec: Loudspeaker Manager GLM V4.0 • Signal Processing Hardware Rupert Neve Designs: 5254 Dual Diode Bridge Compressor • Signal Processing Software Dynamics/ EQ/Utilities iZotope: RX 8 • Signal Processing Software—Effects FabFilter: Timeless 3 • Small Format Console Technology Solid State Logic: UF8 Advanced DAW Controller

• Sound Reinforcement Loudspeakers Meyer Sound: ULTRA-X20 Compact Wide Coverage Loudspeaker • Studio Monitors EVE Audio: SC4070 • Wireless Technology Sennheiser: Evolution Wireless Digital • Workstation Technology/Recording Devices Universal Audio: LUNA Recording System v1.1.8 • Film/Sound Production Soul, Disney+ • Interactive Entertainment Sound Production Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft

• Remote Production—Recording or Broadcast The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, CBS • Record Production—Album McCartney III, Paul McCartney, Capitol • Record Production—Single or Track Lost Cause, Billie Eilish, Darkroom/Interscope • Television Sound Production The Mandalorian, Season 2, Disney+ • Studio Design Project Genelec Immersive Experience Center, Natick, Mass., FM Design

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Music Luke Steele Flies Solo A Search for Tone on ‘Listen to the Water’

By Lily Moayeri

L

uke Steele plays a lot of different characters. He is perhaps best known as “The Emperor” in his technicolor USC marching band-meets-Cirque du Soleil group, Empire of the Sun. He is also a cyberpunk of the underworld in Dreams, his project with Daniel Johns of Silverchair, and he’s a grounded space traveler in H3000, his collaboration with MSTR Rogers. Two decades ago, he was a countryinfluenced troubadour, the central figure of The Sleepy Jackson.

On his latest album, Listen to the Water, his

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first as a solo artist and under his own name, Steele is yet another character. This time, he is a lone guitar-slinger, living in a log cabin, in a forest next to a lake in Northern California, secluded from society, holed up in his Eccentric Farm studio. Steele moved to this remote spot with his family two years ago, after living in Santa Monica, where he had transplanted from his native Australia.

In this two-car garage-turned-home studio, which is reinforced with insulation panels and acoustic foam, Steele has a robust but

efficient setup. After years of recording, he has a streamlined understanding of what works for him, and how to use it.

Listen to the Water revolves around Steele’s vocal rig, a Deckard’s Dream synthesizer (a relatively recent boutique remake of the Yamaha CS-80) and two Taylor guitars, one of which is a 414 CE. Says Steele, “I also have the Taylor T57 Standard guitar, which is like an electric and reminds me of Lindsey Buckingham. He always uses an acoustic, which is a hybrid between a classical and acoustic. The strings are kind of

slinky, and it has lipstick pickups. You just plug it in, and it’s this electric/classical/acoustic hybrid that gives that really crispy guitar sound.”

Steele has fashioned a vocal booth in a corner of Eccentric Farm. Here, he has his Telefunken ELA M 251E microphone. His vocal chain goes through a Neve BAE 1073 preamp, a TubeTech CL1B, (“this compressor has a really, blanket-y, warm, creamy kind of sound that works with my rugged voice”) and an Inward Connections TSL4 Vac Rac limiter. In the booth, Steele only has access to a monitor and compression so he can record and change the settings. This separation, he says, allows him to tap into more emotion when he’s singing.

“I trusted instinct with the vocals; they were all first or second takes,” says Steele. “The vocal is the storyteller. You have to be able to hear the vocalist’s heart. You have to hear the passion. It’s got to be clear. I want the vocal as dry and close as possible so you can hear the person. I hate when it’s lo-fi. You can’t dress it up. You can put compressors on it, but it needs to start with real high fidelity.”

The songs on Listen to the Water begin with guitar patterns, a couple of bars, or maybe a loop. Steele then writes the lyrics, cuts the vocal, returns the following day, and finishes the song.

Each song was completed in two days.

He says, “When I’m natural and it’s live and it’s close and I don’t overthink it, it’s great. That’s when I sound the best. I either sound great on take one or on take 472. In Empire, we do vocals for months. One song, 12 layers of falsetto, 12 layers of my full voice, 12 layers with Yoko Ono voice, and together that makes a sound. It was great to just sing a song, and cut it.

“That’s a big thing I’ve learned over the years,” he continues. “Always have the best mic set up exactly, ready to go. I have 8,000 different tones in my voice. It will never sound the same. When my heart’s not in the take, it sounds like nothing.

It sounds invisible. It only works when it’s real, so I’ve got to get it.”

Once the vocal is captured to Steele’s satisfaction, the vocal effects chain is all outboard: Eventide H3000 and a Bricasti M7 Reverb. In fact, the majority of Steele’s studio is hardware, which he records into a Pro Tools rig.

“Having too much in the box gives me too many decisions,” he says. “The drum machines I’m using are old, dusty drum machines like the ones you get on the Hammond organ, and a Roland CR-78. I’m pretty old-school like that. I

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still love turning the dials. It just sounds better to me. If I have a soft synth, I’ll literally change the setting for three months. I’ve always liked committing, printing stuff. You throw it down and you build it. It becomes like a painting.”

The “painting” approach, which is something Listen to the Water shares with Steele’s Empire of the Sun albums, began in songwriting sessions in Nashville, Thanksgiving 2019. There, Steele tapped into the talents of renowned pedal steel player, 72-year-old Dan Dugmore. He also enlisted ubiquitous percussionist Brian Kilgore in Los Angeles. Initially working in-person, and later, remotely, Steele would then manipulate the sounds he had captured from them through his Eventide unit, reversing and pitch shifting, to create the psychedelic cowboy swimming underwater sounds of the album.

“I only use five of the settings on the Eventide to keep the ingredients really focused,” says Steele. The idea is to create a melody with the pitching that fits in with the acoustic guitars. For the guitars, Steele alternates between recording DI or with Josephson C42 condenser mics.

Even with his mainly outboard studio, there are a few plug-ins Steele relies on. Among these are FabFilter Pro Q3, Waves Renaissance Vox and Eventide’s Blackhole and Physion, all primarily for reverb. Says Steele of FabFilter, “While you’re playing something, you press the plug-in and it shows you which frequencies are the bad ones, the ones that are spiking. That, to me, is a genius

plug-in because you can dial it immediately. I use it with my vocal heaps because I could have my vocals super loud, but if the vocal is really light, which a lot of them are, I can take out the special high ones and pinpoint the exact frequency. The discovery of that plug-in is dope.”

Listen to the Water was wholly mixed by Steele. He credits his experiences with Empire of the Sun, as well as working on his father, Rick Steele’s, albums for his deft hand at mixing.

“I grew up with this kind of music,” he says.

“I’m good at painting with organic instruments.

Good analog gear is so subtle, but the frequency is better. The microphones have to be really great so the signal is great.”

Steele uses the technique of turning the level way down on his Yamaha NS-10s, mixing so quietly that he can barely hear, which after some minutes, sharpens his hearing abilities and allows him to hear everything.

Still, when it came to mastering, Steele had Listen to the Water mastered, and remastered—12 times. “It was such a traumatic time,” he says.

“All I’m dreaming about is a certain frequency, and it got ruined in the mastering. It’s just this small tone, but it was a feeling I had to chase.

We got there in the end. The record should have been mastered in a week, and it took six months.

That was my big Brian Wilson breakdown.”

In some ways, Steele is starting from scratch, and that feels great to him. “For so many years, I was trying to get to the point where my music sounded like it would fit into the palette of music that’s out there, that it wouldn’t sound unprofessional,” he says. I wanted to get back to where I can make the vocals as loud as Elvis. If I wanted to record six acoustic guitars at a time and then cut it, I could do it. I found that I love the process of being able to do what you did when you were young, when you were in art school and you didn’t care, before you became professional. I felt like I got back to that.” n

Music // news & notes T Bone Burnett Wants to Reinvent the Record Legendary producer reveals the tech behind his new Ionic Original discs—a format, he says, that offers the greatest fidelity and durability ever on an analog record

By Clive Young

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Jason Myers

I

t’s no secret that the Vinyl Revival has been one of the most exciting music business stories of recent years. The format’s return from the dead has been the latest unexpected turn yet for an analog technology first pioneered in late 1800s—one that essentially hasn’t been updated since the 1980s, when the world cast it aside in favor of digital audio. Now, 40 years later, Oscar and Grammy-winning producer T Bone Burnett wants to make up for that lost time with his newly announced Ionic Original discs. The format, he says, offers the greatest fidelity and durability ever available on an analog record—and it does so by adapting acetate discs to the 21st century.

“Artists have always lamented that the vinyl copies of their records don’t sound as good as the acetates,” says Burnett. “I’ve heard that hundreds of times.” Having produced the likes of Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Alison Krauss, Elton John, Gregg Allman, Leon Russell, Roy Orbison and others, he’s heard it from artists with some authority behind their complaints.

The problem is, few people ever get to hear an acetate disc, and even if they do, it doesn’t sound pristine for long. An acetate disc is used in the first steps of producing a vinyl record, and despite the name, doesn’t actually involve acetate; rather, it’s an aluminum disc with nitrocellulose lacquer painted on it. The disc gets put on a cutting lathe that etches a physical representation of an audio signal into the lacquer—it literally cuts a groove.

T Bone Burnett, with a NeoFidelity Ionic Original disc.

The resulting acetate disc then gets used as a mold for electroplated metal copies that, after a few more processes, result in the metal stampers used on record presses to crush blobs of hot vinyl into records. Those records may sound great, but since the acetate disc is a direct copy of the original audio signal, it sounds even better.

Unfortunately, nitrocellulose lacquer is perfect for cutting, but it’s not built to last.

Acetate discs degrade quickly, with friction between a record needle and soft lacquer literally melting the groove a little more every time a disc gets played. Further, the lacquer can’t be touched by bare hands, as oils from skin catalyze with the nitrocellulose to create crusty palmitic acid deposits in the grooves. So, while acetate discs serve a crucial function in record production and briefly sound great, they’re doomed from the

instant they’re cut.

After honing in on acetate discs as “the best sounding medium of all,” Burnett and his partners formed NeoFidelity in 2014 to explore ways to reinvent the format. The solution— developed in conjunction with Georgia Tech and eventually dubbed Ionic Original—is to cover that soft nitrocellulose lacquer under a durable, imperceptible coating that has a composition similar to quartz and emerald.

“We looked into methods used to protect parts of the space station that are exposed to the direct heat of the sun, and we looked into the process that makes damage-resistant glass for mobile phones—Gorilla Glass,” says Burnett.

“Using those two types of ionic deposition, we were able to create acetates which maintain their pristine sound over thousands of plays.

The coating is something like 90 atoms thick and greatly reduces friction; we’ve got discs that we’ve played 2,000 times that are dead quiet.”

As might be expected, the Ionic Original process is not cheap, and while it is scalable to a mass-market level of production, that will require considerable investment. For now, to gain both attention and funding for the company, NeoFidelity plans to create one-off recordings of notable artists, have them cut to disc by Jeff Powell of Take Out Vinyl (Daft Punk, The Black Keys, Al Green), and then sell them individually.

The first disc—an exclusive Bob Dylan recording—will be auctioned by Christie’s on July 7 in London, but other approaches may be used over time, he says: “Pricing will change.

How do you put a price on this? I have no idea, but over time, we’ll be able to figure that out.”

Of course, that one-of-one business model will, for now, make NeoFidelity discs as rare as actual acetates—items only attainable by wellheeled collectors and, despite their durability, likely to not be played at all since they’ll be investments for those who can afford them.

“We are creating scarcity in the beginning,” Burnett readily admits. “[Take this] beautiful Bob Dylan recording—all of the Bob Dylan fans won’t be able to hear it, but there are thousands of other Bob Dylan recordings they can hear for free. We’re just adding to the canon; we’re not subtracting anything, we’re adding, and in time, it will all work out…. Eventually, I’m sure this music will filter out into the broader culture, but at the moment, we’re just working in this one specific area.”

The other benefit of a one-of-one model, says Burnett, is that it fights back against the devaluation of music in recent times: “I want to test the market to see what the actual value of a piece of recorded music is. We’ve been told by the government, we’ve been told by record companies, we’ve been told by streaming companies what our music is worth. I think the music that we make in this country is the most valuable thing we produce. Music is to the United States as wine is to France—and what has happened with the quality of recorded music over the last two decades is the equivalent of aphids taking over the vineyards in France and destroying them, [so Ionic Original] is not some game that the record business is playing with the general public; this is artists standing up for themselves.”

That said, given the production costs, Ionic Original discs will by necessity have to feature fairly high-profile artists at first, but Burnett feels that as the technology catches on, production costs will drop to a point where limited-edition runs will become feasible for artists that don’t have Dylan-sized fan bases. There are other potential applications, too, notes Burnett, such as theoretical multimedia digital/analog hybrid discs: “We can put colors in the coating, and in those colors, you can store digital information—a CD, DVD, Blu Ray, holograms, metadata, album covers, interviews, anything you want.”

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While that futuristic vision would require a rather specialized player, a regular Ionic Original disc is playable on any turntable, and with that in mind, the technology might simply be used to safeguard crucial media from the past, helping archives coat existing fragile acetates and vinyl records to help preserve them. “It may become just an archival technology; I have no idea where this is going to end up,” says Burnett. “That’s several stages down the road. At the moment, we’ve just been focused on getting this one-of-one to the point of being real.” n

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Music

Pressing Matters Vinyl record production is backed up 10 months, but that’s about to change

By Clive Young

A

nswering the music industry’s desperate need for more vinyl pressing plants, a bevy of industry players have announced new factories and expansion plans, aiming to increase pressing capacities, ease massive production backlogs and, most of all, cash in on what would appear to be a no-brainer opportunity.

The reemergence of vinyl records as the go-to physical format for music has been one of the most unexpected success stories of recent years.

Vinyl albums outsold CDs in the US in 2021 for the first time in 30 years, according to the MRC. Last year, 38.3 percent of all U.S. album sales were on vinyl, and record album sales were up 51.4 percent over 2020. That means 41.72 million newly pressed records were sold last year—and that’s just in the U.S. Powered by high-profile events like Record Store Day and with high-profile artists like Taylor Swift and Adele championing the format, newly pressed records are flying off the shelves not only at independent record stores but also major retailers like Walmart and Target.

While consumer demand continues to skyrocket, however, manufacturing capacity has been at a relative standstill, creating jawdropping backlogs at vinyl pressing plants; in many cases, labels and artists have to wait 10 months to a year for an order to be produced.

Much of the logjam stems from the fact that the analog listening format requires an equally analog manufacturing process. Most vinyl record presses in operation today are aged machines that were built decades ago and which have to be operated by hand. At top speed, a press can average about a record per minute, and while some new presses have been built in recent

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Memphis Record Pressing is one of numerous companies creating or expanding vinyl pressing plants to meet unprecedented industry demand.

years, overall, manufacturing capacity still lags far behind consumer demand for the format.

Most of the new pressing capacity will be based in Tennessee, as three different companies are creating new plants or bolstering existing ones. Europe’s largest vinyl record manufacturer, GZ Media, is currently building a new pressing business in Music City—Nashville Record Pressing. Created with a $13.3 million investment from the Czech Republic-based company, the new enterprise will offer manufacturing, distribution and back-end functions, and is expected to generate 255 jobs for North Davidson County within the next five years. The facility will feature brand-new equipment and infrastructure, and is led by CEO Drake Coker.

As it gets underway, Nashville Record Pressing will likely benefit from its parent company’s experience—GZ Media currently employs nearly 2,000 people in the Czech Republic and 500 in North America.

It’s not the only pressing plant in the region, however. Nashville has long been the home of United Record Pressing—arguably the highest profile pressing outfit in North America. United is expanding its operations this year, and handin-hand with that move, is also looking for new employees. The company currently produces 40,000 records a day on its 40 record presses, and hit $40 million in sales in 2021. Now United has announced plans to expand with 48 new presses, and is looking to bring on employees in bulk—50 in the near-term and 200 once the new presses are in place.

Three hours away in southwest Tennessee, Memphis Record Pressing has begun construction on a nearly $30 million expansion that is expected to triple the size of the company and more than double its workforce. A new 100,000-square-foot packaging facility was expected to open in June,

Memphis Record Pressing

// news & notes

while a new 33,000-square-foot addition designed to house 36 new presses will be operational by September, enabling MRP to turn out as many as 125,000 records per day. Like United, Memphis Record Pressing is faced with having to staff up quickly, too, as it plans to expand its headcount to 480-plus by early 2023, aiming to hire vinyl record press operators, maintenance technicians, quality control technicians, material handlers, packaging technicians, customer service representatives and more.

Outside of Tennessee, there’s additional pressing capacity popping. Denver-based record subscription service Vinyl Me Please is creating a 14,000-square-foot vinyl record plant and plating operation. The site, expected to be up and running by October, will also trade on the company’s high profile among record collectors by doubling as a destination, offering experiential site tours, a bar, café, listening spaces and more. The plant will be overseen

by Gary Salstrom, former general manager of Quality Record Pressings (QRP) in Salina, Kan., and with the facility literally across the street from the 3,950-capacity Mission Ballroom, special projects with the popular concert venue seem almost inevitable.

Minnesota, too, will get its own vinyl plant, as longtime CD replicator Copycats Media (Plymouth, Minn.) enters the fray with a new facility to be based in Osseo. A 65,000-squarefoot warehouse is currently being outfitted with five new presses from Sweden, with plans to ramp up to 10 presses over the next three years.

The site is expected to become operational by mid-summer.

With so much capacity coming online in the next few months, the backlog is likely to lessen, but regardless, the ongoing demand for music on plastic will remain. n

Classic Tracks “Year of the Cat” Al Stewart Meets Alan Parsons at Abbey Road

By Matt Hurwitz

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or most of his career up until 1975, Al Stewart considered himself a folk singer, playing in the English folk scene. Most of his songs were historical in nature, the telling of tales a la a modern bard or minstrel. But upon meeting producer/engineer Alan Parsons at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios, he shifted to folk rock.

Their second project together generated what became one of Stewart’s signature hits, “Year of the Cat,” the title track of his seventh album, reissued in a glorious 45th anniversary boxed set last year by Esoteric Records.

Parsons had joined EMI in 1965 at age 16, working in various departments at the company’s Hayes tape duplication and pressing plants. In the fall of 1968, at age 19, he applied to work at EMI’s studio at Abbey Road, and was hired by studio chief Allen Stagg that October. “Two weeks after that, I was walking up those steps, as I did for many years, from that point on,” he says.

Parsons began, like all freshman engineers at the studio, in the tape library, and then as a tape operator (“second engineer,” officially).

He famously was sent, just three months later, to The Beatles’ Apple Studio to op for Glyn Johns for the Get Back sessions. He then moved to “balance engineer”—recording engineer—in 1970 on The Hollies’ “Gasoline Alley Bred” (he later helped craft their first big hit in 1973, “The Air That I Breathe”), and he continued working with some of the label’s biggest acts, including Paul McCartney & Wings (Wild Life, Red Rose Speedway) and, of course, Pink Floyd (The Dark Side of the Moon), quickly becoming renowned in the recording world for his creativity and skill.

He became a producer in early 1974, coproducing Cockney Rebel’s The Psychomodo with

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Steve Harley. His base remained EMI’s Abbey Road Studios. “I didn’t work anywhere else,” he says. “It was home to me.” He remained on staff well into the 1990s, even during his mammoth success with his own Alan Parsons Project, which he began during his Stewart projects and continues to this day.

“No one on the folk scene knew anything about production, and I don’t think they even cared,” Stewart notes. “Eventually, though, bands like Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention began paying attention to production, and their records sounded noticeably better.”

NEW PRODUCER, NEW SOUND So by 1974, Stewart began thinking of a new producer for what would become Modern Times.

“The introduction came from a tech guy at Abbey

Road, Seumas Ewens, who did tape copying— but was also very into folk-rock music,” Parsons explains. “I jumped at the chance.”

Modern Times was recorded in October 1974, followed by sessions in mid-September 1975 for what would become “Year of the Cat.” The musicians for both included the rhythm section of Cockney Rebel—George Ford on bass and Stewart Elliot on drums. Versatile session guitarist Tim Renwick had played on Stewart’s previous two records with producer John Anthony, 1972’s Orange and 1973’s Past, Present and Future. Piano was played by Peter Wood (with some tracks by Don Lobster). Peter White was also hired as a keyboardist, but ended up playing guitar, as well, most notably the Spanish guitar solo on one of the album’s hit singles, “On the Border.” He continues to play gigs with

Stewart and Parsons to this day.

The team recorded in Studio 3, where the control room had been upgraded from one of EMI’s own “TG” desks to an EMI Neve, a 1086 console.

The tape machine was a 16-track Studer running EMITAPE, though by the time the group returned to the studio in June 1976 to record string overdubs, as well as a new track, “On the Border,” the studio had upgraded to 24-track Studers.

Stewart would play an Epiphone Texan acoustic guitar, set up in Room 43, the former/original control room for Studio 3, miked with a Neumann KM84.

On occasion, White would join him.

“Al just really strummed chords, which is still how he plays today,” Parsons recalls. Elliot’s Ludwig kit was set up against the center of the left-hand wall, facing into the room.

Parsons’s drum miking in those days Al Stewart, in a 1975 label promotion consisted of an AKG D20 on the kick and a Neumann U87 on the snare, top only. any. “That was my process,” the artist states. “I Track sheets show two other tracks, which he did everything backwards. I would go in, record used either for toms or overheads. “I probably all the backing tracks, without really knowing would have had close mics on the toms, either what the song was going to be about. We AKG D19 or D190Es,” he says. “But if I was happy recorded all the music for ‘Year of the Cat,’ and with the overhead mics, then it would just be the then they let me loose for a couple of months, overheads on those two tracks,” for which he and I just wrote bags of lyrics. Maybe three or four different sets of lyrics. I would just prune would use STC 4038s.

Renwick played his Strat through a vintage it and keep the best bits.” While tracking, he cream-colored, single-speaker Fender amp, set would simply give a good “La la la,” or improvise up in front of Elliot’s kit and isolated with a a rhyme in real time, based on nonsense.

U-shaped pair of gobos. Ford’s bass was recorded MUSIC, MEET LYRICS through a DI box.

Stewart didn’t prepare any kind of demo The music for “Year of the Cat” came about from recordings. “The band would be booked, and he a riff Peter Wood would play during soundcheck would just play the song on his guitar, shouting while the band was on tour with Linda Ronstadt out the chords if they were in question,” Parsons in 1975, supporting Modern Times. “After I’d explains. “Everybody got to hear it for the first heard the riff a dozen times, I said, ‘You know, that’s very catchy. I like that riff. Maybe I could time, there.”

Stewart would then work directly with write some lyrics to it,’” Stewart recalls, “and he Renwick on the guitar solos, which were key said, ‘No. It’s an instrumental.’ But, of course, I to the recordings. “When it’s time for a guitar ignored him. But I also told him, ‘You can play a solo, I like to have it over a completely different minute on solo piano before the song comes in.’ set of chords than the verse or chorus,” Stewart So that’s exactly what we did.”

Stewart’s lyrics actually began as “Foot of the explains. “I would just sit down with Tim, and if the song was in C, I would just play B flat, to see Stage,” a song about the late English comedian what happened. Then we’d have this completely Tony Hancock, who had taken his own life. The random set of chords. And Tim would make a label had no interest, as American fans had no idea who Hancock was. solo out of it, and we’d put it into the song.”

Meanwhile, Stewart’s girlfriend at the time And the lyrics? Uh…what lyrics? There weren’t

had a book on Vietnamese astrology.

“It had a chapter in it called ‘The Year of the Cat.’ And I thought, ‘Well, that really sounds like a song title.’” Stewart says. “But, of course, I can’t write it about Vietnamese astrology. So I just turned it into a North African love song.”

The backing track, which had been recorded with the others in September 1975, likely features Stewart on acoustic, according to Parsons, though he thinks it was Renwick due to the presence of a difficult chord.

The song originally would have had four solos—strings plus two acoustics and one electric—but “it had too many solos in it,” the producer explains. “I said, ‘How about a saxophone?’” Stewart objected, noting, “I’m doing folk rock. There are no saxophones in folk rock,” suggesting bagpipes instead.

Eventually, Parsons talked him into letting him give it a try and suggested a player, Phil Kenzie, who lived 10 minutes away. “Alan called him, but he was watching a movie and said he wanted to see the end of it,” Stewart recalls.

Parsons persuaded him that he could perform the part quickly on alto sax, in Studio 2, in time to get back to see the end of his movie, which he did.

VOCALS + MIXING Between Parsons’ own projects (including the first Alan Parsons Project sessions) and Stewart’s lyric writing, it wasn’t until April 1976 that work resumed on the album, this time in Los Angeles.

The original 16-track masters were transferred to 24-track at Kendun Recorders in Glendale, and then Stewart recorded his vocals at Whitney Recording Studio, also in Glendale, typically getting in two songs per day.

Stewart sang in his unique soft tone, something that he came upon in his first band when he was 17. “My voice was just really soft,” he explains, “and it was kind of fey, and I didn’t like it at all. What most people don’t know is that I’m not really singing. I don’t linger on any of the notes, because I really can’t sing. If I try to hold on a note for a couple of seconds, it would waver in pitch and go off key.”

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String overdubs—arranged by Andrew Powell, whom Parsons had met via Steve Harley of Cockney Rebel—were added on a return trip to England in June, in Abbey Road Studio 2. “After the end of 1974, I really didn’t work with any other arranger other than Andrew,” Parsons notes.

His miking setup for strings at the time provided for a mic for every player. “Most people would just mike a whole section—first violin, second violins, violas, cellos and basses,” he notes, “but I preferred to have one mic at every music stand. It improved separation.”

Final mixing—as well as additional lead vocal recording—took place on a return trip to L.A. in August, at Davlen Sound Studios in Universal City. For reverbs, he used an EMT 140 plate, with a tape delay ahead of the plate in the signal chain. “Pre-delay is a piece of cake now, which you can simply set,” he says, “but it was likely an Ampex or a Studer machine, just

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A Whitney Recording Studio track sheet for “Year of the Cat.” The first 16 tracks represent the transfer from the original Abbey Road session reel, plus some overdubs (such as Phil McKenzie’s sax and Stewart’s vocal overdub on Track 16, “Whitney NAB”). Note Parsons’ own verse tape counter marks to the left, as well as “SAX,” when he decided a saxophone might be appropriate for the track.

constantly running.”

Final side assemblies were made by Parsons at Davlen on August 16. The album was issued two months later on Janus Records, in early October, with the single coming at the end of November.

The combination of Stewart’s thoughtful lyrics and melody, his smooth vocal delivery style, and, of course, Phil Kenzie’s saxophone solo, all but guaranteed its success.

Regarding the latter and its presence on this folk rock track, Stewart notes, “Of course, I was completely wrong about it. Just listen to Paul Simon’s ‘Still Crazy’ or Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Baker Street.’ So the answer is, yes, there can be saxophones on folk rock. If I’d had my own way, there probably would have been bagpipes on it! Of course, the record comes out and the only thing anyone talked about was the sax solo. If I’d been adamant, refused to have it, it probably wouldn’t have been a hit.”

The 45th anniversary release features a remaster of the album, along with a new 5.1 surround mix, both by Parsons. n

Live

PRESENTED BY

PHOTO: Mariano Regidor/Getty Images

Seen here in Madrid, Dua Lipa has been singing through Shure’s new KSM11 capsule on an Axient Digital wireless system throughout her world tour.

Living It Up Live With Dua Lipa

By Clive Young

B

y all rights, Dua Lipa’s second album should have bombed. Released in March 2020, a record about going out, partying and having socially un-distanced fun couldn’t have been more out of step with the times during the frightening early days of the pandemic.

Instead, Future Nostalgia became a worldwide smash—and something of a totem that lived up to its name, helping young fans get through lockdowns by tapping into memories of good times past and the promise of more yet to come.

Two years, six singles and a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album later, the record is finally getting its long-delayed tour—perhaps now a victory lap— as Lipa spends 2022 circling the globe through November for what will ultimately be 81 shows.

Along for the ride is Lipa’s longtime FOH engineer, Will Nicholson, helping to bring the party to the people. “The artist’s creative approach to the show, very broadly, is kind of

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the experience of going on a night out, meeting people, partying and hanging out, so we want it to be true to the record whilst giving it that live feel,” he said. “It is important that the songs sound like the record that people have spent time listening to at home, particularly the last two years during the pandemic. I think they’re quite attached to the sound of that record, so to depart from that would not be overly welcome.”

While there’s plenty of spectacle on display— the tour requires 20 trucks for its extensive production gear—the heart of the show is still the music, delivered by Lipa and a four-piece band (keys, guitar, bass, drums), plus four background vocalists. All that results in 60 mixable inputs coming to FOH, which Nicholson handles on a DiGiCo Quantum 7 console. “The DiGiCo is a very clean-sounding board; what you put in, you get out of it, as it doesn’t color anything without being told,” he noted. “There’s a few cool tricks

in there that have allowed me to get rid of a lot of plug-ins—which has been very welcome, to be honest. Being able to trim that down and make the touring package a bit lighter on its feet was really useful.”

That said, a UAD-2 Live Rack still resides at the mix position, serving up Sonnox plug-ins plus emulations of classic outboard gear like Empirical Labs Distressors, dbx 160s and more: “I have Shadow Hills on my master bus with some EQ—not a lot on the individual channel inserts; I tend to use it on buses, primarily. Also, I prefer to mix into compression rather than going out to individual inserts or individual chains.

Alongside some select outboard, this allows me to present my mix as the artist intends.”

Thanks to those tools, Nicholson’s mix keeps the fans on their feet, but there’s one fader that matters more than all the rest, and that, of course, is the vocal. Capturing Lipa onstage nightly is a

Photo: Elizabeth Miranda

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FOH engineer Will Nicholson (left) and Michael “Monk” Shear, systems engineer on the U.S. leg, at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

on stage comes into the system via Radial DIs. Hanging above all that is a sizable L-Acoustics line array system with main and side hangs of K1s and K2s, rear hangs of K3s and two-dozen subs in the air; back on the ground, as many as 24 subs are used on the floor, depending on the venue size. The entire audio system is provided

by UK-based Britannia Row, and An L-Acoustics K1/K2 P.A., provided by by extension, its parent company, Britannia Row, covered the crowd inside Clair Global. “Clair have made an Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome. effort to treat [all their divisions] as one global family,” said Nicholson, engineer Alex Cerutti, working in Monitorworld “so we have one project handler, I write one spec, beneath the deck on another DiGiCo Quantum and then they deal with it internally as much as possible—which has been pretty seamless, to be 7 desk.

Cerutti may be hidden from view, but the honest.”

While the summer months are being used musicians are definitely part of the show.

“There’s no miming; if you can see it being to play a few festivals and knock out some stray played, you’re hearing it,” says Nicholson. make-up gigs, this Fall will see the tour hit Latin “There’s plenty of live instrumentation—a America and then move on to wrap up in Australia. full drum kit that also has triggers, guitar No matter where it goes, however, the mission will and bass, the keyboard player playing control be the same: to let fans cut loose and create some surfaces live—so the approach has been to play future nostalgia of their own.

“I think when you’ve got pop shows, you get the songs.” The guitar and bass play through Kemper Profilers to avoid having cabinets on people who are attending their first or second stage. The drum kit, meanwhile, is captured or fifth show, and they’re with their friends or via a variety of mics, as both a Sennheiser e 901 maybe family,” said Nicholson. “It’s important and an Audix D6 are used on the kick drum, that the show itself is just enjoyable and fun, and the two snare drums each get the identical that it’s everything that they’ve hoped for. miking of a Beyer M 201 TG and a Shure KSM32. They can just let the hair down and dance, and Neumann KM 184s are used on the hi-hat and there isn’t another agenda to it. I put myself ride cymbals, and the overheads are Mojave in the shoes of somebody who’s, say, 15 and Audio MA-201fetVG condensers. Backing going to a show with their mates, and they just vocals are grabbed by Telefunken M80 capsules want to dance—they don’t want to be thinking on Axient Digital handhelds, and anything else about the kick drum!” ■

Photo: Will Nicholson

Shure Axient Digital wireless system outfitted with Shure’s brand-new, flagship KSM11 cardioid condenser capsule. While it was launched in April this year, Nicholson’s quite familiar with the capsule, having been directly involved in the KSM11’s development over the last few years, using multiple pre-release iterations and now the standard production model on the current tour. To entrust a rising artist’s vocal to a betatest capsule was no small leap of faith, but it was one that paid off for multiple reasons.

“Honesty is the biggest thing,” said Nicholson. “I don’t want to make somebody’s voice sound different; I want it to sound like their voice singing or speaking, and the 11 did that from the beginning. It has a lovely high end, which is really important because there’s so much air and lift in modern pop vocals, and reproducing that live is challenging. The 11 does it subtly; it doesn’t force the issue, so it responds to EQ really well, you can tailor it to what you need and it’s very good with proximity.”

The KSM11 helped not only the vocal but the tour in general as the show was being developed. “We needed a microphone that we could throw things at,” Nicholson explained. “If production wanted to do something—say, for example, to fly the artist in front of the P.A.—we knew that we could try that without any trepidation. The 11 responded well to being in front of speakers because the rejection is excellent; the pickup pattern is very tight, so when she comes off the mark, it’s not getting flooded with spill. That’s allowed us to roll with everything; when people have asked for things—a choreographer wants to make something happen—we’ve been able to say, ‘Yeah, no problem.’”

Lipa does in fact wind up in front of the P.A. nightly, appropriately taking to the air for the hit “Levitating,” as she travels above the crowd in a basket. Even on the ground, though, she spends a good portion of the show in front of the P.A. on a thrust and a B-stage deep in the audience. As is usually the case for pop tours, the staging is kept clean, eschewing wedges as the performers hear the show via JH Audio IEMs on Shure PSM1000 wireless packs. All those mixes are tackled by

Live // news & notes // presented by Jazmine Sullivan Hits the Road with Clair

Tonderick “TW” Watkins is manning Jazmine Sullivan’s FOH mix on one of her tour’s two DiGiCo SD12 96 consoles supplied by Clair Global.

Philadelphia, Pa.—Jazmine Sullivan picked up two Grammy Awards this year—Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album—for 2021’s Heaux Tales, Mo’ Tales, and now she’s on the road with a string of shows, including Lollapalooza in Chicago.

Along for the ride with Sullivan, her four-piece combo and three backup singers are a pair of DiGiCo SD12 96 consoles at front of house and monitor positions, part of the audio package put together by Clair Global.

Tonderick “TW” Watkins has done Sullivan’s front-ofhouse mix for much of the last year. “What I like about the SD12 96 is the same thing that I like about all of the DiGiCo SD consoles: the processing and workflow across all of them is consistent and great,” says TW, who has also mixed FOH for artists like Outkast, Ludicris, and Mary J. Blige.

“I recently mixed Ciara at the Lovers & Friends Festival in Las Vegas and all four stages had SD12s on them at some point, along with two SD7s and an SD10 for Lauryn Hill’s monitors. The SDs have different amounts of real estate on them in terms of channel counts, but the processing and operation are the same. No matter where you’re working, you feel at home on an SD.” TW tends to turn to the console’s onboard integrated effects processing.

“I’m at the point where I just don’t use plug-ins,” he says. “Everything I

need is already on the console, in terms of EQ and dynamics. It even has tube emulation, so why would anyone want to use a tube-emulation plugin, which would just be running an outboard head amp into the console’s head amp? It would just raise the noise floor. No, everything I need is on that console already, and I can put any of it exactly where I want it. It’s the perfect console.” ■

Solotech Expands Nashville Presence with New HQ Nashville, Tenn.—Years in the making, Solotech has officially opened its new, 120,000-squarefoot facility in Nashville, providing a home base for much of its live production work, as well as its efforts as an AV systems integrator across the Corporate, Worship and Transportation sectors.

Recent notable projects in the region include the expansion of Nashville International Airport, as well as new sound, lighting and video in several of the city’s Broadway honky tonks, numerous corporate headquarters and a selection of large houses of worship. Meanwhile, Solotech continues to be a major player in the touring circuit, tackling current sojourns with Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood.

The new Nashville facility is stocked with gear, offering an array of brands and technologies, and additionally offers on-site rehearsal facilities and full stage setup, providing artists and production crew the opportunity

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to test out touring systems under real-world conditions.

Solotech’s new facility also offers PreProduction Visual Mapping, enabling clients to visually design and stage their new setup or facility. The Nashville site also houses a complete fabrication department, allowing the company to aid in the designing and creating systems for clients and projects.

As Lee Moro, Solotech’s VP of Operations, Live Productions, noted, “We can be working on the airport, and then go out on tour with Michael Bublé. That shows the diversity of the company.”

Michael Casey, Solotech business development representative, agrees.

“On the integration side, we have the ability to build our projects in our own shop. On the live side, we can bring artists into the shop and have their rehearsals here, in our spaces, with the equipment they’re going to have out on tour.” ■

Live // news & notes // presented by New York, N.Y. (June 7, 2022)—Since April, Billy Crystal has been making a star turn nightly in the new Broadway musical, Mr. Saturday Night; the show, based on the 1992 film that he co-wrote, directed and also starred in, was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Staged in the 1,232-seat Nederlander Billy Crystal’s Theater, the show cracks up crowds nightly via new musical features a Kai a sound design from Tony-winner Kai Harada Harada-designed that he says is intended to create “a more audio system natural-sounding musical.” Key to that is a new, based around Meyer Sound custom-designed audio system based around 90 speakers.

Meyer Sound loudspeakers.

“I basically started from scratch for this design,” said Harada. “They recently changed the orchestra audience rake, so I wanted to start from the beginning, not to mention we now have to deal with the HVAC fans running full-on at all times to comply with COVID airflow regulations. Also, I definitely wanted to take advantage of newer Meyer Sound models like Lina and Ultra-X40.”

The three front arrays are all current models with seven-each hangs of Leopard line array loudspeakers at stage left and right and a center cluster of five Lina line array loudspeakers to cover the front orchestra section.

Meanwhile, eight Ultra-X40s are employed for downfill, orchestra source and balcony fill. “It is exceptionally good for both vocal and orchestral reinforcement,” he said. “One reason is the linearity; it requires less EQ than the UPA, for example. Also, the rotatable horn in the center is

Matthew Murphy

Making Mr. Saturday Night Sound Natural

particularly useful on Broadway, as often I have to hang horizontally or vertically because of sightlines or aesthetics.”

Other models in the system include 14 M1D line array loudspeakers (mezzanine arrays), four UPQ‑1P loudspeakers (stalls left and right, orchestra source), 14 UPM-1P loudspeakers (box fill, foldback), eight UPJunior loudspeakers (stalls delay), and 13 MM-4 miniature loudspeakers (front fill, foldback). Deep bass registers are filled by four 500-HP and two 600-HP subwoofers. All audio systems for Mr. Saturday Night were supplied by Masque Sound. Harada credits the show’s entire audio crew for a successful effort, including associate sound designers Maggie Burke and Bella Curry, mixer John Kauble, production sound engineer Mike Wojchik, backstage tech Lukas Guilbeau, as well as the team at Masque Sound. ■

Melissa Etheridge on the Move With Midas Escondido, Calif.—Melissa Etheridge is back on the road with her One Way I make while mixing requires only minimal time looking away from the Out world tour, promoting her newest album of the same name. The stage or the artist.”

A pair of Lake LM44 processors are also in Roese’s kit, allowing him to stacks ‘n’ racks tour is supported by her longtime sound provider of choice, Sound Image (Escondido, Calif.), and began in March in the U.S., heads to better cope with the “P.A. du jour” scenario. “I actually enjoy the challenges of dealing with a new system in each venue,” he said. “It keeps me on my Europe next and returns for a final U.S. run in late summer. toes. Having the Lake processors is crucial for Along for the ride is her longtime FOH day-to-day consistency.” mixer, Jim Roese, who is carrying a pair of Roese’s company, RPM Dynamics, has used Midas Heritage HD96 consoles for house and and sold Midas consoles for over a decade, monitor mixes, provided by Sound Image. he said: “We put Midas consoles in the vast Roese noted he chose the desk because “it’s majority of our design-build installations and got a wide spatial image, but is completely on every tour that we are involved with. In cohesive when the instruments sum. It’s the early 2021, AVL Media Group became the same great Midas Pro Series sound, but on distributor for North America which coincided steroids. The workflow is super dialed; you FOH engineer Jim Roese on the road with the re-launch, if you will, and availability can put anything anywhere and the touch with a Midas Heritage HD96 console. of the HD96. Needless to say, I’m a fan.” ■ screen GUI is very intuitive. Any move that

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Live // news & notes // presented by Jack White Gets Bats With Harman Baseball bat manufacturer Warstic Sports recently opened a flagship store and headquarters in Dallas and celebrated its opening with a surprise performance by co-owner Jack White.

The retail space features JBL Control 65 P/T compact full-range pendant speakers, providing immersive background music, communications and coverage throughout the spaces. A Crown DCi 4|600N amplifier with BLU link and DriveCore technology provides power to the Control 65 speakers in the retail space, cafe and conference room.

The batting cage space features JBL AM7212/95 two-way loudspeakers, as well as JBL Control 31 two-way monitor speakers for additional monitoring during shows or outdoor events. A Crown DCi 2|1250N amplifier powers the speakers, and a Soundcraft Ui24R digital mixer are also on-site.

The basement is a live music area with JBL AM7215/26 loudspeakers and ASB6128 subwoofers. Additionally, JBL SRX812P self-powered speakers and SRX818SP subwoofers provide onstage monitoring, and both can also be used as a portable sound system for pop-up or outdoor events.

Jack White, rockstar and co-owner of Warstic Sports, broke in the company’s new performance space with a surprise performance through the facility’s Harman Pro audio system.

For the stage’s backend, a Crown DCi 4|1250ND amplifier provides power and a Soundcraft Vi1000 digital mixing console with a Soundcraft Vi Stagebox offers more than 100 available inputs. ■

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on the cover

BACK A H T I W

E C N A E G VEN

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

IC PAUSE— M E D N A P R O-YEA ND AFTER A TW TION AN OSCAR WIN A NOT TO MEN BILLIE EILISH AND HER — , A HIT ALBUM RE BACK ON THE ROAD MA D SOUND TEA AS AROUND THE WORL EN AUDuIO D N A S PACKING AR E C ng.

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By Clive Yo WITH AUDIE

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NETWORKING INTO THE NEXT GIG “Our tour manager, Brian Marquis, and I knew each other from the Boston hardcore scene,” said Akram, “and when my band, Bad Rabbits, did Warped Tour in 2014, he was running the Acoustic Basement tent, so we got friendly over that summer. In one of our parting conversations on Warped, I remember vividly, I said, ‘Hey, if you ever need a monitor guy, I’m looking to get back on the road.’ Four years later, he was looking for an engineer who would get the nuance of this gig—not some jaded road guy who would’ve approached it with a mentality like, ‘A 16-yearold pop act that tours with her family? Pass.’ A lot of this gig is personality versus the technical part. Don’t get me wrong; you definitely need to have the chops, and I’m sure there’s plenty of engineers who are comparable or run me under the table mixing-wise, but my attitude and energy played a huge factor in getting this gig.”

Once onboard, Akram quickly found that being the monitor engineer meant also being an advocate for the artist: “They had been doing

Photo by Justin Weaver Photo by Matty Vogel.

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s 2020 began, perhaps no tour was more anticipated than Billie Eilish’s first U.S. arena jaunt. The then-teen singer and her producer/ co-writer/brother, Finneas, had grabbed music fans’ attention over the previous two years with their thought-driven pop; word spread quickly, and soon Eilish catapulted from bottom-of-the-lineup festival gigs to a Summer 2019 tour headlining sold-out 1,500-seat venues— and Chicago’s United Center, for good measure.

With that success in her pocket, Eilish’s 2020 arena run was set to be one of the year’s biggest tours— until the pandemic brought the entire concert industry to a crashing halt.

When Covid-19 slammed the brakes on the world that spring, it forced people everywhere to pause and reflect, and the moment was no different for Eilish’s audio team. Like the singer, they’d had quite a ride, too. For FOH engineer Drew Thornton and monitor engineer Salim Akram, tackling audio for the artist since 2018 had catapulted their careers to new heights, making their earlier years of van tours with struggling punk acts a distant memory.

FOH engineer Drew Thornton at the Allen & Heath S5000 console.

Monitor engineer Salim Akram, checking IEM mixes in Monitorworld.

festivals and had such awful experiences—just throw-and-go, performing at 2 in the afternoon, drummer running tracks and nobody on the stage side to help them out, just some guy mixing 50 bands that day who didn’t care. It was impossible for them to get consistency, so they hired me.”

Consistency became the name of the game— and it took a big leap forward when Thornton joined the team, bringing with him two compact Allen & Heath C1500 desks with DX168 expanders that became Eilish’s house and monitor consoles at festivals. “We were able to be self-contained without having an audio provider,” said Akram.

“It made us so much more efficient; we could travel with our own mics, drums, looms and stage boxes, because everything was on Ethernet Cat5. I’d run three Ethernet lines across the

stage, and every day we would get our whole 64-plus input show up, line-checked and waiting for artists in under 15 minutes on a 30-minute changeover.”

While Thornton brought both experience and technology to the team, it was only the latest in a long string of gigs for the journeyman engineer. He originally began engineering in the 2000s, making inroads into New York City’s recording scene until the 2008 recession closed the studio where he worked. An internship at Atlantic Records soon led to tackling live sound at Rockwood Music Hall on the Lower East Side.

“I started doing local acts and then touring in vans,” he recalled. “We were doing seven shows a day in clubs, so I ended up utilizing a lot of networking and leap-frogged up, trying to make my way through. I was actually on tour for an

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USE IT OR LOSE IT The ensuing whirlwind kept Eilish and her audio team ramping up at a breakneck pace for the next 18 months. As the artist’s star rose, so did the engineers’ as both found themselves unexpectedly nominated for Parnelli Awards (Akram humbly joked, “Nobody hears what I’m doing, so what’s the barometer for a monitor guy—not getting fired?”). The momentum going into 2020 seemed unstoppable, but then the pandemic shut down Eilish’s planned 54-date tour a mere three shows into the run. Faced with an abundance of time and an uncertain future, Akram and Thornton headed home determined to improve their engineering skills—not merely to up their game, but to stay in the game as well.

“I’ve always equated mixing with a muscle, and that’s what scared me the most when everything shut down, because you have this inherent confidence in muscle memory—and if you don’t work that muscle, you might lose that,” said Thornton. “I would never say the pandemic was a good thing, but one of the few upsides was that the immediate shutdown was the first time I ever had time to dissect my own methods, break some bad habits and try to get better at certain things. A lot of really talented engineers felt the need to contribute information to our industry [with podcasts and videos during lockdowns], which was fantastic—people like Pooch [Ken Van Druten] and Chris Rabold and Robert Scovill, all doing their own approaches to sharing information that they feel is very important. It was an incredibly inspiring time, even though it was heart-wrenching as well. I honestly told myself that for my own mental health, I was going to find a hobby, but I failed miserably at that and just dug in deeper on this.”

Armed with his self-owned fly pack for Eilish—a C1500, dLive MixRack and a Waves rig—Thornton went step-by-step through his show and dissected it, trying concepts learned from engineers’ podcasts and YouTube videos, experimenting, A/Bing the results and more. “It

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Photo by Ryan Collins

artist, Vérité, with Andrew Marshall, who’s now Billie’s drummer. We both went different ways after that, but he told me about Billie in February 2018; I checked it out and thought, wow, this is something different, something special.” When Thornton got involved with Eilish’s festival run that summer, it was already his seventh tour of the year, but as the artist began her pop culture ascent, it soon became his main gig.

The tour is carrying an extensive Brit Row-supplied L-Acoustics K1/K2 rig.

was all the tedious stuff you’d never have time to do,” he laughed. “Being able to sink my teeth into it was great.”

Eilish and the engineers also kept busy throughout the height of the pandemic with a string of TV appearances, award shows and online performances, eventually leading to a September 2021 run of festivals, but when her latest album, Happier Than Ever, was released last July, that long-awaited run through the arenas of the world became inevitable.

RETHINKING IN REHEARSALS 2022 has been a long year for the production team; while the U.S. tour leg is done and a European run wraps up in July, there’s still a month’s journey through Australia and New Zealand coming up. Preparing for all that required extensive tour rehearsals, during which everyone from the name on the marquee on down put in extra time and effort.

“Our MD, Aron Forbes, is always saying, ‘Let’s move the needle 1 percent,’ and that is the mentality that the whole crew has,” said Akram.

“You find a good benchmark, and then how do you move it? Where can you improve once you actually get to the point where you need to be? We got to festival season last year, and you could see songs that worked—but maybe a part felt weird. We were in rehearsals for a month, and they dialed in the transitions and parts that make a 90-minute arena pop show really musical. Billie, Aron, Finneas, everybody also went through the grueling process of making sure every single song in her catalog could be played at any point if she decided, ‘Hey, I wanna throw this in the set tonight.’ We always want

to think outside the box, but execute within it.”

With only Eilish, multi-instrumentalist Finneas and drummer Marshall on stage, the use of pre-recorded tracks is a given on the tour, but like everything else associated with the show, they are used thoughtfully. “It’s more of utilizing technology to its fullest, versus as a crutch,” said Akram. “They do an extremely good job of making sure the live interpretation of the song is not just them playing over the record, but they don’t get carried away. The live show puts the perfect spin on all the songs, so a fan will never be bummed out that the live version was this way-out version of the song.”

Apple MainStage and Ableton are key tools for providing Finneas and Marshall with everything they need for a given song; Thornton noted, “Keeping it in MainStage makes it a little easier for us to translate patches and sounds Finneas used on the record. He works a lot in Logic for producing, so it makes sense for us to use MainStage as a platform.” While they serve up MIDI changes and such via iConnectivity PlayAUDIO12 MIDI Interfaces to Finneas’ 64key Akai, sample pads and Nord, they also provide Marshall with plenty of automated drum samples. A few tunes have triggers just for reinforcement, but most of the time, they’re layered to make a certain snare sound, such as on “NDA,” where a reverse envelope is key to the vibe; as soon as the snare drum hits, it’s like a waveform coming back after the hit.

Both mix positions are centered around Allen & Heath surfaces, with a S5000 at the house mix position and a S7000 in monitorworld that are tied to the DM64 digital stagebox. At stageside, Akram provides mixes for the three

Monitor engineer Salim Akram checks the stage thrust.

Currently, the vocal mics are all Shure Axient Digital ADX wireless with sE Electronics V7 capsules, but while the combination is growing popular (Phil Collins used the same arrangement on the recent final Genesis jaunt), the Eilish engineers came to the pairing organically after two extensive shootouts.

“On-and off-axis coloration was a huge consideration for making the choice to stick with the V7,” said Thornton. “I used pink noise, matched every single capsule to itself, and put it downstage center. We played the audience through the P.A. in the rehearsal space so I could hear what the capsule’s off-axis coloration would be. We also had our drum tech play the drums, and that way I could hear what the on-axis coloration would be. You have to be able to work bleed into the show. You don’t check drums without your vocal mic downstage center and maybe 6 dB down;

FOH engineer Drew Thornton used the pandemic to revamp the tour’s mixes down to the granular level.

Photo by Matty Vogel

SHAPING SHOOTOUTS Keeping Eilish’s voice front-and-center throughout the show is no simple trick. While Thornton rides her fader, it’s a challenge regardless: “We had a new record last night: 114.6 dBA of the crowd at front of house. When you have a quiet singer on the thrust in front of the P.A. and the crowd is at most 10 feet away, you have a lot of bleed, obviously. For me, Waves [SuperRack] was a fantastic solution for trying different things in the vocal chain, because it allowed me to use a lot of tools and easily change the routing. I’m always trying to make small movements to see what best works for the situation, and it’s a pretty awesome tool to have in that regard.”

Photo by Matty Vogel

musicians, along with eight further mixes for techs, vendors and the like. As the artists have grown and changed over the last few years, so have their monitor choices.

“She’s been on in-ears from day one,” said Akram, “starting with Ultimate Ears UE11s, which are probably one of the better molds out there for getting introduced into the in-ear game and discovering what your preferences are. Now Finneas and Billie are on JH Audio Roxannes and Andrew is on 64 Audio A12Ts. The Roxannes are able to reproduce a lot more low end gracefully in a lot of unsuspecting spots, more like 35 to 200. My kick drum, low-end sub information, floor toms and other things can actually be put in appropriate places as opposed to having them all crammed into one place in the low end of the spectrum.”

keeping the open mic down there keeps you honest, because the drum bleed and audience bleed are going to be part of your sound.”

For an artist who’s been topping the charts for a few years, it’s almost surprising that the current world tour is Eilish’s first carrying a P.A., with an extensive Brit Row-supplied L-Acoustics K1/K2 rig hung above the stage. A typical show finds the mains 18 deep with 14 K1s and four K2s each; adjacent to them are a dozen KS28 subs flown on each side. The sidehangs’ K1/K2 arrangement is eight over eight, while rear hangs get 12 K2s.

A total of four KS28s reside on the ground and three A15s act as infills.

“Low end is the thing she loves,” said Thornton.

“It’s a very dense, low/low-mid record, so it’s very important to get that range; she cares about that a lot. Matt McQuaid, my incredible SE, has been doing a great job of getting the flown subs to hit me like ground subs. Twelve subs per side looks awesome, but also it looks crazy; you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s a little overzealous’—but it’s fantastic.”

The ongoing quest to move the needle 1 percent finds all crewmembers drawing on their own experiences to help create the best show possible. As a result, everyone involved has a stake in that nightly success, Akram explained: “I think everybody on the crew had what I call a ‘boys-in-vans touring era,’ where you get a bunch of homies, start a band, get a van and start touring. We’ve all had some version of that, so our level of camaraderie and understanding for how this gig operates—and our appreciation for it—is coming from a place of ‘Wow, all this around us is what we were trying to achieve with our bands.’ And we’re finding we’re just as happy doing it at this level for somebody else.” ■

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Getting the Show on the Road More tours than ever this summer, but gear shortages and staffing challenges remain

By Steve Harvey

Kelsea Ballerini, a Spectrum Sound client, performs at CMA Fest 2022.

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usiness is booming in the live sound industry. All that pent-up energy from the Coronapause has finally been uncorked, and music fans—worldwide, not just in the U.S.—are flocking to see live music again.

There’s certainly plenty to see: “Everybody and his dog wants to tour right now,” says Paul Owen, president of DCR Nashville, an AVL solutions provider.

The economic imperative to get back on the road is strong. Income all but disappeared during the months-long industry shutdown; that is, unless your production company also does system integration, a market where business increased during the hiatus. Government assistance, when it finally came, was often too little, too late.

Production, trucking and bus companies were forced to lay off workers, if they hadn’t already quit.

Many music venues shuttered.

Bands have been keen to get back to doing what they do best, and, to be fair, some artists did return to the road in early 2021 as lockdown restrictions eased. Indeed, during the past 18 months, people have worked out how to put on a show and keep everyone as safe as possible.

But the virus has not gone away. And like long Covid, which lingers in the body, the economic

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Mickey Bernal/Stringer/Getty Images

effects of the pandemic will be with us for some time to come.

This time last year, Spectrum Sound had the foresight to sell off some older gear and upgrade its inventory. “It’s still been really tough for us,” says Brooke Porter, the Nashville-based company’s accounting and project specialist. “A lot of audio manufacturers are backordered; lead times are up to a year, in some cases. Another problem is that there are no solid ship dates.”

SUPPLY CHAIN EFFECT In-ear monitors and chip sets are especially in short supply, she says. “The shortage of one component affects the entire system; it’s challenging to increase P.A. inventory when you can get speakers but you can’t get amplifiers.”

On the plus side, she says, “We have started working with new manufacturers and different product lines.”

Sean Sturge, who handles worldwide sales for Clair Global company Eighth Day Sound, reports that they took delivery of a dozen DiGiCo desks during the past year. But now, he says, “You place an order with Shure, and because of the chip shortage, you’re not getting a delivery until 2023. If anyone wants to sell some PSM 1000s,

call Clair Brothers: We’re buying!”

Still, Sturge adds, “We’ve had only one client walk away because we didn’t have exactly what they wanted. Every other client has worked with us and understands that there’s a shortage of equipment.”

DCR Nashville got its purchase orders in early and has taken delivery of new Avid consoles and various items of infrastructure, Owen says: “We were supposed to take delivery of some of it in March, and we’re just seeing some of it come through the door now. Right now, Avid is not delivering until at least October, so we’ve ended up doing multiple purchase orders that overlap; whichever one hits first is the one we pay.”

Sometimes orders are incomplete, Owen adds. For example, he placed an order for $5,000 worth of microphone stands. The bases and boom arms arrived, but the telescopic uprights are backordered, rendering them unusable.

“It becomes incredibly difficult to plan and acquire all the new gear needed,” Porter confirms, what with supply chain issues, the number of simultaneous tours and the uptick in demand for B rigs, due to longer tours or bigger jumps between shows. Spectrum’s client list includes the likes of Thomas Rhett, Jason

Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini and Old Dominion, all of whom are currently on tour, as is George Strait, who is selling out stadiums nationwide.

“And OneRepublic are about to go out,” Porter says. “We have more tours active at one time than we had in pre-pandemic years.

It’s possible they’re making up the dates that were missed during the pandemic, but it’s also possible that this is the new normal for touring.”

Sturge is not surprised that touring has returned full force. “I did not anticipate it would come back 200 percent,” he admits. “I take my hat off to Live Nation, AEG and all the independent promoters who are taking the risk and putting tours out there that keep the vendors working.”

With four locations worldwide, Eighth Day might previously have moved inventory around to cover any gear shortfalls, Sturge says, but even Clair’s considerable global stockpile is of little help when the warehouses are largely empty.

“The problem we’re encountering right now is that the European market is just as busy as the U.S. They’re usually not busy at the same time.

The Australians are even working,” he says. “All the markets are trying to do shows to recover from the last two years of nothing.”

The turnaround from famine to feast happened quickly, according to Owen at DCR, where the client roster includes Brantley Gilbert, Trace Adkins, Kane Brown, Ann Wilson, Tyler Farr and Tracy Lawrence. “It went from a marathon to a sprint,” he says. “Now, I can’t keep equipment in the shop long enough. People say, ‘I’ll take whatever you’ve got.’ Whoever’s got the gear gets the gig; it’s not about the price.”

Owen, too, foresaw the current surge. “I knew the emphasis was predominantly going to be audio control packages. Many tours are not carrying P.A. because it’s another truck and another guy, and most theaters or amphitheaters have P.A. installed. We just concentrated on building a lot of audio control packages and a lot of lighting control packages, and those are what have been flying out the door.”

COVID’S LONG TAIL As of early June, the U.S., on its fourth-biggest surge to-date, was averaging more than 100,000 new Covid-19 infections daily, with hospitalizations slowly ticking up in their wake.

The infection rate going into the Memorial Day weekend was at least five times higher than the same point in 2021, according to The New York Times.

It’s no surprise, then, that tours are still being disrupted as one member or another of the touring party tests positive for the latest Omicron variant. Examples abound, as recently reported in Billboard. At the start of the year, the Strokes canceled two festival headlining slots.

Pearl Jam, Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson have all canceled shows. Brandi Carlile pulled out of Stagecoach. Avril Lavigne has postponed some shows until 2023. J Balvin postponed his entire 25-date tour. And the day before we went to press, Mick Jagger announced that he had tested

Paul Owen, left, and Howard Jones of DCR Nashville

Brooke Porter, Spectrum Sound

Sean Sturge, Clair Global

positive and the Stones’ Amsterdam show would be postponed.

To what extent Covid might impact an audio crew depends on myriad factors, including the safety protocols set by the artist’s management, the county or state, or the venues themselves.

For production companies, however, the staff shortages stemming from the initial industry closure can cause a headache when an employee tests positive.

“The problem is that we have lost 40 percent of the industry crew. We’re working with a reduced labor force, and Covid is still affecting tours,” says Eighth Day’s Sturge.

The current CDC advice is for anyone testing

positive to quarantine for five days pending a negative result. “Some tours want a replacement the next day,” Sturge says. “Some tours are okay not replacing that person until they get well for five days.”

In May, he reports, “We did 13 crew changes because of Covid in one week. We feel like we need five people just sitting around, waiting by the phone, for when someone tests positive.”

The scarcity of skilled personnel has had a knock-on effect. “We walked away from festivals for the 2022 season for one simple reason—staffing,” Sturge reveals. “We don’t have the resources to send 12 guys to do a four-day festival when we could split up those 12 guys, four to a tour.”

DCR has not run into any problems due to positive testing, Owen reports, noting that control packages require fewer crew. The bigger problem is the industry-wide staff shortage.

“Because they’re offering such good rates for these guys to go out on the road, regardless of how much experience they have, they’re not going to come into the shop and work for $18 an hour,” Owen says. “Especially with these gas prices”—which hit an average of $4.82 a gallon in early June—”and having to drive into work.”

“There are fewer techs in the audio industry than there were pre-pandemic,” Spectrum Sound’s Porter agrees. “This means we’re focusing more of our efforts on hiring and staffing. It’s also important to us that we are conscientious about not overworking our techs and making sure that they have some time at home to relax or be with their families.”

Anticipating future staffing needs, she continues, “We partner with some local universities and audio engineering schools and have hired many students and recent graduates from those programs. It’s important that we provide training, guidance and mentorship so that they can eventually grow and move into more senior roles.”

More immediately, she says, “The owner of our company, who is 67, has been out on a few shows of his own this year. That’s his solution to staffing—pitch in with a helping hand.”

That attitude is familiar to anyone who has ever worked in live sound—but this is not your father’s sound business, Owen believes, not anymore: “It’s not the business I got into 40-odd years ago, and it’s definitely not the business I’m going to leave. I think there’s a lot of correction going on—and I think the dust will settle after this year.” ■

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ALL PHOTOS: Allyson Riggs

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ward-winning directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—the Daniels— have already made their mark on filmmaking. Their feature-length directorial debut, Swiss Army Man (2016), starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe, is a life-affirming, unforgettable film of survival, resilience, perseverance and flatulence.

Their follow-up, Everything Everywhere All At Once, is equally distinctive, traversing subjects ranging from the existence of parallel universes, to tax evasion, to universal consciousness, to generational trauma, to social acceptance, to dysfunctional relationships, to… It bears the Daniels’ distinct brand of outré humor (think kung fu fights with a fanny-pack, and a reality where hot dog-fingered humans play piano with their toes). Such out-there, creative concepts call for a filmmaking team that is willing to get weird. For sound, Emmy and MPSE Awardwinning supervising sound editor/re-recording mixer Brent Kiser, owner of Unbridled Sound in Los Angeles, fit the bill perfectly.

“After Swiss Army Man, the Daniels started talking about this fun new film,” Kiser recalls.

“Then in 2019, producer Jonathan Wong said they had a script and asked if I wanted to see it. I said, ‘Yes, but will I understand it?’ The hard thing about reading these scripts is that they’re so amazing and you’re laughing as you’re reading them, but you’re also thinking, ‘How is this going to work?’”

Having sound supervised and co-mixed Swiss Army Man (with re-recording mixer Beau Borders), Kiser knew that Everything would require some creative contortionism. He tapped MPSE Award-winning sound designer Andrew Twite, ADR supervisor Julie Diaz, re-recording mixer Alexandra Fehrman, John Sievert’s Foley crew at JRS Productions, and sound effects editors Reese

Richardson, Kailand “KC” Reilly, and Jacob “Young Thor” Flack, among a few others.

TUNING AND STATIC “Verse jumping,” for those scenes when a character connects with a different version of themself from another reality in the multiverse in order to obtain their skills, became the first sound design task. From a sound perspective, the team needed to find a way for the verses to intermingle, to make it feel like elements from one verse are being pulled into another. For this, Kiser and Twite (also a Swiss Army Man alum) developed a radio-tuning transition.

“It became a great narrative tool that added to the story, but also assisted us in connecting these weird spaces and moments,” says Twite. “They just tossed us this first scene and said, ‘We need to feel different verses coming through, and that everything’s breaking down. Go!’” The first taste of verse jumping was an epic hallway fight in which antagonist Jobu Topaki confronts Evelyn. Jobu has mastered verse jumping to the point that she’s simultaneously experiencing every version of herself all at once. Twite typically starts his sound design by recording, with his most recent rig including an Audio-Technica BP4025 stereo mic feeding an Avid Omni preamp directly into Pro Tools.

For the radio-tuning elements, he recorded frequency sweeps, tuning and “roger” beeps from an old two-way radio, and a small, handcranked AM/FM camping radio, where “I was often tuning through channels, trying to find those places that ride the line between reception and static,” he says.

These recordings were loaded into Soundminer, which features a built-in DSPRack that supports both VST2.4 and AU plug-ins, allowing Twite to try out numerous plug-ins and

EVERY EVERYW ALL AT Creative Sound Design Guides Travel Through the ’Verse

YTHING WHERE T ONCE

By Jennifer Walden

processing chains to discover possible textures and movements before rendering into Pro Tools.

“I used Kilohearts Snap Heap quite a bit with the radio elements,” he explains. “Snap Heap is a modular-based plug-in; you can add a wide variety of modules or Snap-ins to create or modify sounds. You can run the modules in parallel or in series, and each module can be controlled independently while you are tweaking your sound. I feel like I have only scratched the surface of what is possible.”

Twite’s favorite radio-tuning moment plays during a fight in which a security guard gets pummeled by two oversized dildos. “We hit a slow-motion moment, and one ‘weapon’ bends toward the camera,” he says. “I ran a radio frequency sweep and roger beep through Snap Heap with a Frequency Shifter, Ring Mod, Dynamics module for boosting specific frequencies, and a Delay, and I got this crazy bending sound with the beep accent right as the ‘weapon’ is bent all the way forward. It’s a great accent for the moment. I just love it.”

One hallway scene also has huge waves of multiverse energy, which the Jobu character conjures during her confrontation with Evelyn.

For that sound, Twite recorded a two-foot section of eight-inch ribbed tubing by inserting an A-T AT897 short shotgun mic into the tube and then scraping the tube’s exterior with a wooden dowel at different speeds, and with the tube bent in different directions. He manipulated the recordings using a pitch shifter before running the sounds through Ina-GRM Tools Doppler plug-in to create long, textured whoosh-bys.

Twite also created breathy vocal whooshes using the Sennheiser MKH 8050 mic. Those recordings were pitched down significantly to create airy whoosh elements that play in tandem with the tube whooshes.

“Once we got to the mix stage and fine-tuned the panning, you can feel them pass around you, especially in the Dolby Atmos mix. They turned out to be really effective, albeit quite simple,” he says.

RECORDING A MULTIVERSE The Daniels’ ideas of what might exist in parallel universes range from nearly normal to flatout bizarre. In one verse, humans have hot dog hands. Twite created the hand sounds by recording a collection of very thin belts pilfered from his wife’s closet, twisting the leafy ends of leeks, drumming his fingers on his belly, and

adding in a dose of cat food squishes that the Daniels favored.

In another verse, a raccoon named Raccacoonie (voiced by composer Randy Newman) hides under the hat of a novice Hibachi chef, controlling his movements by tugging on the chef’s hair. ADR supervisor Diaz used Sounds in Sync’s EdiCue to help cue Newman’s lines and his singing, but he also performed lots of extra material off-the-cuff, channeling the inspiration of being a raccoon that’s been picked up by animal control.

“Randy was amazing. He was just riffing off all these lines and we were all laughing,” says Diaz, who passed much of the additional takes and improvisations over to composer Ryan Lott of Son Lux, who did the score. “A lot of the extra takes were added to the songs in the soundtrack, as were recordings from actress Stephanie Hsu, who played Joy/Jobu. She was randomly singing in the ADR session, and that ended up in the soundtrack for the movie.”

Diaz also recorded the Martial Club—a Hong Kong-style martial arts trio of brothers Andy and Brian Le and their friend Daniel Mah—who helped to coordinate the fight scenes and also appeared on screen for a tussle involving a fanny pack. “We had them in the recording room, and they’re literally fighting each other so we could get realistic grunts and efforts,” Diaz explains.

“There is a five-minute recording of them doing flips and trying not to kick the mic. Then, at the end, one would say a line from the film that goes, ‘Oh, Kevin. F**k.’ and get hit in the face.”

The ADR fight sound sessions were important for building out the numerous fight scenes in a visceral and brutal way. Kiser notes, “Their efforts and grunts added a whole other level of detail. The whooshes and impacts accentuate the precision of the movements, but ADR efforts and grunts are what ground the fights in reality.”

While the majority of the film is full-on sound, there are moments of reprieve, such as the verse that consists of nothing more than majestic rock formations and shifting winds. Re-recording mixer Fehrman worked with director Scheinert to craft Twite’s trove of wind tracks into a delicate scene that capitalizes on the Dolby Atmos capabilities.

Fehrman says: “It started as this big atmospheric moment, but we slowly boiled it down. Dan [Scheinert] was very specific. He wanted us to be able to trace one wind that comes in from the left and then another one that sort of drifts in after that. There’s a distant wind chime. It’s a moment to breathe and meditate

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THE EVERYTHING BAGEL Our antagonist Jobu’s omnipotence has led her to a nihilistic outlook on life. She’s taken everything she’s ever felt, thought and experienced from all iterations of life across the multiverse and put it onto a bagel. This “everything bagel” is like a black hole, which begs the question: What does a black-hole, everything bagel sound like?

Twite started by recording a bagel, naturally, using a Sound Devices 744t and a Sennheiser MKH 8050. He captured sounds of crushing, crumbling and tearing a toasted bagel and a piece of toast, along with the sounds of a butter knife scraping their surfaces. “I also intentionally burnt about six pieces of bread and stacked them on top of one another and just slowly crushed all of them at once by putting pressure on the stack with my hands,” Twite says. ”Those cracks, once pitched and tweaked, became one of the main textural layers of the everything bagel.

The MKH 8050 has a really tight polar pattern, and its ultrasonic recording capabilities allow the samples to retain strong high-frequency content, which made for some great sounds once I started doing pitching and time manipulation.”

During one of the spotting sessions, director Kwan described the everything bagel as being like a washing machine or dryer with a very slowspinning, constantly moving, elemental force. To achieve this rhythmic quality, Twite tried several ideas but discovered the best source for sound was his rowing machine, where he was able to control the speed of the machine itself to get a wide range of rhythmic beds “I recorded it straight into my Omni [preamp]

Key members of the sound team at Signature Post Mix Stage 1 in Burbank, Calif., from left: Ian Chang, Rafiq Bhatia, Ryan Lott, James Wyatt, Daniel Kwan, Julie Diaz, Daniel Scheinert, Alexandra Fehrman, Carey Smith and Brent Kiser

using an Audio-Technica BP4025 stereo mic,” he explains. “It worked out really well because the sound of the machine itself is rhythmic by nature and sits at a mid/mid-low frequency range. It also has this almost whine-y moan to it that I love because it adds to the despair I associated with the everything bagel. I could stretch out the slower rows to play really, really slow when the bagel is just chilling behind the curtain. Or, I could really speed up the rowing, and that texture was helpful for when the bagel is spinning out of control and pulling everything into itself.”

Re-recording mixer Fehrman (effects/ backgrounds/Foley) joined Kiser for the native Dolby Atmos mix at Signature Post on Mix Stage 1 in Burbank, Calif. They mixed on a dualoperator Avid S6 M40 24-9-D control surface, with monitoring via JBL 5732 mains, JBL 9320 surrounds, and JBL 5628 subs with JBL 7118 surrounds for low-frequency extension.

This was Fehrman’s first time working with Unbridled Sound, and coming in at the end meant opening an unfamiliar Pro Tools template that was 300 tracks wide, figuring out the layout, grouping and busing tracks, and listening through layers of complex designs “I opened the sessions ahead of the mix to

Having a bit of fun on the dub stage during a break. From left: Daniel Kwan, Brent Kiser, Alexandra Fehrman and Daniel Scheinert.

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familiarize myself with where everything was, and I decided that I’d just have to hit the ground running,” she says with a slight laugh. “There was literally everything in the session, from natural backgrounds to sci-fi elements, and so many fight scenes.”

One of the most challenging scenes in terms of the mix was when Jobu and Evelyn confront each other in the woods. Jobu snaps off a tree branch and it transforms into several different objects before becoming a sword. There is big score and important dialog. “There’s all this chaos of everything changing, and we had to poke out little tiny moments so that you could understand what Jobu was saying,” Fehrman explains. “In that little section, there were such fast and small events; it required lots of quick fader moves. We did try to put some of the sounds in Atmos, but it’s hard to register because it’s happening so quickly.”

The Atmos surround field worked best for spatially specific effects, like the overhead lights flickering in the hallway scene, and for the versejumping radio transitions. “In Atmos, we were using that transition in conjunction with voices that were pulling us into different verses. It was very effective,” says Fehrman.

Everything Everywhere All At Once isn’t about the everything bagel. Nor is it about the futuretech ability to jump into different universes. It’s less about conflict and more about resolution through acceptance and appreciation.

“This is an important film that shines a light on the challenges we face as humanity, and all the important themes in the film were mirrored in the way that the film was made,” Kiser concludes.

“The directors are so crew-focused; we never felt like the hired help. And I’m so blessed that I have great people that I can help empower to do their amazing jobs. That’s what a supervisor should do.

I’m thankful that I’ve been surrounded by great people on this film—clients and team.” ■

PHOTO: Courtesy of Unbridled Sound

on all that we’ve just seen and heard in the film.

Everything is very subtle, yet immersive.”

Tech Neve 88M Dual Mic Preamp & USB Audio Interface Neve launched the 88M, its first Dual Mic Preamp and USB Audio Interface, at the NAMM show in early June. Intended for high-end home and personal studio use, the 88M interface is based around the same transformer-balanced technology as Neve’s flagship large-format 88RS console. Designed and manufactured in England by Neve engineers, the USB-powered 88M is housed in a tough shell, offers plug-andplay connectivity and sports what Neve says is “professional grade” A/D conversion, matching the rest of the unit’s approach to the signal path.

The 88M is available now at a suggested retail price of $1,245.

Apogee Goes Immersive, Offers Free Plug-In At the NAMM Show, Apogee had a busy booth with the release of Symphony I/O Mk II Thunderbolt Monitor Workflows, featuring new software that allows users to configure and operate a monitoring system for Dolby Atmos, Sony 360 Reality Audio and other immersive audio systems with control of up to 32 speaker outputs. Users can create up to 16 Monitor Workflows in all popular multichannel configurations; instantly switch between

Monitor Workflows from the Apogee Hardware Remote, Symphony Control software, or the front-panel touchscreen; and mute, solo, and calibrate up to 16 speaker outputs. No need for an audio networking backbone. The company also showed Apogee Control for iOS—an iOS app that works with Apogee’s Duet 3—and announced an upcoming free Soft Limit plug-in. Soft Limit has been a feature of Apogee converters since the AD-500 in 1991. The simple analog tape emulation will allow users to round an audio signal’s transients, increasing apparent loudness while controlling extraneous digital peaks; add analog tapelike harmonics and warmth; and drive the input knob to conjure crunchy thickness.

The plug-in was scheduled for release in late June.

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ADAM Audio A Series Monitors ADAM Audio has introduced the A Series, the successor to the company’s AX Series. The speakers include features such as rotatable HPS waveguide technology, and DSP-based room correction and voicings that enable users to tune speakers for their room and ears. The line features five models—A4V, A7V, A44H, A77H and A8H—and is intended for professional and home studio applications, as well as broadcast, fixed-installation, 3D, immersive and home audio environments. With a 19-inch width, the

DPA 4055 Kick Drum Mic DPA Microphones has introduced its first kick drum microphone, the 4055, intended for studio and live use on low-frequency, highSPL instruments. The 4055 is said to provide a linear frequency response, both on- and off axis, for a defined sound with low-end punch. The asymmetric shape and design allows the 4055 to

horizontally oriented A44H can sit in a standard rack shelf or be mounted above or below a screen.

A successor to the A77X, the three-way A77H employs various ADAM Audio technologies, while the A8H is also a three-way design with a different form-factor for critical-listening environments. Users can apply the A Control software to push advanced filters directly to an embedded platform onboard the monitors to help compensate for imperfect room acoustics.

The platform supports filters from third-party Sonarworks.

AEA TRP500 Preamp slide into a drum without risking a tear in the drum skin, whether inside or out. Additionally, the 4055 has a large housing and wind damping foam, positioned in front of the capsule behind the grille, to deal with turbulence in front of the drum holes. Its max SPL is listed at 164 dB. The DPA 4055 is priced at $730 USD and is available now.

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new products

Audio Engineering Associates, manufacturers of respected ribbon microphones and preamplifiers, is now shipping the first product in its third generation of microphone preamps, the TRP500. Based on the circuit and topology of the company’s original AEA TRP preamp, the

TRP500 is once again focused on providing low noise, musical sonics and ultra-high gain and impedance (100,000 Ohms). Optimized by AEA to draw out the sound of ribbon mics, the TRP500 offers up to 85 dB of DC-coupled gain, minimal path architecture, and a 115 Hz or 230 Hz highpass filter, putting as little as possible between performer and audience. The TRP500 is 100-percent handcrafted in Pasadena, Calif., from locally sourced parts.

Austrian Audio OD303 Dynamic Vocal Mic Austrian Audio introduced its new OD303 dynamic vocal microphone at NAMM in early June, having designed and built it to withstand daily use in the rehearsal room and the wear and tear of the road. The die-cast housing is meant to be resilient, and the microphone fits comfortably in the hand. The new mic also incorporates Austrian Audio’s Open Acoustic technology, which reportedly delivers a supercardioid polar pattern across a wide frequency band and offers feedback stability. Due to the open design, only minimal changes in sound and feedback behavior arise when holding the mic close to the head grille.

The proprietary 3D Pop Noise Diffuser reduces noise caused by plosives. The OD303 is available now, priced at $119.

optionally accepting any of 14 Sennheiser and Neumann microphone heads) and two table stand transmitters. Their output power of 10 mW ensures a range of up to 100 meters (328 feet). The first flight of EW-DX products and software will become available toward the end of 2022, with more items following in the first half of 2023.

Adamson Fletcher Machine for Immersive Live Adamson Systems Engineering has introduced the Adamson Fletcher Machine, an audio rendering processor for immersive audio, offering a variety of spatialization tools. Taking a new approach to object-based mixing, the Fletcher utilizes amplitude and time localization in rendering the signals that are sent to the

Sennheiser EW-DX Digital UHF Wireless Sennheiser has expanded its Evolution Wireless Digital family of radio mics with a new digital UHF line, EW-DX, that includes handheld, bodypack and table stand transmitters, two versions—one with Dante—of a two-channel receiver, and a 19-inch, four-channel Danteenabled receiver. The receivers have a switching bandwidth of up to 88 MHz, which can support up to 146 channels in standard mode and up to 293 in link density mode. A press of a button triggers the Auto Scan function to automatically assign frequencies using an equidistant tuning grid that allows more channels to be packed into a given frequency window. ​EW-DX offers a choice of two bodypacks, two handhelds (fitted with Sennheiser’s standard capsule interface,

loudspeakers—calculated from the objects’ point of view, which the company says helps provide spatial coherence for most listening positions.

The Stage Unit is a 3U 19-inch rack unit capable of controlling either 64 or 128 inputs and outputs; the compact Traveller Model can handle either 32 or 64 inputs, paired with 32 outputs. Each version is available with hardware configurations operating in AVB/MADI or Dante audio at 48 or 96 kHz. All configurations keep latency at 1.33 ms. The user interface is based on a console approach and includes mixing tools such as EQ and compression for each object, up to four auxiliary sends and up to eight VCAs,

loudspeaker positioning in three dimensions, as well as a high-end integrated reverb with extensive control.

Neutrik halo Product Range Neutrik debuted its new halo product range to musicians and engineers in early June at NAMM, and then a week later to AVL contractors at InfoComm. The halo product line incorporates a new, patented light ring, along with an asymmetrical, non-metallic push tab, into the design of the company’s A series chassis connectors. halo product variants include the NC3FAH2-LR-DAE and NC5FAH-LR-DAE socket XLR connectors, the NC3MAH-LR and NC5MAH-LR plug XLR connectors, and the NE8FAH-LR-DAE etherCON connector. By placing one or two SMD LEDs on circuit boards, the connectors can be lit up for visual feedback such as input detection, transmission status, connection status, phantom power, operating mode indication and other information.

Different colors can be displayed on the left and right sides of the connector. The asymmetrical, compound push tab is said to minimize static discharge concerns,while allowing for close vertical spacing of rows of connectors The halo product range is expected to be available Summer 2022. n

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Tech // reviews L-ISA Studio 2.4 Software, Part 1 L-Acoustics Live Immersive Mixing Platform on Any Mac

By Steve La Cerra

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t seems like immersive audio is exploding around us. In addition to commercial applications such as theaters, theme parks, gaming and interactive gallery displays, immersive is also gaining popularity in music applications, with artists like Katy Perry, Bon Iver, Ariana Grande, Coldplay, Mark Knopfler, Billie Eilish, Post Malone and the Berlin Philharmonic, among many others, exploring the medium.

The challenge in creating new content is: How can you create an immersive sound experience if you don’t have access to an immersive playback system?

Enter L-Acoustics, one of the first live sound pro-audio manufacturers to dive into the world of immersive sound by introducing L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound, a combination of innovative loudspeaker configurations and object-based mixing and processing tools. L-ISA increases the deployment of loudspeakers from the current 2.1 stereo to a minimum of 5.1 and up to a 360-degree field, enabling sounds to be localized to any area of the sound field.

Until recently, the L-ISA Processor II hardware processor— capable of rendering up to 128 outputs in a 2D or 3D layout—was required to create immersive playback. Earlier this year, L-Acoustics announced that its L-ISA Studio software is available free of charge (from the L-Acoustics website) and is compatible with just about any Mac computer. The application provides an audio engine that includes binaural processing, allowing a user to create and monitor spatialized audio using headphones, with optional head tracking (I used a Head Tracker 1 from Supperware, recommended

by L-Acoustics).

L-ISA Studio accepts up to 96 audio sources and can send

The L-ISA Processor II hardware processor

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12 outputs to any sound card. Content creators can do “preproduction” immersive mixing using headphones, then port the mix to an immersive P.A. system in one of two ways: Use L-ISA Studio software with a hardware audio interface to output 12 discrete audio channels; or, scale the file up to a larger system using the L-ISA Processor II. In essence, it can be used for any kind of playback—and not just live show production.

INSTALLATION The L-ISA Studio download contains three components: L-ISA Controller, L-ISA Audio Bridge and L-ISA Processor. L-ISA Controller serves as the user interface where you create, view and modify a soundcscape. L-ISA Processor is the audio engine that processes audio inputs and outputs, and L-ISA Bridge is a software link between the L-ISA Processor and your DAW. When installed properly, L-ISA Audio Bridge appears as a virtual hardware I/O in your DAW and will route multichannel audio internally from your DAW into L-ISA Processor without need for an external audio processor.

When you start L-ISA Processor for the first time, you must allow access to the computer microphone in order for audio to pass. Configuring the system is a bit tricky, and while printed documentation is sparse, there are online tutorials that are helpful.

When L-ISA Processor is opened, the input defaults to L-ISA Audio Bridge with 96 channels; these channels will appear as inputs and outputs in your DAW. The output device can be the computer’s internal speakers (which will be defeated when you plug in your cans) or an external audio interface, which can either feed headphones or a surround mixing system of up to 12 channels.

It’s worth noting that the binaural engine still works if you use the

stage. headphone jack on an audio interface.

The L-ISA Studio audio engine has the It would take pages to detail the capability of generating several different configuration process, but there are a high-quality, multichannel reverb few things worth mentioning: algorithms. You don’t send signal to these • If you are mixing using headphones, reverbs in the traditional sense. L-ISA you must set the Processing Type Studio generates reverb based upon the in the Monitoring Tab to Binaural position of a Source in the Soundscape.

Parametric. You’ll also need to enable As distance from the listening position the head tracker and set the input L-ISA Studio 2.4 software works on any Mac and renders the binaural is increased, so is the reverb—and the to either MIDI or OSC. The head output in real time for headphone listening. reverb algorithms are of very high tracker must be turned on every time quality. For each Source, you can turn the and you can create up to 96 Sources, which you’ll you open L-ISA Controller, which is see in the Soundscape. A Source can be mono or following reverb parameters on or off: Direct, Early, annoying.

• I found that—even with “auto connect” stereo, and Sources may be paired, grouped and Cluster or Late Reflections, Distance Gain, or HF Attenuation—which facilitates creating Sources checked—my host computer did not always color-coded for easy management.

Maximum spatial control is achieved by that have no direct sound and can be moved automatically connect to L-ISA Controller, so I creating a unique Source for every element in a discretely to specific areas of the Soundscape. had to do it manually on occasion.

All of this would be very cool (though a bit Once L-ISA Processor and L-ISA Controller mix (great for controlling sound effects). There have been configured, you can import or create are five parameters per Source, displayed at the boring) if it was static—but it isn’t. L-ISA Studio a speaker layout, which defines the physical or bottom of the Soundscape window: Pan, Width, provides snapshot automation that can be fired binaurally simulated speaker layout. Thankfully, Distance, Elevation and Aux send (which can using OSC, MTC or DeskLink (I used MTC).

L-Acoustics has provided 5.1, 7.1, 7.1.2 Atmos, 12.0 be used to create a downmix or a subwoofer New Snapshots are created, saved and edited in Binaural and 18.1.4 templates, so you don’t have feed). Stereo sources also have a Pan Spread the Snapshots List under the Soundscape menu, to manually add each speaker, though you can parameter. These can be adjusted using sliders, but oddly, you can delete a Snapshot only from do so by typing values for the X, Y and Z axes. A by typing a value, or by dragging an object in the the Snapshots menu. Parameters include name, speaker layout can contain up to 57 (!) speakers, and Soundscape. Sources may be solo’d, and there’s OSC ID, MIDI Program Change number, time even though not all of those can be output when a “Live On Air” feature to prevent accidentally code capture and crossfade time, making it easy to create complex changes in the Soundscape. using L-ISA Studio, they still define the layout and soloing a Source during a show.

Dynamic movement of Sources can be An easy way to become familiar with the contribute to the binaural simulation.

Speaker layouts may also be imported from capabilities of L-ISA Studio is by creating and automated using the included L-ISA Group L-Acoustics’ Soundvision (system modeling naming a Source for each instrument, using Control and L-ISA Source Control plug-ins (VST3, software) files. The Soundscape menu is where stereo Sources for things like drums, keys and AAX, AU and AAXDSP). A Source or Group can be you’ll see an overhead graphic representation of backing vocals. I was able to build mixes by moved by grabbing it and dragging it in the plugthe speaker layout. Speaker data in an existing placing Sources in the Soundscape wherever in, as well as by moving the sliders for Pan, Width, session can be changed without destroying the I wanted them to be heard. With the head Distance Elevation and Aux Send (make sure that Sources you have already created, making it easy tracker enabled and the binaural engine turned plug-in and snapshot control is enabled in the to create sessions for different playback formats. on, moving your head is freaky: You’ll hear the Control tab). Automation moves can be layered, so When a template is opened (or when creating panorama move based upon the position of your I was able to move a Source across the panorama a speaker layout from scratch), outputs will not head; if you face the rear of the Soundscape, on a first pass using the Soundscape graphic, and yet have been assigned to the speakers. This the binaural processing provides a pretty good then add changes in elevation by grabbing the is done in either the Speakers or Routing tabs illusion that you’ve turned your back to the Elevation slider on a second automation pass, which produces really eerie results. under the Settings menu. It’s probably best to You may only enable either plug-in visit the Routing tab first because you’ll find PRODUCT SUMMARY automation or snapshot automation for a that the first two channels (BIN-L and BIN-R, COMPANY: L-Acoustics Source parameter, but you can “mix and match” binaural), have not been assigned outputs— PRODUCT: L-ISA Studio 2.4 automation—simultaneously controlling some which means you can’t hear them. Assign these WEBSITE: www.l-acoustics.com Source parameters using the plug-in and others to outputs 1 and 2, respectively, and you should PRICE: Free download using Snapshot automation.

This results in a be able to hear audio through your headphones.

PROS: Binaural audio engine allows immersive tremendous amount of control, providing you mixing using headphones. Software is free. plan carefully which type of automation is to be CREATING SOURCES CONS: Vertical simulation is not great when used for each Source parameter.

A Source is a path from the DAW through the using headphones. Documentation leaves Stay tuned for part 2 of this review, where I’ll L-ISA Audio Bridge to L-ISA Controller. Each something to be desired. Software has a few discuss what happens when my mixes are played track from the DAW must be assigned to a minor quirks. using an immersive system! n Source (i.e., an output) in order to be audible,

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Tech // reviews Vanguard Audio Labs V13 gen2 Versatile Tube Mic Shines Everywhere, Excels on Vocals

By Rob Tavaglione

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’ll admit out front that I’ve long been an admirer of Vanguard Audio Labs and the company’s microphones. I’m an endorser of their V1S+LOLLI stereo mic kit and had a good experience in reviewing the original V13. Nonetheless, I’m no fanboy, so I still brought ample amounts of cynicism and curiosity in approaching the new V13 gen2, wondering how it might be “improved” without decreasing the original’s utility or quality of tone.

All of the original V13’s defining traits remain: the slim cylindrical shape, pretty pinot noir finish, open-weave chrome head basket, external power supply, and the U-shaped shock mount (for mounting very close to the source). Component-wise, things remain consistent, or improved upon, as Vanguard has found new sources for a number of parts, an increasingly typical trend in postpandemic supply chains.

All of Vanguard’s gen2 models continue to use cryogenically frozen components (to increase lifespan, as well as consistency), but audiophile-grade resistors are now USA-sourced, with new interconnects from Neutrik.

The V13 gen2 also has an upgraded power supply, with nine patterns, more headroom, less noise, 110 – 240V, a 34mm dualcapsule (Mylar, edge-terminated, gold-sputtered, hand-tune) a European tube (exact model unknown) and a custom-wound, dualbobbin output transformer.

The sum of these parts manifests in the lowest self-noise of any tube mic (-13 dB, A-weighted) and in its durability, as evidenced by a five-year warranty. Specs include 134 dB SPL handling, 200ohm output impedance, and 20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency response (deviation unknown).

The V13 gen2 still has a -10 dB pad and highpass filter at 125 Hz, both with switches on the rear of the mic. Accessories include the shockmount and power supply, 7-pin cable, IEC power cable, pine wood mic box, mic sock and a locking black aluminum carrying case. The V13 gen2 kit seems like a lot for $999.

GUITAR, VOCALS, DRUMS Without hesitation, I threw the V13 up there for some male vocals; no pad, highpass filter engaged, and one-click-toward-omni for a wide-cardioid polar pattern. Within a couple of lines of singing, I knew that I was happy with the V13, as there was no noticeable tube-mic sag, darkness or noise, while it did exhibit plenty of good (non-overbearing) sibilance, strong and present mids (if not quite mid-forward) and just the right amount of chestiness with the

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singer about four inches back and getting some proximity effect.

A Millennia-Media STT-1 mic channel provided clean gain and just a little transformer color, but no EQ was needed and some optical compression made for a very nice vocal sound.

Next up, I tried the V13 as a room mic for drums, right alongside my usual AEA ribbon, with an omni pattern and no pad or filter.

The V13 was bright, but also full in the low-mids and lows, with a lot more cymbal detail and crisp attack than you might expect.

Mounted about six feet from the loud kit, there was no sign of overload or distortion, even without the pad.

Electric guitar always provides an informative measure of a LDC mic, as many will sound downright fizzy and irritating, with

trouble handling the SPL or an inability to get close to the grille cloth, where I like to get in tight for some proximity effect. The V13 sounded quite good, with naturally balanced mids, lots of top-end but not too much, and bottom-end that picked up the benefits of up-close mounting with the U-shaped shockmount.

Acoustic guitar is a really strong app for the V13, where its inherent balance works in a number of placement positions. Capturing the body of the guitar—below and behind the bridge area—yielded fullness and warm resonance; miking right at the neck/body juncture got a pleasantly crisp and string-y defined tone, and positioning it a couple of feet back allowed some air in, with still plenty of closeness and intimacy.

Doing the singer/songwriter thing, I then tried the V13 on vocal, where there was more guitar spill than I would like, but the bleed was smooth enough to not be a major problem. This worked fine with a strong singer, though on a quiet, whispery one, it was more problematic, and needed heavy de-essing as well.

Group vocals proved another strong application for the V13. I tried multiple combinations—a group in a circle with an omni pattern, a duo singing harmonies in unison in figure-8 and a small group in cardioid—and got easy-to-mix results. The EQ balance was “right” with all combos, the soundstage was big and the dynamics were naturally open. Best of all was the resultant tone, with lots of stacking.

Sometimes a condenser mic’s harshness doesn’t really show up until you’ve built-up a large vocal stack, but here, the V13 remained pleasant in that crucial 2.5 – 8 kHz range.

I also tried the V13 in omni as a center overhead and got cool-sounding results with some optical compression (with beefy Carnhill transformers). The balance was thick, chunky and saturated enough to contribute to the kick/ snare/toms sound, as well as cymbals. On the same drum kit, I did finally find one V13 app that didn’t work for me, as outside-kick was a little too woofy, thick and dirty for my tastes, even with the pad engaged.

FLUTE AND PIANO I found myself with the rare opportunity to record some solo flute. I wasn’t sure if the V13 would be ideal, as small-diaphragm condensers often prove more focused for such work. The V13 ended up getting the gig, as it lent a little bit of tube fullness to the tone and avoided the thin sterility that some SDCs might bring.

The Vanguard Audio V13 gen2 comes in a sturdy, foam-lined aluminum case with pine wood mic box, power supply, shockmount, 7-pin cable, IEC power cable and mic sock.

Wanting to avoid an unnatural windy bottom end, I chose a pattern one-click-away-fromomni, which provided an open sound, absent of the mechanical noise a cardioid in-close might bring.

Finally, I pulled in pianist extraordinaire Alex Pogosov for some piano tests, listening for fidelity within all that harmonic complexity, dynamics and frequency response. With the V13 mounted two-and-a-half feet above the center of my Yamaha upright, I ran through the options— lid open, lid closed, omni and cardioid.

The V13 sounded fantastic, with a flatness and honesty to the midrange frequencies that was notably accurate and quite musical; no harshness on the high keys (except for one intense percussive trill) and a fullness to the bass that was euphonic and big without being bloated. Omni sounded just like being there, and cardioid sounded a little more focused, but both

PRODUCT SUMMARY COMPANY: Vanguard Audio Labs PRODUCT: V13 gen2 tube microphone kit WEBSITE: www.vanguardaudiolabs.com PRICE: $999 PROS: Excellent build quality, versatile features, universal vocal tone, excellent value for the money.

CONS: Doesn’t sound great on kick drum.

tones were impressive and begged the question: How good might two V13 gen2 mics sound on piano?

THE FINAL MIX By now you must be wondering how the V13 gen2 compares to the gen1 sonically. Well, I didn’t have both on hand for direct A/B comparison, but I can say with confidence that the differences are minimal. The gen2 seems to have a little more openness and clarity. Sure, the gen2 top end may be a little silkier, but there’s also a touch more accuracy through the low-mids that contributes to such definition and realism. On certain singers, the gen1 seemed a little weighty in the 200 – 350 Hz low-mids, and I never experienced that even once with the gen2. The V13 gen1 is certainly no slouch, but I favor the gen2 in all the apps that I tried.

The V13 gen2 is simply a fantastic mic with smart design, quality construction, nearly limitless versatility and a balanced tone that seems to slightly flatter just about any source. I can recommend the V13 as “your first top-shelf mic” for its price/performance ratio, or as an addition to “complete mic closets.” It might soon be your favorite vocal mic, bar none. Vanguard has hit the bullseye with this one, as the V13 gen2 checks all the boxes of performance, affordability and quality in what might just be the best overall workhorse-of-a-mic that I’ve tested to date. n

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Tech // reviews Flock Audio Patch LT Powerful, Digitally Controlled Analog-Patching System

By Mike Levine

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n 2018, Flock Audio released Patch, a digitally controlled patching and routing system for outboard hardware featuring a 100-percent analog signal path. Patch, which you control with a software application of the same name, provides 64 total patch points and lists for just under $3,000.

The company’s next release, Patch LT, is functionally the same as Patch but has half the I/O and sells for $1,000 less. Flock Audio recently released Patch XT, which offers 192 patch points and is considerably more expensive. This review will focus on the most affordable of the three, Patch LT, but is relevant to the other two Patch models.

The concept behind Patch LT is straightforward. You plug all of your outboard gear into its I/O and connect the unit to a computer over USB. The USB connection strictly carries data for the included Patch software, which controls the routing in the Patch hardware.

The Patch LT hardware unit has no physical controls other than the power switch on the front panel. Power comes through a 24VDC power supply that connects securely to a port on the back panel via a threaded locking sleeve. A USB-B host connector (USB 2.0) on the back links Patch LT to your computer.

All of the analog I/O, except for two front-panel XLR ports, are on four rear-panel DB25/D-SUB connectors (Tascam 25 Pinout Wiring Standard) representing Inputs 1-8 and 9-16, and Outputs 1-8 and 9-16.

Before configuring Routings for the first time, you must open the Hardware Setup Menu in the Patch software and configure the inputs and output numbers of all the gear you’ve connected.

The menu features several modifiers that alter how each piece of equipment is displayed and functions.

One of those is the Lock icon. In its default locked state, it links the input and output of a connected device and shows it as a single Digital Rack Space in the Hardware Index rather than separate ones for input and output. For signal processors especially, that’s what

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you want. The signal comes in, gets processed and goes out.

If you unlock a device, its input and output show up as separate Digital Rack Spaces, giving you the flexibility to place other processors in between them.

For a stereo device, you can use the Pairing option to designate it as a stereo pair, in which case Patch would represent its stereo input and output as a single space in the grid (which Flock refers to as a Digital Rack Space). The pairing function is convenient for setting up a signal chain for master or other stereo bus processing.

You activate Patch LT’s front-panel XLR input and output from the Hardware Setup Menu. Once you do, they take the place of Input and Output 16 connected via DB25. The front panel XLRs are handy in a couple of ways. Primarily, they make it convenient to connect a device that’s not part of your regular setup. You can also use the input to plug in a microphone or Hi-Z instrument and configure it in the software as the first item in a Path.

The Patch software lets you create routings in what’s called the Active Routings Grid. It features up to 16 columns, each of which can contain a separate signal chain, which Flock Audio refers to as a Path. Depending on how you’ve configured your gear in the Hardware Setup Menu, each column can be mono or stereo.

A Path can contain as many devices as you’ve connected in the system. The signal flows from the top to the bottom of each column.

Once you’ve configured your devices in the Hardware Setup Menu, you can drag them from a list (the Hardware Index) on the far left into the Active Routings Grid in the order you want. Changing the order of a device in a Path can be done via drag-and-drop. What’s more, each Digital Rack Space has an arrow to its right that allows you to mult the signal into the adjacent Path at that point.

Any Routings that you’ve created can be saved for later recall using the Stored Routings Menu.

It took me a little while to get my mind around the various setup options in the Patch system, but once I did, I found it to be amazingly powerful. With all of your gear connected, Patch LT provides impressive flexibility for integrating your hardware with your DAW. The more hardware you have, the more valuable Patch will be because it opens up a whole new level of routing and processing flexibility. Whichever model of Patch hardware you purchase, you’ll be getting an innovative system that will make your studio significantly more efficient and powerful. n

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49

Open Channel The Subscription Kerfuffle

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WHERE’S THE GOOD NEWS? A subscription is like a marriage. When you’re happy, all is well, but a divorce can have unexpected repercussions. A subscription is a commitment to a company, not just a product. You trust that the company will remain solvent, that there will be ongoing updates to justify the ongoing cost, and that the program’s future iterations will continue to satisfy your needs.

That’s a significant basis of trust in a company.

Paradoxically, it may be less of a risk with subscriptions. Companies have to stay in business, or everyone loses. Regular, foreseeable income streams eliminate the boom-or-bust mentality of big annual updates, allowing companies to manage their finances more intelligently.

Look at the numbers: Adobe is doing better than ever, and even when you could buy new, perpetual Pro Tools licenses, subscriptions were growing at a much faster rate. Let’s also remember that paying $10 or $15 a month for a program lowers the barrier of entry for those who can’t afford to get involved THE MORE THINGS CHANGE… otherwise. That can only help our industry.

Adobe shook up the software world when it A regular income stream also means that switched to a subscription-only model. The A subscription is like a companies can allocate R&D resources on a reaction was swift and merciless: Hell no! marriage. When you’re predictable basis. If applied correctly, this makes Yet, a few years later, Adobe was riding high the program more attractive, so the company because…well, people subscribed. That’s great happy, all is well, but retains existing subscribers and brings in new ones. for the company, but is it good for consumers? a divorce can have This means there’s more income (and incentive) to Let’s start with the bad news.

Being beholden to a company in an unexpected repercussions. improve their offerings.

Then, in exchange for a steady income stream, uncertain world is bad enough. Companies companies must hold up their end of the bargain are bought, assimilated, go out of business, or change direction (hey, Windows users, remember when Apple bought and provide an equally steady update stream.

Bugs have to be addressed right away instead of “waiting for the next Logic?).

With a subscription, your work is held hostage. Suppose you switch rev.” Support and feature requests need to be taken seriously. If those DAWs after using the same one for many years. You have lots of legacy improvements are implemented, then customers will remain satisfied and projects, but if you ever want to access them, you have to keep paying for be less likely to jump ship. As the vaguely palindromic adage goes, “You a subscription regardless of how often you need your older work. Yes, that know the best DAW is the DAW you know best.” stinks…but there are workarounds.

• Renting. This is already becoming common. For example, if someone uses IF IT WORKS FOR YOUR WORK… a lot of Steven Slate plug-ins that I don’t have, and sends me a project Amazingly, despite the pain of shelling out money on a monthly or to mix, I can rent them for the duration of working on the project. Or, annual basis, the numbers could work in your favor. When you factor in a suppose that after years of using Pro Tools, you switch to something program’s initial cost and the cost of updates over time, you may find that else—but then you get a juicy movie gig that requires Pro Tools. Just rent after several years, you’ve paid the same amount to “own” the program (which you never owned anyway—read the EULA) as you would have if the program for as long as you need.

• “Read-only” mode when a subscription ends. No company does this yet, you’d bought a subscription. But, you’ve had incremental updates that but a “read-only” program would let you load projects, access files, and you could absorb over time instead of massive updates that changed your render or export them. You wouldn’t be able to record anything new, but workflow and required weeks (or months) to assimilate.

Like it or not, with a few notable exceptions, subscriptions will continue at least you wouldn’t lose access to your previous work for porting over to proliferate. So…let the games begin! Let’s see which companies give you to a different DAW. • The doomsday scenario. If a company goes out of business, the gloves the most in return for your having faith in their ability to deliver on their are off. Do whatever’s needed to score a working version. I won’t rat on promises. The companies that end up being the most successful will be the ones that make you happy you’ve subscribed. ■ you to Interpol. et’s talk about subscriptions. The concept that causes blind rage in some people, shrugged shoulders by others, and yet for many, sighs of relief.

Yes, I’m talking about having to pay a significant chunk of money on a regular basis just to keep using a product.

And, of course, the worst part by far is that when you stop paying that chunk of money, you’re dead in the water. No

By Craig Anderton more recording for you.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because you were brought up on the original subscription model: reel-to-reel tape. Sure, you owned your 2-inch, 24-track multitrack recorder, but you had to shell out around $150 to $250 every time you wanted to record 44 minutes of audio at 15 ips. Ouch.

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9000