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Mixing Consoles/Controllers 2019 ★ Bear Rinehart’s ‘Wilder Woods’ ★ Classic Track: Prince’s ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ August 2019 \\ mixonline.com \\ $6.99

>REVIEWED KRK ROKIT GEN4 MONITORS UAD CAPITOL CHAMBERS PLUG-IN POLYVERSE COMET REVERB

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THE PLACE FOR MUSIC KINGSIZE SOUNDLABS AND GOLD DIGGERS CREATE UNIQUE STAGE-STUDIO-HOTEL EXPERIENCE

Producer/engineer/musician and Kingsize Soundlabs owner Dave Trumfio with beloved studio mascot Banjo in his lap, at the API 2448 console in Studio 1 at Gold Diggers.

8.19 Contents Volume 43, Number 8

Photo: Lowfield

14 FEATURES

MUSIC

TECH

14 Bear Rinehart Takes a Solo Trek

34 Technology Spotlight: Mixing

Into ‘Wilder Woods’ BY LILY MOAYERI

16 Music News & Notes: Blackbird Studios Adds Dolby Atmos; Anne Bisson at United Recording

18 Classic Tracks: 22 The Musician’s Playground: Gold Diggers-Kingsize Soundlabs Redefine the Studio-Stage-Hotel Experience

‘Let’s Go Crazy,’ Prince’s Dance Explosion, Cut Live BY ROBYN FLANS

20 Live Sound News & Notes: Roxian Theatre Revamped; Immersive 5-Star Resort

BY TOM KENNY

26 The Kingsize Soundlabs Story: From a Chicago Basement to Santa Monica Boulevard

38 New Products: Studio and Live 42 Review: UAD Capitol Chambers Plug-In BY BARRY RUDOLPH

46 Review: KRK Rokit Gen4 Monitors BY MIKE LEVINE

48 Review: Polyverse Music Comet Reverb BY BARRY RUDOLPH

50 Back Page Blog: Software Interplay and Rebuilding a Classic BY MIKE LEVINE AND STEVE LA CERRA

BY TOM KENNY

28 Jeri Palumbo: The Role of an A1 in Sports, eSports and Live Broadcast

Consoles 2019

DEPARTMENTS

10 From the Editor 12 Current: Sweetwater GearFest 2019 49 Classifieds

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On the Cover: Dave Trumfio, with studio dog Banjo, at the world’s first installation of API’s 2448 console in Studio 1, Gold Diggers Studios, East Hollywood. For more, turn to page 22. Photo: Astor Morgan. Mix, Volume 43, Number 8 (ISSN 0164-9957) is published monthly by Future US, Inc., 11 West 42nd Street, 15th 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. All other international is $50. Printed in the USA. Canadian Post Publications Mail agreement No. 40612608. Canada return address: BleuChip International, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

Vol. 43 No. 8

August 2019

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Current From the Editor

Entering a Morphic Field When I flew down to Los Angeles the second week of July to put together this month’s cover story on Gold Diggers Studios and Kingsize Soundlabs, I had no idea I would be transported back to Chicago and Bloomington, Indiana, circa 1980s. Producer/engineer/musician Dave Trumfio, owner of Kingsize Soundlabs, was the genesis for the story, and while he now runs 35-plus studios in and around Los Angeles, in addition to developing new acts and still touring, he was originally from Chicago; I knew that. We had an unplanned dinner in New York City last fall during the AES convention, following Dave’s appearance at a press conference to announce the first purchase of the new API 2448 console. I had grown up in Indiana, just south of Chicago, so we had plenty to talk about, from Steve Dahl on WXRT to our first concerts at nearby Alpine Valley. I loved his story, and I promised a cover within the next 12 months. Here we are, with what turns out to be a much bigger story than I had imagined. Fast-forward to early July, and that’s when I entered the Morphic Field. I was first told about morphic fields from a friend of my daughter Molly. Apparently, what we usually think of as a “strange coincidence” can be more readily explained by the notion that a morphic field, taking into account the connections we all make throughout a life, makes it more likely that those who share like values and interests will eventually come together. That is a greatly simplified explanation of a quasi-scientific notion, but in Los Angeles in July, it sure came together for me. The Dave Trumfio Kingsize Soundlabs story, which had begun in his parents’ basement in the early 1980s, had added a new chapter between our New York dinner and my L.A. visit. The API 2448 was going into Gold Diggers, a new bed and beverage concept developed by Dave Neupert and coming to its peak in East Hollywood, in a 1924 building along Santa Monica Boulevard. Neupert had been successful with the model of a boutique hotel with attached bar in New Orleans, now refining it in Los Angeles. The Gold Diggers building had once been an inn along Route 66, then it was Ed Wood’s Hollywood film studio, then a strip club, then fell into disrepair during its decade-plus as a rehearsal space, hosting the likes of Slayer and an early Guns N’ Roses. Neupert saw potential, and then over lunch one day with his childhood friend Simon Horrocks, also a music and hospitality industry veteran, Horrocks said, “You should talk to my friend Dave Trumfio.” The next day Neupert and Trumfio met at the same

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lunch table at Baroo, shook hands, and had a plan for a studio facility to accompany the hotel-bar-stage setup. The concept of Drink, Sleep, Record was born. But there’s more. It turns out Neupert and Horrocks grew up less than 10 minutes from Trumfio in Mount Prospect, Ill., at about the same time. Same references, same love of music. While Trumfio was recording early house and punk out of Chicago, eventually working with Wilco, OK Go, My Morning Jacket and countless indie rock and punk bands out of Chicago, Neupert was working A&R first for Capitol, then Maverick, before starting his own digital marketing company in 1995, focused on musicians and early online promotion. Horrocks was in Atlanta working for labels. Many years later, the three Chicago boys came together and have created a “music campus,” all based around musicians who want to get away while still being in the city. I joined the morphic field at the same Baroo lunch spot, when it came out that both Neupert and Horrocks went to Indiana University in the mid-1980s, same years as me. I started to mention this amazing night at the Bluebird in 1987, with a $1 cover and $2 pitchers, with the local Raging Texans joined by John Mellencamp, Lou Reed… “And John Prine!” Neupert cut in. “Wasn’t that amazing?” He then went on to recite Lou Reed’s set list, and how John Prine joined the Raging Texans guitarist on dueling stools to close the night . He, like me, knew that the whole gang was headed for the second Farm Aid the next day in Champaign-Urbana, and they stopped at Mellencamp’s along the way. We then talked about the Memorial Union Building, Jake’s, Dunn Meadow, on and on. I was stunned. I talk a lot and I tell lots of stories in my travels. I’m Irish; I can’t help myself. But in all these years, I had never met any of the other 250 people who were in the Bluebird that night. But Dave Neupert was there, and some 32 years later we’re having Korean BBQ at Baroo, getting the lowdown on his amazing studio-stagehotel concept, on Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood. It’s a long way from Bloomington, but it seemed that day like it was right next door. I can’t wait to join my next morphic field…

Tom Kenny Editor, Mix

Current // news & notes Sweetwater GearFest 2019 More than 17,000 gear fanatics from across the country convened for Sweetwater Sound’s 18th Annual GearFest, held June 21-22 at the retailer’s headquarters in Fort Wayne, Ind. The two-day event, which highlighted the newest musical instruments, technology and audio equipment from top manufacturers, in addition to performances by special guest artists, also featured two full days of workshops held at Sweetwater Studios and the new Purdue Fort Wayne Sweetwater Music Center. The workshops provided attendees a nut-and-bolts approach to a wide variety of topics relating to making music and choosing the right equipment to practicing and performing, recording, mixing and engineering. The workshops also offered personalized discussions on how to pursue a successful career in the music business. Saturday, June 22 began with the GearFest debut of the Purdue Fort Wayne Sweetwater Music Center, located on the Sweetwater campus behind the main facility. Sweetwater Studios Senior Producer/ Engineer Mark Hornsby led Saturday’s kickoff panel discussion, titled “Being Successful in Today’s Music Business,” providing attendees with a no-nonsense, professional approach to the business of recording and performing music. Alongside career experiences and personal anecdotes relayed by Sweetwater Studios’ first-call session drummer Nick D’Virgilio (Big Big Train, Tears for Fears, Cirque du Soleil), as well as Marcus Scott, vocalist for the legendary soul band Tower of Power, Hornsby demystified the seemingly magical combination of talent, networking savvy and persistence that it takes to become a working professional in the music business. Following a discussion of the possibility for finding a more loyal fan base in niche markets, D’Virgilio described the grassroots approach of the progressive rock band he joined in 2007, Big Big Train, whose singer, David Longdon, and bass player, Greg Spawton, have found ways to engage fans through the Internet, building a groundswell of support around their records. The band’s latest album, Grand Tour, debuted at Number. 35 on the UK Official Albums Chart and Number 2 on the UK Official Rock Albums Chart.

From left, Mark Hornsby, Nick D'Virgilio and Marcus Scott discuss ‘Being Successful in Today’s Music Business.’

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Sweetwater Studios Senior Producer/Engineer Mark Hornsby leads a Master Class in Sweetwater Studios.

“The takeaway from Nick’s story is: There is no silver bullet,” Hornsby said. “There is nothing any of us can tell you, or that anybody is going to tell you, that says, ‘If you do this, you’ll get paid tomorrow.’ The guys in Big Big Train were working on it for 10 years before Nick was in the band. They had a long-term vision. They weren’t expecting an immediate payout. And it is coming back to them now.” Marcus Scott also shared his experience of starting out in the music industry, emphasizing the importance of saying yes to every gig. While working in Memphis, Scott accepted a corporate gig he landed through a contact at a modeling agency, in which he was asked to sing a cappella in the aisle of an airport terminal outside the storefront of an ice-cream shop during the store’s grand opening. While singing at the gig, Scott’s voice caught the attention of record producer David Porter, and—through a series of connections that spurred as a result of that gig in the aisle of an airport terminal—eventually led to his audition to become the current frontman for Tower of Power. Hornsby followed up Scott’s story with some practical advice for networking that he learned while starting out as a recording engineer in Nashville, which eventually landed him a job at Seventeen Grand Recording, one of the first 5.1 high-definition studios in the U.S. “Get the other person’s contact info and find a way to help them,” Hornsby said. “I met the owner of Seventeen Grand Recording at an Audio Engineering Society event, and the first phone call I ever made to him was when the AES was having a ‘Yard Sale.’ I called him up and asked, ‘What can I do to help? Do you need a volunteer?’ And he responded, ‘Yeah, that would be great!’ And that’s how you start to earn your way in the business.” GearFest attendees also had the opportunity to participate in studio workshops led by Hornsby in Sweewater’s Studio A Tracking Room, including “Recording Electric Guitar” with guitarist Tom Hemby, “Recording Vocals,” with Marcus Scott, as well as the “Recording Drums” workshop led by Nick D’Virgilio and Bobby Dellarocca. Hornsby also led Friday’s “Breaking Down the Mix: Examining a Mix from the Raw Track to the Finished Product” and “The 1-hour Mix: Getting the Job Done When Working on a Deadline” workshops held in Sweetwater’s Studio A Control Room. In addition, “Deep Dive” workshops were held on Friday and Saturday focusing on Avid Pro Tools I S6 + MTRX and Avid Pro Tools Ultimate in the Studio A Control Room, led by Avid product specialists Jeff Komar and Greg “Stryke” Chin. Saturday also featured an “Ask Sylvia Studio Workshop” with producer/engineer Sylvia Massy (Tool, System of a Down) in the Studio A Control Room, plus more workshops on recording vocals with Hornsby and Kat Bowser and on recording drums with Hornsby and D’Virgilio in the Studio A Tracking Room. n

Music Photo: Jesse DeFlorio

Bear Rinehart Steps Solo Into Wilder Woods Frontman of NEEDTOBREATHE Tries New Studio, First-Time Producer By Lily Moayeri

ear Rinehart has appropriated his young sons’ names, Wilder and Woods, for his first solo venture away from his group, NEEDTOBREATHE. Wilder Woods was a handy guise for Rinehart when the initial songs from his debut, self-titled album first emerged, a way to get listeners to focus on the music rather than the musician, particularly as NEEDTOBREATHE is still in full swing as Wilder Woods is set for release. With six NEEDTOBREATHE albums in

almost two decades, Rinehart knows his way around a studio. Each of the NEEDTOBREATHE band members, however, has their area of specialty, and Rinehart’s is not the nuts-andbolts part of the process. “I had to start by myself and I didn’t know how to start,” says Rinehart. “I didn’t think of myself as someone who could do a demo. I spent four or five months not just on writing songs, but also on my Logic skills, overcoming that hurdle.

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“I used a guitar and piano to write, which is similar to the band, but it was the first time I was writing songs without a drummer in the room. That was a challenge, but also freeing. I got into sampling and splicing beats, just experimenting, like you do when you’re starting out. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that spot.” Once Rinehart had the angle of the album musically and lyrically, he took his demos to Nashville, where there is a wealth of musicians, far more than his hometown of Charleston,

Photo: Nolan Knight

S.C. He connected with producer and songwriter Gabe Simon, who until Wilder Woods had never produced an entire album. Simon, one-time member of Kopecky, has had a hand in songs for Dua Lipa and Gin Wigmore, but he had no knowledge of NEEDTOBREATHE, which was the best place he could come from for Rinehart. “I didn’t realize I wanted this, but I really liked working with producers and musicians that were on the alternative and pop side,” says Rinehart. “I come from such a rock ‘n’ roll background, the way that meshed was really good. The people I enjoyed the most scared me the most, in the sense that they would take a left turn when I was thinking right.” This disparity in musical backgrounds is the driving creative force at the core of Wilder Woods. Rinehart’s voice is allowed to explore previously uncharted territory. He exudes sweetness and tenderness on “Mary, You’re Wrong,” and deep into the bowels of lo-fi soul on “Sure Ain’t”—one of the standouts on the album—and stripped-back Americana on the gravelly “Someday Soon.” Rinehart set up camp at Layman Drug Company Studios for Wilder Woods with the distinct honor of being the first ever album recorded in that space. The openness of the room, the hard surfaces and vinyl flooring ,plus dimmable lighting, all lent themselves to both the spirit and the sound Rinehart and Simon were trying to capture. “We wanted the drums to have a room sound to them that was a ‘50s doo-wop, Phil Spector kind of openness,” says Rinehart. “In my experience, room for drums is really important because a drummer tends to play busier in a dry room. If you play too many toms, it starts to get muddy. If the room is really open, it feels like the beats get straighter, and that forces your drummer into a nice music place.” Additionally, the live room is in full view of the control room, which is an essential characteristic for Rinehart, who was going for a haunting 1950s/’60s

feeling for the vocals, which he sometimes tracks from the control room watching the musicians in the live room, and sometimes in the live room. Says Simon, “Having Jesse Baylin and The Watson Twins doing background vocals in the room separated by baffles and singing into these beautiful mics, conducting them and orchestrating how they’re singing, how they’re swaying, how they’re enunciating and doing their consonants, I felt like I was making a record in 1968 or 1973.” The backing vocals are recorded while everyone is singing at the same time into separate microphones in order to have bleed capture the warmth. For Rinehart, at times he was recorded in stereo with two Audio-Technica 4033 microphones, such as on “Someday Soon,” in order to create an intimacy that comes from hearing him sometimes more on the left or more on the right. For songs like “Light Shine In” and “Mary,” he is recorded in the control room on a Shure SM7B. “We went through the Tree Audio console,” says Konrad Snyder who engineered Wilder Woods. “Most of the harmonic distortion heard on the album is straight off the console. We wanted to keep the natural signal, so we didn’t do a lot of parallel compression. But [Rinehart] likes to sing to compression, so out of the Tree console we went into a splitter. One channel went into an 1176 that we panned because we like really aggressive sounds. One channel went into a Retro Sta-Level. One channel went into a Distressor. And we would also run it through the Bricasti reverb in real time; and we swapped pedals on every song.” Part of the reason for this approach is Rinehart’s dynamic range, which when it is on the soft side, is difficult to hear. For this, Snyder mixes the compressor signal in order to be able to hear the articulation in Rinehart’s voice. Says Snyder, “[Rinehart] and [Simon] run on momentum. What gives them momentum is being excited by the product. You have to be emotionally connected to a take. It should sound mixed for them, and for them to not hear that, they’re not going to give the best they can give.” Similar to the vocals, when the drum sounds are captured, they are done so with a pure signal, but what’s heard is a lot of parallel compression for a super slammed signal in order to generate the energy during recording. “It wasn’t necessarily a sonic choice,” says Snyder of recording the musicians, sometimes together, sometimes not. “It was more the emotional energy of the performance that is flowing between them that changes the dynamic, giving them more to feed off of in order to manipulate their performance into what [Rinehart] and [Simon] have envisioned.” The musicians on Wilder Woods—most notably, Tyler Burkum, Jeremy Lutino, Ian Fitchuk, and Darren King—are all producers in their own right, which Rinehart feels was a key factor in keeping the song-forward attitude on the album. Their stellar performances are bolstered and turned on their heads with unexpected twists such as adding Roland 808s to the drums and treating guitars as samples, cutting them up and reversing them. “It’s two polar opposite people coming together,” says Simon of himself and Rinehart. “On ‘Electric Woman,’ which has a down-tempo, chill verse, we added 808s with an old-school guitar and [Rinehart] sang random things on the bridge. Instead of going for Sam Cooke, we went for backbeats and tape loop guitars and doing our own strange version. We’re creating new sounds that don’t fit in a specific genre, that can go down and can go really hard and fast and still feel cohesive.” n

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Photo: David Goggin

Music // news & notes Anne Bisson at United Recording Canadian jazz vocalist and pianist Anne Bisson recently finished up recording her new album, Keys To My Heart, at United Recording. In her sixth album, the charismatic former television personality explored engaging stories with expressive performances. On the project, Bisson collaborated with recording engineer Michael C. Ross, assistant engineer Wesley M. Seidman, and mastering and lacquercutting professional Bernie Grundman. Bisson and Ross previously worked on her successful direct-to-disc Four Seasons in Jazz album. At Ross’ suggestion, Bisson returned to Los Angeles to record Keys To My Heart at United Recording, where she was joined by drummer Joe LaBarbera and acoustic bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz. "United Recording’s Studio B is my favorite room in the world," Ross said. "The studio’s microphone selection is second to none, and includes Neumann M-50s, AKG C-12s, AKG C-12As, Telefunken 251s, and Neumann U-67s and U-47s. The console is one of the few of its kind, a custom-built Neve 8068 with API 550a EQs on every channel.” Keys To My Heart clocks in with 11 songs, including two cover classics:

Pictured in United Recording's Studio B are, from left: Wesley Seidman, Michael C. Ross, Anne Bisson, Joe LaBarbera, and Darek Oleszkiewicz.

perennial standard "Killing Me Softly" and "For Me, Formidable," a beloved song from legendary French composer/singer Charles Aznavour, which Bisson sings in both English and French. In addition, frequent collaborator and friend Pierre Lenoir co-write nine songs on the album. Keys To My Heart will be released at the Hong Kong HiFi Show in August on the UHQCD format, and in September in the U.S. on CD and 45 RPM One Step Double LP, distributed exclusively by Elusive Disc. The album will also be available on iTunes and other streaming music services. For additional information, please visit: www.annebisson.com.

Blackbird Debuts Dolby Atmos® Music Studio TOP NASHVILLE FACILITY ADDS ATC MONITOR SYSTEM, AVID CONTROL

Photo: Marian Mathis. Courtesy of Blackbird Studio.

Blackbird Studio, Nashville’s premier recording complex, opened Summer NAMM a night early with a gala event on Wednesday, July 17, to mark the official launch of the facility’s new Dolby Atmos® 9.1.6 reference room (Studio C). A who’swho of the Nashville music community was on hand, as was the core team that made studio owner John McBride’s vision a reality, including personnel from Dolby, TransAudio Group (ATC speakers), Avid and Sound Construction, as well as Blackbird Chief Technical Engineer Richard Ealey and Blackbird Operations Manager Paul Simmons. Attendees were treated to a listening session with a wide variety of tracks including Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” Beck’s “Seventh Heaven,” and, for the first time ever, Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” newly mixed by multi-Grammy Award-winning engineer David Leonard, who was in the room to discuss this latest mix of the legendary track. Blackbird’s 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos reference/mix room is outfitted with ATC SCM300ASL Pro speakers (L-C-R), ATC SCM100ASL Pro speakers (six top and three per side) and ATC SCM1-15ASL Sub (single-15s, with four front, two rear/side); AVID Pro Tools | MTRX audio interfaces (two);

The core group that helped develop Blackbird Studios’ 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos mix/reference room was on hand for opening night, July 17. Front row, from left: John McBride (Blackbird Studio), Christine Thomas (Dolby), Bryan Pennington (Dolby). Back row, from left: Dave Mattingly (Sound Construction), Richard Ealey (Blackbird Studio), Paul Simmons (Blackbird Studio), Ceri Thomas (Dolby), David Seal (TransAudio Group), Aleks Bars (TransAudio Group), and Brad Lunde (TransAudio Group).

Antelope Audio 10MX rubidium atomic master

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clock; and AVID Pro Tools | SYNC HD. n

Classic Tracks ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ Trying to Tone Down Prince’s Live-in-the-Studio Track By Robyn Flans

ecording “Let’s Go Crazy” at The Warehouse in St. Louis Park, Minn., in October 1983 for Prince and the Revolution was baptism by fire for engineer Susan Rogers. While the August 3, 1983, live show at First Avenue provided the bed for the three tracks they re-worked in the studio—“I Would Die 4 U,” ‘”Baby I’m a Star” and “Purple Rain”— Prince decided to completely re-cut “Let’s Go Crazy” because, Rogers says, Prince wanted it less “frantic.” When he decided to do that, Rogers had to turn the large industrial warehouse rehearsal space of approximately 100 x 50 feet into a recording environment. Rogers described the room as long and rectangular with high ceilings and no isolation. She says Prince and the band— Bobby Z (drums), Wendy Melvoin (guitar), Lisa Coleman (keyboards), Mark Brown (bass), Matt Fink (keyboards)—set up at the short, far side of the room like they did on the Purple Rain tour, with a riser in the back. “We just threw a nice piece of carpet on the floor and set the console in front of where the band rehearsed,” she recalls. “And I set up monitors on stands, wheeled over a tape machine, an outboard gear rack, got some snakes and got everything wired up.” She believes it was an API console they brought into The Warehouse, as well as the Ampex MM1200 from Prince’s home. Although Rogers doesn’t recall exactly which outboard gear they used on that track, Prince’s favorites included his Prime Time digital delays, AMS nonlinear reverb, EMT 250 reverb, and before that the EMT 140 and Lexicon 480L. The mics she used were the same as in rehearsal—a lot of Sennheiser MD 421s on guitar amps and SM 57s all around. The keyboards were an Oberheim OB-SX and

OB-X, and they used the LM-1 drum machine. “That was the earlier version of the Linn Drum because the individual inputs on the back each had a tuning knob,” she recalls. “And on the updated version of the Linn Drum I think there were only five tuning knobs available, so you couldn’t individually tune things, and he liked tuning things separately.” Prince came to rehearsal looking like Prince, Rogers says. “Hair immaculate, the high-heeled boots, the fine clothes,” she explains, adding that his costume designers, Louis Wells and Vaughn Terry, shared the warehouse space. Prince played his MadCat guitar, the Hohner Telecaster knockoff, with his preferred Mesa/ Boogie Amps and Bag End speaker cabinets, along with what Rogers called his “secret weapon,” the Roland Boss pedalboard. “At rehearsal, he did not like floor monitors in front because he liked to do choreography,” she says. “He loved side fills, so in the front row downstage, he, Wendy and Mark Brown were listening to themselves through side fills, as well as through their own amps, but the vocals and everything were coming through side fills. And then back up on the riser, Matt and Lisa and Bobby all had wedges. And while that was going on, those mics from the stage were feeding splitter snakes, which were feeding two consoles—a monitor mix console and the API console.” Since the basis of the song is drum machine, Rogers says all she had to do there was push “play.” Prince and the band played live with the instruments going direct, so getting sounds was fairly easy. Still, there was no isolation, and Rogers, who had only come to work for Prince a couple of months prior as a technician, was fairly new at this engineering thing. She had become a technician because she

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wanted to be where records were being made, but she wasn’t a musician. Embarking on a career in 1978 when women were barely seen in recording studios, she decided that if she offered something badly needed, she might have a chance. While working as a night receptionist at the University of Sound Arts in Los Angeles, she overheard a teacher telling a student that a sure job was as a maintenance tech. “So I thought, ‘That’s for me, whatever a maintenance tech is. I’ll become that so I can be in the industry.” And she did. And she loved it and she thrived, first repairing MCI consoles and tape machines, eventually nabbed by Crosby, Stills and Nash at Rudy Recorders as their studio tech. When she heard through the grapevine that Prince was looking for a technician, it felt like the perfect fit. “I was a huge Prince fan,” she asserts. “I had seen him live a few times, and I listened to the same music he did—Parliament, Sly & the Family Stone, Al Green, James Brown. Soul music was the street I lived on. He liked working with women, and I was one.” After Prince’s “1999” tour, he was about to begin the monumental Purple Rain film and

Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns

Prince performing on stage at the Ritz Club on September 13, 1984, part of the Purple Rain Tour

album. Prince told his Los Angeles-based management team that he needed a technician who had experience with tape machines. They reached out to Westlake Audio, where owner Glenn Phoenix asked his techs if they knew anyone. Rogers’ ex-boyfriend happened to be working there, and he immediately called to inform her that her dream job was waiting. She got the position, moved across the country, but it was a week on the job before she met Prince. She could hear him on the piano and taking meetings while she installed a new API console in his home studio (aka a small bedroom across from his master bedroom in the 4-bedroom, split-level home in Chanhassen, Minn). She also had to repair some of the tracks on his Ampex MM 1200 and some other odds and ends, until finally she told his assistant that she had completed all tasks. Prince came into the room to survey the work and made no introductions, just asked if this and that were done. “I answered the questions and he told me a time to come back the next morning,” she remembers of their first moments together. “He

turned around to go up the stairs, and I thought, ‘I’m not going to let this start like this.’ I stopped him and said, ‘Excuse me, Prince.’ He stopped and said, ‘Yes?’ and I stuck out my hand and said, ‘I’m Susan Rogers,’ and he got that look on his face that I would see many times where he was trying not to laugh, and he stuck out his hand and said, ‘I’m Prince,’ and we shook hands and did a little bow. Okay, good.” While their introduction may have left something to be desired, the introduction to “Let’s Go Crazy,” is legendary. Prince’s “dearly beloved” sermon for life was all part of the vocal; Rogers says she doesn’t remember if it was captured live or overdubbed later. She says Prince liked to sing live and would definitely keep the vocal if possible. The mic he used for vocals was a Sennheiser D330. They would mix while they went along. They were recording the full-length dance versions to be edited down. “Most of his songs tended to go for six or seven minutes, and we’d print them as a long-version mix and then cut that up and it would become the album cut,” Rogers explains. “I recorded it

“I stuck out my hand and said, ‘I’m Susan Rogers,’ and he stuck out his hand and said, ‘I’m Prince,’ and we shook hands and did a little bow. Okay, good.”

and tweaked a few things, and then he and I finished it together and printed it there.” When she thinks back to the recording of that track, the greatest memory was working late into the night alone after everyone left, “finishing up some overdubs, including his guitar solo,” Rogers recalls. “Which was kinda fun.” While the alone time was precious, there was one precarious moment that comes to mind. Rogers says that as a beginner her job was to “not mess it up,” and admits there was plenty of cortisol (the main stress hormone) running around in her bloodstream. “I was sitting at the tape machine operating the remote in front of me, and he was playing guitar and he made a mistake,” she recalls. “So he said, ‘Roll back and we’ll punch in,’ so I rolled back to the top of the solo and I’m playing the solo and because I hadn’t done any of this, he’s playing along and I’m starting to panic, thinking, ‘Oh no, he’s recording and I’m not recording. Is he going to be mad that I’m not recording? Should I be recording?’ Yeah, I should probably record.’ “So I hit the Record button and he leaned over me and he hit the Stop button on the remote and said, ‘Who cued you?’” she continues. “I started to say, ‘I don’t know,’ and he cut me off and he said, ‘Roll back, watch my face, I will cue you and that’s where we will punch in.’ We rolled back and I watched him for the cue, and what he would do is he would be playing along and a beat or two before, he would raise up his chin and when the chin came down, that meant punch in. Over time, he and I got really, really good at that. I got really good at reading where the mistakes were, and with just the slightest movement of his head I knew where to go in. I was glad he gave me a second chance.” The other very vivid memory of that session, she says, was how happy Prince was. “He and the band would go over the track over and over and over again and he was just so happy,” she recalls. “He would spend a long time just going over things, not necessarily because there was anything wrong with them; the band was great, they’d get it pretty quickly, but just because he loved it so much. He would just throw that beach ball up in the air and toss it back and forth to the musicians…his joy at that time was clearly evident. That was very memorable.” "Let's Go Crazy" became Prince's second Number 1 hit on Billboard's Top 200 on August 4, 1984, remaining there for 24 weeks. It also topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Dance Club Play charts. n

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Live // news & notes L-Acoustics Helps Revamp Pittsburgh’s Legendary Roxian Theatre ceiling. “Kara’s size and weight were ideal for this project,” he says. “Plus it’s a clean looking system, which is certainly important for an historic venue like this.” Roxian Theatre’s new sound system consists of two dozen Kara(i) enclosures, hung 12 per side and each backed by three SB18i subs, all powered by seven LA8 amplified controllers. In addition, four KS28 subs are positioned underneath the stage, powered by one LA12X amplifier. Six short throw X8 loudspeakers, driven by a single LA4X, are used as frontfills, while eight more X8 fill in under the balcony, powered by another LA4X. On stage, 11 larger X12 serve as monitor Photos: David Heath

The newly reopened Roxian Theatre in all its splendor following an extensive $9 million renovation.

Once a rough-and-tumble cog in Pittsburgh’s steel and coal industries, McKees Rocks has morphed into a pleasant suburb with an interesting past and a bright future thanks to several major downtown renewal projects. The jewel of these is the renaissance of the long-shuttered 1400-seat Roxian Theatre, which reopened in May with a slate of upcoming headliners including Snarky Puppy, Bruce Hornsby, Bad Religion, The Psychedelic Furs, Common, Avril Lavigne, and !!!. Helping to attract acts of this caliber is the Roxian’s new L-Acoustics Kara(i) loudspeaker system, designed and installed by Hollowood Music & Sound. The 90-year-old former vaudeville house had closed in 2003 and remained vacant until local entrepreneur John Pergal, who also owns nearby Lawrenceville’s Thunderbird Café & Music Hall, worked with several partners to buy the property from the McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation in December of 2017 as part of the neighborhood’s reawakening. Pergal and his blues band, the Pawnbrokers, play the club, often in the acoustic-duo sets he does with the band’s guitarist on Friday nights

before the opening act. “Acoustics and sound systems are afterthoughts at a lot of venues,” he says. “But not at this one. We had to have the best, and now we do.” Hollowood Music & Sound, run For the Roxian Theatre’s official grand opening on May 15, Grammy by Brad Hollowood as the third- Award-winning jazz-fusion act Snarky Puppy packed the house. generation family member of the 54-year-old company, is located just a few doors wedges powered by yet another LA4X, and three down from the theater. He quickly became SB18m are used as stage sidefill subs and for the drumfill, collectively powered by two LA12X. familiar with the venue’s sonic challenges. Pergal, meanwhile, is pleased with the “The theater has a pretty large balcony, and the intent was to host a wide range of music performance of Kara(i), both as a club impresario genres, so the sound system had to be able to and as a musician. “The vocal clarity is amazing cover all those bases,” says Hollowood. “We and the bass is really tight,” he says. “I’ve used L-Acoustics Soundvision software to get a personally played through many line arrays, and very precise acoustical model of what the sound I go out to lots of different venues all the time would do in this space, and when we plugged to hear music, and this system sounds as good Kara into those specifications, it came back a or better than any I’ve listened to—including the monitors, which most club owners will perfect match.” The Kara(i) enclosures also offered the never hear! For me, the whole idea of restoring compact form factor needed to maintain clear the Roxian was about the live music; that’s what sightlines from the balcony, and the kind of I’m in it for. I want it to be a great experience weight-to-performance ratio that made it a for everyone who comes here, and with our good candidate for the near century-old venue’s L-Acoustics system, it absolutely is.”

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Photo: Arthur Pequin

Amadeus Brings Immersive Sound to 5-Star Resort The 11th century castle at the center of the 5-star resort.

Immersive sound systems are finding homes in all types of installations, from museums, to event spaces, to live performance venues. Now, with help from speaker manufacturer Amadeus, the Domaine des Étangs “hotel resort” in France has a system, too. Located in Massignac, the resort spans a thousand acres of unspoiled natural land including forests, pastures, and ponds, to go with an 11thcentury castle, fully renovated and decorated with contemporary works of art, detailed landscaping, six tenant farms, a former dairy (La Laiterie), a vegetable garden, a wellness center, Gallo-Roman baths, two swimming pools, a floating tennis court, and a top-rated gastronomic Michelinstarred restaurant. La Laiterie is a new gallery space within the Domaine des Étangs complex that is dedicated to exhibitions about the Meeting of Art and Nature. “As we collaborated in advance of the sound system installation with Amadeus experts, we were able to get rid of the speakers’ common aesthetic nuisances and at the same time ensure a sound quality at a level rivaling the most famous concert halls,” said Manuel Gomez, architect and music lover, who was in charge of the renovation work for La Laiterie, where the sound system comprises 44 speakers made by Amadeus and the Holophonix spatial sound processor. “This space had to be able to host art exhibitions, events, acoustic or amplified music, electroacoustic music creations, etc., without having to modify, reconfigure or move speakers according to the application,” said Gaëtan Byk, Marketing Manager for Amadeus. “The sound system had to be as versatile, scalable and integrated as possible. It appeared obvious to develop our project around the Holophonix processor,” Mezzanines excluded, the hall is roughly 75 x 30 feet and incorporates 32 Amadeus PMX 5 coaxial speakers integrated at inferior purlins at mezzanine height: 10 evenly spaced speakers lengthwise and six speakers across the width. Eight low-frequency Amadeus ML 12 SLIM bespoke subwoofer speakers are integrated into the low section of the walls, spread out with four speakers on

The La Laiterie Gallery includes Amadeus speakers throughout.

each side lengthwise along the walls. In addition, a new purpose-designed “slim bass” speaker, named UFD 215, is integrated under each mezzanine. Holophonix is an integrated hardware and software product designed by Amadeus in collaboration with the STMS (Sciences et Technologies de la Musique et du Son), a laboratory founded in 1995 and hosted in the IRCAM premises. The processor ensures a specified coherency between all speakers, each receiving a dedicated audio signal. Several standard presets were designed on location according to the rooms’ specifications to enhance the system versatility and adaptability according to the needs of the installation or event. The basic audio configuration uses three virtual sources, and synthesizes the signal on all loudspeakers, according to the WFS (Wave Field Synthesis) principles. The first source is stereophonic, it processes the output signal of the Lumin U1 player/streamer, used to play high-resolution music tracks. The two other sources are monophonic, synthesizing the audio signal coming from Shure ULXD4D digital wireless microphone receivers. They can easily be moved in real time, to follow the actual position of those using the microphones. The hardware offers a quasi-unlimited number of spatialization buses, each one able to run one of the different sound algorithms available, including: Higher-Order Ambisonics (2D, 3D) Vector-Base Intensity Panning (2D, 3D), Vector-Base Amplitude Panning (2D, 3D), Wave Field Synthesis, Angular 2D, k-Nearest Neighbor, Stereo Panning, Stereo AB, Stereo XY, and Binaural. n

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on the cover

The Musicianâ€™s Playground Gold Diggers and Kingsize Soundlabs Are Redefining the Studio-Stage-Hotel Experience By Tom Kenny The entrance to Gold Diggers Studios.

The completed Studio 1 control room, with booths behind and to the side. Inset: A reverse view of Studio 1 control room.

s with many of the best business and creative partnerships, this one started with a handshake over lunch. Sitting at a table at Baroo in East Hollywood, where a James Beard Award semifinalist chef serves some of the finest Korean barbecue in Los Angeles, were Dave Neupert, a music industry veteran who had taken a side trip into the beverage and hospitality industry; Simon Horrocks, Neupert’s friend form Chicago then working in music licensing out of Atlanta; and Dave Trumfio, a producer-engineer-musician-studio owner who grew up in Detroit.

Rewind. Actually, the story begins the day before at the same table, with Neupert and Horrocks discussing the new property the former had purchased just a half block away to further develop his concept of the tavern-inn experience, what he refers to as “bed and beverage.” He had success in Los Angeles previously, along with a track record of rehabbing established and much-beloved bars that had seen better days, most often in neighborhoods about to undergo transformation. (He and his partners developed a similar bed and beverage in New Orleans that is doing quite well.) But this one was a bit different. Located on Santa Monica Boulevard, along historic Route 66, the property included an 11-room hotel that had been abandoned but was still zoned, a bar named Gold Diggers that carried a valuable liquor license, and out back there was a 6,000-squarefoot structure that in previous lives had been Ed Wood’s soundstage and later a rehearsal facility that laid claim to stints by early Guns N’ Roses and Slayer, among countless others. It was now in bad shape, and Neupert was thinking about

making it look good and leasing it out to post facilities, or artists, or… “Wait a little bit before you decide,” Horrocks said to Neupert after they took a look at the rundown space. “I want you to meet a friend of mine named Dave Trumfio. He owns a bunch of recording studios and he has this model that would work here.” Back to the story. The next day the three met again at Baroo. Three years later, Gold Diggers Sound is on the cover of Mix. COMING UP WITH THE PLAN “The property dictated the idea,” Neupert says. “Then, hearing what Dave was doing with his sound labs at Kingsize, it was a total no-brainer. We just thought, ‘Let’s do this.’ I had such an immediate comfort level with Dave, and it fell into place so quickly for the three of us. I went with my gut. He has such respect in the recording business and had been doing it in Chicago and L.A. for years with this concept. It

The core team at Gold Diggers-Kingsize Soundlabs. Seated, from left: Owner Dave Neupert; Studio Manager/ Partner Simon Horrocks; Chief Engineer Eric Gorman. Standing, from left: Kingsize Soundlabs Owner/Partner Dave Trumfio; Kingsize Soundlabs Studio Manager/Gold Diggers Partner Ronna Trumfio; Gold Diggers Live Entertainment Manager Emily Ibarra,

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just felt right.” The Trumfian concept of the sound lab is not new. He’s just developed the idea and made it work better than anyone else (see story, page 26). In a nutshell, Trumfio’s studio network includes more than 35 rooms in and around Los Angeles, with roughly 80 percent of them on month-tomonth lockout to producers and artists. For Gold Diggers, as plans went along, they decided to flip the ratio and have only two month-to-month rentals and seven day-to-day rentals, with a focus on touring and visiting artists. While that’s what the demand dictated, any of the rooms can be adapted rather quickly according to needs. Flexibility was built into the equation. “As we went along, looking at our monthly nut, we realized it was a step up from our other Kingsize locations,” Trumfio laughs. “Dave Neupert really went for it. Whenever we had a choice of A, B and C, he went with the best because it would last. And then throughout the design process, we future-proofed the facility in the wiring and connections so that we would be prepared for any changes that might come along. “The stage in the bar is wired to any of the studios,” he continues, referencing the 175-capacity showcase club under the hotel. “The hotel rooms are wired in. We can do video and film shoots in Studio 1 and convert the others into production rooms if we need to. And we can convert day-to-day studios to monthlies if a producer comes to town. I’ve been doing this since the early 1990s, and I’ve figured out that you need to reassess what you do about every four to five years.” BUILDING NINE STUDIOS Simultaneous to the demolition going on out back, the hotel was being remade into a boutique music experience, with turntables in the rooms, custom vinyl pressed for guests, and a stage that has already seen plenty of guest acts from the studio and scheduled record showcases and local talent. The studio demolition revealed high ceilings with original truss work and exposed brick along some walls (notably the Slayer tagging in Studio 1), some of which was kept. Construction took place over roughly two years. The architects were David Wick and Andrew Lindley; they used a general contractor overseen by Trumfio and Horrocks. “It all came together at once,” Trumfio explains. “Once we had the shell, I went into

The completed Studio 1, ready to rock.

Studio 5 at Gold Diggers, available for day rental or monthly lockout, outfitted with a complete arsenal of Trumfio’s “Greatest Hits” gear collection.

Studio 3 at Gold Diggers Studios, available for day rental or on monthly lockout.

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my DIY mode and assembled a crew and did what we do for any of my rooms. Fabric walls, wood slats. Trap the room, then bring it back. Double slats in spots, a cloud over here. We went into factory mode and went through the rooms. We paid interns for labor, and as

Gold Diggers Owner Dave Neupert surveys the empty shell of Studio 1, the former soundstage for Ed Wood’s film studio. Inset: Detail found on the wall, confirming the facility’s legacy as a Slayer rehearsal space.

With drum riser in place, Studio 1 nears completion.

we neared the end, there was a lot of clapping and hooting and hollering, listening through active monitors.” Okay, it wasn’t that simple. During the entire time, these three wellconnected industry veterans, along with founding partner Ronna Trumfio, who runs Kingsize Soundlabs with her husband, kept the project relatively secret. They all have large contact lists, but they didn’t want to promise something until they had what they wanted. “You don’t want to reach out without a great product,” Neupert says. “We kept our mouths closed for three years except to close friends—kept it close to our vest, waiting for the debut to reach out to that contact base. We’ve been fielding a lot of ground balls so far, and in these first six months as we tweak the product, we’ve been taking care of business. But six months in, our soft launch is done and we can really start tapping into our contacts. It’s a reality; we don’t have to hype it.” The studios definitely do not need to hype themselves. Trumfio knows how to build working rooms, and he has always focused on musicians. He is one. Part of that approach is to build into each room what he calls the “greatest hits” in the gear packages. For more than a decade now he has relied on Jeff Ehrenberg of Vintage King, from back in the days before the L.A. store, when Ehrenberg would show up in his Subaru with vintage and new-vintage gear, sometimes in prototype. Trumfio has been a good customer. He’s also smart, and for the past five years has had an affiliate relationship with reverb.com in brokering choice pieces of gear. “Since the early days, there have been those go-to pieces of gear—an LA2A, an 1176, Neve 33609, Neve 1073, API mic pre, Pultec-style EQ, optolimiters like the TubeTech CL1B,” he says. “I was talking to Eric Gorman, our chief engineer, and I thought we just needed the greatest hits, the meat and potatoes. It’s an attraction. My whole concept is that even in the smallest room, the most affordable budget room, we needed that classic chain of a 1073, LA2A, large-diaphragm Neumann. I don’t want anybody

shaking a stick at anything. There’s no excuse that you shouldn’t be able to make a world-class recording with the gear in front of you.” Studio 1 also includes the first installation of the API 2448 console, while the other rooms include SSL boards, Neotek, Avid control surfaces and any other platform an engineer might require. Songwriter/producer Sam Hollander, a key client, moved in to his studio in August 2018 while finishing was still going on. Sessions with some members from OneRepublic took place in November; later, Gary Clark Jr. The stage hosted a few early events and record release parties. Then the soft launch, with lots of invited industry guests, took place on December 8, 2018. By January of this year, the studios were humming, and they’ve been consistently filled, with varied bookings, ever since, including a silent disco performance in Studio 1 for Air BnB. The hotel now gets Air BnB bookings. The stage is booked for two shows, five nights a week. FUTURE-PROOF, FUTURE-READY Of course there is a long history of hotels putting in recording studios. I’m sure that some are going in as this story goes to press. And there is a solid tradition of destination studios, from Sonic Ranch in El Paso to Power Station New England in Connecticut. But there’s nothing in the world quite like Gold Diggers Studios, combining the hotel-stage-studio experience with the expertise of Dave and Ronna Trumfio and their wellkept-secret of Kingsize Soundlabs. Besides the record releases, showcase stage and corporate events, they have a songwriter camp signed up for a full hotel-studio lockout in September, and they are well-positioned to take on the boom in podcasting. Two of the studios, though flexible, have been built for podcasters. National podcast companies have paid full rate to lock out Studio 1. Gold Diggers has even started developing its own podcasts, part of a larger initiative under Gold Diggers Media with plans to develop intellectual property, not that different from a label. They have the means. They have the Federal ID number. And they have the brains and talent to make it work. It’s what those inside Gold Diggers quietly call Music 2.0. And they are committed. “We knew that we wanted to be a music campus with the hotel component,” Neupert concludes. “I could not be having more fun in bringing together all my skill sets—from hospitality to music industry to technology with my digital marketing company. And then just hanging out in bars and watching music. This the ultimate for me, to build a campus that inspires creativity. I can’t wait to see what gets created here.” n

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From Chicago to East Hollywood

Dave Trumfio and the Kingsize Soundlabs Story By Tom Kenny Photos: Courtesy of Kingsize Soundlabs

ave Trumfio did not just drop out of the sky and appear on the Los Angeles studio scene, at the door of Gold Diggers Sound, with Kingsize Studiolabs fully formed. He actually arose out of his parent’s basement in a western suburb of Chicago in the mid-1980s, complete with Robert Smith hairdo and wearing Creepers, the variety that earned him an early nickname of Thick Soles. But the musician-centered, DIY approach to recording and studio construction has been with him all along, from the initial Trumfio Den at age 16 with a boombox, then Fostex X15 4-track, on through the first iteration of Kingsize Soundlabs in a rented house in Rogers Park and an upgrade to 16-track. All the while he learned under the tutelage of Mike Konopka and Tom Hayden during a four-year stint assisting and engineering at Seagrape Recording, gaining exposure to mics and effects and consoles, oh my! When Seagrape closed, he opened his first big-time Kingsize Soundlabs, which served as his home base for the 1990s in Chicago’s booming Wicker Park neighborhood, in the corner of an old Illinois Bell training center. There he bought a Neotek Elan console, his first 1176, upgraded to 24-track, added a partner in fellow studio owner Mike Hagler and rocked out with the explosion of indie rock, achieving late decade success by signing his own band, Pulsars, to Herb Alpert’s label Elmo Sounds. “It was a bustling scene and Wicker Park was the epicenter,” Trumfio recalls. “Most of our friends were in bands. Steve Albini was getting a name for himself. Idful with Matt Wood was coming up. It was a healthy scene, with enough bands to go around for everyone.” He also hit a hot streak with engineering, mixes and development for, among many other acts, Wilco on Summer Teeth and Mermaid Avenue, OK Go’s first album and subsequent signing, and the recording/mix of My Morning Jacket’s breakthrough, At Dawn. Then, Los Angeles, but not the lights and fame… “It was 100 percent Ronna,” he says, referring

Studio A, live room and control room (with Neve 8068 console) at Kingsize Soundlabs, Silverlake, Los Angeles.

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Left: A teenage Dave Trumfio, with Robert Smith hair, in the original Kingsize Soundlebs Den, in the basement of his parent’s suburban Chicago home, early-1980s. Below: Kingsize Soundlabs 1, Wicker Park, Chicago, with studio partner Ken Slutier at the Neotek Elan, one of the last to be built in the Chicago factory, ealy 1990s. Photos: Courtesy of Kingsize Soundlabs

to his now-wife and business partner, herself a musician and artist who had moved to L.A. in 1991. “Ronna and I were friends for many years from back in Chicago. We knew the same people. We would see each other over the years. It took a long while. Then we went out together long distance. One time I flew out there and never came back.” Ronna picks up the story: “I came to Los Angeles for music and to work on movies and videos—rocking and rolling and doing film work. Played in a band, Mint 45. Opened for Iggy Pop. I went back to Chicago in 1998 and needed somebody to accompany me. [Dave] played standup bass and synthesizer. From there, he came out to L.A., producing a record. We started dating, did the back and forth thing, then he moved out here and we got married and had babies.” After neighbors on Silverlake Boulevard began complaining about the noise coming out of the two-bedroom apartment, Trumfio decided that he needed his own place. While hanging out in the club Space Land one night he ran into a guy, Manny Nieto, who recognized him from a Tape Op article, thanks to his straw hat. Nieto said that there was a spot a spot next to him for a studio, not far away on Eagle Rock. That’s the original Kingsize Soundlabs Los Angeles. Their baby, Jasper, moved into the second room, followed three years later by Bennett. But by that time, Kingsize itself was booming. “I kind of hit L.A. at the right time, where I

felt like I was at the top of my game,” Trumfio says. “I had big-buzz records, and everyone in L.A. was so welcoming. This was utopia. I got to go around and work in some of the most amazing rooms in the world. At the same time I came from the indie world and for one label budget I could make eight indie records. At that time a big indie budget would be 20 or 25 grand. By the time I rent Sound Factory Studio A for tracking then go over to a garage with an API, there goes my budget. I’d work for a month and a half and make 3 grand. In Chicago, I was used to making records for cheap, but I got to keep the whole thing! “My price point has always been in the $500 to $750 range for a day. In Chicago, that’s doable; in L.A., that price point was dominated by ADAT studios and I just wasn’t that into ADAT; didn’t like the way they sounded. One day I came home and told Ronna, 'Okay, honey, we’re building a studio.' And that’s when the U-Haul got rented. I figured that I kind of needed a $500 a day room, and why couldn’t that room be mine?” What followed were more and more studios, following the initial Studio A, which now houses his Neve 8068. Next came the Rock Block, nearby, featuring a host of “soundlabs" rented on a monthly basis to producers and artists. Then around the corner on Verdugo with the amazing commercial room known as V7, along with seven monthly “soundlabs” for producer/artists. Then Atwater, 64 Sound, Remo Sounds (in partnership with Pierre DeReeder), and ultimately Gold

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Dave and Ronna Trumfio at Kingsize, Eagle Rock.

Diggers, where he sits at the API 2448 on this month’s cover. He and Ronna now run 35-plus studios, most of them rented to individuals on a monthly basis, including Rob Schnapf, Billy Bush and others. These are working studios, built by his own hand mostly and outfitted with the best of vintage and modern gear. Prices are kept low so that musicians can afford them. Ronna likes to say that they offer “East Side prices with West Side sounds.” “As far as the name goes, I just thought it sounded cool back in the early ‘90s—Soundlabs,” Trumfio laughs. “So it was kind of serendipitous that we actually ended up making soundlabs!” n

Jeri Palumbo The Life of an A1, in the Booth and on the Field

eri Palumbo has written for Mix over the years, focusing primarily on audio issues important to broadcast engineers, audio mixers and RF techs. She is a musician, tech and all around audio pro who for more than 25 years has roamed the trucks, sidelines, courts and playing fields of high-end sporting events—including the Super Bowl and NBA and NHL playoffs. She’s also worked too many live broadcast events to count. Here, in a conversation started by Calrec Audio, Palumbo talks about her work on highprofile sports shows. Can you provide some background on who you are and what you do? I have nearly 30 years of technical experience, ranging from live audio engineering of major league sports and entertainment broadcasts to being a recording engineer/producer and arranger, where it all started. I also have a background in IT technology and dabbled as an Avid editor. My first real job, though, was in marketing and merchandising for Radio City Music Hall. How did you get into the broadcast audio business? As a composition orchestration major at Juilliard, I was hired to do an orchestration/arrangement for an artist who was making a small indie record in New York. As the musical director on the project, I would sit with the engineer for the mixdown and part of the tracking. The engineer on that project was using a Fairlight— an audio wave manipulator that was kind of like a precursor to Pro Tools—and it really just rocked my world. It was the first time I ever encountered that type of tool and I was fascinated by it. I started hanging out with the engineers and watching what they were doing—how they were tracking and capturing sound—and just kind of following them around. That’s how I ended up on what I call, “the other side of the glass.” To be fair, I grew up recording and “hacking and splicing” tape before I even knew what I was doing. Being from a family of musicians, we always had various recording equipment options around, one being a reel-to-reel Revere tape

Jeri Palumbo, left, with her husband, producer/engineer Erik Zobler.

machine, which I still own today. I used it for every single recording I made from about six to 18 years old, when I went off to college. What challenges come along with being a woman in audio/broadcast? You really have to know your stuff, and even when you know your stuff, I feel women get questioned more than our counterparts because engineering is still a male-dominated industry. When I walk into a new environment, even though I have 27 years of experience, I often face the same misconceptions. The best answer I have found to this is to do my job well, surround myself with good people and never secondguess my abilities. Every time someone asks me about this topic, I reference the Paul F. Davis quote: “Go where you are celebrated, not merely tolerated.” I truly live my life by that viewpoint. How have you seen audio technologies evolve over your career? How has this changed sports programming and the way in which you work? It’s gotten far more complicated; there are far more responsibilities on the A1 than there used

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to be. We have progressed significantly in the way we handle our source material and the way we disperse it—and that’s all been through the digital age, and products like Calrec. Brands that could foresee what was coming, and tried to find a way to not only condense it, but also find different ways to matrix that out seamlessly has really helped the day-to-day for A1s. There is just so much that we’re now doing for domestic feeds, or any other feeds, that we didn’t normally do years ago. We’ve added 5.1 mixes, when it used to be a stereo out. We’ve added multiple stereo outputs simultaneously for music cuts. We’ve also condensed a lot of elements that would have been impossible to handle by one person. What Calrec consoles do you use during broadcasts? I use Calrec’s Artemis console—the 5.1 direct out is extremely helpful for me because I use it all the time, along with the automix. For me, this feature is not so much about the automixing, but rather the fact that I never have an issue with volume wars between commentators/ reporters, and I know that has a lot to do with

Jeri Palumbo, in duck hat, at the Calrec Artemis console for a recent eSports live event.

The compact and powerful Calrec Artemis setup that was Palumbo’s home base during a recent eSports live event.

the automixer on the console. The parametric EQs can be copied from fader-to-fader, and the Artemis’ compressors are dynamite and work seamlessly for me. Also, I use the cloning functionality all the time for my workflow. I make homes for my original sources and I clone everything from my top sources. How does mixing for eSports differ from traditional broadcast sports? Mixing for eSports is dramatically different than live sports. For one, there is a significant difference in the air-time between the two; eSports can be live for sometimes 12 hours or more, depending on the length of a round. But the other, significant difference is that live sports is somewhat predictable, whereas eSports is like the wild west. But, that’s the fun part. eSports is mostly Web-based with a lot of audio elements being sent to and stored online while you’re doing the broadcast, versus traditional live sports, which have direct audio runs. In eSports, a typical audio workflow includes a direct output from between four and eight players’ computers, which feed to literally hundreds of players. Or, the audio sources are stored in the cloud, which we access in real-time. This sourcing is everchanging between games and needs. One way we might have to work is feeding into an observer position/computer matrix, a room full of people who are watching all the screens and cutting between those sources, including the independent audio feeds. At other times, we sourced through Tricasters (a switcher-like device) for game output, or even directly from the web. As the A1, you are tasked with figuring out a way to collect all the audio into one source. In

addition to each players’ game audio, you have the main audio from the gameplay itself—the sounds and music built into the AI of the game— as well as that from each of the players’ headsets because they are also interacting verbally. In addition to the complicated nature of all the audio ins, we also traditionally mix to both 5.1 and live broadcast stereo formats. During a recent gaming event, I was tasked with the most complicated scenario I’ve ever encountered in my career: to mix a live broadcast while simultaneously mixing and sending an immersive surround 5.1 to the house...with no front-of-house. To be clear, this workflow is not something I would ever choose, because there is so much that could go wrong, but, that was the option I was given at the time of this particular launch. We hit the Meyer Galaxies direct from the Calrec Artemis and had the feeds broken down by zone. Doing a FOH alone with the immersive surround would be complicated enough, and the only reason this format worked was because the audio crew and support from the Calrec L.A. team was stellar. What are some of the important elements to mixing for eSports? I typically build my layers early in the game knowing that I will likely change my layer layout each time a new game comes on-board. For my most recent eSports project, I had 12 layers of 32 channels on the Artemis, and I layered every single element out that was in the studio. I put libraries on the bottom layer so that at any point in time, I could clone them so that I always had them available while I was mixing. Once I had everything stacked, everything would go to the

bottom two layers. I had one layer dedicated strictly for transmission because we also had 5.1 going to the floor. When it came time for transmission, I went to that layer and got it locked up quickly. The cloning aspect to my workflow saved me invaluable time because I always had the elements there and it kept me from accidentally deleting something. Additionally, since this was an unusual situation where we were running a 5.1 mix to the floor with no front of house, I built in a redundant system. I had one layer of stems, 5.1 to the floor broken out completely and then I had all my stems collapsed in another section so all I had to do was move one fader and I would still be hitting all of my 5.1 speakers via the Calrec Direct 5.1 output feature. In other words, I could stem it out to the floor individually or 5.1 direct-out in seconds, if needed. I had a backup plan because anytime somebody asked me for a particular stem on a different speaker send, I would immediately have it. Where do you see the future of sports mixing going in the next five years? Any trends that will change how people mix audio? There’s a very clear shift to IP, similar to how things were in the analog-to-digital changeover. The technology and workflows are becoming more and more advanced. Localized IP networking is now being set up at the site itself, for cameras, audio and various other components, eliminating the need for a full staff on-site. The technology has been around, but it’s now being used at a far greater, more sophisticated and intelligent level. There are all kinds of ways that delivery is transitioning to IP, and people are now taking advantage of that to the point where I actually think it’s going to change the television landscape forever. Actually, look at the way we access content now—the change is already here. n

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Tech Mix & Match

The Best Mixing Consoles of 2019

espite two decades now of command and control developments across software and hardware, developments that have led to countless numbers of new and custom audio production workflows, recording/mixing consoles still form the heart of the modern high-end production studio. Sometimes only a couple of faders are used for 2-channel summing, while other times scribble strips are pulled out and all 48 faders

are engaged. Sometimes all you need is a couple of channel strips, parked in a rack. Whatever the case, physical consoles provide the paradigm that all emulations and workflows have followed. Here are a few of the many developments over the past year that caught our eye.

Allen & Heath SQ-7 Digital Mixer Compact and affordable, the Allen & Heath SQ-7 digital mixer is powered by Allen & Heath’s 96 kHz XCVI FPGA engine. It’s the flagship console in the SQ line that comes equipped with 33 (32+1) Motorized Faders with six layers for a total of 192 assignable Channel Strips. It delivers pristine high-resolution audio quality with ultralow <0.7ms latency, and was engineered for top performance in demanding environments

like AV, live productions, corporate events and houses of worship.

Avid S4, S1 Control Surfaces With the introduction of the S1 and S4, Avid has brought their world-class control surfaces to studios of every size. Ideal for mid-size postproduction facilities, editing suites, smaller mix rooms, and home studios, these new controllers are sure to upgrade your studio workflow. Features include: • Hands-on Control: Mute and Solo tracks, edit plug-ins, route signals, write automation, trigger macros, and more— right from the AVID S1. Enhance your workflow with more speed and precision than a traditional mouse and keyboard. • Total Tactile Response: Motorized, touchsensitive faders, touch-sensitive knobs and physical keys with a touchscreen to support VCA spill, monitor control and more. Setup custom layouts for multiple workflows for total flexibility. • Navigate large sessions fast: The Avid S1

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provides both a Tracks View and a Mix View to instantly jump to a track or scroll through multiple channels on the touch screen. The S1 automatically banks to follow your selection, ensuring you never get lost in a complex session again! • Pro Tools and Beyond: The Avid S1 provides deep integration with Pro Tools and Media Composer along with native support for third-party audio and video software including Premiere Pro, Logic Pro, Cubase, and more. Enhance your workflow across every creative project. • Mix from a Bird’s-eye View: High-resolution metering of levels, dynamics, gain-reduction, EQ graphs, panning, and automation status show you everything you need to see at a glance. 9.1 Surround Support allows you to work quickly and efficiently on even the most complex projects for music and film! • Full monitor section: The dedicated S6-style

The SQ-7 features 32 exceptional-quality onboard mic preamps, plus eight stereo FX engines with dedicated stereo return channels and access to the renowned RackExtra FX library. Offering 12 stereo mixes (configurable as groups or auxes), it’s a great match for in-ear monitor setups, and with its featured Automatic Mic Mixing, it makes an excellent choice for conferences, panel talks and much more

The Avid S4 with four-foot frame, two-channel strip modules, joystick, knob module and displays

Monitoring View lets you quickly assign and control talkback, playback level, monitor source, and speaker levels right from the S1. Whether you’re recording, editing, mixing, or mastering, hands-on monitoring control is essential to a fast workflow and comfortable listening environment. • Scale the S1 to Your Studio: The Avid S1 easily scales to your needs as your studio grows. Connect multiple units together, or attach a Pro Tools | Dock to create your ultimate integrated control surface.

API 2448 Recording Console Designed to the same standard of excellence as the 1608, Legacy AXS and Vision consoles, API is launching the new 2448 Recording Console. The 2448 offers a powerful and impressive feature set including Dual Inputs on each channel, Stereo Returns and, optionally, API’s new cross-platform Final Touch fader automation system. The 2448 expands API’s powerful line of world-class analog recording consoles and continues API’s nearly 50-year legacy of combining functionality and reliability with the unmistakable warmth of the API sound. Derived from API’s Vision Automation System used extensively in the Vision, Legacy Plus and AXS consoles, API now offers optional Final Touch fader automation for the 2448 console. Final Touch automation combines system reliability, user flexibility and operational

simplicity and offers a host of features found only in the most expensive and sophisticated console automation systems typically costing many times more. Consoles can be factory-fitted with Final Touch automation prior to delivery, and existing 2448 consoles can be retrofitted

with Final Touch automation. New: In addition to the 2448, API’s Final Touch automation systems are available for the flagship Vision console, the Legacy AXS, and the 1608-II. This allows for mix files to be easily transferred across any of these API console products.

filters plus two mid-band peak filters. Unlike most small consoles, the center section of this model is not permanently affixed to the right

side of the inputs. The center section and patchbay can be wherever the user likes. The center section has extensive controls for Control Room, Studio and Cue source selection. The console logic for Solo, Mute, speaker selection and alternate input functions is also here. The custom patchbay connects via DB-25 cables. Each input channel has one ribbon connection, eliminating the need for multi-pair XLR cables, which reduces cost and weight and makes service much simpler. The jacks are Audio Accessories PC mount.

Daking MK II Designed by Geoff Daking and Dave Thibodeau, the Daking MKII recording console is built around a DAW. In addition to 16 channels of preamp, the board boasts as standard— thanks to dual inputs per channel strip and a comprehensive bussing section featuring panning and level controls—an impressive 46 possible inputs. The 16 input channels feature built-in compressor/limiters, high and low pass filters and a four-band inductor-style EQ, the latter offering high and low shelving Baxandall

PreSonus StudioLive III S The PreSonus StudioLive III S models deliver 128-channel (64 x 64) USB recording—more than any other mixer, according to the company—plus multitrack SD recording and extensive 128-channel AVB networking. Powered by the PreSonus FLEX DSP Engine, they feature state-space modeled Fat Channel plug-in processing on every input and bus; up to 32 FlexMix buses that can be individually configured as Aux, Matrix, or Subgroup buses; and flexible digital patching unparalleled in this price class. StudioLive 64S: The new top-of-the-line StudioLive 64S brings the power of a large production console to small-format digital mixing, boasting 76 mixing channels, 43 buses, and 526 simultaneous effects, double the DSP of other mixers in the line, thanks to the all-new quad-core FLEX DSP engine. An independent main Mono/Center bus and a Center Divergence control round out the package. StudioLive 32S: Spend less time menu-diving and more time mixing hands-on with StudioLive 32S. Powered by the dual-core PreSonus FLEX DSP Engine, the 32S is equipped with 40 mixing channels, 26 mix buses, and 286 simultaneous processors. 32S delivers a fast and intuitive, surfacedriven workflow for total control.

PreSonus’s StudioLive 64S

StudioLive 32SX: The low profile of the StudioLive 32SX makes it an ideal solution for any mixing environment where desk real estate is at a premium. The split-fader workflow lets you manage 32 input channels in two fader layers, while still providing access to your mix outputs on eight additional faders. The StudioLive 32SX packs connectivity and power into an efficient use of space. StudioLive 32SC: Its road-ready, rack-mountable size is deceptive: the StudioLive 32SC sports the same dual-core PreSonus FLEX DSP Engine of its 32-channel brethren. The StudioLive 32SC provides all the necessary tools, whether you’re building your dream studio or putting together a pro touring rig, and is dramatically expandable, thanks to the NSB stage boxes.

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SSL AWS Series The AWS (Analogue Workstation System) reinvented the professional production console by combining classic SSL SuperAnalogue™ console technology with comprehensive DAW control hardware in a single work surface. The AWS is now used by leading international recording artists, producers and engineers and has shaped expectations for session workflow within today’s and indeed tomorrows’ production environments. The spring 2015 release of AWS delta saw another significant step in the constant evolutionary development that has characterized its enormously successful life. delta-Control (d-Ctrl) is a completely new analog console automation platform for SSL studio technology that unites the very best of automation in the analog console domain with DAW-based workflow. All new AWS consoles feature delta technology and console upgrades are available for all preceding models. In October 2016 SSL released an update to the AWS 948 (detailed here) that introduces new channel hardware to provide Stereo Channel Outputs and a new independent Insert IN/OUT switching system. Designed for mid-scale commercial recording and production facilities, the AWS is available with 16 inputs (AWS 916), 24 inputs (AWS 924) or 48 inputs (AWS 948) within a compact 24 fader frame. The AWS 916 has 16 mic pre’s, the AWS 924 and 948 have 24 mic pre’s. The AWS 916 and 924 have mono channel strips and the 948 has stereo/dual mono channel strips that offer a second line level input per channel to provide 48 summing channels. All models deliver pristine SuperAnalogue summing, 24 ultra-clean SSL SuperAnalogue mic pre’s, classic SSL dual curve EQ on every channel, two assignable SSL Dynamics channels, legendary Stereo Bus Compressor, TotalRecall and full 5.1 monitoring. In addition to on board classic SSL Automation, all models feature the new d-Ctrl system. The AWS also features Ethernet connectivity for streamlined hardware control over your entire Digital Audio Workstation environment. AWS

SSL’s AWS-948 Delta production console

delivers elegant, ergonomic physical control with dedicated heavy duty DAW transport, V-Pot multifunction encoders with position indicating LED’s, Digital Scribble Strips, DAW fader mode, global and channel routing control and built-in TFT display for advanced plug-in editing. Project Session Management is kept simple through SSL’s proprietary Logictivity interface. The AWS is an SSL SuperAnalogue console, featuring the audio performance specifications that have established the benchmarks by which other manufacturers are measured. Exceptionally low THD, noise floor and crosstalk levels keep your audio absolutely pristine, while SSL’s legendary headroom carries every nuance of audio and allows engineers to mix “hotter” without distortion.

Yamaha Updates CL/CQ Digital Audio Consoles Yamaha Professional Audio is offering Version 5.0 for Yamaha CL and QL digital audio consoles. This no-charge update will elevate these popular mixing systems to the next level by providing enhanced convenience, new features and expandability. In addition to support for more Dante devices, the V.5 update adds to the consoles’ ever-growing arsenal of tools. The Portico 5045 Primary Source Enhancer by Rupert Neve Designs is now available in the Premium Rack. This device makes it easy to control background noise from microphone sources while enhancing clarity and increasing feedback margin, and is a valuable tool for houses of worship, stadiums, performance halls and any other venue where feedback must be carefully controlled. Individual Fade Time functionality allows different fade times to be set for each fader, an

Yamaha’s CL and QL digital audio consoles

important feature for users who need complex fader control, especially for musicals and other theatrical applications. Dante devices newly supported by V.5 include Rupert Neve Designs RMP-D8 8-Channel Remote Control Dante

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Mic Pre, Sennheiser EM6000 Digital Wireless Receiver, Shure AD4D and AD4Q Axient Digital Wireless Receiver and the NEXO DTD Digital TD Controller. Future updates will provide support for other Dante devices. n

Tech // new products Drawmer 1974 Stereo Parametric EQ, 1976 Stereo 3-Band Processor Legendary UK Effects Company Recalls the Legendary ‘70s Sound At Summer NAMM, Drawmer (distributed by TransAudio Group) announced that it is now shipping the much-anticipated 1974 Stereo Parametric EQ and 1976 Stereo 3-Band Saturation and Width Processor. The 1974 Stereo Parametric EQ uses one set of controls for both channels via dual-channel, precision-stepped potentiometers. It has four bands and features variable highpass (10-225 Hz) and lowpass (4 kHz-32 kHz) filters that let users focus just on the frequency range of the instrument they’re working with. After that, the low and high bands use variable frequency, steepness, and gain settings. The low-mid and high-mid bands provide frequency, bandwidth, and boost/cut controls. All of the 1974’s pots are stepped to make recall and documentation easy and reliable. The 1976 Stereo 3-Band Saturation and Width Processor includes three identical sections separated by two variable-frequency crossover filters. Within each section, users can dial in a custom degree of saturation, change the volume, and readjust the stereo signal from mono to stereo to wide or anywhere in-between. Three bands of analog saturation allow users to add warmth and grit only where it’s needed. The width processor opens up the stereo image and provides a more three-dimensional feeling of space and presence. The crossover’s ability to define those bands as needed for a given situation make the Drawmer 1976 a versatile, one-of-a-kind, sonic sculpting tool. Each unit is priced at $999 MAP in the USA.

Waves Audio Abbey Road Studio 3 Plug-In Modeling of Room Acoustics, Powered by Nx Immersive Tech Using Waves’ Nx immersive audio technology, the plug-in recreates the acoustic response of Abbey Road Studio 3 for immersive use on headphones, allowing users to hear and mix their own work in a virtual

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recreation of the world’s most famous studio. Users will reportedly be able to hear the same clarity of stereo and surround image, and accurate sustain, via a pair of headphones, It also provides 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound, modeled after the studio’s original surround setup, allowing users to mix for surround on a pair of typical stereo headphones. As a result, users can mix in the virtual space whether they’re in a proper mix facility or on the road, and similarly, multiple users with the same plug-in can send mixes back and forth that can all be heard in the same common mix space.

Focusrite Launches Scarlett 3rd Generation Range Six Configurations Include New Preamps, Converters and Air Focusrite recently debuted Generation 3 of its Scarlett range of USB interfaces, with six configurations of ins and outs, new mic preamps, Air (the Air effect of Focusrite’s original ISA mic preamp, giving vocals and acoustic music a brighter and more spacious sound), high headroom instrument inputs, and high-performance converters. The range includes I/O configurations to suit almost any situation: Solo, 2i2, 4i4 8i6, 18i8 or 18i20. The new 4i4 and 8i6 add more line I/O vs. the 2nd Gen 2i4 and 6i6. New Solo and 2i2 Studio Packs are also available, with Scarlett HP60 MkIII headphone and CM25 MkIII condenser microphone. Every Scarlett interface comes with a whole range of software tools including: Ableton® Live Lite; Pro Tools | First Focusrite Creative Pack; free three-month Splice Sounds subscription; XLN Audio Addictive Keys; Focusrite Red Plug-in Suite; Softube Time & Tone Bundle; plus a two-year warranty and membership of the Focusrite Plug-In Collective, offering regular free software downloads and discounts.

TASCAM Adds iZotope Neutron Elements Series 102i and 208i Audio/MIDI Interfaces Include Full Version TASCAM announced that it is now including a free full version of iZotope’s Neutron Elements, a suite of machine-learning music mixing software, with its Series 102i and Series 208i audio/MIDI interface units. Both the 102i and 208i offer up to 24-bit/192 kHz sample resolution, transparent, naturalsounding, ultra-low noise Ultra-HDDA mic preamplifiers, and XLR/TRS combo mic/line/instrument inputs.

iZotope’s Neutron Elements mixing software distinguishes itself by integrating a Compressor, Exciter, Transient Shaper, and EQ with Soft Saturation mode into a single interface. The software’s unique Track Assistant feature is the first-ever intelligent mixing solution that can listen to audio and dial in a custom preset array of plug-in parameters for an optimal mix—all in under 10 seconds. Both the 102i and 208i feature integrated MIDI functionality, built-in processing including reverb, and can be fully controlled with TASCAM Control Software.

Antelope Audio Synergy Core Platform Discrete 4, Discrete 8 Renamed to Reflect New Processing System Antelope Audio has introduced its Synergy Core signal processing platform for its Discrete 4 and Discrete 8 audio interfaces, resulting in the units being renamed Discrete 4 Synergy Core and Discrete 8 Synergy Core. Dual DSP chips and an FPGA processor work together to host Antelope’s vintage-inspired effects plug-ins (plus any third-party effects joining the Synergy Core platform), freeing up your host computer’s CPU. The Discrete 4 Synergy Core offers four discrete mic preamps, plus a total of 14 inputs (including four Line-1/4-inch Jack | Mic-XLR combi inputs) and 16 outputs (including L and R monitor outputs and Line Out on four TRS connections), expandable via ADAT In Out and S/PDIF In Out on TOSlink. Discrete 4 Synergy Core comes with 36 Real-Time FPGA FX from Antelope Audio. The rack-mountable Discrete 8 Synergy Core sports eight console-grade, discrete mic preamps and a total of 26 inputs, including eight Line-1/4-inch Jack | Mic- XLR combi inputs, and 30 outputs, including L and R monitor outputs and two reamp outputs on TRS connections, and Line Out 1-8 on a D-SUB 25 connector, expandable via dual ADAT (In 1 Out 1 and In 2 Out 2) and S/PDIF In Out on TOSlink, plus a footswitch jack. It, too, comes with 36 Real-Time FPGA FX.

the 5.8GHz frequency band. This lowlatency (less than 5.6 milliseconds) solution has 24-bit audio quality with a 48KHz sampling rate and transmits from a balanced, line-level output Additionally, with a simple XLR cable, the transmitter works through any Dante-enabled wall-plate or dropsnake, such as ProCo’s latest AoIP solutions. The receivers are powered by a lithium-ion battery, which is easily rechargeable with a micro USB.

Focusrite Brainworx bx_console Plug-in Recreates Sound of Legendary ISA 110 EQ, ISA 130 Dynamics Designed and coded by software house Brainworx, Focusrite’s new bx_console VST/ AU/AAX plug-in aims to recreate the sound, feel and style of the original Focusrite Studio Console— specifically its ISA 110 Equalizer and ISA 130 Dynamics Modules. Modeling the full signal paths of the ISA 110 and ISA 130, bx_console provides four bands of parametric and shelving EQ, highpass and lowpass filters, compression/limiting, gating/expansion, and de-essing. While emulating the original, it includes modifications such as continuously variable THD and Gain controls. Brainworx’s Tolerance Modeling Technology provides 72 selectable modeled circuits, allowing users to recreate the subtle timbral variations between channels such as the real console. The bx_console, listing for $349, comes free with every Clarett and Red audio interface.

ProCo Sound W.I.E.M.S. Compact Wireless In-Ear Monitor System in 5.8GHz Band At Infocomm, ProCo Sound, an ACT/RHC brand, introduced its new wireless in-ear monitor system (W.I.E.M.S.), the most-compact in-ear solution on the market today. It features a sleek and simple design, with no external antennas and a seamless plug-and-pair setup. With up to 30 meters of range (line-of-sight) between the transmitter and beltpack receiver, the W.I.E.M.S can be used in a variety of applications, including live sound, broadcast and film, as well as in educational and other installbased instances. W.I.E.M.S. has four user-selectable channels and features a 3.5mm headphone jack—enabling users to plug in their preferred earpiece. The receiver automatically pairs to the transmitter, which uses

Solid State Logic Native 6.3 Plug-ins New X-EQ 2, Plus M/S Processing, Band Solo and New Filter Shapes Solid State Logic has unveiled the latest edition of its Native 6.3 plug-ins,

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a free update for existing Duende Native and SSL Native customers. The update introduces a new X-EQ 2 Native studio plug-in, which replaces the existing X-EQ plug-in with a new GUI, rewritten algorithms and new features. The plug-in uses SSL’s proprietary “anti-cramping” DSP aiming to provide a transparent EQ; the plug also allows for the creation of up to 24 EQ bands with a choice of 17 classic and modern filter shapes and EQ types. Other new features include M/S processing modes, Band Solo and extra analysis tools, including Phase and Step response plots. X-EQ 2 also features “significant” DSP optimization, according to SSL, aiming to keep the computer’s CPU load low. SSL Native v6.3 plug-ins are available in AAX, VST3/VST2, and AU formats, 64-Bit only. There is no longer a need for a physical iLok dongle; all SSL Native 6.3 plug-ins can now be authorized to a computer.

Antares Auto-Tune EFX+ Multi-Effects Rack Adds Doubling, Tube Distortion, Filters, and More Antares recently released Auto-Tune EFX+, the latest plug-in in its Auto-Tune EFX series. As in Auto-Tune EFX 3, you get Auto-Tune vocal tuning, including the ability to create the warbly “Auto-Tune effect.” It also improves the Auto-Motion feature, which lets you impose melodic patterns on vocals. But the biggest news is the addition of the Auto-EFX Multi-Effects Rack, which enables users to add doubling, tube distortion, pitch and throat effects (changing formants and more), mutate effects (ring modulation), filter effects, and vocoder effects. The Multi-Effects Rack feature lets you run up to four effects at a time. Because there are six effects types, you choose a template from various combinations of the included effects in an assortment of orders. Once you have your four effects, you can turn them on and off individually, and you can edit two parameters for each using an XY Pad.

Stage Tec AVATUS IP Console Patented, Color-Coded Faders and Unlimited Parameter Access Stage Tec has been quietly rejuvenating its mixing console line and recently launched AVATUS, a fully IP-based console that introduces a completely new operating concept. Unlike previous consoles, there is no need for a center control section. 12 color-coded faders, two 21-inch multitouch displays, and 48 dual-concentric encoders per unit can be combined to form sizes ranging from 12

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to 96 faders. Modular, decentralized, and yet freely configurable, users can access all parameters at any time. The channel parameters’ color coding—a new patented concept for faders—supports a fast workflow and guides the user intuitively through the functions of the mixing console. With remote control via an integrated browser application, the most important AVATUS parameters can be accessed with the same color coding. The RMDQ DSP core built into the NEXUS Star Router is also employed here. Embedded in the NEXUS network, AVATUS has access to all inputs and outputs and can manage all resources. 128 freely programmable summing buses and up to 800 DSP channels are available.

QSC TouchMix-30 Update The v2.0 firmware update for the TouchMix-30 Pro compact digital mixer adds a number of new features and presets requested by users. Chief among the additions is a Custom Fader Banks function that supports the assignment of three fader banks, each for eight channels, that are saved as part of a Mixer Scene. The update also allows the mixer to interface with third-party external control surfaces with motorized faders. QSC has verified operation with iCon Platform M+, Behringer XTouch Compact and PreSonus FaderPort 8 control surfaces. A slew of presets has been added as well, including 28 new instruments presets (cajon, accordion, harmonica, ukulele, cello, clarinet, various percussions and more). CP Series Compact Powered Loudspeakers Presets are available directly in the mixer, as well as CP8 and CP12 loudspeakers’ input gain settings recommendations.

Electro-Voice MFX Monitors Electro-Voice’s MFX MultiFunction Monitors MFX12MC and MFX-15MC are passive 12-inch and 15-inch two-way coaxial monitors intended to complement the X-Line Advance line array models X1, X2, X12-128 and X12-125F, as well as their corresponding installation versions. Inside the monitors sit coaxially aligned HF and LF transducers matched with a new Electro-Voice-engineered ConstantDirectivity waveguide and likewise new crossover design. Coverage in monitor orientation is 40° H x 60° V. The dimensions and location of the waveguide interact with the woofer to essentially create a bipole output, aiding coverage control through the midrange frequencies. The compact coaxial design gives the monitors a low-profile footprint on stage, aided by a new cabinet with dual monitor angles (35° and 55°). The monitors are optimized for use with TGX10 or IPX10:4 amplifiers from EV’s sibling brand Dynacord. Power handling for the MFX-12MC is 400W (continuous) and 4,000W (peak); the MFX-15MC delivers 500W (continuous) and 4,000W (peak). The models have a maximum SPL rating of 135 dB and 136 dB, respectively. n

Tech // reviews UAD Capitol Chambers Plug-In Universal Audio Re-creates 4 Classic Reverb Signal Chains By Barry Rudolph

niversal Audio’s UAD software v9.9 now includes the world’s first authentic plug-in emulation of four (of the eight) underground echo chambers located 30 feet beneath the parking lot of the famous Capitol Records building in Hollywood, Calif. Designed by Les Paul, chambers 1 through 4 were included in the original reinforced concrete construction of the iconic Capitol Records Tower that was completed in 1956. Later, in 1969, part of the parking lot was excavated and echo chambers 5 through 8 were installed. All eight are still in regular use today. The eight chambers are all trapezoidalshaped, “room-within-room” spaces that vary slightly in cubic volume. The chambers were each tuned by slightly angling the walls and sloping the ceilings in different ways. To enhance reflectivity, the interior floors, walls and ceiling surfaces are shellacked. Either a pair of Altec “Voice of the Theatre” A7s or 604e studio monitors were used and driven in mono as they still are today. At the time, two Altec 21D “Lipstick” small-diaphragm, omnidirectional tube condenser microphones were used for the stereo returns in all chambers. The Capitol chambers are prized for their smooth response and long decay times. I can attest to their lovely sound, having always preferred using them during my past recording sessions at Capitol Studios. So revered and noteworthy, the Capitol chambers were often “leased” for use by other studios around Los Angeles. High-quality audio phone lines were set up between Capitol and the Village, Western Recorders (now EastWest Studios), United Recording and others. However, as a victim of its own success, this practice was later discontinued in the mid-1990s due to the insistence and greater demand from Capitol’s in-studio clientele.

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The sound of those chambers is on thousands of hit records, from Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Beck, Paul McCartney and Muse. Real echo chambers are a vanishing resource because they take up valuable real estate (space) and building a goodsounding one is not an exact science. EMULATING A CLASSIC Under the guidance of Capitol chief engineer Steve Genewick, UA was granted access to the chambers themselves and the historic technical diagrams and blueprints to create the Capitol Chambers plug-in. The plug-in includes emulations of four of the studio’s most popular echo chambers—2, 4, 6 and 7—with the sound of every part of their original signal chains also modeled, including the Altec 21D microphones (plus three other mic choices), custom solid-state microphone echo return preamps, BGW power amps (installed in the ‘80s), and the various Altec and Tannoy speaker setups. Exclusively for UAD hardware DSP cards and audio interfaces, Capitol Chambers was created using UA’s proprietary Dynamic Room Modeling technology, which combines sampled impulses with algorithmic DSP processing. DRM enables the creation of new sounds not easily accomplished or impossible with real echo chambers. The included preset list reads like a “who’s who” of talented, Grammy-winning engineer/producer/mixers, such as Al Schmitt, Frank Filipetti, Ross Hogarth, Niko Bolas, Joe Chiccarelli, John Paterno, Steve Genewick and many others. THE FOUR BEST OF THE BEST The Capitol Chambers plug-in GUI comes sporting an “institutional green” color scheme and launches with Chamber 4 as the default. Chamber 4 is set up with the current microphones and locations

PRODUCT SUMMARY COMPANY: Universal Audio Inc. PRODUCT: Capitol Chambers Plug-in WEB: www.uaudio.com PRICE: $349 MSRP PROS: A faithful re-creation of the iconic Capitol Studios Echo Chambers CONS: No RealTime UAD Processing possible.

The UAD Capitol Chambers video tutorial thumbnail.

as used by Al Schmitt—it’s his favorite. There is a row of four buttons at the top of the GUI for selecting any of the four chambers at any time. There is a depiction of the chamber’s interior showing the access door, two speakers and the microphones in their positions. Below the chambers is a row of four buttons for selecting any of the microphone pairs: the Altec 21D, RCA 44 figure-8 ribbon, Shure SM80 omnidirectional condenser, and a Sony C37A tube cardioid condenser. Currently, with the exception of Chamber 5 (not included in the plug-in) and its pair of Sony C37As and Chamber 6 with two RCA 44s, all the actual Capitol echo chambers use the SM80; it’s the default microphone modeled for the Capitol Chambers plugin. The natural RT60 decay times for the four chambers range from 5 to 9.5 seconds. The adjustable Decay Time control knob’s Max position is the (default) original and natural decay time captured in the particular chamber selected. By way of the DRM algorithm, you may adjust the Decay Time knob only downward to a minimum of one second. In addition to adjusting Decay Time, you can change the speaker-to-mic distance using a large horizontal Microphone Position fader, or by simply click/dragging the mics back and forth in the chamber image. (Note: As the rooms are trapezoidal, with the speakers located in the narrow end of the chamber in front of the access door, moving mics further way into the wider part of the room causes the mics to spread laterally, left and right, and further apart.) Changing chambers, presets, decay times, microphones and positioning requires recalculation by the algorithm, and it can take up to several seconds—you’ll see the Capitol

Tower antenna light flash during this time. If you only change the mic or its position, you’ll see the chamber access door open to indicate that a “tech” is in the chamber—cute! The algorithm’s computational time lag makes quick A/B comparisons difficult; same for automating changes during playback. Changes are not completely implemented until either the flashing tower light goes out or the door shuts. But transitions are smooth, and I heard no sudden mutes, pitch-change or clicks. The manual has a whole chart of acceptable automation recommendations. Parameters that are instantly discernible include: pre-delay adjustable from 0 to 250 ms, and a variable 80Hz to 750Hz highpass filter (6dB/octave) placed in the send path to reduce any unwanted low frequencies going into the chamber. There is also a very useful three-band equalizer placed in the stereo return path. Each band

has ±10dB continuous boost/cut with 125Hz, 500Hz and 5kHz frequency bands. The 125Hz and 5kHz bands are Baxandall-style EQs, while the 500Hz midrange band is a proportional-Q design. Clicking on the EQ band’s frequency or the Filter’s off position resets the knobs to flat. There is also a Width control adjustable from 0% for a summed L/R mono output up to 100% for full stereo. Finally, the plug-in has a Wet/Dry control with a Wet Solo button that forces the user into 100% Wet mode. Wet/Dry or Wet Solo modes are saved with the particular instance of the plug-in (not preset). I normally use echo chambers as send/return effects during mixing, but I did try it as an insert effect. Stereo instances will preserve the dry signal’s stereo panning. The company advises against using the plugin for tracking in their Console Application or Realtime UAD Processing. There is increased latency as compared to other UAD plug-ins and in my Pro Tools HDX session at 96 kHz, delay compensation indicated 4,914 samples—so no problem. WHAT DO THEY SOUND LIKE? To start fresh by building my own presets, I would first call up the factory default—chamber 4 using the SM80 Mic, Max Decay time setting, Maximum mic distance, no Pre-Delay, 100%

The chamber view, with overlaid schematics.

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Width, flat EQ, and no Filter. Then I simply would make changes and save as a new preset. I quickly compared each of the four chambers’ character by sending to all four simultaneously and just unmuting a particular chamber’s return one at a time. In my Pro Tools 2019.6 HDX session, the four instances used about 43% of my UAD Octo card’s DSP. For sure, it is a luxury to compare the different chambers on lead vocals, various instruments and drum kits this way. It is easy to hear each of the four chambers’ unique “thing” this way, and they all sounded excellent, with warm, full-range sound. It is my preference to use the highpass filter in the send path to constrain somewhat how much low-frequency energy fills up the chamber. Depending on the source sent to it, I also discovered that for each chamber I would recheck the three-band equalizer setting to reduce/enhance particular resonant frequencies. Most of the time, no change was necessary—the reverberation always sounded awesome. Keeping all the chambers at their default state, my immediate impressions are: Chamber 2 is has the shortest natural RT60 time and proved good for vocals; Chamber 4 has a longer decay time and is the most generally useful overall for all sources; Chamber 6 has an even longer decay time, with an awesome “wave-like” reflection characteristic; Chamber 7 has the longest natural decay time of the four, with echoes resonating and easily heard bouncing around inside creating an epic soundscape. Each chamber returned about the same level when using an equal send level, so changing chambers in the middle of a mix is not a problem; this reflects solid design.

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Construction of the original echo chambers.

CAPITOL CHAMBERS IN USE There are a lot of excellent presets to use as starting points, and I started looking for very short ambiences for purposely coloring the sound of drums, vocals and guitars. Ross Hogarth has his “Angry Electric Guitar” preset that adds a coloration using Chamber 7 and the C-37A microphones. I lengthened the minimal decay time setting and moved the microphones out a little further and it ended up being a cool and unique snare drum reverb. For a Rock lead vocal sound, I tried Richard Chycki’s “Drum Room 2— Dark Tight” preset. It is Chamber 2, but I changed to the C-37A mics and dialed in a slightly longer decay, closer microphones and a considerable Pre-Delay. A very “old school” feature is that there are no numbers or readouts for indicating Pre-Delay values, exact RT60 times or how close the mics are. There are no sync-to-tempo buttons in this plug-in, either—use your ears! For a vocal I was working on, I liked being able to dial the stereo width of the returns down 50% or more and slightly boosting 5 kHz on the return EQ. The ambience is placed exactly on top of the vocal track like a tight “halo” around it. In addition, I would also send to another instance set to Chamber 4 with full stereo returns. This combination is very impressive for a big, upfront, lead vocal to command the track, or it could be easily “tucked” into the track if desired. I wanted a modern-sounding drum reverb, so I started with Chamber 6 and did heavy carving with the highpass filter and equalizer. The Filter knob was nearly straight up, the 500Hz EQ was halfway down—removing a lot of “honk”—and I maxed out the 5kHz band. I used the Altec 21D mics, reduced the Decay Time knob to halfway between the Mid and Max positions, and kept the Microphone Distance at Maximum. With that much spectral energy removed from the send signal, the send fader level was a little higher than normal, but I thought that this setup gave the drum kit a taller size and huge scale without washing it out. ECHO CHAMBERS RULE! It’s been a few years now since I used a real echo chamber, and I’m pretty excited to start again with the Capitol Chambers. These are just as I remember using the real ones years ago. Capitol Chambers impart more of a euphonic room tone than just mixing in recorded room ambient microphones. All of the chambers in this plug-in seem to take additional postprocessing well—compression, extreme EQs, even gating because they start with the best possible source! Hats off and thumbs up! Capitol Chambers is in every mix from now on! n

M I X | A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 | mixonline.com

Tech // reviews KRK Rokit G4 Monitors New Generation Includes Three 2-Way Models and a 10-Inch 3-Way By Mike Levine

RK’s popular and affordable Rokit line of near-field studio monitors has now reached its fourth generation, replacing the G3 models and ushering in a significant redesign. The new lineup includes three 2-way models, the Rokit 5 G4 (5-inch), Rokit 7 G4 (7-inch), Rokit 8 G4 (8-inch), and the 3-way Rokit 10-3 G4 (10-inch). The 4-inch and 6-inch models have been dropped from the line, while the company has added the 7-inch version. For this review, KRK sent Mix a pair of both the Rokit 8 G4 and Rokit 5 G4, so we’ll focus on those. VIVA LA DIFFERENCE The G4 models are physically similar to their G3 predecessors. The black composite cabinets are close in height, width and depth to the models they’re replacing. The monitors themselves are lighter, however, thanks in part to redesigned Class-D power amps that are smaller and lighter. The total weight of a Rokit 5 G4 monitor is about 1 pound less than the Rokit 5 G3. The Rokit 8 G4 is about 4 pounds less than the Rokit 8 G3. Another significant difference is the composition of the woofers, which are now made of Kevlar instead of the Glass Aramid composite of the G3 Series. The G4 tweeters are also Kevlar. According to KRK, the Kevlar not only reduces distortion but offers superior damping capabilities and is more resistant to resonances and ringing. Like the G3, the G4 monitors are front-ported. However, KRK enlarged the ports and made them wider and taller. The company describes the new ports as being “scientifically tuned.” I had to chuckle when I read that, because what else would you use besides science to tune a speaker port? All kidding aside, the point they’re trying to make is that they used their expertise in speaker development to design the port and other physical characteristics of the monitors to work harmoniously and create the best-sounding result. The G4 monitors feature iso-acoustic pads on the bottom panel, just like on the G3 line. These are designed to help decouple the monitors by reducing the transfer of vibrations from the cabinet into your desk or monitor stands. Though not as thick as dedicated third-party monitor pads, they definitely help and are a nice extra. DISPLAY OF PLENTY Other than the larger ports and familiar yellow-colored tweeters (the tweeters on the G3s were black), the G4 monitors don’t look all that different from the front compared to their predecessors. On the back panel, however, you’ll find some pretty significant

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The Rokit 8 G4, like the other monitors in the series, has matching Kevlar woofers and tweeters.

differences. For one thing, instead of separate ¼-inch balanced and XLR inputs, you now get a combo input. What’s more, KRK no longer includes the third input option from the G3s, an unbalanced RCA input. From my point of view, that’s no great loss. If you want to connect the monitors to the line out of your stereo system, you can always get adapters. More importantly, the EQ and volume knobs that were on the back of the G3s have been replaced with an LCD display and an Encoder knob. The G4s are equipped with DSP Room Tuning EQ, which can be accessed with the Encoder, with a visual assist from the display. You also get a range of setup features, which make the G4s more customizable than previous versions.

PRODUCT SUMMARY COMPANY: KRK Systems PRODUCT: Rokit 8 G4 and Rokit 5 G4 WEBSITE: www.krksys.com PRICE: Rokit 8 G4 ($299 each), Rokit 5 G4 ($179 each) PROS: Accurate and consistent sound quality; good value for the money; DSP-based EQ offers plenty of room-tuning options; tight-sounding bass; Rokit 5 G4 offers good bass response for its size; Encoder/LCD interface allows for precise L/R matching; acoustic pads on bottom help with decoupling CONS: Slightly higher prices compared to G3 monitors; EQs offer preset values only

The back of the G4 speakers have been completely redesigned and feature an Encoder-and-LCD user interface for dialing in EQ and setup changes.

Pressing the Encoder turns on the LCD, and shows the Home Screen, which features a volume control along a frequency graph that will show any EQ settings you’ve already made. Turning the Encoder adjusts the volume, which is represented in the LCD by a slider and a numerical readout making it easy to set precisely (a much better solution than some monitors on the market, which sport analog volume knobs that aren’t detented). Pressing the Encoder lets you select the EQ or Setup categories. EQ AOK The EQ section offers five different filter types for customizing the frequency response to your room acoustics. You get four presets plus flat in both the Low EQ and High EQ categories. This arrangement makes dialing in adjustments easy, but doesn’t allow you to customize the boosts and cuts or the corner frequencies. Low Shelf is designed for situations where you have a bass boost due to placing the monitors close to a wall or corner. Its presets include a -3dB or -2dB cut at 60 Hz. You also get a Low Shelf option that boosts by +2dB at 60 Hz. Low Peak is a peak filter that cuts -2dB at 200 Hz with a wide bandwidth. KRK refers to it as a “desk filter,” because it’s meant to reduce muddiness caused by reflections off of a console or table. There’s also a setting that combines the Low Shelf and Low Peak filters in one.

For cutting or boosting highs, you get both shelving and peak EQs. These include High Shelf, which cuts by -2dB at 10 kHz. Another combines a High Peak filter cutting -1dB at 3.5 kHz and High Shelf filter cutting -1dB at 10 kHz. On the boost side, you get a similar shelf/peak combination, which boosts +1dB at those same frequencies, plus a High Shelf filter that boosts 2dB at 10 kHz. The LCD shows a frequency graph for each setting, which gives you a visual representation of the effect of the selected filter. The Setup Menu offers adjustment for Backlight brightness and Contrast for the LCD. You can also choose whether to light the Logo on the front of the monitors, Factory Reset and settings Lock options, and the Standby function. With Standby on, which is the default, the monitors will sleep when they’ve seen no signal for 30 minutes. They wake up automatically when a signal is detected, but it takes several seconds. REALITY CHECK I have been using the Rokit 8 G4 and Rokit 5 G4 monitors in my studio for the last couple of weeks. Because my studio acoustics tend to reduce bass, I ended up setting the EQ to the Low Shelf +2dB boost at 60 Hz. I started just by listening to a lot of different types of musical styles, switching back and forth between the 8-inch and 5-inch—everything from bass-heavy styles like hip hop and EDM to midrange-heavy rock music to genres with wide frequencies and dynamic ranges such as jazz and orchestral music. On the 8-inch monitors, the bass sounded full but not flabby. Mids were vibrant, and the highs were plenty bright. They were almost bright

enough that I considered cutting them with the EQ, but I decided against that. The 5-inch models impressed me right off the bat with their bass response. Although they obviously don’t go as deep as the 8-inchers, the bass was present and didn’t feel like it was dropping off the table when I switched to them from the Rokit 8 G4s. They are quite punchysounding, too. For example, kick drums cut through nicely. Overall, their frequency response was surprisingly full for 5-inch speakers. KRK says that the matching Kevlar drivers provide a consistency in imaging, which I found to be the case. The speakers have a wide sweet spot. The company also claims that new models create less ear fatigue. That’s a harder one to judge, and I didn’t come away with an opinion one way or the other about it. MIX AND MATCH I monitored with the 8-inch and 5-inch G4s exclusively on a couple of mixes I was working on. One was a rock song with guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and vocals, and the other a country-influenced instrumental track with pedal steel, banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass and drums. After I mixed the songs, I gave them the old “car test” and also listened on my living room speakers. I was pleased to discover that both mixes translated well. The balances remained accurate from one system to the next, and nothing jumped out as sounding out of whack. The KRKs were clearly performing as designed. G4 DOES MORE I was definitely impressed with the 5-inch and 8-inch Rokit G4 monitors and would have no problem using either in my studio on a regular basis. I like the sound of the new drivers and the redesigned power amps and cabinets. The LCD/ Encoder interface and the DSP-based EQ are easy to use and let you precisely match settings between the left and right speakers. I can’t speak definitively to the Rokit 10-3 G4, because it’s a 3-way monitor and therefore a somewhat different animal. That said, based on the upgrades to the 2-way models, I have a feeling it, too, will surpass its G3 predecessor in performance. KRK has raised the prices a little on each model in the series, but the speakers are still quite reasonable and are one of the better monitor values on the market. n

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Tech // reviews Polyverse Music Comet Unique Reverb Plug-in Controlled by CV, MIDI or DAW Automation By Barry Rudolph

ounded in 2015, Los Angeles-based Polyverse Music's first product in their new line of Polyverse Music FX is their Comet algorithmic reverberation synthesizer plug-in. Polyverse Music also has collaborated with Erez Eisen's Infected Mushroom, which produces the I Wish pitch freezer, the Manipulator vocal transformer and Gatekeeper, a precision volume modulator. Comet runs Native 64/32-bit VST, AAX and AU in both PCs and Macs. Some of Comet Reverb’s notable and innovative design features include infinite adjustability for creating any size space, from one cubic centimeter to one cubic kilometer, and all parameters, including changing the reverb tail’s pitch, are controllable using external CV (Control Voltage) input, both MIDI Note and MIDI CC messages, or conventionally using your DAW’s automation. CONTROLS AND PARAMETERS Comet launches with a size-adjustable GUI (100, 150, or 200 percent) with three main controls: Size, Decay and Wet/Dry balance. The Size parameter sets how long it takes the sound to build up within the synthesized space. Longer settings will sound wave-like as the reverb ebbs and flows within a large space. Decay sets the RT60 decay time from 0 up to infinitely long. All of Comet’s parameters have “padlocks”—to lock down any parameter from change when searching and changing presets. There is the Note Control (a small eighth-note button) under the Size control for enabling MIDI Note control as outlined in the MIDI Controls section of the manual. With Note Control on, Size, Decay, changing Preset Morph slots and Decay Tail Stop are all controlled via pre-mapped MIDI notes. The Decay Tail Stop button manually clears the reverb’s buffer and instantly chops off the reverb’s tail. You can also use MIDI CC #120 or push G#-2 with Note Control enabled. There is also the Comet Image animation traveling left-to-right across the top-center of the GUI. When making parameter changes, the visual shows the reverb’s size, decay length and diffusion. I found that along with both the Note Control and Tail Stop buttons, this animation is hard to see in the (default) 100% GUI size. UNIQUE CONTROLS The main GUI page has both Output and Input level faders. The instruction manual encourages experimentation with overdriving the Input into saturation. I did try saturating the input with loud snare drum hits and overdriving it while turning down the output.

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The main screen of Polyverse Music Comet, with its three main controls: Size, Decay and Wet/Dry balance.

Comet produces approximately the same reverb but it was thicker, denser and a little darker. I like having this ability for building a reverb sound. I also liked the cleverly designed and very musical Pre Delay fader for up to 2,000 ms of pre-delay. When you push the fader upward from the 0 center position, it reads in milliseconds. Pulling the same fader downward changes pre-delay into musical note values in straight, dotted or triplet subdivisions from 32nd notes up to whole notes (full measure). The Diffuse control is for setting the density of reflections; it and the Detune parameter are a big part of the sound and functionality of Comet. Detune is for slightly modulating the pitch of the reverb tail—a subtle amount sounds best for reverbs. But I could “abuse” these parameters and crank Detune and Diffuse for very wacky effects. Hi Damp and Lo Damp are standard digital reverb controls and work great with properly designed ranges for programming the overall nature of the reverbs in Comet. Damping “virtually” changes the spectral makeup of the reflections within the synthesized acoustic space. The Hi Damp and Lo Damp settings work in conjunction with the Color control. Color works like a tilt equalizer—it adjusts the reverb’s overall brightness or darkness with a center 0 neutral position. Pushing the fader (+) boosts highs and rolls off lows, and conversely pushing the fader (-) boosts lows and rolls off highs. Apart from the Pre Delay control, all the parameters are notated in raw numerical values and without scientific nomenclature. PRESET MORPHING SLOTS At the bottom of the GUI is a row of five morphing slots each containing a preset. I like this feature for quickly auditioning and switching between five different reverbs when searching for just the right one—there is no preset dropdown list to “wade” through. I could have my five go-to presets always at the ready. User presets

PRODUCT SUMMARY COMPANY: Polyverse Music PRODUCT: Comet Reverb Plug-in WEB: www.polyversemusic.com PRICE: $149 MSRP PROS: Incredible programmability of musical and beautiful reverbs. CONS: In the default GUI size, some of the buttons are hard to see. save the entire state of Comet, including the reverbs loaded in all five morph slots. You could save presets with five short reverbs, five long reverbs with pre-delay, or five medium reverbs—whatever you like. And there is no shortage of factory presets! I clicked on the Presets button, and the preset browser window overlays the main window with five Categories: Small, Medium, Large, Eternal and Artsy. I counted more than 20 presets for each of these five categories! I liked that the presets in Comet are not “burdened” with typical digital reverb names like room, plate, chamber, wood room, tiled room or hall. I could easily load any preset listed in the browser into a slot and keep the window open with the Sticky button—just touch a morphing slot and then touch a preset to insert it. CHANGING BETWEEN PRESETS As with changing parameters, morphing or changing from one preset to another is programmable via MIDI CC, CV external control voltages as well as your DAW’s automation. Comet would make an ideal FOH mixer reverb for easily changing preset reverb effects for every song, or even reverb changes within songs. Something I really had never considered in digital reverbs is the time it takes to change from one preset to another. Comet continuously outputs reverb even while morphing between presets; there are no gaps while the new preset loads. The transition time between two presets is controllable using the Glide control. You can automate (or use MIDI or CV) to set the transition time anywhere from 0 up to 30 seconds. Like the Pre Delay control, Glide uses time in milliseconds or musical notes from 1/16th note up to 16 full measures of your song’s tempo. With preset morphing, Comet automatically solicits so many ideas for sound design and music mixing! For example, if you have sound in Comet’s buffer while synthesizing a small room and you change to a much longer reverb preset, during the transition time you will hear the pitch of the reverb tail “dive,” or go down in pitch. Similarly, changing from a long reverb to a shorter reverb causes the pitch of the tail to go upward during the morphing transition time. IN THE STUDIO For a very special dynamic lead vocal reverb, I automated preset morphing to change between two reverb presets I had modified: a longish, dreamy reverb originally called “The Becoming” for the verse, and a much shorter reverb originally

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called “Comet Halley” for the double-time choruses. At the end of the verse, the singer would hold a long note right up to before the downbeat of the chorus and then continue singing the chorus vocal without a gap. The producer wanted the verse’s long reverb tail to evolve to the shorter sound “futuristically,” so I automated the Glide control to start its transition during the last measure before the chorus—during this one measure I had the singer “bathed” in reverb. So by time the chorus’ downbeat hit, Comet was synthesizing the shorter reverb. The added effect was that the reverb tail’s pitch went up at the same time as it changed to the shorter RT60 time of the Comet Halley preset. Once I got it dialed in, this sounded awesome and launched the chorus! MIDI CONTROL I tried programming Comet using my Line6 Mobile Keys 49 controller. Clicking the Learn button changes the main page over to the MIDI/CV Settings page. The settings page has “learn” buttons for all the parameters you would want to map MIDI controllers or CV. I mapped MIDI CC 7 (Volume) to the Size control and CC 10 (Pan) to the Decay control. This makes adjusting these two controls always accessible from my MIDI controller. The manual has complete MIDI setups for most DAW systems. In Pro Tools I used a MIDI track in “record ready” routed to Comet and recorded my CC changes; that data shows up in the Edit window for further refinement. In the Pro Tools edit window, automating changes in the five preset morph slots are represented in the plug-in automation by five different stepped levels, like volume automation. For an awesome Leslie/Tremolo effect on an acoustic guitar, I used a very short reverb: Size was 5.83 and Decay was at 10.00, but both Diffuse (45.0) and Detune (73.7) parameters were set excessively high. I used Comet as a send/return effect but had it set to 100 percent wet. I carefully sent a little feedback of Comet’s output (Watch out!) back to its input and picked up a tape slap effect also. VERY CAPABLE REVERB Comet uses a modern reverberation engine with an immense potential for dynamic programmability using MIDI, CV or conventional automation. I can now “play” the reverb sound in real time for dramatic effects that sound great and always fit. I’m now coming up with reverberation ideas and effects that sound lush and smooth. I love that I can load a single preset with five customized reverbs and easily automate between them. Comet has definitely found a place in my mixing template! n

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Tech // back page blog Software Interplay and Restoring a Classic Mike Levine: Mix Technology Editor, Studio

Steve La Cerra: Mix Technology Editor, Live

Chatty Plug-ins: Do your plug-ins have a good working relationship with your DAW? Sounds like a silly question, right? After all, plug-ins by their nature are third-party software designed to work inside, and communicate with, a host application. But as you probably know from your professional life, all working relationships aren’t the same. Several DAWs, including PreSonus Studio One, Steinberg Cubase and Nuendo, Apple Logic Pro X, Cockos Reaper, and Cakewalk by Bandlab, have improved their ability to interact with specific plug-ins by including support for the ARA2 (Audio Random Access 2) protocol. Two other DAWs, Magix Samplitude and Waveform Tracktion, support the first version, ARA, and presumably will offer ARA2 relatively soon. Initially developed by Celemony (makers of Melodyne) and PreSonus, ARA and now ARA2 allow expanded audio sharing and integration between compatible plug-ins and DAWs. But it’s not only Melodyne. Synchro-Arts just announced that the latest versions of VocAlign and VocAlign Pro support ARA2. The company’s ReVoice Pro vocal processing plug-in has offered support for a while. On the subject of communication between different software, several companies have developed proprietary technology that allows their plugins to talk to each other, with favorable results for your workflow. The folks at iZotope have been leading the way in this area with their InterPlugin Communication technology. Recent versions of flagship plug-ins like Ozone and Neutron can communicate with the company’s helper plug-ins like Relay, Tonal Balance Control and Visual Mixer. Between ARA2 and plug-ins that communicate, software is clearly getting a lot more sophisticated, some might say “smarter.”

Resurrecting an Audio Dinosaur, Part 2: At the close of the first episode of “Resurrecting an Audio Dinosaur,” my lovely Ampex 351 tape machine channel was alive and working—though I wasn’t sure if it was working properly. While snooping around the 351’s power supply I noticed that one of the rectifiers—the components responsible for converting AC voltage to DC for supply to the tubes—was an old selenium type. I vaguely recalled rebuilding a Dynaco PAS 3 preamp where a selenium rectifier had to be replaced. It turns out that this type of rectifier doesn’t age well: the DC voltage supply gradually deteriorates, they are prone to catching fire, and failure is imminent. Yikes. Luckily, this rectifier was easily replaced with two 1N4004 diodes, which I wired on a tag strip and connected between the power transformer and the power supply circuit board. I also replaced the 6x4 rectifier tube used to supply high voltage for the audio tubes. The power resistor was easy to find. Changing it, however, was going to be a royal pain in the arse. It would require disconnecting all of the individual edge connectors from the PCB (printed circuit board), unmounting the power supply board, removing the old resistor and replacing it with the new one, then reinstalling the PCB to check the results. Apparently, I wasn’t the only nut who wanted to refurb an Ampex 351. A company called GAS Audio Recording Equipment manufactures new replacement PCBs for the three main circuit boards in the 351: the power supply, the record circuit, and the playback circuit. There’s one component on the original power supply board that bears mention: the record relay. This relay is required if the 351 is to be used as part of a tape machine but is not required if the unit is to be used as a mic preamp. A faulty relay can change the HF response of the audio path, so I elected to omit the relay and store it in a safe place.

Product of the Month: Antares Auto-Tune EFX+ Antares recently released AutoTune EFX+ ($199) the latest plug-in in its Auto-Tune EFX series. The biggest news here is the addition of the AutoEFX Multi-Effects Rack, which enables you to add doubling, tube distortion, pitch and throat effects (changing formants and more), mutate effects (ring modulation), filter effects, and vocoder effects. Basically, this plug-in can do everything from fixing some pitchiness in a vocal, to changing its character, to turning a voice into that of a robot or alien. The effects are excellent. The warmsounding Tube Amp effect lets you go from mild to heavy saturation. Pitch and Throat let you mess with Throat Length (changes the formants) and pitch. You can do stuff like turn a male voice into a female, and vice versa, turn an adult voice into a child, and so forth.

M I X | A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 | mi x o n l i n e.co m

Product of the Month: Lectrosonics D Squared Digital Wireless Microphone System The D Squared system consists of the DSQD digital receiver, DBu digital beltpack transmitter, and DHu digital handheld transmitter, operating across a tuning range from 470 to 608 MHz (470 to 614 MHz for export versions) and featuring 24-bit, 48kHz digital audio, two-way IR sync, and three levels of encryption. The DSQD 4-channel receiver occupies a half-rack, yielding eight channels in a single space— the highest rack density of any wireless system. The pure digital architecture enables AES 256-CTR encryption for high-security applications. USB ports on the transmitters facilitate firmware updates in the field as features are added in the future. n

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