Pro Sound News - November 2020

Welcome to the NOVEMBER 2020 issue of

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NOVEMBER 2020

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NEWS

VOLUME 42 NO. 11

TH E Se B e IG p

+ SOUND RECORDING

Creating Roddy Ricch’s New Album Real-Time Remote Recording

+POST/BROADCAST

Editing Conan O’Brien’s Audio Compression for Podcasts

+LIVE/INSTALLATION

Pandemic Classroom Audio Manage Your Live Sound Career

Immersive Music Pros like Jaycen Joshua are rethinking the spatial music experience as three new formats debut.

“Full Compass is an essential resource for my company.”

Greg White, Audio Engineer & Owner of Madison Pro Audio

Equip yourself with the very best gear, backed by unmatched service and support. Call or click today.

800-356-5844 • fullcompass.com

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CONTENTS

Special Report: Immersive Audio for Music In Play? Immersive

audio for film and TV has long been ruled by a few key players, but a number of startups are approaching immersive music in new ways, including Audible Reality, Sana360 and Orbital Audio, the latter co-developed by Grammywinning artist/producer Ricky Martin.

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Studio Showcase: Fever Recording Runs Hot When Clear Lake Recording in North

Hollywood, CA, found itself bursting at the seams with work, owner Eric Milos purchased and renovated a nearby facility to create Fever Recording, a cool studio with a boutique hotel vibe.

REINFORCEMENT

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Classroom Audio in Pandemic Times Like many higher learn-

ing institutions, Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, worked overtime this summer to accommodate remote learning during the fall semester.

Genelec’s New Experience Center • AV Network Nation Event Set • Engineering Emmys Honor Sound • Sound Particles Grabs Grant • A-T’s Cajka to Retire • JIExpo Theatre Jumps with Meyer • Osaka Onken Adds Adamson • Church Turns to QSC • SSL Reveals Fusion Easter Egg • Remembering Mark Pinske, Mark Brunner, David Croxton, Brent Averill

RECORDING Recording Roddy Ricch for Round Two Platinum-selling

artist Roddy Ricch’s highly anticipated sophomore album is coming out any second. Album engineer Chris Dennis breaks down the production process that has kept the rapper recording throughout the pandemic.

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decades, musicians have dreamed of being able to play remotely with others without latency. Now Swedish developer Elk is debuting Aloha, which it says allows users to play together in real time. CEO Michele Benincaso discusses the technology’s development.

POST

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Going Head to Sneakerheads

Netflix’s hot new comedy series Sneakerheads has a head-spinning hip-hop/ trap score. Composer Haim Mazar discusses his tech, inspiration and process.

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Creative Editing: The Key to Conan O’Brien’s Podcast A vari-

ety of audio editing tricks help audio producer Matt Gourley ensure that the laughs keep coming on the top-rated Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast.

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Real-World Review: Dirac Live Room Calibration/Correction Software Purpose-built rooms with ideal

acoustic treatments may not need room correction software, but all the rest do.

Producer/studio owner Rob Tavaglione takes a look at the latest entrant in the field.

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Innovations: NTP Technologies Penta 721s-DNT

It can be a challenge to match clocking and sample rates as Dante networks become bigger. NTP’s Penta 721s-DNT aims to solve that, says business development manager Jan Lykke.

sounding board

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Industry veteran Mike Dias debuts his audio career column, looking at how live sound pros can approach the toughest job of all: networking.

view from the top

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LEA Professional founder Blake Augsburger shares his vision for the company and its products.

music, etc.

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All-female band Ace of Cups played with rock legends in the 1960s, but never caught a break. Fifty years later, they’re making up for lost time.

SOUND BITES Tracks ����������������������������������������������������������24 Studio Products ��������������������������������������� 36 SR Products ������������������������������������������������ 37 Sound People ��������������������������������������������40 60-Second Interview ���������������������������� 41

Pro Sound News (ISSN# 0164-6338) is published monthly by Future US, Inc., 11 West 42nd Street - 15th Fl, New York, NY 10036. Pro Sound News is available without charge in the USA to qualified professionals engaged in sound recording, broadcast, video recording, audio-visual, sound reinforcement and associated business. The publisher reserves the right to refuse applications and restrict free copies sent to a company or organization. For subscription information or to email customer service, please visit our online Subscribe Center at www.MyPSNmag.com. Reprints available upon request, call our Reprint Coordinator at Wright’s Reprints: 877-652-5295. Periodical postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Pro Sound News, P.O. Box 234, Lowell, MA 01853. Please allow 6-8 weeks for address changes to take effect. © Copyright 2020 by Future US, Inc. PRINTED IN U.S.A.

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prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

JAY BLAKESBERG

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GETTY IMAGES

PUNCH-IN

Elk Rolls Out Real-Time Remote Performance For

TECHNOLOGY

COLUMNS

NEWS

FROM THE EDITOR

THE FUTURE IS NOW

VOLUME 42 • NO 11

CONTENT

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ou may have noticed this way. The result is a more visually issue of Pro Sound News looks kinetic look that reflects today’s a little different. That’s a bit graphics-oriented culture, infusing of an understatement, of course—the style without sacrificing substance. magazine in your hands has underAll the credit goes to group art gone the most extensive redesign in director Nicole Cobban and art ediits 42-year history. The size is differtor Rob Crossland, who not only ent (more manageable) and so is the made it happen, but also made it look (more vibrant), but not everylook easy (it wasn’t). thing has changed. It’s still packed The new look is part of a steady with in-depth analysis of pro audio transition that’s been happening this trends, profiles that uncover insights clive.young@futurenet.com year at PSN. Page through the issue and examples that you can adapt to and you’ll see the familiar bylines your work, solid news, our trademark Real-World you trust—articles by seasoned professionals Reviews and lots more. We’ve always hand-curated who’ve covered pro audio for years—but there are the most interesting and useful pro audio news for also newcomers, bringing fresh views, topics and you, and that’s something that will never change at insights to our pages. We’re also exploring new PSN. sides of the business these days, like our growing So why the new look? Truthfully, it was long coverage of podcasting—one of the most excitoverdue. Our last redesign was in April 2011—an ing and largely untapped opportunities to emerge eternity in the magazine business—but this isn’t for studios and audio pros in years. (Have you just change for change’s sake. If you were to hop in signed up for our weekly Podcast Pro newsletter a time-travelling DeLorean and go back to 1978— yet? Get to www.mypsnmag.com pronto.) We’ve more than 500 issues ago—you’d find that ever since also added to our lineup of columnists: Sounding the first copy hit the stands at the AES Convention Board, a new career column by industry vet Mike that year, Pro Sound News has always had a tabloid Dias, debuts on page 26, and Grammy-winning newspaper-like style, complete with articles on engineer Dom Morley’s quarterly column returns the front cover. That was a comfortable, familiar next month. approach back when most people got their news In the meantime, we’re still covering recordfrom the daily papers, but in the decades since, that ing, post, broadcast and sound reinforcement with look slowly turned into a holdover from a different the same detail and excitement that we always era. It made every article look the same, whether it have. Favorite features like the Tracks chart, View was about major, game-changing news that would from the Top and Music, Etc.—which has talked alter the industry forever … or a small bistro that recording with everyone from Taylor Swift to got new ceiling speakers. It also made our readJackson Browne over the years—are still here to ers have to work harder, too; following a dreaded inform and enlighten. When touring comes back, ‘Continued on Page XX’ message, they often had to our Centerstage chart will be there to highlight skip past dozens of pages just to read the last two the recovery, too. paragraphs of an article. It was ridiculous—and it For now, it’s time to dig in and enjoy this issue. was time for us to evolve.

The pandemic has put many things on pause, but Our articles have always told you about everytime is not one of them; no, the future is now. Pro thing new in pro audio—new gear, companies, Sound News is continuing to change with the times, professionals, music, formats, tours and more—so ensuring that we’re there to help you change with it was time to present all that in an equally new them, too.

Clive Young

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prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

The immersive audio process Orbital Audio was co-developed by Grammy Award-winners Ricky Martin (below) and engineer Jaycen Joshua (right), along with mix assistant Michael Seaberg.

RICKY MARTIN: GETTY IMAGES

IMMERSIVE AUDIO FOR MUSIC IN PLAY?

BY STEVE HARVEY

Immersive audio is nothing new. Heck, binaural technology was first demonstrated publicly way back in 1881, in France. But over recent years, we’ve entered something of a Golden Age of immersive audio as 360° or 3D playback has become more prevalent in cinema, videogames, virtual reality, broadcast television, live performance events and, more recently, music recordings.

The technology companies at the forefront of this latest era of immersive audio are well known by now, and include Fraunhofer IIS, Dolby Laboratories, DTS, Dirac, THX and others. But while much of the focus has been on 3D music playback over loudspeakers for many applications, whether in commercial venues or the home, the Holy Grail for tech and media companies is the ability to deliver a compelling spatial audio experience to headphone listeners. There are, after all, more than 5 billion smartphones in use around the world, according to an ITU estimate. This is a market yet to be conquered by immersive media companies.

ORBITAL AUDIO The lack of broader uptake by mobile consumers of some of the new immersive music formats could perhaps be attributed to the limited number of distribution services on which they are available, or the need for specialized codecs. With that in mind, multi-Grammy Award-winning artist and producer Ricky Martin recently re-released his Pausa EP in a “Headphone Edition” that features songs remixed in an immersive process dubbed Orbital Audio. Martin’s songs are the first in the world to be released with Orbital Audio processing.

Martin says that his search for a way to add a new dimension to his music was inspired by the coronavirus pandemic. Indeed, his initial focus was on healing, which is still central to the business plan of his new company, Martin Music Lab, which launched Oct. 8.

“Everybody told me, no more concert tours,” says Martin. “I said, what do you mean? That’s all I’ve been doing since I was 12 years old.

I was dealing with a lot of anxiety.”

Having listened to many examples of immersive music, Martin says, he wanted to make Orbital Audio “perfect.” In late July, with the release of the new version of Pausa, fans got to experience the

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

patent-pending process that Martin has developed in collaboration with multi-Grammy Award-winning engineer Jaycen Joshua and his mix assistant, Michael Seaberg. Understandably, the team is keeping their new tech under wraps, but the results can be heard on the release: voices and instruments pan and circle a listener’s head, adding spaciousness and dynamism to the mix.

“I wanted to create a very individual and unique way to make these instruments fly around our heads,” says Martin, “but more importantly, to make it available to everyone.”

The process delivers a binaural file, which means that it can be distributed over any streaming service or platform without requiring the user to download and install a codec or special app. Orbital Audio is “software-based with a hardware decoding aspect,” says Seaberg.

“We are mainly a software-driven company, and that’s how we create our products, but there could be third-party hardware involved to allow different platforms access to the experience.”

Indeed, this is not like the 4D format, with which some electronic artists have been experimenting, or 8D, which adds reverb and panning to a mastered stereo release to create a spatial experience. That said, there is a reverb component to the process. “We did my album with Orbital Audio, dealing with the limitations. I use a lot of reverb in my recordings,” says Martin, “but if you go into a studio with Orbital Audio in mind when you start recording, and you keep it as dry as possible, the experience is going to go to another level. Now when we go into the studio, we think about Orbital Audio every time we record any instrument.”

On Oct. 10, World Mental Health Day, Spotify reported that playlists focused on mental health saw a 50 percent increase in listening time globally. The platform also reported a 122 percent rise in streaming hours of podcasts focusing on self-help and mental health.

That’s hardly surprising given the constant barrage of stress-

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IMMERSIVE AUDIO FOR MUSIC IN PLAY? inducing news that 2020 has delivered. It also brings us back to Orbital Audio’s original focus. “We want to work with wellness apps—we might even create a wellness app—and create a therapeutic aspect.

This could become very therapeutic for people with Alzheimer’s, PTSD, brain tumors,” says Martin, who believes that coronavirus pandemic-related PTSD may eventually emerge.

Meanwhile, in just the short time since it was introduced, Orbital Audio has been attracting interest among music artists and mixers. “We have 10 engineers in Los Angeles and we’re going to have engineers in New York, Puerto Rico and Miami.

The idea is for this to go global,” says Martin.

The company is actively recruiting mixers.

“Jaycen’s reaching out to his connections and Ricky is reaching out to his connections,” says Seaberg, “and people are reaching out to us, because of the publicity.”

Artists including Bad Bunny and Residente, who both appear on the Pausa EP, as well as A$AP Rocky and Myke Towers, are said to be interested in releasing music using the Orbital Audio process.

Producer Rodney Jerkins, record exec Chris Taylor and Noah Assad, Bad Bunny’s manager, have reportedly joined Martin Music Lab’s executive advisory board.

“I can’t wait for Sting to get his hands on this. I know he’s going to bring some crazy sounds to the catalog of the Police or his own music,” says Martin of another of his Pausa collaborators. “We’re going to tap into some crazy catalogs that are going to be exciting to experience in Orbital Audio.”

AUDIBLE REALITY Audible Reality, an audio app for iOS and Android that launched Aug. 31, enables fans to listen to streaming music in 3D through the application of custom profiles or presets called “Vibes.” The service is the brainchild of Matthew Boerum, company founder and CEO, an award-winning audio engineer, musician, educator and Ph.D. candidate at Montreal’s McGill University. He has the backing of musicians including mega-producer Teddy Riley and Semisonic songwriter and producer Dan Wilson.

For listeners, the app offers a selection of free Vibes with names like Sparkle, Groove and Elevate that do pretty much what their titles suggest. A Smart option uses AI to optimize any track. For the moment, Vibes may be applied to anything streaming on Spotify or that lives on the user’s phone—in iTunes, for instance.

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Artists can create immersive audio "Vibes" with the Audible Reality Plus immersive, interactive mastering tool for DAWs.

But the company’s central idea is for artists to create their own Vibes using the Audible Reality Plus immersive, interactive mastering tool for their DAW and make them available for sale through the platform. Audible Reality’s Dashboard allows artists to set release dates, digital service provider distribution and Vibe permissions and pricing, and provides sales and performance analytics.

As Wilson told Forbes, “It can really put the different instruments into wildly different sonic spaces.

I can make a guitar sound like it’s coming in from behind your head, or I can make it sound like it’s on a mountain or in a closet.” As he also noted, the Vibe he created for Semisonic’s new EP, released Sept. 18, might not enhance, say, an Ariana Grande song. “But it sounded great on Jack Johnson.”

For artists, the Audible Reality Plus plug-in is available through a three-tier monthly subscription plan that ranges in price from $8 to $16. The company recommends that artists sell Vibes at $0.99 to $1.99. Income is split between the artist and the service.

SANA360 Anyone who attended any gigs in the London area during the 1970s and ’80s will be familiar with UK rock concert promoter Straight Music and their iconic show posters. The brand is back with Straight Music Presents, a collaboration between several renowned rock photographers, record executives and Emmy- and Grammy-winning producer Jay Rifkin, who has developed Sana360, an immersive technology for a more specialized market: music releases on vinyl.

Described by the company as “spatial re-creation technology,” Sana360 is being applied to rare live recordings from Straight Music’s heyday. On Sept.

24, Straight Music Presents released two limitededition double LPs, from The Clash and the Sex Pistols, and has promised future releases from Blondie, The Cure, Cocteau Twins, The Ramones and Talking Heads.

In a company statement, Rifkin said, “We could move sound around the room and do all kinds of tricks, but that’s not what music lovers want.

People want an authentic experience. They want to feel like they are there, a sense of place. We strive to match each individual performance to the venue it was originally performed in, transporting the listener into a virtual live music experience.”

According to the statement, “Sana360 is a proprietary process developed specifically for mastering and remastering a broad range of music content.

The multi-stage process produces a spectral balanced, enhanced, and immersive sound field from almost any musical input, including mono recordings. Every Sana360 mastering is a unique result of a proprietary process and technologies, combined with experienced audio professionals who closely monitor every Sana360 stage.”

Approaches to bringing the immersive audio experience to music listeners continue to proliferate, and doubtless the already entrenched leaders in the field will continue to expand and evolve their offerings. As the number of options available to artists and engineers continues to grow, ultimately it’s the consumer who will benefit from this rapidly evolving field.

Audible Reality • www.audiblereality.com Straight Music Presents • www.straightmusicpresents.com Pausa (Headphone Edition) • https://spoti.fi/33SnQpA

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

RECORDING CHRIS MONTANTE

Throughout the pandemic, engineer Chris Dennis (right) has been recording the follow-up to the platinum-selling debut album by Roddy Ricch (left).

RECORDING RODDY RICCH FOR ROUND TWO

BY KEITH NELSON JR. los angeles, ca—From the moment Roddy Ricch conceived his debut album, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial, in mid-March 2019, until it was released on Dec. 6 of that year, recording engineer Chris Dennis was at the artist’s side, helping him perfect its sound. On April 10, 2020, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The pair recorded the album in studios including Record Plant, Glenwood Place Recording and Ameraycan, as well as New York’s Jungle City, where the multi-Platinum-selling single “The Box” was tracked. That hit was celebrating its ninth week atop the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-March 2020 when the preventive measures against COVID-19 postponed or cancelled virtually all live shows—and

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shuttered recording studios—for the foreseeable future. The music industry had paused, but the need to build on Ricch’s success had not, so the pair got to work.

Ricch and his engineer have mostly avoided professional studio spaces while crafting the 22-year-old artist’s upcoming sophomore album, instead relying on Ricch’s personal studio in his Los Angeles home, which is centered around a Universal Audio Apollo Twin interface, Redco Audio Little Red Cue Box, Yamaha HS8 studio monitors, and a Sony C800G microphone.

Dennis told Pro Sound News earlier this year that they had recorded 45 new songs by early April.

When we caught up with him again in late September, that number had ballooned to more than 100.

“We’re kind of slowing down on the [new

songs] that we record and spending more time on the songs we have recorded already,” said Dennis.

“Adding second verses, maybe features.... We’re really just exploring different sounds.”

That would explain why Ricch implied in an August GQ interview that he had enough material recorded to drop an album at any time, but that he wasn’t going to just yet. At the time, he reasoned that he was looking to make a body of work. Dennis said that instead of simply getting beats from producers and finding how to fit Ricch into the producer’s already-completed sonic vision, he and Ricch have been reaching out to different musicians for specific sonic needs and unifying the disparate sounds into a complete statement.

Dennis explained, “I think he’s really trying to tell a story, from song one to whatever the last song

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

RECORDING CHRIS MONTANTE

ily precluded Ricch from collaborating with artists, but it has limited the ways those collaborations can take shape. “Sometimes he would prefer an artist or someone he was going to work with pulls up, so he could feel out their vibe, just like any other artist,”

FREE

Dennis explained. “It’s mainly been people sending us stuff over email, text, or whatever it may be.”

Working in a home studio is, by its very nature, a more personal experience. That has revealed itself in the music being created—his second album is said to be more intimate than his first, delving deeper into Ricch’s personal life—and in the friendship between Ricch and Dennis. Their collaboration led the engineer to move to L.A. in August, during a pandemic, primarily so he could be closer to Ricch and available whenever needed. “We used to pull up to the studio and we would get into work mode right away. When I’m working at his house, there’s an opportunity to see him in his own personal space and see him be more of himself.”

Whether we get the new album this year or not, one thing is certain: It will be an effort influenced by the world around him, from the sequencing of the album to its reflection of the world. “People can only write about what they’re experiencing and seeing,” said Dennis. “We’re all seeing this right now, so it’s going to influence you, the way you’re writing, the way you move. It’s definitely creeping into the music for sure.”

Chris Dennis • www.cdqengineering.com

VOLUME 42 NO. 11

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may be, with not only the lyrics but also the actual music. He’s getting more into an executive producer role now.”

During the pandemic, Ricch and Dennis don’t have typical recording sessions. Since they no longer have to structure their days around studio availability, Ricch records whenever creativity strikes and for however long he needs. Dennis might get a call one night to pull up to the studio and they’ll lock in for three hours. The same thing can happen the next night, but that session may stretch out for 18 hours.

The results have been undeniable, according to Dennis. “We have some amazing records, but Roddy is a true artist. He knows his music and puts a lot of work into making sure it’s something he’s happy with and not making it sound like something he’s already released.” Dennis added that outside of periodic check-ins on the progress of the album, Ricch’s label, Atlantic Records, “gives him a lot of freedom when it comes to his music and when he wants to release it.”

While the pandemic provides the pair with time to work, it can limit opportunities for creative expression. Recording from home hasn’t necessar-

+POST/BROADCAST

Editing Conan O’Brien’s Audio Compression for Podcasts

+LIVE/INSTALLATION

Pandemic Classroom Audio Manage Your Live Sound Career

Immersive Music Pros like Jaycen Joshua are rethinking the spatial music experience as three new formats debut.

“Full Compass is an essential resource for my company.”

Greg White, Audio Engineer & Owner of Madison Pro Audio

Equip yourself with the very best gear, backed by unmatched service and support. Call or click today.

800-356-5844 • fullcompass.com 10-2020 PSN Ads Equipped vF.indd 8

To claim your FREE subscription, go to www.mypsnmag.com

10/19/20 2:46 PM

FEVER RECORDING RUNS HOT

BY STEVE HARVEY north hollywood, ca—Fever

Recording owner Eric Milos recently swapped out the aging Solid State Logic 4048G console in the facility’s main control room for an SSL Duality Delta Pro-Station desk. “It sounds great, it looks great and the functionality, with Pro Tools control on the surface and the marriage of the console automation with the Pro Tools automation system, really gives you the best of both worlds,” he says.

Milos acquired the facility, formerly owned and operated by multi-Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Warryn Campbell, at the tail end of 2016. The main studio, with its own tracking room, lounge and kitchen, is separate from the rest of the building, the other half of which houses three

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production rooms, rented to long-term clients, with shared amenities.

“There’s a gated back parking lot where you can pull in and walk straight into the studio. We’ve had a number of artists in who appreciate that privacy,” he says.

Milos, originally from Ohio, graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2010 and cut his engineering teeth at Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood. He subsequently hired on as an engineer at Clear Lake Recording, which chief audio engineer Brian Levi established in 1987. In 2012, Milos purchased the Clear Lake facility and much of the equipment in it.

Clear Lake’s Studio A was designed by George Augspurger. “It’s got a really great Trident 80B console. It has been a great tracking room for all of

Fever Recording underwent a remodel to give it more of a boutique hotel vibe, according to owner Eric Milos.

its life, with a wonderful sounding drum room and a great grand piano. We do everything—every style, every type of session,” from large ensembles to solo vocals, says Milos.

Pro Tools Ultimate and a Studer A827 tape machine are both available. Outboard, there is a Neve sidecar and various pieces of vintage Pultec, Eventide and Lexicon gear alongside some of the newer studio-standard gear, plus classic Neumann, Sony and other tube mics. “There’s also a nice smattering of modern mics. We’ve never not had enough microphones for a session,” he says.

“When I took over, probably half the cool vintage equipment was already there. I could never dream of spending the money you would have to pay to buy it now.”

Milos built a B room at Clear Lake Recording in

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

studio showcase

RECORDING

Fever Recording's control room is centered around a SSL Duality console (top left) and bolstered by a wellappointed credenza of outboard gear (top right). At associated facility Clear Lake Recording, the George Augspurger-designed Studio A features a classic Trident 80B console (bottom).

2016 to handle overdubs, vocals, tracking and mixing. “It’s got an Avid D-Command and a basic set of outboard. We do a lot of vocal overdubs in there for all genres of music, and we do a little bit of 5.1 mixing and some ADR.” Two small production rooms, designated C and D, are leased out on a monthly basis. “In one room we have a composer who has been with us for three or four years,” he says.

Fever Recording, located a couple of miles west of Clear Lake along Burbank Boulevard, underwent a bit of a remodel along with the Duality desk

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

upgrade, says Milos, to give it more of a boutique hotel vibe. “We also got a few pieces of outboard gear, like the SSL Fusion, which everybody has been loving. The price-to-fun ratio has been excellent.”

The control room door barely cleared the old short-loaded 64-frame 4000G desk. “It was too big for the room. This Duality fits, and it looks like a spaceship,” says Milos, who bought the console, formerly at a North Hollywood recording school, through Vintage King.

“I’ve done a couple of mixes on it. It’s so much fun and clients have been loving the Duality. I

couldn’t be happier.”

The Duality behaves more like an SSL 9000 series desk, he says. “We can push it a little bit harder than a 4k. There have been occasions where we were getting a little bit of distortion on the master bus of the 4k because we didn’t have the headroom for a massive 808.”

On the subject of headroom and 808 kick drums, Milos has also bolstered the Bryston-powered Augspurger main monitor system at Fever. “I added some dual-18 Meyer Sound subwoofers that I saw on Craigslist. It’s a great full-range system when you switch up to the mains. For the most part, people are up on the mains when they’re doing production and getting a feel for the song. Then they switch to the ATC25A nearfields for tracking and mixing, for more detail.” There is also a pair of Yamaha NS-10s.

“Anybody familiar with the 4k pretty much gets the Duality right away. In that studio, we do a lot of hip-hop and Top 40 stuff, so there’s a lot of production—keyboards and that kind of stuff—and not a lot of full tracking. The Duality is nice for the situation where there are 20 people in the control room, and everything is interfaced, and being able to control Pro Tools.”

Fever Recording • www.feverrecording.com Clear Lake Recording • www.clearlakerecordingstudios.com

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RECORDING

top tracks

tracks: A LOOK AT THE RECORDING SCENE

ARTIST: JESSIE WAGNER ALBUM: SHOWS DROPPIN’ LABEL: WICKED COOL RECORDS PERSONNEL: Produced by: Dave Diamond Engineered by: Chris Laybourne Mix Engineer: Chris Laybourne, Dave Diamond Studio: Coop Studios (Oceanside, NY) Mastered by: Chris Laybourne at Coop Studios EQUIPMENT NOTES: SSL console, Genelec monitors, Avid Pro Tools

ARTIST: SUZI RAGSDALE ALBUM: GHOST TOWN LABEL: CABARAY PERSONNEL: Produced by: Sam Frank, “Wildflowers” by Sam Frank & Ray Stevens Engineered by: Sam Frank, Ben Surratt, Suzi Ragsdale Studios: CabaRay Studio (Nashville, TN), Shabby Road Studio (Chapmansboro, TN), Wherever I Go Studio (London, England), home studio EQUIPMENT NOTES: Focusrite Clarett 4Pre, Digidesign D Control, Avid Pro Tools, Apple Logic X. M-Audio, Auratone, JBL 4320, Genelec 8050A, and KRK ROKIT 8 studio monitors.

ARTIST: SEPSISS ALBUM: ALMOST 11 LABEL: PAVEMENT ENTERTAINMENT PERSONNEL: Produced by: William Savant Engineered by: Glen Robinson Studio: Toybox Studio (Nashua, NH) EQUIPMENT NOTES: PreSonus Studio Live, Antelope Audio Discrete 4 Synergy Core, KRK ROKIT 6, PreSonus E5, PreSonus Studio One 4, Avid Pro Tools

ARTIST: EVELYN COOLS ALBUM: MISFIT PARADISE LABEL: HEAD BITCH MUSIC PERSONNEL Produced by: Enrique Lara Engineered by: Enrique Lara Studio: Home studio Mastered by: Hans DeKline at Hans DeKline Mastering (Los Angeles, CA) EQUIPMENT NOTES: JCF custom console, Avid Pro Tools, TEAC 3340S 4-track tape machine.

Mixing monitors included ADAM Audio T5V and Sub8, Ultrasone HFI-580 headphones; mastering monitors included Amphion One18, KRK 7000, Yamaha NS-10 with SW-10.

ARTIST: FALU AND KARYSHMA ALBUM: SOMEDAY EP LABEL: SELF-RELEASED PERSONNEL Produced by: Danny Blume, with Sandeep Swadia and Soumya Chatterjee Engineered by: Danny Blume Studios: Hidden Quarry (Woodstock, NY), The Bridge Studio (Brooklyn, NY) Mastered by: Oscar Autie at El Cerrito Studio EQUIPMENT NOTES: Harrison 4032 console, Barefoot Sound MicroMain27, Avantone monitors

notes

Elizondo Adds Genelecs

natick, ma—When Grammy-winning producer Mike Elizondo moved to Tennessee from Los Angeles, he installed a pair of Genelec (www.genelecusa.com) W371A Smart Active Woofers and 8361A Smart Active Monitors in his 5,000-square-foot studio, which also houses an SSL 4056 E/G console, a Neve BCM10, and Ampex and Scully tape machines.

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LemonTree Grows

los angeles, ca—Erik Nilsson opened a second LemonTree Studio in the L.A. area that includes a 400-square-foot shared live room that tenants in any of the 12 rooms can tap into through the facility’s Dante network and 32 channels of Focusrite (https:// pro.focusrite.com) RedNet, including Red 4Pre and Red 8Pre audio interfaces.

Fish Nets OWA Monitors

los angeles, ca—Edwin Fish “Jed” Gould III, better known to listeners of KROQ-FM in Los Angeles as Jed the Fish and renowned as an early supporter of new wave and alternative bands, recently installed a pair of Ocean Way Audio (www.oceanwayaudio.com) HR3.5 reference monitors in his Los Angeles-based recording studio.

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

RECORDING

ELK BRINGS REAL-TIME, REMOTE PERFORMANCE TO MUSICIANS

BY STEVE HARVEY stockholm, sweden—Practical real-time remote

music creation and collaboration took a step closer to reality recently when Stockholm-based developer Elk began posting videos made by beta testers of its Aloha service. Conceived for use over high-speed internet and eventually over 5G networks, Aloha combines ultra-low-latency audio with a video chat user experience. The service is scheduled for a 2021 release.

“We knew there would always be limitations.

The speed of light is still there,” says Elk CEO and co-founder Michele Benincaso over Zoom from Sweden, “but there are things to make [latency] better and there are different kinds of experiences.

If we want to have an in-the-same-room experience for a pro musician, with good fiber, you’re looking at around 1,000 kilometers,” or about 620 miles, maximum, between participants.

His original goal was to create the guitar of the future. “We had a vision to bring the guitar to a level where you can give the musician access to more sounds and a new way of expression.”

About six years ago, Benincaso met a professor from Stockholm’s Royal College of Technology, who introduced him to the potential of modern wireless communications and the Internet of Things. That professor eventually become one of Elk’s co-founders, and the technological introduction ultimately led to the development of the Linux-based Elk Audio OS.

want

more?

FIND OUT THE STORY BEHIND MATT BELLAMY’S GUITAR

https://youtu.be/9CZd98utaFc

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

Swedish developer Elk is debuting Aloha, which it says allows musicians within a 600-mile radius to play together remotely over the internet with latency of 1 millisecond.

“The magic is that we can run it on a generalpurpose CPU. We use Raspberry Pi, but we can do analog-to-analog in 1 millisecond. There’s [typically] no way of getting that without a very expensive computer and a very expensive audio interface.”

Through the company’s relationship with Steinberg, Elk has already ported over 500 VST plug-ins to its OS. The Elk Audio OS is at the core of the company’s Sensus smart guitar and other products.

The OS has also enabled the creation of a custom solution, in combination with Fishman and Arturia, for Muse frontman Matt Bellamy to generate Prophet V synth sounds from his wireless guitar.

It is the Elk Audio OS within in Aloha, which will ship with a small stereo audio device and an Ethernet cable, that makes real-time remote collaboration feasible. “There are technologies that work on a LAN, like Dante, but the internet is another story,” Benincaso says. “What Aloha technology in the device does is optimize the audio to be sent to the internet. Aloha considers packet drop, distance and jitter.”

Jitter can be worse than latency, he explains. “In an orchestra, you can have 30, 40 milliseconds [of latency] between one side of the orchestra and the

other, but it’s consistent, so musicians adjust. What is harder is unpredictable latency—jitter. Aloha adapts to constantly deliver the most consistent latency based on the network conditions. And we use other technologies to maximize the audio experience for the user.”

An early version of Aloha was previewed by Swedish telecom company Ericsson at the 2019 Mobile Congress in Barcelona, where a band performed from two locations in the first live demo of the service over 5G. With the rollout of 5G, processing power available in the cloud will eliminate the need for a local CPU, RAM or dedicated audio interface. For Aloha, he says, “edge computing is where you get ultra-low latency, so there will be a major impact when 5G comes.”

Elk has been flooded over the past several months with suggestions for applications where Aloha might also be employed, such as in music education, says Benincaso, so the company has adjusted its focus and put more resources behind launching the service. However people use it, he says, “We let musicians connect in the shortest time possible with a seamless experience.”

Elk Audio • www.elk.audio

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POST

want

more?

THE SNEAKERHEADS PLAYLIST IS AVAILABLE ON SOUNDCLOUD https://soundcloud.com/haim-mazar/sets/ sneakerheads-music-selections

Mazar’s latest score, for the Netflix comedy series Sneakerheads, mixes hip-hop, trap and fantasy elements. A journeyman composer, Haim Mazar’s (inset) work has been heard in everything from the biopic thriller The Iceman to several Disney Parks stage shows.

GOING HEAD TO SNEAKERHEADS

BY STEVE HARVEY west los angeles, ca—Some

filmmakers have their go-to composers; for everyone else, just like the vast majority of actors, there’s the audition process.

“I think that’s always the best way to showcase your work,” said Haim Mazar, whose latest work can be heard on the Netflix series Sneakerheads.

“Give me a shot. If you like it, let’s do it.”

A while back, Mazar’s manager sent him an audition pitch. “There were three scenes, with no explanation about what the show was or where music should go. I did something really quick over the weekend,” he said, and Sneakerheads creator Jay Longino and director Dave Meyers liked it.

Perhaps it helped that Mazar’s former neighbor appeared in one of the audition scenes as, well, a neighbor. He sent the actor a message and a screen-

26

shot. “He knew the creator and sent a text to say that he should check out my work. I got a call the week after that and I got the job.”

His main DAW is Apple Logic. Because Mazar typically works on orchestral or hybrid projects, he said, “I’ll do a mockup of an orchestral score and use a lot of libraries, like Spitfire Audio.”

Mazar has long favored Apogee and uses the company’s Symphony interface together with Universal Audio preamps. “I’m a big fan of Dynaudio speakers,” he said, “and I do a lot in surround, too.

I use Blue Sky bass management. I’ve had the controller for 10 years. It’s really solid.”

Mazar’s resume is varied, to be sure, but none of his credits suggests a particular affinity to hip-hop, which features throughout the series.

“I’ve always been a fan of hip-hop and grew up listening to it—and I still do. I have a very eclectic

taste and grew up in a very eclectic environment; that allows me to tap into different projects,” he said.

The series has some weird and quirky elements, he added, “Things that put this into a fantasy world at times. Those tell the audience, don’t take us too seriously. Dave wanted the music to not necessarily make it silly—because the music is serious—and to use elements from the trap world, but to use them like a film score.”

The challenge was to be authentic, said Mazar, not least because Meyers is an established music video director who has worked with Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott, among many others. “We wanted it to sound like one big soundtrack that follows throughout the season. Sometimes in my cues, I’ll insert one or two lines of rap between the dialogue lines so it feels like a song. It feels like a fun ride. You’re going on an adventure with them.”

Haim Mazar • www.haimmazar.com

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

POST

CREATIVE EDITING: THE KEY TO CONAN O’BRIEN’S PODCAST

BY JIM BEAUGEZ los angeles, ca—Improvisational comedy moves fast, and the audio pros entrusted to capture the magic don’t always have the opportunity to fix flubbed words or phrases. But over the course of recording the mostly improvised podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, producer Matt Gourley has found creative ways to get it done.

Case in point: When a recent guest hiccupped over the word “about” while recording a key segment, Gourley used a trick he learned while working on another improvised podcast, Superego. He analyzed all the audio tracks from the interview to find every other instance of the guest saying the word in search of a substitute.

“As I was editing, I was keeping mental notes,” said Gourley. “I think there were six or seven times he said ‘about,’ and only one of them fit. It has to feel like a natural human, not artificial intelligence taking speech from the internet and pasting it all together. Luckily, one of them really worked.”

Creativity comes into play in other ways, he said, such as the in the creation of the introduction and theme music. Longtime O’Brien associate Jimmy Vivino composes and performs most of the original music used on the podcast, with one notable exception: a clip from The White Stripes’ song “We’re Going to Be Friends” featured in the intro. Gourley transitions from a Vivino-composed segment with a

Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy (right) of Schitt’s Creek, seen here with producer Matt Gourley (left), were guests on the podcast in January, back when it was still taping on the Warner Brothers lot.

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

TV talk show mainstay Conan O’Brien (foreground) and audio producer Matt Gourley (background) typically record the Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast on the Warner Brothers lot, but have been using Earwolf Studios, seen here, since the pandemic began.

simple kick drum pattern that links the two clips. “[He] did the music for it to be a complement, even down to the same beats per minute,” he said. “I was able to take the separate stems of the music and take out the music after the introduction, hoping to make it seem like one seamless piece. It’s a little hard to tell, but that’s kind of the point.”

Pre-pandemic, the team would record at the same Warner Brothers studio where O’Brien tapes his television show, Conan, in a dressing room they converted to a fully functioning podcast studio with a glassed-in green room. There, the typical setup is four Shure SM7B mics on Heil PL-2T overhead broadcast booms and Shure SRH840 headphones for monitoring, all with room to expand. But these days, while the Warner Brothers lot is still shut down, O’Brien and sidekick-assistant Sona Movsesian record at Earwolf Studios, using SM7Bs and Sennheiser HD 280 PRO closed-back headphones. They both record to their computers while videoconferencing with Gourley and the day’s guest via Zoom.

“Conan himself is an admitted Luddite,” he said.

“He doesn’t really know anything about computers, so to send him a mic and a USB interface [wouldn’t work].” Gourley, who prefers to use a Sennheiser

super-cardioid mic on the podcast, downloads their files and assembles them in Pro Tools, lining up the tracks to a hand-clap sync.

“We record on Zoom as a backup in case we need it, especially for the guests,” he said. “It’s different every time. [I] get on Zoom with the guests a little before the recording and have them try to set up a [local] recording on their own so that we can get some decent quality. It’s hit and miss—sometimes guests just don’t have that functionality, so we end up going with their Zoom recording.”

Once Gourley completes a rough edit, he gets to work on the signal using plug-ins like the industrystandard iZotope RX to remove “room noise, plosives and mouth clicks.”

Producing a podcast that thrives on interaction and nonverbal communication can be a challenge, Gourley said, but one the team at Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend has adapted to well.

“Timing is everything and you’re always on a delay [with Zoom],” he added. “It’s like trying to be funny on a cell phone connection. But like anything, you start to learn the rhythms, and Conan’s a master of that. It isn’t long usually before the guests get in the rhythm, too.”

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POST

(Left) This year’s Mix Sound for Film & TV event was held virtually, but still based in the Cary Grant Theatre at the Sony Pictures Studios lot. (Right) Oscar-winning sound/film editor Walter Murch shared his insights on the future of both professions during his opening day keynote address.

MIX SOUND FOR FILM: A VIRTUAL HIT

BY STEVE HARVEY culver city, ca—With the coronavirus pandemic still limiting in-person gatherings, this year’s seventh annual Mix Sound for Film & TV event moved to an online format while retaining much of its popular programming. Hosted, as ever, at Sony Pictures Studios, the virtual event successfully recreated the physical experience with nary a glitch during its two-day premiere.

As it always has, the event gathered the interest and input of top players in the industry. Held by Future (parent company to Mix and PSN), sponsors included Apple, Clear-Com, Dolby, PMC, Sony, Netflix, Genelec, Grace Design, Krotos, Meyer Sound, NTP Technology, Nugen Audio, OWC, Pro Sound Effects, RSPE Audio & Video Solutions, Shure, Sound Particles and Wholegrain Digital Systems. Event partners included the Cinema Audio Society (CAS), Entertainment Industry Professionals Mentoring Alliance and Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE).

One annual highlight is the opening day keynote address. Walter Murch, the only person ever to win Academy Awards for both sound mixing and film editing, for The English Patient, predicted in his keynote address that one day those two jobs will become one. Murch, who was at the forefront of film’s transition to nonlinear editing, observed that the technology made the process “easier but relentless,” eliminating the long pauses that previously came with rewinding film and changing reels.

Offering his opinions on mixing in Dolby Atmos, Murch advocated for dialogue to remain anchored to the center channel, regardless of where

28

those speaking appear on screen; the brain compensates, he said.

Sound designer and re-recording mixer Ren Klyce, presenting the day two keynote, spoke about his transition from music to sound. “From a very early age, I was taught that music is sound and sound is music, if you open your mind to it being that,” he said. His first job working to picture, he recalled, assisting a filmmaker on an animated short for Sesame Street, was all about using city sounds as music.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended everyone’s lives, and various panel discussions offered insights into how audio post practitioners are using existing technologies and adopting new platforms to work remotely. The single biggest challenge with working from home, it seems, is internet bandwidth, which can vary wildly according to each individual’s circumstances.

For many, moving chunks of video and audio around has become a grind. “You have to plan for it,” said Sean Massey, MPSE. “It’s become part of your day.”

That said, cloud-based solutions for collaboration and tasks such as ADR have become essential.

Panelists recounted their initial attempts at ADR when work-from-home orders first came down.

Initially, productions had actors record lines wild into their iPhones at home. The process quickly evolved, with productions sending out microphones and mic preamps for actors to record into their laptops or other devices.

But some actors have absolutely no idea how to use microphones, including which end to speak into, it seems. Plus, added Gabriel Guy, CAS, “You have

to do a screenshare to make sure they hit record.”

New York post shop Parabolic now offers home ADR recording packages for clients in the United States and Europe, including a choice of microphones, and Deluxe has launched its similar One Dub system. The sound team also now takes remote control of the actor’s laptop, said Mendell Winter, MPSE. Using a combination of dedicated remote collaboration and asset-sharing platforms such as Sohonet’s ClearView, Evercast, PIX and Zoom alongside Source-Connect and other remote recording workflows, managing ADR from home now feels just like a stage session, panelists reported.

One remaining bottleneck, however, is loop group, which has become much more time-consuming. Cleaning up noise issues, now multiplied by the number of individual mics being recorded by the group, and correcting the latency on each dialogue track adds significant editing time, participants reported. Todd-AO’s Absentia DX software got a shoutout from several panelists for its dialogue noise-cleaning capabilities.

With COVID-19, playback and notes sessions are also remote, and use some of the previously mentioned platforms by necessity. “We were afraid of weird notes because of what people were listening to” at home, said David Fluhr, CAS. Netflix solved that problem by sending everyone the same model headphones, he said. Netflix has also been holding playback sessions on its platform, streaming directly to each participant’s location at a scheduled time, Fluhr added.

Mix Sound for Film & TV • www.mixsoundforfilm. com/2020

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

POST

BRIEFS Lectro Captures PBS Performances

austin, tx—As virtuoso violinist and conductor Scott Yoo, host of the PBS Great Performances Series Now Hear This, travels the world, production sound mixer Reid Mangan captures the music and dialogue with Lectrosonics (www.lectrosonics.com) SRb and SRc wireless receivers; SMV, SMQV, LT and HMa transmitters; and a Sound Devices 688 recorder.

BNY Follows Politics with Meyer

sioux city, ia—While remotely broadcasting an average of 100 live and virtual “hybrid” political rallies and speeches every week for the past six months, BNY Productions has been monitoring through Meyer Sound (www.meyersound.com) Bluehorn System speakers in their production studio, which is also outfitted with MM‑10XP, MM-4XP and UP‑4slim installation loudspeakers.

CAS to Honor William B. Kaplan

los angeles, ca—The Cinema Audio Society (www. cinemaaudiosociety.org) will honor multiple CASand Academy Award-nominated sound mixer William B. Kaplan, CAS, with the organization’s highest accolade, the CAS Career Achievement Award, at the 57th CAS Awards on April 17, 2021, recognizing his work on Top Gun, Back to the Future, Forrest Gump and other films.

Riedel Pops into NBA Bubble

burbank, ca—Firehouse Productions provided Riedel’s (www.riedel.net) Bolero wireless and Artist digital matrix intercom solutions to support broadcast and team communications, interconnecting six on-site OB trucks, three venues and a variety of other areas, in the 2020 NBA Bubble COVID-19 isolation zone at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL.

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

PODCAST AUDIO COMPRESSION How and Why with Eric Krasno Plus One

BY JIM BEAUGEZ

rolling off of the low end, maybe around 200 Hz, to take a little bit off the low end so it’s not so boomy,” he said. “To the contrary, if I’m looking at a FaceTime recording or something like that, I’m probably boosting a little bit more in the mid-range, maybe like the 400–800 Hz range, because you don’t get as much of that coming into those recordings.”

Dwyer doesn’t use a heavy hand in the mastering stage. His primary concern is to bring out an overall frequency shape if he didn’t get it in the mix, and to work on loudness.

new york, ny—When producer Matt Dwyer sits down to mix and master the Osiris Media podcast Eric Krasno Plus One, his ears are searching for the sweet, compressed sounds he heard on the airwaves in the 1980s.

“I grew up in the era of great FM radio,” he said, “so I have in my head these amazing-sounding FM radio voices from the ’80s, really smooth-talking people without much variation [that] come through loud and clear wherever you are.”

Krasno, a Grammy-winning producer/songwriter who talks shop with artists and producers like Don Was, Dave Matthews and John Mayer on his music podcast, tracks with a Telefunken AK-47 mic and a Universal Audio LA-610 preamp.

But his guests’ audio can be a wild card.

“Primarily, we’re doing [interviews] over FaceTime,” said Dwyer, “and then we’ll feed the audio back into AbleEric Krasno, Grammy-winning producer/songwriter and member of funk/jazz trio ton. We’re trying to get guests Soulive, talks shop with artists and producers on his podcast. to record themselves locally and then send the track to us, [but] we try to make do with the remote audio the “When you’re talking about podcasts, especially best we can.” when you’re going to get into a platform that serves Passing the files over the internet adds some up dynamic ads, you’ve got to be very conscious about initial compression, but Dwyer doubles down to your loudness measurement. For example, with the tighten them up before sending the tracks through platform we’re on, all the ads are served up at -16 a limiter and boosting the gain. “It’s a lot different LUFS. I try to master for an average of -16 LUFS, and than producing music, because you want a really do kind of a QA inspection of the overall file. steady sound from the voice with very, very little “The unfortunate nature of the podcast space is dynamics,” he said. “People are listening to these that the end result is going to be a 128 Kb MP3 that things in their car, in the gym, and you want to people are going to get served up,” he added. “You serve the conversation rather than focus on an have to keep that in mind, particularly in the masaudiophile experience.” tering stage, and make sure that it’s going to sound Dwyer has a reliable formula for equalizing varied to somebody streaming it to their phone the tracks, and there’s a night-and-day difference coming through their earbuds. It’s a lot about probbetween how he handles the audio sources. The lematic frequencies and making sure that the loudaudio files he gets from Krasno and his guests are ness is intact and where we want it to be.”

Eric Krasno Plus One • www.osirispod.com/ often adjusted in opposite directions. podcasts/eric-krasno-plus-one “Eric has a nice, deep voice, so I’m doing a lot of

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GEAR REAL-WORLD REVIEWS

DIRAC LIVE ROOM CALIBRATION/ CORRECTION SOFTWARE Purpose-built rooms with ideal acoustic treatments may not need room correction software, but the rest of us do. With chart-topping artists producing hits in repurposed bedrooms, basements, garages and hotel rooms, the need for acoustic analysis and correction is greater than ever.

I reviewed Sonarworks’ Reference 4 software for PSN back in 2018, so I was eager to compare this new calibration/correction system from Dirac, as it promises to bring some different methodologies, concepts and results.

Dirac Live seeks to correct room anomalies and inaccuracies in both the time domain and the frequency domain to improve the soundstage with greater imaging and localization of sound, increased clarity and intelligibility, and tighter bass response with fewer resonances. This is accomplished with a combination of linear- and minimum-phase IIR filters, as well as impulse response correction (affecting the timing of signals and the ratio of direct to reflected sound).

Dirac Live’s filter design page.

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OUT OF THE BOX Dirac Live is available in the “big four” formats (VST, VST3, AAX and AU) for both Mac (Mac OS X 10.11 and up) and Windows (Windows 10). A measurement microphone is needed for calibration; I used a USB reference mic as provided by Dirac, but other models are suitable as long as a frequency response plot is available for them. Dirac Live is compatible with all the major DAWs and supports nearly every multichannel format under the sun (2.0, 2.1, 3,1, 4.1, 5.0, 5.1, 5.0.2, 5.1.2, 6.0, 6.1, 7.0, 7.1, 7.0.2, 7.1.2, Quadraphonic, Pentagonal, Hexagonal, Octagonal and Ambisonic). The stereo version sells for $349, while the multichannel version is $499. I tested Dirac Live in stereo, as Audio Units on an Apple Mac Pro. There are two components to Dirac Live: the Dirac Live processor plug-in that will be inserted within a DAW session, and the calibration tool program that will read your room’s response, create a custom filter(s) and communicate with the plug-

BY ROB TAVAGLIONE Rob Tavaglione owns and operates Charlotte’s Catalyst Recording and has been a longtime studio contributor. www.twitter.com/robtavaglione

in. After instantiating the plug-in, you open the calibration program, which scans for a “device” that will ultimately store your filters and do the audio processing. Dirac also makes a hardware version for home hi-fi enthusiasts, but this pro version sees the plug-in as its “device.”

The measurement process is lengthy and very specific but not difficult, just like all the other correction systems I’ve tried. The process involves setting system volume for the playback of frequency sweeps, measuring those sweeps from nine different positions surrounding your listening position, and then fine-tuning the correction filter that Dirac Live suggests. The whole process took about 10 minutes and is rather interesting, as you can hear changes in room response as the full-bandwidth sweeps excite your room, creating some resonances and some dips, and it’s fun to correlate graphs of the measurement on screen.

Next you’ll “proceed to filter design,” which is the really interesting part. Dirac Live has automatically generated a response curve, but you can customize that curve by grabbing control nodes, moving them to desired frequencies and then boosting or cutting. You can also choose to move the “curtains”—the dotted vertical lines placed very low and very high on the frequency graph that represent the lower and upper frequency limits of Dirac Live processing. (It is not wise to try to achieve perfectly flat response all the way down to 20 Hz or all the way up to 20k. That would eat up a lot of headroom).

Furthermore, custom target curves can be loaded in .txt or .targetcurve formats and then “snap-

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

real-world reviews

GEAR

“Dirac Live [is] what appears to be the best-sounding room correction algorithm on the market today.” to fine-tune my kick drum, boost that bass guitar and get my lead vocal right in the pocket. Frankly, it’s hard to describe the improvements I heard, as they were slightly different than what my system corrected with Sonarworks; not relegated to just frequency response, it sounded like phase accuracy had improved and imaging was more exacting, perhaps due to the impulse response correction, as well as precision filtering.

One drawback to using Dirac Live was the inevitable switch to other monitors or headphones for reference. When using frequency-challenged full-range monitors (Avantone Mixcubes), I had to bypass the Dirac Live processing, same as with headphones. I do wish that it offered correction for cans like Sonarworks does, which is as effective (if not more) as its correction for rooms/monitors.

An impulse response page in Dirac Live.

shots” can be taken of the current condition, modified and then easily compared to other stored snapshots without having to close the current project—nice for ultra-fine-tuning of curves. For those of you who (like me) want to know exact frequency values of your room’s trouble spots, you can zoom into your response curve with your mouse scroll wheel and pan across the frequency spectrum with <hold+drag>.

The Dirac Live software guides users through the steps of the Now that you’ve created (and measurement process. possibly modified) your target curve, during bounce/render, or else the Dirac Live you’ll find that the Dirac Live plugprocessing would be applied to your mix. Dirac in and your correction curve are now loaded in Live can be automatically bypassed when bouncing/ your DAW session. You’ll notice the output level rendering with a simple preferences setting. For of the plug-in may be attenuated; this is in order to analog mixing, I inserted the plug-in on my stereo give Dirac Live some headroom to apply processmix track, where I would monitor the processing ing. (The amount of attenuation is about equal to but it would not be recorded into my mix file. the sum of your target curve’s positive and negative Even though it’s a little jarring to suddenly hear deviation.) You can now turn the processing on and your system responding differently, I began mixing off as well as switch between different target curves with Dirac Live and got slightly improved results you’ve stored without any jumps in level. on my first attempt. My room is in pretty good IN SESSION shape except for some low ceiling-induced bass For in-the-box mixing and mastering work, an issues (with adjacent dips and bumps) and a bit of instance of Dirac Live inserted on the master fader low-mid mud. Dirac Live cleared up that mud and informs your decisions and then must be bypassed did quite a bit for that bass response, inducing me

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

THE FINAL MIX Even though it adds a little complication to mixing and mastering, Dirac Live can definitely improve monitoring accuracy to the point where it is worth the extra effort. At a cost of $349, the price is significant but not prohibitive, especially considering just how much knowledge can be gleaned from the measurement process.

Furthermore, that knowledge can be very useful for the fine tuning of your room via furniture, bass traps, absorbers and diffusers that can help make Dirac Live’s job much easier.

If you work entirely in-the-box (and maybe even in a small boxy room), then software-based room correction is a no-brainer. If you do a lot of ensemble tracking or analog mixing like I do, then you may find the inevitable switching from unassisted monitoring to corrected monitoring to be a little jarring, and maybe even disturbing to your “acclimation.” How I wish there was a freestanding hardware-based calibration/correction device that could be placed in-line before my main monitors so I could easily hear everything with proper correction, maybe even with headphone amps with their own specific correction.

Until that time comes, I still recommend Dirac Live for the wealth of knowledge it teaches you about your room, the tremendous flexibility it offers and what appears to be the best-sounding room correction algorithm on the market today.

Dirac Live • www.dirac.com

35

GEAR

studio products

1 Lectrosonics DCHR Digital Receiver

The DCHR miniature stereo digital receiver is capable of stereo or mono operation from a single RF carrier with Lectrosonics digital transmitters, including the DCHT, M2T, DBu, DHu and DPR. The unit tunes from 470–614 MHz in the UHF band, covering six Lectrosonics blocks, and matches the tuning ranges of the digital transmitters in the D Squared, DCH and M2 Duet lines. Setup involves quick RF scans in SmartTune, though manual tuning is also possible. AES 256-CTR mode encryption is included, with four different encryption key policies available. Optional accessory cables are available for both analog and AES3 connections to associated equipment.

2

1

2

Beyerdynamic TG D70, TG 151 Mics

Beyerdynamic has supplemented its Touring Gear (TG) series with the TG 151 instrument microphone and the updated, second-generation TG D70 dynamic kickdrum microphone. The mics are intended for use both in the studio and on stage.

Purpose-built for capturing the full impact of bass drums and similar low-frequencyintensive instruments, the D70’s assembly is isolated by an integrated elastic suspension system to eliminate structure-borne vibration. Its hypercardioid features provide isolation from ambient noises and prevent acoustic feedback, suppressing rear sound and capturing minimal side sound.

3 Mackie EleMent Mics

Mackie is already expanding the EleMent Series of microphones it launched in January, adding three new mics, a boom and pop screen. As the line’s flagship, the Chromium USB condenser microphone features a 2-channel mixer with instrument and stereo 1/8-inch inputs, as well as four polar patterns: stereo, cardioid, bidirectional and omni. Equipped with a built-in mixer stand, USB-C cable and a sample rate of 16-bit/48 kHz, the Chromium is intended for recording music, podcasts and livestreams, and online content creation. The other two new microphones in the line are the EM-91CU USB condenser mic and Carbon USB condenser mic.

3

4

4 Zoom PodTrak P8

Zoom is positioning PodTrak P8 as a complete podcast studio that offers recording, editing and mixing capabilities all in one unit. Up to six mics can be used at the same time, each with its own fader and preamp with 70 dB of gain. A seventh channel is devoted solely to recording calls via smartphones, while the sixth channel can be switched to USB for recording guests from a computer. Both the sixth and seventh channels include mix-minus. Complementing the six inputs are six independent headphone outputs, along with main outputs that users can connect to their own studio speakers for monitoring.

5 KEF LS50 Meta Speaker

KEF’s LS50 Meta bookshelf loudspeaker is designed around the Uni-Q 12th generation with Metamaterial Absorption Technology driver array. KEF’s Metamaterial Absorption Technology (MAT) absorbs most sound radiating from the rear of the driver, thereby reducing distortion and enabling the prevention of audio distraction. Other features include a new cone neck decoupler and motor system, intended to further reduce coloration and distortion. An offset flexible bass port, lowdiffraction curved baffle, and rigid cross-bracing with constrained layer damping are employed to prevent sound distortion. LS50 Meta pairs are available in four finishes: Carbon Black, Titanium Grey, Mineral White, and Royal Blue Special Edition.

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5

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

live products

GEAR

1 Radial PZ-Pro 2-Channel Acoustic Preamp

1

PZ-Pro, the latest in Radial Engineering’s Acoustic Series, is a two-channel instrument preamp, DI and switcher that provides control over tone, EQ settings and effects. Each channel on the PZ-Pro features a separate equalizer strip, with a filter section to reduce feedback on stage. The second channel of the PZ-Pro also features a microphone input to allow dynamic or condenser microphones to be used, including clip-on instrument mics.

Three footswitches provide the ability to toggle between each input channel, activate a built-in booster and an effects loop, or mute the signal for silent tuning.

2 L-Acoustics K3

K3 is a versatile, compact loudspeaker intended as a main system for events of up to 10,000 people, or for use as outfills or delays for larger K1 or K2 systems.

Designed as a full-range line source, K3 integrates 12-inch transducers to deliver large-format system performance, but essentially puts them into the form factor of a 10-inch design to reduce pricing, size and weight. Going with the smaller enclosure design, the box is reportedly 33 percent smaller than a K2 and weighs 95 pounds, making it workable for mid-size tours, festivals, corporate events, religious services and similar productions, as well as venues with space restrictions.

2

3 Pure Resonance SD5 Ceiling Speaker Array

Pure Resonance Audio’s SD5 SuperDispersion omnidirectional drop tile ceiling speaker array provides a 360-degree coverage pattern with 50’ by 50’ of audio coverage. The array prevents frequency cancellation by using specially engineered waveguides to shape the sound as it travels away from the speaker array, eliminating potential nodes. According to the company, the SD5’s reinforced housing and directional vortex porting maximize audio dispersion by reducing turbulence within the speaker system. With the wide dispersion, the SD5 is intended to take the place of multiple traditional single ceiling speakers, resulting in lower costs and simplified/reduced installation time.

4

3

4

Extron SSP 200 Surround Processor

Intended for pro AV use in corporate and commercial environments, Extron’s SSP 200 Surround Sound Processor automatically decodes Dolby and DTS formats from HDMI sources to discreet audio outputs. The unit offers up to 10 built-in outputs, plus additional outputs via an EXP port. It includes support for the latest immersive formats of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and sports an upmix function that synthesizes multichannel audio from stereo content. The Extron SSP 200 features an HDMI input with loop-through and EXP expansion port connection to DMP Series audio DSP processors. It can be controlled and configured using RS‑232 serial control or via a network connection.

5 Wharfedale Pro I Series Loudspeakers

Designed for small- to medium-scale commercial installations, the I Series loudspeaker line comprises three ABS plastic models in 4-, 6.5- and 8-inch sizes.

Each model is available in a 70V/100V or 8 ohm low-impedance configuration.

All I Series loudspeakers are IP54 Certified, making them suitable for installation in environments where excess moisture or dust ingress are a factor. A fullface aluminum front grille provides protection against physical damage.

Internally, the I Series use a two-way design with a 1-inch silk dome tweeter and custom Wharfedale Pro 4-, 6.5- or 8-inch low-frequency drivers to suit both prerecorded music playback and voice applications.

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

5

37

GEAR

innovations

SAMPLE RATE CONVERSION IN A DANTE WORLD NTP Technologies Penta 721s-DNT

BY JAN LYKKE Jan Lykke is the business development manager at NTP Technology A/S.

Dante audio-over-IP technology has been widely adopted in live sound, broadcast and studio environments. As Dante networks become bigger and start integrating many different types of applications including live sound, broadcast, intercom, P.A., recording and so on, it can be a challenge to match clocking and sample rates.

This challenge can be solved with the new Penta 721s-DNT from NTP Technology, which provides two separate Dante interfaces. The built-in sample rate converter makes it possible to interconnect two Dante networks with different clock sources and/or sample rates. However, the Penta 721s-DNT offers much more than that.

The Penta 721s-DNT is based on the Penta 721s base unit. As standard, the Penta 721s features a 64-channel Dante interface, one coax MADI I/O and eight AES I/O. Further, two MADI I/O, optical or coax, can be added as options. All of these are synchronized to the same clock.

The Penta 721s includes a slot where an optional I/O card can be installed. This can be a 128-channel Dante card, a dual MADI I/O card, an eight-channel AES I/O card, a dual SDI embedder/ de-embedder card, an eight-channel analog input card or an eight-channel analog output card. This makes the Penta 721s suitable for a wide range of applications, including conversion between multiple formats.

In the case of the Penta 721s-DNT, the option slot is configured with the 128-channel Dante card, which provides 128 Dante channels at 48 kHz, 64 channels at 96 kHz or 32 channels at 192 kHz. Apart from the high channel count, it also boasts a low-latency sample rate converter, which is used to adapt the clocking and/or sample rate of the Dante interface to the clock and/or sample rate of the Penta 721s base unit.

There is a routing matrix between the main and the option sections that allows the user to patch any input channel to any output channel, and even

38

to multiple outputs simultaneously. The routing matrix includes a 256 x 32 summing engine. This combination allows the user to take, for example, a 96 kHz Dante channel on the option card, samplerate convert it to 48 kHz, and output it on the Dante and MADI interfaces of the base unit, and vice versa.

LIVE SOUND A common issue in live sound is that some desks use 48 kHz sample rate, while others use 96 kHz; the Penta 721s-DNT provides an easy way

RECORDING STUDIO Recording studios can also benefit from the Penta 721s-DNT. Many recording studios use Dantebased personal monitoring systems. Some personal monitoring systems only operate at 48 kHz, for example, making it difficult—if not impossible— to record at other sample rates. And even if the personal monitoring system supports other sample rates, it can be cumbersome to change the sample rate of all Dante devices.

Inserting the Penta 721s-DNT between the recording converter and the personal monitor

NTP TECHNOLOGIES PENTA 721S-DNT Routing Summing 3 x MADI I/O

128 ch.

8 x AES3 I/O

64 ch. Dante I/O

Dante Network 1

of interconnecting these. The option section is connected to the 96 kHz desk with up to 64 channels, while the 48 kHz desk is then connected to the main section, either via Dante or MADI, with up to 64 channels. The routing between the main and secondary section is then set up, and even allows the channel sequence to be reordered.

Because of the sample rate converter in the Penta 721s-DNT, the two sides do not even need to be synchronized.

Sample Rate Conversion

128 ch. Dante I/O

Dante Network 2

system provides a separation between the recording sample rate and the sample rate of the personal monitoring system. This allows the recording to be changed at any time without having to worry about the sample rate of the personal monitor system.

In short, Penta 721s-DNT provides a quick and efficient way of interconnecting Dante networks with different clocking and/or sample rates.

NTP Technology North America • www.ntp-us. com

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

PEOPLE VIEW FROM THE TOP

EVOLVING INTO THE FUTURE Blake Augsburger, Founder and CEO, LEA Professional

BY TAMARA STARR

W

hen LEA Professional debuted at the 2019 NAMM Show, the company introduced its vision of what a power amplifier could be, evolving a familiar pro-audio product into something new with cutting-edge capabilities.

Leading the company’s charge was CEO and founder Blake Augsburger, whose own career has evolved in a similar fashion, always gaining new abilities over time as he continues to look forward.

Beginning his career as an electrical engineer in the defense industry, Augsburger moved into pro audio in 2000. When Harman acquired Crown Audio in 2006, he was appointed to lead the Harman Professional Solutions division, where he was tasked with adding businesses to the portfolio and taking on additional leadership roles. He remained with the company until 2016.

When Augsburger launched LEA Professional in January 2019, he publicly detailed an ambitious 18-month timeline that mapped out how and when the company would debut a slew of products and services—and then proceeded to hit each milestone as promised, even during the pandemic. Now, with products being integrated into projects around the world, the company is making its mark.

“We have created a fast-moving organization with all of the agility of a start-up, and the strength, depth and capitalization of a global player,” Augsburger said. Even though LEA began as a startup, it has quickly built momentum, despite the economy. “We have not had to significantly react to the ebb and flow of the economy because we have no legacy infrastructure. We’re also more open and have no commitments to proprietary technologies or protocols. Our company is a lean and agile organization, which gives us a huge edge over other manufacturers in the industry.”

That agility has allowed the company to quickly

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

implement digital training and customer support.

Internally, it has also allowed LEA to place greater emphasis on the culture and accountability of employees, instead of just having an organizational hierarchy—something that Augsburger believes has been a great asset during the pandemic.

“Culture is critical to our success,” he said. “We started with an idea, and that became a mission, and then a shared mission of our team and partner community. The core idea that amplifier and IoT technology could be foundational to connected infrastructure, but also those new MRR models that your readers—the dealers, contractors and engineers on the front lines of systems integration and pro audio—[use], is at the root of our mission, our culture and our success.”

Augsburger said that LEA’s rep network domestically and international distributor network have been a crucial part of the company’s efforts. “In this current climate, some domestic verticals will

“We have not had to significantly react to the ebb and flow of the economy because we have no legacy infrastructure.”

BLAKE AUGSBURGER be much stronger than others. Certain verticals need AV to enforce social distancing, others need it to communicate health protocols, so opportunities exist, and we’ll focus on serving those needs and also come up with clever ideas and solutions that will enable stronger business in those weaker verticals.”

That ability for companies to pivot is vital to

Blake Augsburger, founder and CEO, LEA Professional

planning new initiatives, Augsburger said, adding that every business needs to shorten planning periods and improve agility in the current economic climate: “The data, phases, guidelines and rules all change on a monthly basis, so businesses like ours and those of our channel partners need to be informed and prepared for change. For instance, in June and July this year, there was a heightened need for AV technologies to support social distancing in higher education and outdoor dining in hospitality.

In September, the emphasis shifted back to conferencing for corporate and government. In October, the AV market was thinking about ways to support holiday pageants and celebrations.”

While LEA Professional has been able to take proactive measures during the pandemic to keep moving forward, Augsburger is all too aware of how 2020 has treated the live sound, installation and integration sectors—but he also has strong expectations for 2021. “I think it’s important to acknowledge the tough times that live sound professionals are going through. I have spent a lot of time in the live production market and have many friends in that community,” he said. “I do believe there are better times ahead and that live sound can support socially-distanced gatherings that are important to our community.”

LEA Professional • www.leaprofessional.com

39

PEOPLE

sound people Meyer Sound has announced the promotion of four key staff members, each receiving a broader scope of responsibilities. Tim Boot has been named director of global marketing, taking on product management, Tim Boot marketing, communications and education on a worldwide basis. John McMahon has been promoted to senior vice president, assuming a range of company-wide executive responsibilities while also working with Meyer Sound’s John McMahon founders, president and CEO John Meyer and executive vice president Helen Meyer. Marc Chutczer has become vice president of R&D, assuming coordinated leadership of all

Meyer Sound R&D teams. Mike Ulrich has been appointed vice president of operations, taking charge of all aspects of manufacturing, purchasing, quality control and test engineering. iZotope has added JeanMarc Jot, Ph.D., as vice president of research and chief scientist, a position in which he will lead the company’s efforts in advanced scientific research, expanding and deepening Jean-Marc Jot iZotope’s investigations into applications of machine learning and digital signal processing technology for audio. He joins the company from Magic Leap, where most recently he was vice president and head of audio and media.

Iron Mountain Entertainment Services has appointed Beth Greve director and global head of sales. Greve is responsible for the acquisition, retention and growth of new business opportunities. She oversees global sales and account

management teams and partners closely with the marketing team to maximize relationships within the media and entertainment industries. Greve was chief commercial officer at GoldieBlox; chief commercial Beth Greve officer for the World Surf League; senior vice president of digital at Discovery Networks; chief revenue and partnerships officer for AwesomenessTV; and head of Entertainment Content West, Business Development at YouTube.

Brad Nelms has been named sales director of Solotech’s Las Vegas office, where he will lead the Las Vegas sales team. Nelms brings with him 15 years of experience in sales management and operations, mainly at ACT Lighting, VER and 4 Wall Entertainment.

Brad Nelms

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (REQUESTER PUBLICATIONS ONLY) 1. Publication Title: Pro Sound News 2. Publication Number: 553590 3. Filing Date: 9/24/2020 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 12 6. Annual Subscription Price: Requester 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Future

15. Extent and Nature of Circulation

a. Total Number of Copies

(1) Outside-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541

(2) In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541

(3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and

8760

9356

8106

Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS

c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation d. NonRequested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and

10749

(4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS

8002; Contact Person: Cindy Cardinal, 847-438-4577 Publisher: 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036-8002

No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

US Inc., 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 100368. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of

Average # Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months

9356

8106

1123

540

(1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541

(2) In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541

(3) Nonrequested copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail

(4) Nonrequested copies Distributed Outside the Mail

Managing Editor: Publisher: Carmel King, 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor,

e. Total Nonrequested Distribution

New York, NY 10036-8002; Editor: Clive Young, 11 West 42nd Street, 15th

f. Total Distribution

1123

540

10479

8646

Floor, New York, NY 10036-8002; Managing Editor: Katie Makal, 11 West

g. Copies Not Distributed

270

114

42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036-8002

h. Total

10749

8760

i. Percentage Paid and/or Requested Circulation

89.3%

93.8%

10. Owner: Future US Inc. (Future PLC), 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10036-80002 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgages and Other Security Holders: None 12. Tax Status: The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months 13. Publication Title: Pro Sound News 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: September-20

16. Electronic Copy Circulation

a. Requested and Paid Electronic Copies

b. Total Requested and Paid Print Copies + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies

c. Total Requested Copy Distribution + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies

d. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies)

17. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the November 2020 issue of this publication.

18. Signature of VP, AV Technology Group: Carmel King, September 24, 2020. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

PEOPLE

ZACK SALPETER

60

National Sales Manager, Mackie Q:What is your new position, and what does it entail?

My new position is national sales manager, which oversees Mackie’s independent dealer and distributor partners within North America. I work directly with our sales team, which is structured with regional sales managers and account managers. Our shared goal is to drive sales and expand into new markets using best practices.

Q:How has your background prepared you for your new role?

Being a guitar player since age 13, I studied audio recording as a major in college, earning a B.A. degree. This provided me an understanding of studio gear and signal flow. After playing in bands and teaching guitar lessons, that path led me to start in pro audio sales at a major MI retail chain, where I became audio department manager. Deciding to expand my horizons, I entered the manufacturers’ rep world, holding sales positions for several major industry brands and independent rep firms over a span of two decades. Being located between the NYC metro and Mid-Atlantic regions, high-revenue

second

can watch a video presentation of a product category and complete questions to become Mackie-certified.

interview

Q:What are your short- and long-term goals?

I’m used to being in fast-paced business environments, so short- and long-term goals are almost the same for me. I have a lot of ideas ready to go and constantly implement company initiatives, one of which is entering the consumer electronics market with our new in-demand home/recording products such as multimedia monitors, USB mics, interfaces and headphones.

Q:What is the greatest challenge you face?

The greatest challenge our sales team currently faces, not uncommon during COVID-19, is connecting with our dealer partners and consumers in new virtual ways—our team members are accustomed to conducting meetings and product demos/trainings in person. Mackie was well-positioned to supply the market with our new releases from NAMM 2020, where we released recording and podcasting products that professionals, novices, hobbyists, students, schools (and even us Mackoids) use every day to meet virtually. I tell the team, “Every virtual call we make using Mackie gear is a demo!”

"[At NAMM 2020,] we released recording and podcasting products that professionals, novices, hobbyists, students, schools and even us Mackoids use every day to meet virtually. I tell the team, “Every virtual call we make using Mackie gear is a demo!" responsibilities have always been a staple of my career. Most recently, I was Eastern regional sales manager for Mackie, with responsibility for half the United States and Canada. I was always mentored along the way by great sales managers, and I bring that experience with me.

Q:What new marketing initiatives are we likely to see from the company?

Our marketing efforts moved swiftly to create content covering our new product lines, tech support and live webinars. We also began a podcast series, The Ins & Outs with Mackie, which brings us closer to our users. Another great tool we created specifically for our dealer base is Mackie U, where a salesperson

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

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AYLA FAVATI

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Immersive Audio Mastering Researcher AES Educational Foundation 2020 Grant Recipient 41

MUSIC ETC. JAY BLAKESBERG

Ace of Cups shared the stage with 1960s legends. Decades later, the band is finally getting its due.

BACK IN THE CUPS

BY STEVE HARVEY

T

he first all-female psychedelic rock band to spring from the 1960s San Francisco music scene, Ace of Cups shared the stage with Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, The Band, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead and others. Yet hopes of securing a record deal or achieving wider recognition were scotched by misogyny and motherhood. Ace of Cups disbanded in 1972.

Decades later, UK label Big Beat released a collection of the band’s archived lo-fi rehearsal, demo and concert recordings. High Moon Records founder George Baer Wallace heard the CD and offered the women his support. In 2018, his label released their eponymous debut studio album. Their second album, Sing Your Dreams, was released Oct. 2. A third is planned for 2021.

The band—Mary Gannon (bass), Denise Kaufman (guitar, harmonica), Mary Ellen Simpson (lead guitar) and Diane Vitalich (drums), with Dallis Craft replacing original keyboardist Marla Hunt—were joined on the new album sessions by Jackson Browne, Sheila E and the Escovedo Family, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Bob Weir and numerous others.

Denise Kaufman, once a Merry Prankster

42

(“Mary Microgram”) on Ken Kesey’s bus and now a yoga guru, avid surfer and organic farmer, brought PSN up to date with the Ace of Cups story.

ON FORMING ACE OF CUPS I had been in a band with some of the guys who later formed Moby Grape, but I really didn’t know other women musicians in the psychedelic rock genre—but we found each other. I met Mary Ellen on New Year’s Eve at Blue Cheer’s house, when 1966 turned to 1967. She was sitting on the bed playing acoustic guitar. I always had a harmonica in my pocket, so we started playing. She said, “We’re starting an all-women’s band and you should come and meet us.” I thought, that sounds really weird, but I went over because I was curious. By the second week or so of January 1967, we were starting to write songs.

We had five lead singers in our band; there wasn’t one front person. Even if one person wrote the song, we all had parts. We were such a harmony-based band—and we all had different musical influences, and all honored each person’s musical tastes and what they wrote or played. We didn’t feel there was any issue of flowing in different directions and featuring different vibes in our songs.

Even now, I don’t know what category we’re in.

ON THE BAND’S FIRST RECORD DEAL Ace of Cups got invited to play for Wavy Gravy’s 75th birthday party with a bunch of our old friends—Bobby Weir, Micky Hart. After that, George [Baer Wallace] said, “I want to help you.”

The three of us who live in California—Mary Ellen, Diane and I—started to get together, writing and playing. That went on for three years. Eventually George said, “You’ve got to go into the studio. You never got the chance before and you’re writing great stuff and I love what you’re doing.” That was an amazing gift.

We found a producer, Dan Shea; Diane knew him. We looked for a woman producer, but we didn’t find the right person for us. We needed someone who understood contemporary music.

And Dan has a really good lyric sense.

ON CHOOSING THE SONGS For many years, even though we all lived in different places, we would gather when we could—sometimes two of us, sometimes three, four or five of us—and play our songs, so it wasn’t like we hadn’t seen each other for 50 years. Most of us have been in other bands all through the years. We’re all still writing.

Dan went through all of our material. We started with 12 songs, then it went to 16, then 21 and finally 36 songs. We narrowed it down for the first double album, but then we had some for this album.

And we have another coming out in a year.

ON RECORDING WITH OLD FRIENDS Not only did we sing on the [Jefferson Airplane] Volunteers album, but we did some touring with them on the West Coast. So it was wonderful to circle around 50 years later and have Jorma and Jack from Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna be on our album.

Ace of Cups • www.aceofcups.com

want

more?

ACE OF CUPS – SING YOUR DREAMS FULL ALBUM STREAM

https://youtu.be/kG4r-M0jgUE

prosoundnetwork.com | November 2020

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