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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Genelec Active Monitors Selected For Cash Money Records Mobile Recording Studio

1038B tri-amplified monitors as the main monitoring system, augmented with a pair of 7070A active subwoofers

Cash Money Records recently took delivery of a new Studio Tour Bus from Vulcan Coach Corporation for its touring artists that is outfitted with a built-in recording studio that includes a pair of Genelec 1038B tri-amplified monitors as the main monitoring system, augmented with a pair of 7070A active subwoofers.

Cash Money Records is home to artists such as Birdman, Lil Wayne, and Drake.

The new studio has a rear monitoring wall loaded with Genelec 1038B’s, as well as a full Avid Pro Tools rig and Avid C|24 mixing interface. Bruce Basden, owner of Vulcan Coach, worked with Mark Jones of Cash Money to develop the look and feel of this studio, building on the previous successes of Vulcan Studio Coaches.

The studio is ensconced in multiple layers of soundproofing and proprietary acoustical treatments to create the right sonic environment. The design features a “room-within-a-room” approach to ensure complete isolation.

The vocal booth is an additional room within the already heavily isolated studio compartments, with the end result of impressive STC ratings.

The Genelec 1038B’s were chosen for their accurate mids and highs, and the 7070A’s for their ability to maintain an articulate low end at even extreme volumes, says Anthony Fernandez of Miami based Pro Audio Nerds, the studio consultant for this project.

Fernandez recalls that he first experienced Genelec speakers when he was working with Miami’s famous The Hit Factory Studios. “I really came to love how the Genelecs sound,” he says.

Basden says the amount of sound pressure that the studio compartment can contain is enormous. “These are not project studios I build on these buses – they are fully equipped, state-of-the-art, serious recording studios that let these artists lay down a vibe whenever it strikes them,” says Basden.

He adds, “the sound accuracy and pressure levels are incredible. When you close the door, the studio becomes seriously airtight, and you can really feel the bass punch you in the gut. With these buses, the artists will never have to miss a beat.”

Genelec Website

For more information, please visit

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Photo File: Genelec_VulcanCoach_CashMoney_Photo1.JPG
Photo Caption: Cash Money Records’ new mobile studio, outfitted and designed by Vulcan Coach Corporation, featuring 1038B Tri-amplified Monitors (pictured, left and right) as the main monitoring system, augmented with a pair of 7070A Active Subwoofers (pictured, lower).

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JBL VerTec Line Arrays Take Center Stage At Serbia’s Exit Festival

Total of 64 VT4889 full-size line array elements, 80 VT4888DP powered midsize line array loudspeakers with JBL DrivePack technology, and 100 VT4880 full-size arrayable subwoofers

Studio Berar, Serbia’s leading production company for professional audio, video and lighting systems, recently deployed JBL Professional VerTec line arrays for the 2010 Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia.

The festival, which is one of Europe’s largest and most popular every summer, took place July 8-11 at the Petrovaradin fortress near the Danube River, drawing 165,000 music fans from around the world over the 4-day span. Studio Berar was awarded contracts to support three of the largest stages of the festival.

More than 500 artists performed on 20 different stages during the 4-day event, which was recently voted ’Best European Festival’ by UK Festival Awards according to Yourope, the European Association of the continent’s 40 largest festivals. This year’s Exit performance lineup included Faith No More, Chemical Brothers, David Guetta, Missy Elliott, Placebo, Mika, LCD Soundsystem, Royksopp, Crystal Casteles, among many others.

The Main Stage, Dance Arena, and Fusion Stage were collectively equipped with 64 VerTec VT4889 full-size line array elements, 80 VT4888DP powered midsize line array loudspeakers with JBL DrivePack technology developed in coordination with Crown Audio, and 100 VT4880 full-size arrayable subwoofers.

The entire system was configured for remote control and monitoring with Harman HiQnet System Architect software.

“I’m proud to say it’s been 10 years now that Studio Berar has been the primary professional A/V rental supply company for the Exit Festival,” said Zoran Matic, chief system engineer of Studio Berar. “Our VerTec line array systems, along with Crown amplification and the HiQnet system, have performed flawlessly year after year.

“Although the design and setup of the main concert sound system is always challenging due to the unique landscape of the event site, the result this year has exhilarated the crowds of music lovers. Exit Festival 2010 is another highly successful project in our portfolio.“

JBL Professional Website

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Plugging In Your Church Platform - A Discussion Of Cabling & Connectivity

We need to be thinking about cabling and connectivity, as it will affect future generations, perhaps even long after we’re gone

In my many encounters with church building committees over the years, there’s often an overwhelming theme: build a room that can be utilized for a multitude of functions including worship, theatrical productions, concerts, special events, dinners, receptions… the list goes on.

It’s a discussion of compromise and of thinking to the future. For example, wouldn’t it have been nice - 25 years ago - if the building committee had considered that there might be need of more than a “roamer mic” and organ at the platform?

Of course, caution should be taken when addressing the subject, because we may be talking to some of the same committee members who helped make that initial decision. That said, the same committee members may also remember the subsequent funding needed for more conduit and floor boxes for the stage, including cutting up the concrete floor to get this done.

Meanwhile, the sound crew regularly trips over a bundle of mic cables and faces the unnerving challenge of tracing a bad cable to the soloist five minutes before the service begins.

All of it points to the fact that we need to be thinking about cabling and connectivity, as it will affect future generations, perhaps even long after we’re gone.

What can we reasonably estimate to happen in the next 15, 25 or even 50 years?

We start by listing out what currently will – and likely could - be needed on stage. Such a list may include singers, preachers, pulpits, baptismal, communion table, drums, guitars, piano, organ, bass, strings, brass…

Next, the question becomes location. Can we really anticipate the exact position of each of these items in the years to come?

One answer is yes - we can anticipate positioning because we will control it with a stage design. This is a popular option among larger churches, but can be very unpractical for the small-to-medium church. The approach, basically, means designing the stage with fixed choir, piano, organ, orchestra, monitor mixing, and other positions, and the result is superior sound quality in addition to consistent entrance and exit to various areas of the stage.

The other answer is no – we can’t possibly anticipate accurately. In reality, this is the case in the majority of situations. But let’s back up. When discussing systems, I always have two perspectives: musician and technical (or “techie”).

The musician side of me wants a stage free of cables, with plenty of space to interact with other musicians and the congregation. And I want the ability to plug in any instrument at any realistic place on stage. For example, if the drummer’s in the back, the technicians should be able to mic all of the drums if needed.

Meanwhile, the techie side of me wants easy cable runs, clean signal, and happy musicians. The easy answer: provide a ton of wire and conduit from that stage to the control area(s). Not just to the mixing console, but also to video rooms, studios, etc.

This is not to say that you should have 400 mic lines running all over the place. But build in the flexibility to run individual lines, snakes, fiber, data or whatever else may be encountered now and in the future. Make sure there are several conduits; it’s cheap to do now, very expensive later.

Note that not all wires can be next to each other. Some electrical contractors may ask if it’s O.K. to use PVC conduit instead of steel conduit, and the answer is to use steel whenever possible. Steel offers a magnetic shielding from electrical wiring, while PVC does not. So using steel can go a long way to eliminating nasty buzzes and hums.

However, if the budget dictates PVC, make sure that it’s located as far away as possible from electrical and other wiring. And, always keep separate microphone, loudspeaker, video, data, and other wires/cables.

Floor boxes are your friends, and wall panels and plates are a welcome substitute for floor boxes. My recommendation has been boxes/panels placed strategically around the perimeter of the stage. Install as many as possible, but keep them invisible from the seating areas.

Also remember that it’s important to be able to get cables outside of the “performance area” as quickly as possible.

Now, let’s fill these floor boxes/plates. Keep things organized with simple numbering: Box A jacks are numbers 1-12, Box B is 13-24, and so on.

You can have literally hundreds of sound system inputs at the stage, divided between the boxes, without being excessive and without confusion.

Jacks can accommodate a variety of inputs and outputs for other systems/uses as well, usch as AC power, video, data, etc.

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Drop snakes can also serve useful purposes. A drop snake simply takes the inputs of each box and links them to a new location on stage.

With a multipin connector-style snake, a multipin connector is placed in each floor box that duplicates the input of that box. (A mulitpin connector puts all of these lines into one connection, locking into place via a connector of the opposite “gender”.) Thus, all lines go through a single snake to a box or “ran” on the other end, which breaks out each line individually again.

This approach makes each input available at the box, and at the end of the snake. But it’s crucial never plug into both the input of the box and the same input on the snake: BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN. The goal is to gain the option of connecting a mic cable to the floor box for input - OR - running the mic cable to the end of the snake.

An option to multipin snakes is fan-to-box snakes. These plug into each line individually, so the snake jacks coincide with the floor box jacks. This approach is more time consuming but much safer. All in all, either approach saves time and cleans up the stage.

All right, let’s say we’ve got all of these items plugged in at the stage, at various floor box/wall panel locations. For example, drums are on channels 9-15, vocals on 74-82, lead guitar on 4 and bass on 63. We’re using a 32-input mixing console posted at front of house. Wait a minute – our math doesn’t add up. More inputs on stage than at the console!

This is where we encounter patch bays, which allow the sound tech to simply take any input on stage and assign it to any channel on the console via a short patch cable. Think of an old-time telephone switchboard in terms of look and function.

Patch bays can be our best friend, but they can also present problems. First, a quality patch bay can cost $1,000 or more. And even at that rather lofty price point, reliability can be an issue.

The biggest way to avoid patch bay problems is proper installation, and as a result, I recommend a qualified contractor to do this. It’s a detailed, labor intensive process, which adds even more to the cost, but without proper installation you’re just setting up a disaster.

Another option is the “poor man’s patch bay” - a snake box, linked via its snake to the house console.

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The box, meanwhile, is usually mounted at a backstage location, ready to accept inputs running from the stage. You then simply take stage inputs and plug them into the box as needed – easy and flexible switching of inputs.

Also keep in mind that while a 32-input console may be in use now, there may come a day when it makes sense to expand to a 48-input board. Therefore, use a snake big enough to accommodate this growth in inputs, simply covering the extra inputs until they might be needed.

One note is to be cautious – don’t allow anyone the opportunity to plug into channel 32 on the snake box if console channel 32 is being used for a CD player.

Some of this may seem pretty basic, but the issues covered here come up with every project, time and again.

For example, you may be using a 24-input console now but may soon want/need to upgrade to a 32-input (or even 48-input) model. Run a snake big enough for growth and place a box with more inputs than you currently need. Simply cover up the extra inputs and indicate they are not to be used.

Also, don’t forget about those wireless mics, CD players and other items that may occupy channels on the board. Don’t provide someone the opportunity to plug into channel 32 on the snake box if channel 32 on the board is the CD player.

Again, some of this might seem simple, but it’s taken many people (myself included) three or more times of doing things wrong to get them.

While a qualified AV contractor should be able to accomplish these techniques, it’s important to understand the concepts and to be able to raise questions and propose approaches that work best for your situation – now, and in the future.

Related articles on PSW Church Sound:
Checklist For Planning A Church Sound System
Testing Cables On A Regular Basis Is Essential To Solid Church Sound System Performance
The Checklist: Solutions For Fixing Church Sound System Problems

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Tech Tip Of The Day: The Sample Doctor Makes A House Call

Is there some way to remove the cymbals and just keep the kicks and snares?

 

Q: I’m fairly new to creating music of any sort. I don’t really play an instrument, so I generally use loops and samples to build my compositions. But, I’ve run up against a few roadblocks and thought you might be able to help me. I’ve found some wonderful old kicks and snares with a lot of personality on some old 1970s LPs. My problem is that there is some amount of cymbal or hi-hat over most of them. Is there some way to remove the cymbals and just keep the kicks and snares? By the way, I’m not planning to release any of this music - it’s just for me, so I’m not worried about copyright issues.

A: There are a couple of ways you can minimize the sonic effects of cymbals that can be heard over kicks and snares. First, you’ll want to truncate the samples to just include the drum hits, which can be done in most sample editors.

Next, you’ll want to either create an envelope for the sound or process it so that it quickly fades out to zero, giving it plenty of attack, a short decay, and then a fast fadeout to silence.

In most cases, a good equalizer (graphic or parametric) can be used to remove most of the high-frequency cymbal information from the bass drum samples, and that might be enough, or you may want to try boosting low frequencies between about 75 Hz to 250 Hz to emphasize the booming resonance of the drum head or the snap of the beater. Snares may respond similarly, but another new approach is to use one of the new audio-restoration software packages. Treat the cymbal as if it were noise, by sampling a section of the recording in which the cymbal is playing alone.

Then, use that as your “noise signature” and use the various controls to remove it from the recording of the snare, and then EQ to taste.
 
For more tech tips go to Sweetwater.com

 

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Musicians Institute To Host Free “Ask The Mixers” Event In Los Angeles On August 25

Five top mixers from across the industry share their insights into the craft and business of mixing music

A-Designs Audio announces that Musicians Institute on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles will be hosting a free event known as “Ask The Mixers” starting at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25.

Sponsored by A-Designs, Pearlman Microphones, Pete’s Place Audio and Ronan’s Recording Show, the evening will bring together a panel of five professional engineers from the L.A. area who will share their insights into the craft and business of mixing music. A question and answer session with the audience will follow the program.

The event will feature the following panelists (each listed with partial credits):

- Dylan Dresdow (Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, Michael Jackson, TLC, Ice Cube, Madonna, Ricky Martin, Usher, Christian Aguilera, Rihanna)

- Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, Terry Bozzio, Ulver, Steve Morse, Jamie Walters, Tay Zonday, Tony Levin, Steve Stevens, Nels Cline)

- John Rodd (Scoring recordist or mixer for hundreds of films, plus video games like Assassins Creed II, Avatar, SOCOM 3, World of Warcraft)

- Tony Shepperd (Whitney Houston, Elton John, Kenny Loggins, Back Street Boys, Madonna, Lionel Richie, Take 6, Barbra Streisand)

- Erik Zobler (Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, George Duke, Donna Summer, Dianne Reeves, Al Jarreau, Yellowjackets, Jeffrey Osborne)

“This is a fantastic opportunity to learn some personal tips and tricks of the trade from celebrated professionals that ‘eat and breathe’ tracking or mixing every day,” says Peter Montessi, president of A-Designs Audio. “So regardless whether you’re brand new to the world of recording or a seasoned engineer still wondering how to make your projects sound better, here’s a chance to be mentored by folks that have won Grammys and other awards for their stellar work.”

Recording equipment from the sponsors will be on hand for demonstration before and after the program, and a product giveaway will take place at the tail end of the evening (winner must be present to receive prize).

Musicians Institute is located at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. For more information on the event, contact A-Designs Audio at 818-716-4153 or visit www.adesignsaudio.com.

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Multiple Midas Digital Consoles Support Scotland’s T In The Park Festival

Britannia Row deployed three XL8 for the main stage, while EFX Audio supplied two XL8 for the Radio One stage

A plethora of Midas digital mixing systems were used across this year’s three-day T in the Park festival held in Scotland earlier this month. Britannia Row deployed three XL8 live performance systems at front of house on the main stage, while Scottish rental company EFX Audio supplied two XL8s for front of house on the Radio One stage.

Midas digital systems were also very much in evidence as headlining acts brought their own to the festival. These included a PRO6 and XL8 for Dizzee Rascal; FOH PRO6 systems for Faithless and Florence and the Machine and PRO6s at FOH and on monitors for Paolo Nutini. Rap artist Jay Z also arrived with an XL8 system for his appearance on the main stage.

On the Radio One stage, it was in-at-the-deep-end for many of the engineers who were using an XL8 for the first time. EFX set up the two XL8s in tandem, using the 431 active splits to enable them to access all the mics all of the time, on both consoles. Guest engineers were then able to ‘listen-in’ to the preceding band and get a feel for the EQ, as well as lining up gates, compressors, reverbs and overall functionality prior to line-checking their own band.

EFX’s Steph Fleming explains, “We felt it was important for guest engineers to become acquainted with the XL8s prior to show time. After that, the consoles would speak for themselves. For most, their big impression was of the sheer audio quality of the XL8, and also of the way it feels very much like a ‘proper’ mixing desk.”

Fleming appreciated the console’s digital benefits; specifically, the XL8’s networking capabilities, with just one optical fibre cable replacing the 500 feet of cable required by a traditional analogue set up. Midas DL451 I/O boxes were used to distribute the audio to multiple locations, maximizing the whole network’s flexibility.

“For us, it’s always about the great sound,” says Fleming, “but equally essential is the flexibility especially when you’ve got some 24 bands appearing over three days.”

“The sound was exceptional, and I found it very easy to mix on,” says Sophie Grant, front of house engineer for Jamie T and Kate Nash. “Selecting the VCAs to see my channels on the screen was so much easier then flipping between pages or layers. I also liked the fact that I didn’t have to flip layers to access my FX. And the colour coding is fantastic. Midas have always been my desk of choice, now I want to do a headline show on an XL8.”

Midas Website

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