Peter Cole first encountered networked audio systems while helping a client assemble a setup to review mixes in the client’s office. Cole saw networking as the ultimate in efficiency for audio workflows, so he applied it to his own facility, Before Noon Post, a 5.1-surround mixing suite built around a large Pro Tools | HD-Icon mixing system.
At this facility, located in Studio City, Cole has done projects over the last two decades for some of the leading animation titles and companies, including Fox’s Futurama, Comedy Central’s Kid Notorious, TBS’s Tarantula and Netflix’s F is For Family, while racking up three EMMY Awards and two additional nominations for Film Sound Editing, and four Monitor Awards for Film Sound Mixing and Best Audio Post Production Children’s Programming.
At a moment when television and film have placed new premiums on quality productions at the same time that budgets are under pressure, Cole decided that networked audio was the way to go and has invested heavily in Dante infrastructure and Focusrite’s RedNet range of Dante-networked audio converters and interfaces to help achieve that. Together, these RedNet components have helped make Before Noon Post competitive by streamlining Cole’s throughput and workflow, and increasing productivity and efficiency.
“My entire signal flow is now all Dante, thanks largely to RedNet,” he says. “I’ve eliminated patch bays and tons of spaghetti wiring — placing the [RedNet] A16R near the speakers has eliminated about 50 feet of wire to the speakers,” he estimates. “It’s cleaned up my signal path and studio workflow immensely.”
Cole says the flexible [RedNet] X2P is able to sit out in the studio when he needs to record a quick voiceover and offers him remote control over all of its parameters while locking out the controls on the unit itself next to the voice talent, leaving them able to control over their volume and free to concentrate on their delivery.
“They can hit a button or knob accidentally, and I still have full control over it,” he says. “Focusrite really did think of everything when they designed these units.”
Currently, Before Noon Post is working season three of Netflix’s animated sitcom F Is For Family with sound designer Chris Trent and re-recording mixer Shaun Cunningham, and Cole says his workflow has never been smoother or easier.
“I couldn’t imagine building a studio without networked audio, and it would be hard to imagine doing it without RedNet,” he says. “It’s made all the difference for me.”
Focusrite gear setup for Before Noon Post:
— One RedNet A16R 16-channel analog I/O interface
— One RedNet X2P 2×2 Dante audio interface
— Two RedNet AM2 stereo audio monitoring units
— One Red 4Pre 58-In / 64-Out Thunderbolt 2 and Pro Tools|HD compatible audio interface
