Genelec will be hosting a special Masterclass session on Tuesday, April 26 beginning at 1 pm U.S. Eastern time that will livestreamed to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and the Genelec USA Twitch page featuring mix engineer Zukye Ardella, who will be sharing her practical knowledge on the process of tracking and producing hip-hop vocals, the relationship between producer and vocalist, and more.
The session, to be moderated by Genelec senior technical sales manager Paul Stewart, will also feature real-time tracking with 17-year-old singer Mia Bucks, live from The Crimson Room at Ardella’s s5studio in New York City.
Ardella’s engineering and production credits include Ne-Yo, WizKid, A$AP Ferg and Flipp Dinero. Years back she joined founder Sonny Carson in the s5studio enterprise, which moved to its current space in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood in 2020. The facility has three studios (Midnight Blue, Crimson and Black), all with active monitoring from Genelec: a pair of 8331A Smart active monitors for nearfields in the Crimson Room — the facility’s largest studio — while two 1234A Smart active monitors are used for main monitoring there; the Black Room employs 8320A Smart active monitors as nearfields; and the Midnight Blue Room, designed primarily by Carson, has a pair of 8331As for close-in listening and a pair of 1238A Smart active monitors for mains.
This setup is unique for hip-hop production: “We are doing everything at this point without subwoofers in any room, and it’s blowing people’s minds!” says Ardella. “The Genelec speakers all have incredible low-frequency power. The lows are big, even for hip-hop. But what’s really amazing is that those lows are also so clear and clean. Engineers and artists come here and tell us that they can push the bottom but they can still hear lyrics very clearly, which is very important. With Genelec, we can get the full range of sound and hear everything on the track.”
Go here to access the Masterclass session with Zukye Ardella.
