Multi-instrumentalist and producer Patrick Jordan-Patrikios has been utilizing ADAM Audio A7X active studio monitors on his latest projects, including sound design for the first all-electric vehicle from British carmaker Lotus.
Once a session drummer for hip-hop performer Coolio, Jordan-Patrikios has produced for artists such as Kylie Minogue and Little Mix, worked with synth performer Giorgio Moroder, and composed scores numerous movie trailers.
“I first used ADAMs working with the Swedish songwriter Jorgen Ellefson,” he notes. “He was the go-to guy for Simon Cowell for many years, and we were mixing Il Divo, the opera-pop crossover band Simon discovered back in 2003. Anyway, these were the A77Xs with the dual-woofer arrangement. The first thing that drew my attention was the horizontal configuration. Then the clarity was just mind-blowing.
“I mixed on headphones for so long because I was always working on my laptop in hotel rooms, on a plane, wherever,” he adds. “There’s something to be said for having all that sound right up close to you. I’ve mixed on a lot of high-end monitors, but the ADAMs are the first that have given me that same sense of satisfaction — and honestly, I feel like I’m mixing better than ever. Wearing ’phones for six or eight hours at a stretch kills my ears and is uncomfortable, so I’d always double-check mixes on other speakers. After using the A7Xs for only about seven months now, I find that I don’t need to. I trust them.”
Patrikios also points out that bass and low-mid reproduction are central to many of his projects. “The trailers I tend to get are for action-adventure movies,” he explains, “so there’s a lot of throbbing bass, big ‘action drums,’ and the like. I’m doing one for an upcoming picture that’s set in Japan, so the producers wanted pounding Taiko-style drums. These film companies want that epic vibe, and they expect to hear a polished product. With the A7Xs, I’m getting all of the emotion that gets me to that finish line — and I can do it at low-to-medium volume, which is where I like to mix to avoid ear fatigue. Of course, when I do turn up for a client who’s in the room, the ADAM’s always deliver. It’s a blast!”
When Patrikios took on creating the sonic signature of the Lotus Evija — a limited-edition electric hyper car commanding upwards of two million dollars — he found that the same qualities that make the A7X a production tool were just as valuable in the weird world of automotive sound design: “I was thrilled to get the call from Lotus. Luxury car makers want to appeal to all the driver’s senses. That includes an aural experience people will identify with the brand. Interior tones like alerts and for when you press a control panel button all came out gorgeous, but the sound that’s also projected outside the car to let pedestrians know you’re there — that was the real challenge.
“Unlike with some electric cars, we weren’t trying to emulate a gasoline engine revving,” he concludes. “Lotus wanted a progressive, building sound reminiscent of a starship or maybe something from the movie Tron. It needed to be identifiable and unique even when communicated to the noisy outdoor world. Now, pretty much all car companies use the same drivers for this purpose, and they mount them in the wheel arches. Again, for bass, for detail, and for reliable translation to the wheel-arch speakers, the A7Xs gave me everything I needed. I think it speaks very highly of ADAM’s versatility that you can go from mixing a pop record to scoring a movie trailer to this.”
Hear more from Patrick Jordan-Patrikios at his label, Notting Hill Music.
