Toronto, Ontario, Canada – July 29, 2008 … Alfacam is one of the leading TV service providers in Europe, and will play a leading role in TV transmissions of the Summer Games. In Beijing, Alfacam will not only be handling the production of different types of international HD feeds, but also the worldwide broadcast of the opening and closing ceremonies. more

JESSUP, MARYLAND - JULY 2008: API, manufacturer of high-end analog processors and audio production consoles, is pleased to announce the three winners of their first annual Visionary Scholarship designed to foster creativity and excellence for the pro audio industry’s next generation of sound engineers. The scholarship is available to students enrolled at universities that have made the API Vision stereo/surround analog console a cornerstone of their students’ education. API awarded Myoung Nam, Andrei Duma, and Oresti Tsonopoulos each with $2,000 for a successful essay and the optional submission of recorded material.

Nam is a student in the University of Massachusetts-Lowell’s sound recording technology program under the direction of Dr. William Moylan, coordinator of sound recording technology. Duma is a student at the University of Michigan and uses the API Vision in the school’s amazing Duderstadt Center for multi-media production, where David Greenspan serves as coordinator of audio resources at the Digital Media Commons. Tsonopoulos is a student at the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music/Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where Jim Anderson serves as chair.

Applications for next year’s awards are available online at: www.apiaudio.com/schol_app.html. The application deadline is April 1, 2009 and winners will be announced June 15, 2009.

Automated Processes, Inc. remains the leader in analog recording gear, with the Vision surround production and Legacy Series recording consoles, the DSM Series rack-mounted mixers, and the classic line of modular signal processing equipment.

www.apiaudio.com

(PHOTO CAPTION) The 2008 API Visionary Scholarship winners (from top to bottom, left to right): Myoung Nam from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell’s sound recording technology program; Andrei Duma from the University of Michigan, Duderstadt Center for multi-media production with David Greenspan, audio resources coordinator; and Oresti Tsonopoulos, Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music/Tisch School of the Arts at NYU with Jim Anderson, department chair.

BROOKLYN, New York - July 2008 – Independent concert promotion company Bowery Presents has long been associated with excellent live sound. The owner/promoters behind some of New York City’s most beloved rock venues, Bowery Presents has maintained consistently top-notch sound reinforcement across all of its clubs and concert halls, including Mercury Lounge, The Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall, and the new 3,000-capacity Terminal Five. Last year, Bowery Presents expanded to Brooklyn, opening the 550-capacity Music Hall of Williamsburg, which boasts a powerhouse sound system by L-ACOUSTICS. more

Burbank, CA, July 29, 2008 – Avastor HDX hard drives are the first choice for Chace Productions, a full-service audio post-production facility located in Burbank, California. Chace relies on the Avastor drives when digitizing audio archive material from a variety of sources including: magnetic sound film, analog tape and early digital audio formats. more

HOLLYWOOD — There’s certainly truth to the long-standing adage, “What’s old is new again.” EASTWEST, exclusive US distributor of Best Service products, proves this true by making eight new sample collections by Best Service, which feature European historical instruments, available to today’s users. The newest sound libraries, developed in cooperation with Realsamples, include Pianoforte, Early Pianoforte, Grand Piano, English Harpsichord, Dutch Harpsichord, Dulcitone Celesta, English Spinet and Italian Harpsichord. more

─Jeff Watson and Joey P. Track Using Toft Pre Amps─

Gardena, Calif.─A rigorous touring schedule in Europe and Asia, as well as the US, has kept Night Ranger busy literally for years, with only a handful of live and compilation albums appearing during that time. Now, Night Ranger is releasing their first studio album in a decade: “Hole in the Sun” (Frontiers), July 1st.

“Hole in the Sun” contains a dozen new songs and features the guitar of Jeff Watson, a founding member of Night Ranger and noted session veteran. In addition to playing and writing on the album, Watson also shared production and engineering duties at his Marin County, CA studio, Camp Studios. Night Ranger also enlisted Michael Lardie, (Great White, Dokken) engineer/producer Joey P. (Ludacris, Sevendust, Jay-Z) and Matt Cohen (Talking Heads, Kenny Wayne Shepherd) to handle production responsibilities.

The album has a long genesis going back to the initial recording sessions in May of 2005, when the band took a break from touring, and following a linkup between Watson and Joey P. (which since has evolved into a friendship and numerous joint projects involving Camp Studios.)

“Prior to tracking, Jeff and I worked to set up the ultimate input chain at Camp Studios,” says Joey P. “I came out [from the Atlanta area] with two Toft mono EC-1’s and a stereo ATC-2, and Jeff bought a couple of EC-1’s as well. We used a variety of mics and wired everything with Mogami cable.” Some sessions also occurred in other area studios such as group member Jack Blades’ Sonoma studio. The album was mixed at Trident Studios in Pacheco, CA by Juan Urteaga and mastered by Dave Donnelly. Pro Tools was the sole recording and mixing medium.

“I’ve always worked toward making the best recordings possible,” says Jeff Watson, “but I decided to take it up a few notches for this project. Joey P. and I started with a plan to upgrade Camp Studios to the bleeding edge, and proceeded from there…. We got great support from a number of manufacturers, as well as Guitar Center’s Relations Manager, Dave Weiderman, and we even rebuilt the vocal booth from scratch.”

“Joey brought me into the Toft family and with their EC-1 preamps, along with some of my old classics, and we got amazing tones on everything. I knew we’d accomplished our goal when [mixer] Juan called me to rave about the drums, noting that they sounded so much better than the stuff he gets from other studios…. We do so much music, TV, and film work here, it’s very inspiring when I hear all the great feedback.”

Using the portable Toft pre amp/condenser/EQ’s and the same mic complement helped maintain the consistency and integrity of the signal chain at the front end. “The pres are great,” says Joey P., “They hold their own against much more expensive gear… What I love about the compression is that it attenuates the gain with a real smooth transition, not this hard crash-in and suck out you hear on a lot of records where lesser gear or bad plug-ins are used.”

“Hole in the Sun” is Night Ranger’s eighth studio album in a career that began with “Dawn Patrol” in 1982. Founding members Jeff Watson, keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald, lead vocalist/drummer Kelly Keagy, guitarist Brad Gillis, and bassist/singer Jack Blades amassed 16 million album sales worldwide. Released in Europe in April 07, “Hole in the Sun,” will be available in the States in June 2008.

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About PMI Audio Group:

Established in 1995, PMI Audio Group is a professional audio distribution company located in Gardena, California specializing in the distribution of professional audio products for recording, video, post, film, broadcast, and the fixed installation markets. Current brands of distribution include Studio Projects, Joemeek, Toft Audio Designs, and Stephen Paul Audio.

IMAGE CAPTION:

Camp Watson Studios, Mill Valley, CA.

Left to right: Guitarist Jeff Watson, guitarist Brad Gillis, bassist Jack Blades, engineer/keyboardist Michael Lardie, engineer/producer Joey P., and vocalist/drummer Kelly Keagy.